Stimulus Has Been A Bust, Says Ohio Republican

By Miles Wolf Tamboli
Talk Radio News Service

Hours before President Barack Obama spoke in Columbus, Ohio about the benefits his stimulus bill has provided to the job-crippled state, Ohio State Auditor and candidate for Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor (R) told reporters that the bill has "failed."

The controversial American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, commonly referred to as the stimulus bill, aimed to enhance job creation and spur spending through an investment of $862 billion dollars into the U.S. economy.

While a growing number of economists are coming out in support of the stimulus and its effects, a large amount of funding went into sources which can't be easily quantified - a point Taylor was quick to address on Friday.

"The only jobs created by the stimulus package and government spending are government jobs."

Taylor clarified her statement, explaining that, "half of the $3.3 billion dollars Ohio has received so far has gone to run Medicaid, not invest in job creation."

At 10.7%, Taylor's state has the tenth highest unemployment rate in the nation, a figure that can be partially attributed to the struggling auto market, as well as the relocating of a number of local steel jobs to countries oversees.

Overall, the gubernatorial candidate was critical, yet constructive in her judgment of the stimulus bill.

"When the federal stimulus bill was enacted in February 2009, our unemployment rate was 9.4%; today it's 10.7%. I would guess that if you asked the 641,000 Ohioans who are out of work, 'has the stimulus worked?' I think they would agree that it has not."

"What we really need to do is allow our small businesses to invest here in Ohio and create jobs and create an economic environment where they can do that," Taylor added. "The only long term solution is creating a pro-growth business climate by reducing government spending."

House Republicans Call For Stimulus Audit

By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and other House Republicans proposed an audit commission of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Wednesday, claiming that proper transparency of stimulus spending has not yet been provided.

“It’s time for Congress to demand answers on behalf of the hardworking taxpayers we represent,” Wilson said in a statement. “It is critical that American taxpayers receive adequate answers as to the whereabouts of stimulus funds.”

The bill calls for a 10 member bipartisan commission to be established, with a chairman appointed by President Barack Obama. The commission would investigate how jobs are being reported, the accuracy in the number of jobs being created and preserved and pursue future steps for job development.

“If you look at the number of jobs created by district and then look at the extraordinary cost, it is very revealing in itself,” Wilson said.

Reps. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), Mark Sounders (R-Ind.) and Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) are co-sponsoring the bill, at Wednesday's press conference, each cited cost-benefit discrepancies on the official stimulus website recovery.gov.

“The Obama administration’s website creates phony Congressional districts and fishy jobs numbers,” Kingston charged. “It’s time to pull back the curtain and get some transparency."

Pelosi And Others Credit Stimulus For Boom In Scientific Research Spending

By Ravi Bhatia - Talk Radio News Service

On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), along with other House members and representatives from various universities, touted the research conducted with money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Also known as the stimulus package, the ARRA allocated $21.5 billion for scientific research, purchasing equipment and science-related construction projects.

“There was a time, if you promise not to tell anybody, when in Washington you had to choose between science and faith, take your pick,” Pelosi said. “And [then] we said, 'science is an answer to our prayers.' It’s all pretty compatible.”

The university officials universities pointed to the website www.scienceworksforUS.org, which details the stimulus-sponsored research being conducted across the country. ScienceWorksForUS is an initiative of the Association of American Universities, the Association of Land Grant Universities, and the Science Coalition, who together represent 200 research institutions.

Education Secretary: School Failure Is National Failure

By Laura Smith, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

While Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is certainly pleased over the strides made by many schools, he concedes that more needs to be done to improve education.

During an award ceremony Wednesday honoring Texas' Aldine Independent School District (ASID), Duncan noted that only seven out 10 public school students finish high school, and that only one in four college students can do college work.

"This simply isn't just a personal failure. It's a national failure," Duncan said.

An additional $100 billion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds has recently been allocated for education reform.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation awarded the Aldine Independent School District (AISD) from outside Houston the 2009 Broad Prize for Urban Education. This award is the largest education award in the country, and the school district will receive $1 million in college scholarships.

Superintendent Dr. Wanda Bamberg Ed.D., accepted the award.

Aldine has shown some of the most consistent student achievement gains nationally in the last decade and has been recognized as one of the top five most improved urban American school systems in four of the last six years.

The four finalists were Broward County Public Schools in southern Florida; Gwinnett County Public Schools outside Atlanta; the Long Beach Unified School District in California; and the Socorro Independent School District in Texas. Each finalist will receive $250,000 in college scholarships.

Dr. Bamberg said Aldine is 84% economically disadvantaged, and have watched their college students and college participation numbers decline in the past few years. She said the scholarship is truly the only way students can further their education.

"When you see the conditions that our students live, and understand that they truly do live in poverty in some places, then this doesn't just represent a scholarship opportunity, it doesn't just represent four years at school, it represents a future and a complete change of life for that individual student and, in many cases, the family of that student," Bamberg said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said excellence is what the Broad Award has always been about. She said the nation's children success is essential to the success of the U.S.

"Those blessed with the most serve all of us," Pelosi said.

Pelosi said that while a high school diploma may gain entry into the workforce, but a college degree is a ticket to higher wages, more job security and a brighter future.

Dodd Proposes Partnership To Promote Green Initiatives

By Courtney Costello- Talk Radio News Service

Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) held a hearing Tuesday to propose the Sustainable Communities Partnership. This partnership includes Secretary of Transportation (DOT), Ray LaHood, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Shaun Donovan, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson.

The objective of the new alliance will be to publicize efforts to improve affordable housing, promote efficient and low cost transportation options, and to protect the environment during these changes. A $150 million dollar sustainable communities initiative will help fund the partnership.

“As the Chairman said, we need to synchronize climate change, energy, community development, housing and transportation policy in the most comprehensive way possible,” said Secretary Donovan. “Creating an office of sustainable housing and communities inside HUD to serve as a single point of contact with other federal agencies is the best way we can achieve that goal.”

The committee also stated that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide momentum with the $1.5 billion discretionary Tiger Grant program. This program will fund the Transportation Act that will promote sustainability and provide better transportation in rural and urban communities around the country.

The proposed program details six principles that will serve as the base for the agencies to work together. These include producing supplementary transportation options, advancing sustainable and affordable housing, increasing economic opportunities, revitalizing current communities, organizing funding and policies and enriching all communities.