ABC News runs story on stimulus spending in places that don't exist
or....
What does .72 of a person look like?
See the ABC News video about bogus reports by the federal government of where stimulus money was spent. This is interesting, but only slightly relevant. I just bring it up to show that recovery.gov does not always present their data and facts in an honest, straightforward way.I will leave it to people smarter than me to address the big questions. For months the stimulus grant to the Virginia and Truckee Reconstruction project was nowhere to be found on recovery.gov. It finally showed up, and what do you know? 10.72 jobs were "saved or created." Now, I am also an economist, and the idea of a "saved job" is really a joke because it can't be measured. Leaving that aside...
This post is about the claim that 10.72 jobs were created on the Virginia and Truckee Reconstruction project in Phase 3A. You know they aren't reporting straightfoward nubmers. If they really created lasting full time jobs, the number would be an integer!
First a little background is in order.
Phase 3A of the project run by the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the Virginia and Truckee Railway is the stretch of track from the end of Highland Road down into the canyon a couple miles.
For a complete project map see this link on renorailfans.com, and here's a more specific map of the area where the stimulus dollars are being spent. On this map (look at where Phase 2C ends) it's the Phase 3 tracks heading south (to the left on the second map) that go into the canyon which were funded by stimulus dollars.
Now, go to recovery.gov. As of November 16, 2009, there is a section in the middle of the page that says: DATA, DATA AND MORE DATA! Take a deep breath, realize you are entering a propaganda zone, and look below the headings that say BY RECIPIENT and BY REGION.
Click on Grants, for Agency choose Department of Transporation, and of course choose Nevada for state. You will get a map. Click on one of the dots east of Carson City and you get a pop-up window with data about the $2,033,899 the project got from the Feds. When you click on View All Data, you see the (inaccurate) project description saying: "V&T Railroad from Eureka Mill to West Side of Frehner Pit."
Let's look at some facts:
1) $2,033,899 divided by 10.72 means we the taxpayers spent about $180,000 to create "jobs."
2) The project only lasted a few months, in the real world we call that temp work, not a career.
3) The rail subcontractor, H&H Trackbuilders, uses mostly California based employees when spend the bulk of their pay in California on rent, family, etc.
4) Since I personally know these guys, I know for a fact that they send some money back to Mexico. I don't have a problem with that, just realize that your stimulus money was awarded to create 10+ temp positions in Nevada so the money could flow out of state and out of the country.
5) Of course these guys didn't get paid $180K for a couple months work, realize that when "stimulus" money is spent on job creation, the lion's share of the money pays for materials and equipment needed to build infrastructure. The worker gets the short end of the stick. This is NOT FDR having people dig holes and fill them in just to make work.
6) The section of track from Eastgate Siding (aka Dump Road) north over Highway 50 up to the west side of Frehner Pit (aka Road and Highway Builders) was part of Phase 2C and was not paid for by this grant. (Road and Highway Builders is another story.)
7) What does that extra .72 of a worker look like?
IT'S RAILWAY, NOT RAILROAD!
Finally, let me point out that the recovery.gov website makes the same mistake that Ty Cobb Sr. made today. They make the same mistake that the Nevada Legislature made. None of this money goes to the Virginia and Truckee Railroad! That's a private company in Virginia City.The money goes to the people who are trying to steal that name away, the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the Virginia and Truckee Railway. For more history on how they confuse people about the distinction between the private company and the public effort, read the post about the lawsuit pending between the private company and the government entity. It's toward the end of the post.
And if you ever figure out what .72 of a person looks like, please email me at jim@virginiaandtruckeerailway.com.
THE HISTORY OF NEVADA IS REAL IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COMSTOCK LODE IS WHAT MADE NEVADA BECOME A STATE. ANY THING THAT CAN MAKE THE PUBLIC REMEMBER THIS FACT SHOULD BEA WORTHWHILE THING. THE CONTRACTORS WHO DO THE WORK FOR THE STATE OR FOR ANY ENTERPRISE, DO SO WITH NO REGULATIONS AS TO WHO THEY HIRE. SO WHAT HAPPENS IS A PROJECT GETS DONE FOR THE BEST PRICE AT WHAT COST? FEW NEVADA JOBS. THE EVENTUAL RAILROAD THAT HAPPENS BETWEEN CARSON AND VIRGINIA CITY WILL HAVE LOCAL JOBS TO RUN IT AND THATS A GOOD THING. THE FACT THAT THE STATE IS GIVING MR. GRAY HELL IS JUSTA SAD STORY ON HOW AMERICAN GOVERNMENT WORKS. IF YOU HAVE A GOOD BUSINESS AND THE GOVERNMENT WANTS IT, WELL GOOD LUCK! MY GRANDPARENTS HAD A HOTEL IN NEW MEXICO THAT THE U.S GOVERNMENT WANTED FOR THEIR ROCKET PROGRAM. THEY LOST IT AND THE LAWYERS GOT RICH.
ReplyDelete