Faith-Based Groups Received Massive Amounts of U.S. Stimulus Money
Hypocrisy is one thing that relgious fanatics and politicians tend to have in common. Here’s a great example revealed by Politico:
The stimulus bought Castleton United Methodist Church in Indianapolis a new heating and cooling system. In Laramie, Wyo., it bought the Church of St. Laurence O’Toole new windows for the Roman Catholic school it runs. And in Harrisburg, Pa., Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area spent its $120,000 in stimulus funding on food and shelter for local homeless people.
“It kind of fell from the sky, and it was unbelievable that we had this much extra money,” said Jackie Rucker, executive director of the church-sponsored…
Thousands Of Stimulus Checks Went To The Deceased And Incarcerated
Someone didn’t check their list twice to see who was naughty or dead. From The Washington Post.:
The federal government last year sent about 89,000 checks of $250 each to dead or incarcerated people through the Obama administration’s economic stimulus program, according to a watchdog report.
The Social Security Administration distributed about $13 billion to 52 million eligible beneficiaries in the form of $250 checks as part of the economic recovery program. The program cost $814 billion. Most of the payments were issued properly, but SSA failed to check all available payment records or was unaware that beneficiaries had died, according to a report by the Social Security Office of Inspector General.
Although SSA lacks the authority to recoup most of the money, the report estimates that slightly more than half of the payments have been returned.
Continues at The Washington Post …
$800,000 of Economic Stimulus Money Spent On African Genital-Washing Program
From the “you can’t make this stuff up” department, via CNS News (yes, I know it comes with a deliberately right-wing spin, but still!):
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), spent $823,200 of economic stimulus funds in 2009 on a study by a UCLA research team to teach uncircumcised African men how to wash their genitals after having sex.
The genitalia-washing program is part of a larger $12-million UCLA study examining how to better encourage Africans to undergo voluntary HIV testing and counseling – however, only the penis-washing study received money from the 2009 economic stimulus law. The washing portion of the study is set to end in 2011.
“NIH Announces the Availability of Recovery Act Funds for Competitive Revision Applications,” the grant abstract states. “We propose to evaluate the feasibility of a post-coital genital hygiene study among men unwilling to be circumcised in…
Interest on U.S. Debt: $4.8 Trillion
Jeanne Sahadi writes on CNNMoney.com:
Here’s a new way to think about the U.S. government’s epic borrowing: More than half of the $9 trillion in debt that Uncle Sam is expected to build up over the next decade will be interest.
More than half. In fact, $4.8 trillion.
If that’s hard to grasp, here’s another way to look at why that’s a problem.
In 2015 alone, the estimated interest due — $533 billion — is equal to a third of the federal income taxes expected to be paid that year, said Charles Konigsberg, chief budget counsel of the Concord Coalition, a deficit watchdog group.
More on CNNMoney.com
Government Watchdog Can’t Verify Stimulus Job Stats
EAMON JAVERS writes on the Politico:
The chief federal oversight official for the stimulus program said in a letter Wednesday that he can’t certify whether the number of jobs “created or saved” by stimulus funds is accurate.
Recovery Board Chairman Earl Devaney was responding to a request for information by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the top Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In a letter to Issa dated Nov. 17, Devaney wrote, “Your letter specifically asks if I am able to certify that the number of jobs reported as created/saved on Recovery.gov is accurate and auditable. No, I am not able to make this certification.”
The Obama administration claimed that it saved or created at least 1 million jobs this year. But errors in the stimulus job creation data have become a political hot potato, as the administration has been hit by news reports revealing that data it posted…
Postal Workers Are Paid to Do Nothing … What’s Worse, Bored Postman or Greedy Bankers?
I thought the stimulus package was going to create all these awesome new, “busy” jobs for people who might not want to do crossword puzzles all day. While I know the Post Office has been an independent agency of the U.S. government since the 1980s, something doesn’t seem right here.
Hmm, Wall Street had no problem getting some funds to keep them in business, to have people “work” in a manner that continues to cause great damage to our economy. What’s the government’s plan of action for our modern-day Pony Express?
Sarah Hollenbeck reports on NBC-2 TV, Fort Myers:
The United States Postal Service faces a $7-billion deficit this year. Closing local post offices and cutting one day of delivery service have both been suggested to save money, layoffs have not. But a decline in mail volume has led to some paid employees spending entire days doing nothing at all.
Postal Service officials we spoke…
