Stimulus Report

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009 - SEVENTH QUARTERLY REPORT

The report above, released by the White House on July 1 shows some interesting data. Two key elements stand out:
1) Estimates say that between 2.4 million and 3.6 million jobs have been funded by the stimulus. Having that large of a range shows me that they probably just guessed, and I have seen many reports showing that they double-counted and all kinds of shenanigans to get this number. Suffice it to say that the low end is pretty optimistic, but let's assume that it is accurate for now.
2) Total expenditures so far have reached $666,300,000,000...that's 666.3 billion.

That means that the government has spent between $185,083 and $277,625 (depending on which number you choose to believe for each job created/saved.

Couple these numbers with the New York Times report that Executive pay has risen 23% over the last year while middle-income earnings have remained stagnant and you begin to see a pattern.

There are a few patterns that MAY be connected to each other over the same time frame:
- Increased government (debt) spending
- Increased pay inequality among the rich and poor
- Increasing number of beauracrats blaming each other for fiscal problems while they continue to grow the size and spending within government

This shows me once again that "intentions" don't equal results. I have no problems with extreme cost-cutting measures that will force legislators to start deciding where to cut spending. Maybe those cuts will lead to extremely positive results in the real world of income and expenses that most of us live in.