ATLANTA --- Stimulus funds have preserved more government jobs than they have created, according to the state's first progress report.
The state has spent $702 million of the $6.5 billion it is expecting from the federal government's special stimulus appropriation, and it has created 11,000 jobs as a result, notes the "section 1512" progress report the state compiled Oct. 15 as required by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
So far, most of the money, $593 million, has gone toward filling a huge gap in the state's budget left by sagging tax collections. Those stabilization funds have gone to education and public-safety programs, saving nearly 13,000 jobs that might otherwise have been cut. Most of those keeping their jobs are teachers, professors and prison guards.
The balance of the money has gone toward a variety of programs, ranging from health care to community development.
One category of spending likely to generate more new jobs is transportation, including road building and maintenance on mass-transit systems, according to Sid Johnson, director of stimulus accountability for the state. As more money is spent on new transportation projects, contractors will need to hire workers to complete them.
Only 400 transportation jobs have been created, according to a total of the estimates reported by contractors for the Department of Transportation. Mr. Johnson's figures show just 244.
He predicted additional jobs also would be created in a category he calls energy/environmental, mostly funded by grants for installation of energy-saving devices. The category has created 77 jobs as of Oct. 15 after spending $23 million, or roughly $300,000 per job.
Programs for housing and community development created almost as many, 70, for a fraction of the cost, $258,000.
The federal government predicted Georgia would wind up with 106,000 jobs created or preserved from budget cuts, but those estimates assumed that the created jobs would be multiplied by rising employment at suppliers. The state is only accounting for direct jobs.
Economists say judging the actual impact of the stimulus funds is nearly impossible because the connections between cause and effect can't be traced.
"How do you prove somebody didn't get laid off because the stimulus money was available?" said Rajeev Dhawan, director of the Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University.
With October marking about one-fifth of the 28 months of stimulus spending, the state seems on pace to have spent about one-fourth of its expected funds, Mr. Johnson said.
BY THE NUMBERS
Jobs saved with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds:
Local school districts - $365 million - 8,241 jobs
Corrections Department - $65 million - 2,450
Universities system - $110 million - 1,191
Juvenile Justice Department - $24 million - 521
Technical College system - $18 million - 226
Department of Public Safety - $3 million - 159
Georgia Bureau of Investigation - $6 million - 95
Revenue Department - $2 million - 40
Jobs created with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds:
Employment - $25 million - 6,342 jobs
Education - $12 million - 4,144
Transportation - - $34 million - 244
Energy/environmental - $23 million - 77
Public safety - $98,000 - 75
Housing and community development - $258,000 - 70
Health - $15 million - 4
Source: State of Georgia Stimulus Accountability Office
Comments
So, the "stimulus" money has saved government jobs and "created" more government jobs that will run out when the "stimulus" money is spent, leaving the states (taxpayers) in trillions of dollars of debt. Great planning. This horrible experiment can't end soon enough for this country.
WP, the plan is for the stimulus to keep the jobs until the economy rebounds and tax receipts go back to their normal levels. These jobs were in place b4 the recession so if we rebound it stands to reason the tax receipts will substain them in the future.
Concerned, people like WHIPPINGPOST, do not care about others. They are from the Regan "Pick yourself up by your boot straps" era. What they forget is that some people do not have shoes to wear. Until it happens to them or some one they love, they have no compassion for others. Unless you are Nancy Reagan, who changed her mind when Ronnie was diagnosed with Alzheimer. Then miraculously they jump on board.
Don't expect a "rebound" until after the 2012 election, when we remove the Marxist Prezbhojangles by voting him out so that he can return to his Chicago mafia heritage.
Oh yeah, use tax money to sustain tax paid jobs until the economy rebounds, leaving the taxpayer further in debt. Of course, if the taxpayer loses his job no one will be able to sustain his pay until there's a rebound. I wonder how those taxes will be paid. Maybe everyone should have a government job. Wow! I finally understand a Dem perspective. Of course, I wonder how long before the newly printed money is so worthless that even China won't pay our government workers anymore. I guess we just need to raise taxes.
wow stimulus funds (OUR MONEY) sustaines an already bloated fat pig of an entity...whoopeededo!
Anything with Obama in it for the Obama Derangement Syndrome loonies it's never good, will always be negative. There will NEVER be nothing he will do to please them, NOTHING. Get this he's not losing any sleep over it. For that matter most american aren't I think only the ones who have ODS are LOL.
Yes, the economy will miraculously turn around in 2012 when the economic genius Sarah Palin comes in to save the day! (This is a joke, BTW)
Stimulus money "created"11,000 civilian jobs while creating and sustaining 13,000 government jobs.Private sector shrinks,government sector grows.Does that surprise anyone?
The private sector's been shrinking, hello, we're engaged in two wars, of course the government sector has grown, Obama had nothing to do with that, whats the point........
All I ask is they call it taxpayers' money instead of stimulus funds. A skunk by any other name is still a skunk.
He predicted additional jobs also would be created in a category he calls energy/environmental, mostly funded by grants for installation of energy-saving devices. The category has created 77 jobs as of Oct. 15 after spending $23 million, or roughly $300,000 per job. Give me $23 million, I'd be able to create a hell of a lot more than 77 jobs. And you think this is good stewardship of your tax money? Good grief.
It rate right up there with Insurance and Cap and Trade!! More Taxes!!
How about the Health category $15 million and 4 jobs?
How about quit letting any jobs LEAVE the states for Mexico, China, India.... anyone? Hello? How about hiring more Border Patrol/Coast guard to stem the flow of everything illegal? Drugs and/or people. How about quit giving the goobers in DC a raise until the economy is back up and running? anyone? Hello????
$55K per job average is pretty high for most of Georgia. However, better than the 75K per job the BimbObama figures reveal.
Concerned, people like WHIPPINGPOST, do not care about others. They are from the Regan "Pick yourself up by your boot straps" era. What they forget is that some people do not have shoes to wear. Until it happens to them or some one they love, they have no compassion for others. Unless you are Nancy Reagan, who changed her mind when Ronnie was diagnosed with Alzheimer. Then miraculously they jump on board.
Posted by ispy4u on Mon Oct 26, 2009 6:19 AM....Picking yourself up by the bootstraps was not a Reagan idea as this is the principal on which this nation has been built. Not any one elses's fault that some one may not have shoes (one reason I donate clothes to charity, however). I am sure there are millions of Republicans without a job just like the hand out sponges the DIMs like you support. The Repubs wont sit on their arses waiting for a gobmunt hand out, but will lopok for and take whatever job they can find until a better one is available, which the gubmunt sponges won't/don't do.
Anything with Obama in it for the Obama Derangement Syndrome loonies it's never good, will always be negative. There will NEVER be nothing he will do to please them, NOTHING. Get this he's not losing any sleep over it. For that matter most american aren't I think only the ones who have ODS are LOL.
Posted by jackfruitpaper833 on Mon Oct 26, 2009 7:18 AM....Right Jackfruitloop, any Marxist program BimbObama supports should be opposed. As for not losing any sleep- he obviously ain't losing any sleep over Afhanistan and our troops, either.
Yes, the economy will miraculously turn around in 2012 when the economic genius Sarah Palin comes in to save the day! (This is a joke, BTW)
Posted by Fish Out of Water on Mon Oct 26, 2009 7:28 AM....Palin did well with the Alaskan economy and had NO czars telling her what she should be doing something I can't say for the clueless empty suit in the WH.
Palin was doing a decent job, before she quit halfway through the term, that is. It helps to keep a balanced budget when oil revenues and the associated taxes account for the vast majority of Alaska's economy and state budget, respectively. Not to mention, it is the most sparsely populated state in the country by a large margin. Palin's grandchild could have managed that economy. The U.S. economy, however, is a bit more diverse and complex.
Palin isn't running any government jobs. Why the attempted smoke screen? Trying to hide someone?
And I hope for our sake she never does. If you read my original comment, though, it was in response to this: "Don't expect a "rebound" until after the 2012 election, when we remove the Marxist Prezbhojangles by voting him out so that he can return to his Chicago mafia heritage." --55 F-100 (6:37 AM) I assumed that he was talking about the election of a Republican president. Judging by comments I've seen here over the last year, Palin is the preferred choice to fill that position. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Do a little research on Alaska's economy right now. They are in a recession SP bailed because the oil money was gone and she knew she would have to actually govern in difficult times and she wanted no parts of that.
The preferred choice person to fill this position is an American with a philosophy that doesn't pay homage to Marxism. Republican, conservative, libertarian are all preferable to what we have now.
cn, please. She was the whipping boy of the government press when she was in office and now you think she'll be the same when she's out? It turns out Palin is as smart as she appeared to be. Top speaker, best selling book...before it's released, still on message of conservatism and building street creds that even the hard left can't deny, (even though they'll try). She has a record of being a very honest politician (the attempt to change that failed miserably) and a very successful politician, except when she was dragging the McCain anchor. I'll be surprised to see her run in 2012 if anyone more qualified steps up.
WhippingPost, at last we agree. I, too, think Palin is as smart as she appeared to be :) BTW, selling books and making speeches are wonderful, but are you citing these as "street creds"? If so, you must have a high opinion of Obama, who has sold many books and given many speeches as well. Hypocrisy alert!
I am no hypocrite: Sarah Palin is INDEED following the political playbook of Barack Hussien Obama, the master politician of our times.
It rate right up there with Insurance and Cap and Trade!! More Taxes!!
Posted by ColdBeerBoiledPeanuts on Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:12 AM
Yeah. More taxes. Something a Red state would never do, right? Ever heard of our brilliant automobile ad valorem tax? Something they make us pay on our birthdays nonetheless. We didn't have that in NY. When my wife, a lifelong southerner, moved up there prior to our wedding she went to the DMV and asked when she had to pay the taxes. The lady at the DMV said "Didn't you pay taxes when you bought the car? Why would we tax you again?"
So one of the bluest states in the nation gets taxes right and one of the reddest states gets it wrong. Brilliant. Go ahead, keep spouting your 'no taxes' rhetoric.
Whipping Post, she fail to report 21 thousand dollars in travel aboard state aircraft for her kids,until reporters questioned it. She charged the state over one hundred times for per deims when traveling to her home.So much for honesty. Most common sense Americans could see she was in over her head.Her selection as VP sealed John McCain's defeat.
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