Help The Middle ClassNews and Information For The Heart Of America
AP IMPACT: Stimulus Jobs Overstated By Thousands (Associated Press)
A Colorado company said it created 4,231 jobs with the help of President Barack Obama’s economic recovery plan. The real number: fewer than 1,000.
A child care center in Florida said it saved 129 jobs with the help of stimulus money. Instead, it gave pay raises to its existing employees.
Elsewhere in the U.S., some jobs credited [...]
White House Tally On Jobs Created By Stimulus Overstated (ABC News)
Here’s a stimulus success story: In Arizona’s 15th congressional district, 30 jobs have been saved or created with just $761,420 in federal stimulus spending. At least that’s what the Web site set up by the Obama administration to track the $787 billion stimulus says.
There’s one problem, though: There is no 15th congressional district in Arizona; the [...]
Personal Health – A Breathing Technique Offers Help for People With Asthma (New York Times)
I don’t often write about alternative remedies for serious medical conditions. Most have little more than anecdotal support, and few have been found effective in well-designed clinical trials. Such trials randomly assign patients to one of two or more treatments and, wherever possible, assess the results without telling either the patients or evaluators who received [...]
Obama Charm ‘Hits The Wall’ In China (Wall Street Journal)
As he dives into the heart of his trip to China, U.S. President Barack Obama is finding it hard to bring his trademark charisma to bear.
Mr. Obama is slated to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday, after which the two will make statements to be broadcast live on Chinese television. But that is likely [...]
Gov’t Report – Over $98B Wasted in Improper Payments In ‘09 Up $26B From ‘08
More than $98 billion in taxpayer dollars spent by government agencies was wasted, much of it on questionable claims for tax credits and Medicare benefits, representing an increase of $26 billion from the previous year.
In all, about 5 percent of spending in federal programs in fiscal year 2009 was improper, according to new details of [...]
Surprise Mr. Obama: Bank Loans To Small Business Decreasing (CNN)
Eight months after President Obama began prodding the nation’s banks to increase their small business lending, the loan numbers continue to move in the opposite direction.
The 22 banks that got the most help from the Treasury’s bailout programs cut their small business loan balances by a collective $10.5 billion over the past six months, according [...]
Barack Obama Forced Into Another ‘War Council’ As US Squabbles Over Afghan Troops (Telegraph)
Mr Obama, who has faced withering criticism for “dithering” over his strategy review, is now expected to make the decision on extra troops within a week of arriving back in Washington from Asia.
He will make the announcement that will shape his administration’s foreign policy in a major televised speech. Mr Obama will insist that any [...]
Tax Credit Won’t Rescue Shaky U.S. Housing Market (Yahoo! News)
Don’t expect the expanded home buyer tax credit to be a permanent cure for the U.S. housing market. It won’t.
Take the spike in mortgage demand created by the tax credit this summer. It was followed by a plunge as the incentive was set to expire, showing how housing’s recovery is tethered to government aid.
As the [...]
Americas Healthiest And Unhealthiest States (Forbes Magazine)
If you want to be healthy, live in Vermont–or at least act like you do. It is the healthiest state in the country, according to a new report from the nonprofit United Health Foundation.The annual ranking looks at 22 indicators of health, including everything from how many children receive recommended vaccinations, to obesity and smoking [...]
AN EXAMPLE OF GOV’T EFFICIENCY: Post Office Was $3.8 Billion In The Red Last Year
The Postal Service reported a loss of $3.8 billion last year, despite a reduction of 40,000 full-time positions and other cost-cutting measures designed to save billions of dollars.
The loss was $1 billion more than the year before, postal officials said today.
“Our 2009 fiscal year proved to be one of the most challenging in the history [...]
