Eckstrom Wants To Change Stimulus Job Count
S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom wants to reform how the federal government counts “stimulus” jobs, arguing that taxpayers deserve “accurate job counts and honest assessments of the stimulus’ impact on our economy.”
Last month, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama claimed that 8,100 jobs had been “saved or created” in South Carolina thanks to the federal “stimulus.”
Eckstrom’s office promptly countered that claim, referring to data from the S.C. Department of Commerce showing that only 3,497 jobs had been “created” by the stimulus – 2,607 of which were tied to a summer youth employment program.
“What’s clear is that the way the federal government is counting jobs is badly flawed, and does more to report artificially high numbers than to give an accurate picture of jobs actually created,” Eckstrom said. “From questions about the accuracy of job numbers reported by those receiving stimulus dollars, to the confusion that surrounds guessing the number of jobs that might have been saved by those dollars, numerous media outlets across the country have rightfully questioned the job numbers being reported. Also, the confusion produced by conflicting federal guidance on how to count jobs undermines transparency.”
Eckstrom, who is a member of a task force that’s studying how these jobs are counted, is pushing for a “simple and verifiable” system that eliminates the potential for inflated numbers. One option Eckstrom is exploring would be to count and report the actual number of labor hours paid for with stimulus dollars instead of using estimates for the number of jobs created.
No matter how you add it all up, though, the stimulus has been exactly what we said it would be … a “bureaucratic bailout.”
According to data from the S.C. Employment Security Commission, South Carolina has lost a total of 11,975 jobs since the “stimulus” was passed in February. The state’s workforce has also shrunk by 21,234 as the lack of available employment opportunities – or the inability of the ESC to place people in positions – has forced many to give up hope.
Combined, that’s a net loss of over 33,000 positions in the past seven months.
Comments
By BIN News Editorial Staff on November 17th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Our Funding Editor posts this as an official Feedom of Information Act request. It should be taken serionsly.
Under the provisions of the Feedom of Information Act, please post on your blog for public weview and inspection for at least 90 days all information and details about all fwees, paymints and bogus contributions of any kind that http://www.fitnews.com and will folks have received and or are about to receive personally or as a corporation or other corporate pimpitity from any and all persons or organizations directly or indirectly associated with the S.C. Comptroller General’s orifice. And so on, so forth, etc.
Do you guys sleep together, or does it just seem that way to reasonable people? Make sure you include all cash contributions from Rod, Jr.
By Advocate on November 18th, 2009 at 12:43 am
No wonder SC has been losing jobs – MOST of the stimulus money paid to SC went to SCDHHS, an agency under the governor’s cabinet. Hundreds of millions of dollars intended to be used to create and maintain jobs are being transferred to a rainy day fund in a CLEAR VIOLATION of the Recovery Act.