Tag Archives: Size of Government
$9 Billion in ‘Stimulus’ for Solar, Wind Projects Made 910 Final Jobs — $9.8 Million Per Job
(CNSNews.com) – The Obama administration distributed $9 billion in economic “stimulus” funds to solar and wind projects in 2009-11 that created, as the end result, 910 “direct” jobs — annual operation and maintenance positions — meaning that it cost about $9.8 million to establish each of those long-term jobs.
At the same time, those green energy projects also created, in the end, about 4,600 “indirect” jobs – positions indirectly supported by the annual operation and maintenance jobs — which means they cost about $1.9 million each ($9 billion divided by 4,600).
(Read more)
Taxpayers Fund $454,000 Pay for Collector Chasing Student Loans
Joshua Mandelman made $454,000 in a single year as a student-loan debt collector — more than twice the pay of the U.S. secretary of education.
His boss, Richard Boyle, chief executive officer of Educational Credit Management Corp., received $1.1 million in 2010, including commuting expenses from his ranch in New Mexico. Five other managers each took home more than $400,000. (Read more)
California deficite nearly double its forecast
Wouldn’t it be great if we could tell government that they are incompetent and that they must be privatized “for the greater good.”
California’s budget deficit has swelled to a projected $16 billion — much larger than had been predicted just months ago — and will force severe cuts to schools and public safety if voters fail to approve tax increases in November, Gov. Jerry Brown said Saturday.
The Democratic governor said the shortfall grew from $9.2 billion in January in part because tax collections have not come in as high as expected and the economy isn’t growing as fast as hoped for. The deficit has also risen because lawsuits and federal requirements have blocked billions of dollars in state cuts.
“This means we will have to go much farther and make cuts far greater than I asked for at the beginning of the year,” Brown said in an online video. “But we can’t fill this hole with cuts alone without doing severe damage to our schools. That’s why I’m bypassing the gridlock and asking you, the people of California, to approve a plan that avoids cuts to schools and public safety.” (Read more)
Paying for Carter’s postage, Bush’s bills, and Clinton’s rent
In 2010, taxpayer-financed expenses included $15,000 for Jimmy Carter’s postage, $579,000 for Bill Clinton’s rent and a whopping $80,000 for George W. Bush’s phone bills. It adds up: All told, U.S. taxpayers were on the hook for more than $3 million of expenses for the four surviving former U.S. presidents.
They certainly don’t seem to need the money. These days being a former U.S. President is a lucrative business. After all, Bill Clinton raked in more than $10 million just in speaking fees last year. George W. Bush made even more: $15 million just for giving speeches. (Read more)
Julia — Obama’s Dependent Slave
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DARPA Cheetah Sets Speed Record for Legged Robots
Pretty cool. Here are my questions:
1) how much is this costing the US taxpayer?
2) can I have my money back please?
3) what innovations were killed because people weren’t allowed to keep their money?
4) why are almost all my scientist and engineer friends working on government projects?
Chuck Woolery balances the budget
Biggest Lotto Jackpot ever would fund gov’t for 80 minutes
Schiff: The Truth Behind the Unemployment Numbers + Stimulus vs Austerity
Graph: Federal Surplus or Deficit
GSA-holes
Schiff: Why do we even have a Treasury Secretary?
Taxpayers pay millions to mow lawns of foreclosed homes
American taxpayers own close to 200,000 vacant houses, and over the next year they will spend more than $40 million just to mow lawns at these properties. Taxpayers also foot the bills to paint walls, fix cabinets, plant flowers and more — expenses that just last year, exceeded a half a billion dollars.
The housing bailout has already cost taxpayers $124 million, now Americans are spending hundreds of millions more fixing up foreclosed homes to try and sell them. It is a bizarre and expensive side effect of the housing market collapse and failure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage giants that went into federal conservatorship in 2008.
Fannie Mae alone repaired nearly 90,000 homes last year.
“That is a lot of homes, and it is a lot of materials that need to be purchased,” said Jay Ryan, Fannie Mae’s vice president of real estate owned homes. (Read more)
Firm sells solar panels – to itself, taxpayers pay
A heavily subsidized solar company received a U.S. taxpayer loan guarantee to sell solar panels to itself.
First Solar is the company. The subsidy came from the Export-Import Bank, which President Obama and Harry Reid are currently fighting to extend and expand. The underlying issue is how Obama’s insistence on green-energy subsidies and export subsidies manifests itself as rank corporate welfare. (Read more)