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Audit finds $787 billion in stimulus not being used for intended purpose...

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posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 07:39 AM
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Back in February Obama Pitched this stimulus plan as a means to get the country working again... New Schools, new highways, new power systems even a high-speed rail system... But if your like me you haven't seen any new major projects no mass hirings, in fact it seems as if everyone is still waiting to get this show on the road... Well according to the Government Accountability Office, in a report to be released later today, Wed July 7th that money isn't going to new economic development... the fact is states are using that money to simply stay afloat!
Audit finds states using stimulus to stay afloat


The Obama administration hoped spending $787 billion in stimulus would jump-start the economy, build new schools and usher in an era of education reform. So far, government auditors say, many states are setting aside such grand plans and simply trying to stay afloat.

The Government Accountability Office, in a report to be released Wednesday, says the stimulus is keeping teachers off the unemployment lines, helping states make greater Medicaid payments and providing a desperately needed cushion to state budgets.

But investigators found repeated examples in which, either out of desperation or convenience, states favored short-term spending over long-term efforts such as education reform.

In Flint, Mich., for example, new schools haven't been built in 30 years but the school superintendent told auditors that he would use federal money to cope with budget deficits rather than building new schools or paying for early childhood education.

Also, the GAO said about half the money set aside for road and bridge repairs is being used to repave highways, rather than building new infrastructure. And state officials aren't steering the money toward counties that need jobs the most, auditors found.


So here's where we find ourselves.. if we take the money from states and force them to use it for its intended purpose the local governments run out of money for basic services and collapse... The $787 billion in stimulus has turned into $787 billion in emergency aid and any hopes of putting millions back to work are gone, poof, just like that... Companies that were pinning hopes on major projects are now coming to understand that's not going to happen... slowly people are learning all those new jobs promised...not gonna happen... and where does that leave the rest of the country? Damned if I now but it looks like bad is only going to get worse...

[edit on 8-7-2009 by DaddyBare]



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 07:42 AM
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Wow...this is shocking. Not. Was to be expected really. A few months ago, the woman who heads up the audit team (a professor somewhere?) was on either the Daily Show or Real Time and said as much and worse. I'd say this is smelling an awful lot like just another way to stick it to the American taxpayers...you know, squeeze every last penny into the pockets they want it in...but the thing I don't get is what is this money going to be worth in the end?



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 07:55 AM
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reply to post by ~Lucidity
 


Part of me hoped it would turn things around but deep down I guess I always knew that if a choice had to be made, building a new school but being forced to let all your teachers go... well they would have to keep the teacher otherwise what good is that new school...

They kept preaching, shovel ready projects... well you dont just start lying track for a high speed train its takes years to plan routes establish right-of-ways get EPA approvals then get past all those who would undoubtedly file lawsuits to stop your project from rolling through their homes...

I guess what gets me is even after this report is out no one will have the balls to tell us the truth, only issue more empty promises of better days ahead

[edit on 8-7-2009 by DaddyBare]



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 08:04 AM
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There's no suprise there, all the moneys drying up and they want to grab what they can from the public, blowing smoke up your arses people hoping you wont notice where the monies really going

>> From the desk of the real money holders>>>

Lets screw the worlds public over and squeeze every single penny we can , we can grow richer and the rest can go suffer so what can we do? We'll need something to replace the current currency with, I know we'll make up a new currency form , I don't know call it the Amero or something really catchy.
We can then own this new currency and then after a while we'll own all the people as well, they can work for us in servitude thinking they'll be paying back new loans and new HP at higher rates of interest but instead they'll be working as slaves for us.

What can we do to distract them while we bring this to the front, oh I know .

>> from the desk of the Banks to the People >>


LOOK MJ is dead, theres a new series of America has got talent, theres also a new series of Big Brother for the UK.

And whilst we the people are distracted , they'll twist the knife they have stabbed us in the backs with , but we'll lap up the BS with another teaspoon of sugar and a smile.



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 08:06 AM
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Yep. Look over here!

Wonder if this has anything to do with the federal computer systems/networks being hacked? (Other recent topic.)



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 08:16 AM
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Saw it coming from a million miles away. They warned about this in the house and senate, they neded more time to refine it. But Count Chocula insisted the world would end if it wasnt passed immediately



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 08:31 AM
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reply to post by Spartak FL
 


I think we're all reasonable rational adults here... I mean we can understand a local government needing federal help to keep city services operating... I wouldn't like it but I understand the need... What makes me angry is the redistribution of monies set aside for economic stimulus... they should be dealt with as two separate deals... Take the money away from the banks give that to the states for operating expenses but use the rest to do what was promised!

we're tired of being lied too and its going to come back and bite them on their shinny ego bloated asses....



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 09:12 AM
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And now the rumblings of a new 'stimulus' package being considered has knocked the wind out of the trading in both the US and Japan..., go figure....



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 09:14 AM
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im tired of it too. And the fact people are begining to outright speak of revolt should be a shot across the bow. Whatever mandate obama was elected on flew out the window with his 1.2 trillion dollar deficit increase in just 6 months.

Its funny. McCain may haveb been right. He is going to bankrupt us.

OBAMA LIED THE ECONOMY DIED

[edit on 8-7-2009 by Spartak_FL]



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 09:48 AM
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reply to post by Spartak_FL
 


Doesn't matter who said what , it would have ended up the same way anyroad.
No matter who was in charge, the people behind the scenes make the rules, all the 'leaders' of the world are just figure heads. Someone to blame if TSHTF.



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 10:42 AM
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Originally posted by Maxmars
And now the rumblings of a new 'stimulus' package being considered has knocked the wind out of the trading in both the US and Japan..., go figure....

Just today House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said ".U.S. must be open to second economic stimulus"!
But as word leaks out about how poorly executed this plan really was we're seeing the Equities indexes crash, commodities are way off today, even gold prices dropped $13 and the trading day just started...

No even the greedy investors are wising up... their just going to have to find new ways to lie cheat and steal their way to greater riches

[edit on 8-7-2009 by DaddyBare]



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 10:50 AM
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reply to post by Maxmars
 


That is in part due to European banks no doing as well as they were hoping they would.

So now is talks of another crash heading our way globally in the fall.

So to counteract the effects that this will do to already recession another stimulus to help the economy is needed and this time is out of desperation.

The problem is that we are now a nation that is Dependant on stimulus to keep afloat the financial system.

The repercussions of more debt and no relieve is going to be devastating on our nations.

Many states are already bankrupted and occurs any money coming their way will be allocated to keep what I call their overinflated and expensive budgets.

If you think that the federal government is too big and unsustainable well we got also the too big and unsustainable states government.

The merry go around on the nations political system of corruption is bigger than many even dare to imagine.



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 10:58 AM
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The amount of misappropriation being done with the stimulus is appalling. The main stream media outlets are completely ignoring how the money is being spent. Few "shovel ready" jobs are being created, most states it seems started using the money to shore up deficits in their own budgets.

This of course is a short term (read one year) solution. The states that are doing this need to be held accountable for their actions...


LANSING — Michigan’s worsening budget situation is fueling debate over the use of federal stimulus money as part of the fix.

At Michigan’s disposal is some $1.1 billion that it could use this year to plug budget holes — an action business advocates say could enable lawmakers and Gov. Jennifer Granholm to avoid significant reforms and spending cuts.

Source: www.bridging96.com...



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 11:09 AM
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reply to post by whatukno
 


I blame the example that bad policies and actions of a federal government that has been allowed to grow unrestricted and now the new President has not problem with keeping bigger.

States has done the same thing rather than cutting on the side of government the federal and local just keep growing and passing the crap down to the states and nations tax payer.

You don't see any of them cutting on their expensive expenses.



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 11:12 AM
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reply to post by whatukno
 


Well they might as well use the money to keep going... remember all the talk about retraining Auto workers for this up coming explosion in Alt energy projects??? well guess what happened to all those expected new jobs???


Pickens Scales Back Ambitious Wind Farm
July 8, 2009, 5:16 am In a sign of the difficulties facing the development of wind energy, T. Boone Pickens, the legendary Texas oilman, is suspending plans to build the world’s largest wind farm, The New York Times’s Kate Galbraith reports.

Mr. Pickens’s struggles are symptomatic of a broader reversal of fortune for wind developers. This year, Emerging Energy Research, a consulting firm, expects a drop of nearly 25 percent in the amount of new wind power installed compared with last year. Two crucial provisions to aid renewable energy in the stimulus package passed in February have yet to be introduced, Keith Martin, a tax and project finance specialist with the law firm Chadbourne & Parke, said.

source

So forget about all those promised "Green Jobs"... If there not going to be built they don't need to retrain the masses to build them right?



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 11:32 AM
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reply to post by marg6043
 


Exactly, instead of being fiscally responsible and shedding weight on the government side thereby balancing the budget, they keep expanding. It's nice on the end of government workers but as for the tax payer it will inevitably lead to higher taxes especially on the state level where they don't have the federal reserve to fall back on continuously.



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 11:34 AM
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This can't simply be blamed on Obama. There are many out there that find loop holes. Actually, there are individuals that are hired for that purpose alone.



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 11:36 AM
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As a matter of fact stimulus money is being used to make repairs on the interstate near a small town in my area. It's the same old road crew that does all the paving jobs around here. It did not provide any jobs for the locals. What they did instead was something I have never seen in my years of living here. It was decided instead of spending money on a temporary lane to divert traffic around the repairs, they would detour interstate traffic through this small town.

The idea was it would bring business to this economically depressed town and save money for the project in the process. They were throwing them a bone since the project itself created no jobs. Well it sounded good at first now it's chaos and getting dangerous. It's costing the town more in expanded police patrol. Every damn time nuclear waste trucks come through all traffic needs to stop, the trucks are police escorted through town. The traffic has been backing up on our interstate for miles. People are getting rear ended someones going to die. Not to mention the fact train tracks cross the only two major roadways in this town bringing traffic to a stop. Emergency vehicles are using back roads to get out of town to answer calls.

Businesses are actually being hurt. No one can access parking lots, most travelers are so fed up with the delays they just want to get out of this town and really aren't stopping.

It's a joke. I wonder whose pockets were lined by the money they saved in detouring traffic. The thing is they are doing exit ramp work we have a bridge in that same area that needs repairs bad. The support columns were hit head on by a semi flying off the overpass hitting the columns down below. Everyone knows the columns are damaged but they fix the exit ramp instead.


I just read the job is going to take longer than projected. Traffic will be detoured through labor day. Sounds like they're padding it. Our stimulus monies at work!



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 12:09 PM
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reply to post by Morningglory
 


Here in New Mexico not a week goes by where the top news story is the states latest plan, big plans, for our share of the money... lots of grandstanding and press conferences describing how greats its going to be....not one of those grand projects has been put out to bid...

[edit on 8-7-2009 by DaddyBare]



posted on Jul, 8 2009 @ 12:29 PM
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Originally posted by lexwilsondotcom
This can't simply be blamed on Obama. There are many out there that find loop holes. Actually, there are individuals that are hired for that purpose alone.




nobody is blaming him completely.But he certainly has exacerbated the situation. He should of handled the economy like he is N.Korea. Ignore it, let market forces correct what needs to be corrected. all this debt is making the situation worse and gauruntee's a income tax rate hike to pay for it. How much? When?

Well they say whats another 170% of what they take already. You dont need it right?

[edit on 8-7-2009 by Spartak_FL]



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