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red states rule
08-17-2009, 09:38 AM
Some good news for a change. Why not cancel this mega pork bill, and return the money to the taxpayers via tax cuts?



Pace of stimulus spending plummets
Obama order goes unheeded


Stimulus bill spending has slowed to a trickle, despite President Obama's June order to his Cabinet to speed it up.

The average stimulus spending per week has dropped severely, to just $4.2 billion over the past month from $9.7 billion during the prior four months. The government spent $2.9 billion in the week ending Aug. 7.

Taxpayer groups say the numbers show spending decisions are random and prove that the $787 billion stimulus program has had no effect on the economy.

"This is a typical bureaucracy. They don't operate in an efficient way. They can't operate in an efficient way and make an impact," said Leslie Paige, media director for Citizens Against Government Waste.

The spending has slowed despite Mr. Obama's declaration in June that he was "not satisfied" with its pace, and his demand that his Cabinet secretaries accelerate the distribution of stimulus funds.

The White House said the rate doesn't matter, and that the key is whether Mr. Obama's overall targets will be met.

"Week-to-week measures are irrelevant," said stimulus spokeswoman Elizabeth Oxhorn. "We remain on track to meet the ambitious goal that the president set in June: speeding the Recovery Act's pace, so that $225 billion is obligated by the act's 200th day."

Spending as of Aug. 7, the 172nd day since Mr. Obama signed the bill, stood at $200 billion obligated. To meet the goal of $225 billion, the government will have to spend nearly $1 billion each day over the next four weeks -- or nearly double the pace of the past four weeks.

But taxpayer groups fear those sorts of deadlines can force agencies to spend money on wasteful projects, and states and localities say one reason the rate of spending is slow is because they need to meet all the transparency and productivity requirements imposed by Congress and the Obama administration.

In June, Mr. Obama recognized that spending was lagging and told his Cabinet to flood the economy with stimulus money.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/14/pace-of-stimulus-spending-plummets/

Mr. P
08-17-2009, 12:54 PM
I've been watching whether they would spend it or return it with all the public op facts an such.

red states rule
08-17-2009, 10:51 PM
Look how your tax dolars is being spent on the stimulus money that has been spent


County Executive: "Rampant Abuse" in School Supply Program

(Rochester, N.Y.) – Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks said the state school supply grants handed out to New York State food stamp and welfare recipients are not being used as intended by many families. She said the program has “widespread, rampant abuse.”

“There were better ways--You don't have to support families to buy school supplies by giving them cash,” she said.

Brooks said the county has been overwhelmed by reports, some of them from store owners, of people using the money to buy TVs and other luxury items.

“We actually received a telephone call from WalMart on Hudson Avenue suggesting that there was welfare fraud, and indicating they were going to call the FBI because people were going in and buying X-boxes, Wii systems, flat-screen television sets,” said Kelly reed, the county’s commissioner of social services. “Wegmans has indicated people are buying tickets to Darien Lake.”

The $200 per child grants showed up in welfare accounts this week. Many recipients had no idea the money was coming, and flooded area stores and ATMs.

The money is a combination of $140 million in federal stimulus funds and a $35 million donation from philanthropist George Soros. About $6.5 million went to more than 32,400 children in Rochester. Critics have said the program invited waste and abuse, because there are no strings attached to the grant money.

“When you hand out $200 per child cash to a family with no strings attached, no requirements for spending, are we surprised that people are buying flat screen TV's i-Pods, X-boxes?” Brooks said.


http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/County-Executive-Rampant-Abuse-in-School-Supply/7zQK1vZtp06KFBLC--Xuew.cspx