Say Anything

Sound like a bargain? $76,000 for each job that will only last as long as the “stimulus” spending does?

Window installers, arts coordinators and new teachers for children who have learning disabilities are among the jobs credited to North Dakota’s $571.2 million share of federal stimulus money, a new state report says.
The report, which tries to quantify the economic effects of the federal spending to date, says the stimulus has been responsible for creating or keeping almost 700 jobs.
Sheila Peterson, a North Dakota budget official, said $53.4 million in federal stimulus funds have been spent since July 1 – when the state’s current two-year budget period began – through Sept. 30. That equals more than $76,000 per job.
States are required to make reports to the federal government this week to help track the results of the $787 billion stimulus measure. Peterson said she expected more than half of North Dakota’s share of the stimulus money will be spent by next summer.

Hey, maybe we can solve unemployment just by putting everyone on the government payroll!
On a serious note, all this “stimulus” activity is little more than economic status. We may as well be paying people to dig holes and fill them up again for all the good it’s doing the economy. The government is essentially taking money out of the economy only to dump it back into the economy. We’re robbing the economy of production to subsidize production.
At best, it’s a break even situation. At worst (and in reality), we’re losing money because this money isn’t being spent in the economy nearly as efficiently as the private sector would. Money is being taken from the people and businesses who would create actual jobs and prosperity to subsidize temp jobs and the appearance of production.
It’s a joke, and North Dakota along with every other state in the union should have turned this money down.