Economy Alarm: “Summertime Blues:” Dems’ Stimulus Dollars Wasted on iPods, Cellphones, Advertising

Obama Promised to “Stimulate Economic Recovery” and Restore “Responsibility and Transparency”

“President Obama’s central focus is on stimulating economic recovery and helping America emerge a stronger and more prosperous nation… As we look toward the future, we must confront the many dimensions of this crisis while laying the foundation for a new era of responsibility and transparency.” (President Barack Obama, WhiteHouse.gov)

Credibility Crash: Despite Promises of Stimulus Success, Report Spotlights Wasteful Stimulus Spending With No Jobs to Show for it

Stimulus money is going toward iPods for high school students in Utah, cellphones for smokers trying to quit in Washington and advertising devoted to the promotion of … the stimulus.

The findings are part of a 74-page report put out by a pair of Republican senators who contend the $862-billion program is fraught with needless spending.

“There is no question job creation should be a national priority, but torrential, misdirected government spending is not the way to do it,” reads the introduction, signed by Republican Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and John McCain of Arizona.

The report is the third in a series that Republicans have written, spotlighting what they say is a dubious use of stimulus money. Called “Summertime Blues,” the latest report singles out 100 separate projects. It is scheduled to be released Tuesday.

Though the projects are a fraction of the total cost of the stimulus, Republicans say they demonstrate misguided priorities that have created too few jobs.

Few government programs have touched off as much partisan skirmishing as the stimulus.

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The report questions a decision to spend $1 million on iPod Touch devices for 1,600 students at Kearns High School in Kearns, Utah. No jobs will be created. The school will load the iPods with educational applications that teachers hope will motivate students. Such applications include guides to identify trees, leaves and bird calls. Students will get to keep the devices if they meet graduation requirements, a school district spokesman said.

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Another project singled out in the report is a $498,000 grant to a unit of the American Legacy Foundation, which will provide BlackBerry Curve smart phones to Washington residents trying to quit smoking. The predominately low-income smokers who receive the phones may call a hotline or use the phones’ software capabilities to help with their addiction. Two jobs will be created directly by the program, a spokesman said.

In several cases, stimulus money went toward the promotion and study of the stimulus program, at a cost of millions of dollars.
A small Maryland-based consulting firm specializing in health communications received $363,760 to tout the National Institutes of Health stimulus spending efforts and highlight success stories.

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The senators also drew attention to $193,956 in grants to a pair of Texas universities to study how the stimulus is received by the public. The grants were issued through the National Science Foundation.

“It would probably be a safe bet that if citizens knew that stimulus funds were being used to fund research on their perception on the stimulus, it would sway them in a negative direction,” the report reads. (Peter Nicholas and Julia Love, “Republicans decry stimulus funds for iPods, cellphones,” Chicago Tribune, 08/03/2010)

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