Oct 31, 2009

The Stimulu$ in Alabama

The White House is out with figures based on information filed by states and agencies showing the stimulus plan is saving and creating jobs...but Republicans and other critics say not so fast. Here's the breakdown of the stimulus money spent in Alabama and out immediate neighbors, and the number of jobs saved or created, according to the Obama Administration:
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Alabama....$545.184.755 spent...4,884 jobs
Florida.......... $402,301,304 spent...29,321 jobs
Georgia........ $1,351,909,776 spent...24,681 jobs
Louisiana..... $554,554,215 spent...9,136 jobs.
Mississippi... $410,153,462 spent...3,433 jobs
Tennessee... $340,761,909 spent.....9,548 jobs
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A quick look at other states in the Southeast shows Alabama with more money than Mississippi or Tennessee, but in Tennessee there were more than twice the jobs. Someone else will have to do the Per Capita calculations.
The complete paperwork is online at http://www.recovery.gov/, and it shows Alabama having received only a fraction of the $2,492,510 awarded. And it lays at the feet of Governor Riley $455,667,439 of the total. The breakdown shows a big part of the money going to road projects and shipbuilding. You can look up projects by Zip Code, Congressional District, and more. At the very top...in bright red...is a place to report fraud and waste.
At the very least, there should be praise for the transparency being offered by the Obama Administration, though I won't hold my breath.

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