A "new consensus" has emerged on the success of the economic stimulus package, according to a New York Times headline. In touting the supposed success of the legislation, and hinting at support for another round of spending, the Times neglected to mention the widespread fraud that characterizes the administration's attempt at shoring up the economy.As reported by P.J. Gladnick on Saturday, the Times made sure to attribute its claims to "dispassionate analysts," and asserted that the stimulus is "helping an economy in free fall a year ago to grow again and shed fewer jobs than it otherwise would." Gladnick thoroughly debunked this claim, and others, in his NB post.
In a further show of bias, the Times article makes no mention of the 76,779 jobs that were not actually "saved or created" by the package, but were added to the number touted by the administration (interactive map embedded below the fold - h/t Examiner's Freddoso, Spiering, and Hemingway). Given that this number is roughly 12 percent of the 640,000 jobs the administration claims to have "saved or created," it might merit a mention in the Times's story.
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Furthermore, according to the Examiner,
Today's report from ABC News tells us that prior to releasing its jobs report, the administration cut out 60,000 additional jobs from unreliable reports, none of which appear to overlap with the ones we've highlighted here. Had those jobs been included in the original count, the number of jobs "created or saved" by the stimulus would have exceeded 700,000, and the number of imaginary or doubtful jobs would have approached 20 percent.The Times article also neglects to mention recent reports that the stimulus "created or saved" jobs in nonexistent congressional districts. As reported by CNN on Friday,
A report released Wednesday by the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity said it found such errors on pages for all 50 states, four territories and the District of Columbia. More than $6.4 billion in stimulus funds were shown as being spent -- and more than 28,420 jobs saved or created -- in 440 false districts, it said.Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., ranking member on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has called for an official investigation into these false claims. Even the Democratic Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. David Obey, Wis., said the false claims are "outrageous and the administration owes itself, the Congress and every American a commitment to work night and day to correct the ludicrous mistakes."
Even given the bipartisan uproar over these false "saved or created" claims, the Times did not see fit to mention the fraud that appears rampant throughout the stimulus package and administration reports on its supposed success. That it shilled for another stimulus without even mentioning the serious problems with the one we already have demonstrates the Times's willingness to toe the liberal line on the economy.
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Follow the money . . .
Sun, 11/22/2009 - 11:37 ET by GalvanicIt's all about bail-out funds.
The NYT and other newspapers on the verge of insolvency are actively lobbying for Federal $$$ to prop them up. Their point man in the Senate is Sen. John Kerry, who is repaying the Boston Globe for years of political endorsements.
The Times hopes that a second stimulus package will have a healthy chunk of money in it for the papers.
CEO's
Sun, 11/22/2009 - 11:55 ET by KC BeachCorrect me if I am wrong but didn't Congress pass a law after Enron, making a CEO personally responsible for his company's financial filings? Since BHO is the CEO of the country shouldn't he be held personally responsible too?
Pork off the pantry shelf
Sun, 11/22/2009 - 11:55 ET by StarAZThe stimulus was a bunch of private projects the Dems could not get through any other way--and they tried--and the only jobs it created were a few people to make up numbers of jobs created or saved. What does saved mean? Paying people who should have been paid by the states anyway. This is all such garbage--but once again, I guess they assume everyone is stupid. Well, you know what? We ARE stupid--we elected these people!
fraud is unimportant
Sun, 11/22/2009 - 12:30 ET by wizardjrThe whole concept of a government spending stimulus to resurrect the economy is merely that government spend lots of cash and that'll circulate in the economy and create jobs. Fraud merely puts the money in places that weren't on 'the list'. The money is still rained down upon the economy so it still fulfills the strategy. Morally corrupt by technically moot.
Never mind that this strategy has never really worked anywhere at any time. Look at today. QED.
In addition this strategy usually exacerbates the amplitude of the business cycle as the Congress takes too much time to actually do anything the cash hits after the economy has started back up on its own, so the cash over stimulates things and adds to inflation and over employment. This leads inevitably to a much harder crash a few years later rather than a periodic mild pull-back. Been there, done that. Duh!
Yeah, let's pass Porkulus II and help the Marxists...
Sun, 11/22/2009 - 12:43 ET by R D Helm...add even more of our not-yet-earned tax dollars to the two Keep the Dems In Permanent Power slush funds they already have in place (TARP and Porkulus I), not to mention their campaign war chest.
These goobers are going to get their defeat-proof socialist congress (Politburo?) in place, and they are going to buy it with taxes that don't even exist, on money we haven't even made yet.
God, have we really become this stoopid as a nation?
-Dave
Our elected representatives have failed us.
History repeats itself
Sun, 11/22/2009 - 12:42 ET by iveseenitallIt's happened so many times in the history of the world. Great nations fail for one reason. Forget that our spending can't be sustained--it's the MORAL CORRUPTION that can't be sustained. America has lost its soul. Something really big is on its way and it isn't going to be pretty. How sad for this once great nation.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Should we be surprised at
Sun, 11/22/2009 - 12:57 ET by dscottShould we be surprised at yet another liberal boondoggle? Just like Madoff promised a return on "investment" that didn't have any basis in reality, the liberals once again offer another PONZI scheme to cover the failure of a previous PONZI scheme, namely the so called Stimulus which basically was no different than the PONZI schemes of Medicare and Social Security. Apparently, to liberals it's perfectly legal if the government is the liar and con artist when in fact IF any business person did the same thing they would be jailed like Madoff. No wonder why so many liberals fell for Madoff schemes, he wasn't doing anything different they expected the government to do.
Skimming money off the taxpayers and funneling it to your allies and campaign contributors is FRAUD. this is what liberals call "investment".
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.
Might as well unveil the new name of the paper now...
Sun, 11/22/2009 - 14:07 ET by c5thenThe NY(DNC) Times.
Throw 'da bums out!!!
Before it's too late.
www.loyaltoliberty.com