The Obama Administration claims its $787 billion federal spending bill has "created or saved" 650,000 jobs so far, with $150 billion in grants and loans having already been spent.Although economists say it's impossible to determine which if any jobs were "saved" by the spending, even taking the administration's questionable figures at face value, the numbers mean the cost to taxpayers of each job created or saved was in the $160,00 to $230,000 range. Consequently, workers affected by the federal spending picketed nationwide, comparing their relatively meager salries to the huge cost to taxpayers.
"My 'saved' job cost $230,000," said one pickerter. "But my job only pays $60,000. Where's my $170,000 raise?"
Administration officials defended the program, but conceded that taxpayer money could probably have been distributed more efficiently "if we just dumped the money on people from helicopters."
Associated articles: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/Featherbedding-stimulus-job-numbers-68389392.html; Hot Air
