Posted by
Defend America on Friday, May 15, 2009 7:36:55 AM
Biden's rosy report can't hide stimulus problems
By: Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
05/15/09 1:38 AM EDT
This
week, the White House released its first quarterly report on the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the $787
billion stimulus bill. Reaction on Capitol Hill was swift: Republicans
think it's a joke, while Democrats don't want to talk about it.
The report was unveiled not by President Obama but by Vice President
Joe Biden, who said it "shows early progress providing immediate
financial relief for American families and jump-starting billions of
dollars in job-creating projects." In a press release, Biden claimed
the stimulus has so far "created or saved" 150,000 jobs, and that "over
3,000 transportation construction projects have been funded in 52
states and territories."
You don't have to look too hard to find problems with Biden's work.
First, nobody seems to know precisely where the figure of 150,000 jobs
comes from. When President Obama used it in a speech on April 29, the
website FactCheck.org pretty much demolished the claim. Previewing the
Biden report on May 11, a "senior administration official" held a
conference-call briefing with reporters and seemed unprepared when
asked where the created-or-saved jobs actually are. "In terms of
exactly where and in what sectors, that's not something I have numbers
on," the official said, "because, precisely, we don't yet have any of
the reporting."
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Bidens-rosy-report-cant-hide-stimulus-problems--45046932.html