WASHINGTON --- Vice President Joe Biden proclaimed success beyond expectations Thursday for the $787 billion economic stimulus, but his glowing assessment overlooks many of the program's problems, including delays in releasing money, questionable spending priorities and project picks that are under investigation.
In a speech aimed at Republican criticism and public skepticism over the program's effectiveness, Mr. Biden said accomplishments over the past 100 days provide proof of promises kept when he and President Obama rolled out the plan earlier this year.
"The Recovery Act is doing more, faster and more efficiently and more effectively than most people expected," he said.
The stimulus program includes tax cuts, billions for Medicaid and unemployment benefits, and a massive investment in education, environmental projects, technology and infrastructure work.
Mr. Biden proudly pointed to more than 2,200 highway projects funded by the program, but didn't mention the growing frustration among contractors that infrastructure money is trickling out and thus far hasn't delivered the needed boost in jobs.
"It is difficult to understand why more communities aren't moving to put their stimulus funds to work," Stephen E. Sandherr, head of the Associated General Contractors of America, said in a statement this week. "Coping with the red tape required by the stimulus ought to be worth it to help put neighbors and friends back to work."
Mr. Biden noted 192 airports targeted for improvements. He made no mention, however, of the announcement made last month by Transportation Department Inspector General Calvin Scovel. Mr. Scovel said he will examine the Federal Aviation Administration's process for selecting programs for the $1.1 billion in grant money. His office discovered that the Obama administration used stimulus money to pay for 50 airport projects that didn't meet the grant criteria.
And Mr. Biden praised the more than 2,400 military construction projects paid for with stimulus money, but ignored the millions the Defense Department lost because it hasn't competitively bid many of the jobs.
Mr. Biden also noted that transportation money was replacing unsafe bridges. But most states are spending stimulus money on bridges that are already in good shape, another AP analysis found.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Come on its Joe, Say it ain't so Joe. This guy was put in office as insurance that no one would kill the president. It was the only person dumber than Obama besides Pelosi.
Poor ole Joe - like millions of Americans he has been hornswoggled by the stuff that president Obama tosses to the crowd like Caesar overseeing his worshipers at a life taking event in the Colosseum. How many "ordinary" people can find one way in which the stimulus has helped them personally and now the government wants total control over our lives in the name of "universal health care". Obama has taken this country so far down the road of socialism and fascism and marxism in his short tenure that it will be difficult to get back. The Democrats apparently took their victories in congress as mandates to restructure our country completely and totally. I really like the way that our much smarter forefathers structured things in our constitution, a document which has been so shredded and ripped that it might not survive much longer. The president hasn't asked congress for any new powers, he has taken powers not granted to him in any way and congress hasn't done anything to deter him. The American public, who swooned during his campaign and put a rank and total amateur into office, are now waking up. Social security recipients have been put on notice - no COLA this year...
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/09/03/the_not_ready_for_p... Just for you CoastalDawg.
If the porkulus bill is such a success, why is job loss still rising above the 8% BimbObama promised would be the ceiling, if passed.
This sounds more like an editorial. Again, look at who it is from. It is from the Associated Press. Again I ask, what liberal media bias? Oh, and Coastal, it shows poor education to say Obama is taking us down the road of fascism and socialism. They are too different things. It cannot be both.
jack, you know his advisers miss all estimates by 25% or more.
biden is an idiot--you haven't figured that out yet? Too tired--love your 0851 am--truer words "never spoken"!
LOL.... idiots to the left and idiots to the right....