GAO Discovers Cost of Each DOE-Created ‘Stimulus’ Job: $194,213

It sounds as if the Department of Energy is using the same math the Administration used for predicting "other" jobs they supposedly created with stimulus funds and the same math President Obama used to figure out we have 57 States (48+2= 57).

From Rep Joe Barton -- (picture added)

A Government Accountability Office report released Thursday shows that the Department of Energy has spent more than $1.9 billion in so-called stimulus funds to create 10,018 jobs through May, an average of $194,213 spent per full-time job created.

“It looks like the Department of Energy got in over its head when it was handed $6 billion in stimulus money to create jobs by accelerating environmental cleanup work. This report says that DOE managed its timetables well enough, but it also indicates that so far, the jobs that DOE created cost $194,213 each,” said U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis/Arlington, ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “It’s hard to believe that the Energy Department isn’t creating a lesson in how to waste a lot of money in a hurry, with taxpayers joining the jobless as the latest victims of the recession. Americans need dramatically better thinking from the department’s leaders so the rest of their stimulus funding is more effectively used, too.”

DOE also reports it created 10,018 jobs through May of this year. However, the department has also used a more unorthodox methodology to inflate job creation in some of its reports, a methodology the GAO says may mislead the public. For example, using the method GAO was critical of, the agency reports roughly 20,000 jobs created through May of this year, counting the number of “lives touched” in some documents. More....

For a copy of the GAO report click here.

AFP "November is Coming" Bus Tour comes to N/E Ohio

Americans for Prosperity’s ‘November Is Coming’ Bus Tour Stops Put Pressure on Congress Members John Boccieri and Betty Sutton

-Bus Tour Stops will equip citizens to educate others about big government spending records, August 2 and 3–

CLEVELAND – Americans for Prosperity will bring its November Is Coming Bus Tour to Northeast Ohio on August 2nd and 3rd to urge citizens to hold Congress members John Boccieri and Betty Sutton accountable if they continue to support big government policies that are bankrupting America.

“Boccieri and Sutton have joined with Nancy Pelosi in ushering in a new era of bigger government, endless bailouts, a permanently broken federal budget and government control over our decisions,” said Rebecca Heimlich, Ohio State Director of Americans for Prosperity. “Folks need to send a clear message to Boccieri and Sutton that struggling taxpayers can’t afford any more bad decisions from Congress.”

Concerned Ohio citizens will be asked to sign petitions to Congress members Boccieri and Sutton, urging them to vote against big government legislation or be voted against in November.

More than 371,000 Americans have signed AFP’s November Is Coming petition at www.NovemberIsComing.com telling their elected officials that “If you vote Yes to big government programs or any other freedom-killing legislation, I will vote NO on you in the next election.” The petition goes on to say that the citizen signing the petition will vote against the elected official:

“If you fail to support efforts to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with real reform that puts patients first; vote yes to cap-and-trade energy taxes or fail to stop any related EPA regulation; vote yes to any more bailouts; or fail to stop any attempts to regulate the Internet.”

Activists will be encouraged to go door-to-door and do at-home phone banking as part of a citizen education effort to let people know where Congress members Boccieri and Sutton stand on the issues and to encourage them to contact Boccieri and Sutton to tell them to stop the out-of-control spending and big government policies.

“The public needs to know about Congressman Boccieri’s and Congresswoman Sutton’s past support for endless bailouts, a shameful government takeover of health care, and a cap-and-tax scheme designed to regulate our lives and limit our freedoms. Their constituents can make a difference by letting Congress member know they have had enough of these reckless policies.”

These events are free and open to the public.

What: November Is Coming bus tour stop - North Canton
When: Monday, August 2, 12:30-1:30pm
Where: Fitzpatrick Pavilion, Price Park, 1000 W. Maple Street, North Canton, Ohio 44720

What: November Is Coming bus tour stop - Akron
When: Monday, August 2, 5:30-6:30pm
Where: Liberty Harley-Davidson, 32 East Cuyahoga Falls Ave., Akron, Ohio 44310

What: November Is Coming bus tour stop - Medina
When: Tuesday, August 3, 12:30-1:30pm
Where: Public Square, Medina, OH 44256 (corner of Court St. and Washington St.)

What: November Is Coming bus tour stop - Greater Cleveland Area
When: Tuesday, August 3, 5:30-6:30pm
Where: Veterans Memorial Park, Pavilion B, 38975 Detroit Road, Avon, OH, 44011

Americans for Prosperity’s November Is Coming bus tour will also stop in Cincinnati, the Greater Columbus Area, Chillicothe and Zanesville in Ohio, and will travel through Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.

For more information, please visit www.NovemberIsComing.com

Nebraska town may suspend voter-passed immigration crackdown over costs

From the PD --

Faced with expensive legal challenges, officials in the eastern Nebraska town of Fremont are considering suspending a voter-approved ban on hiring or renting property to illegal immigrants until the lawsuits are resolved.

The City Council narrowly rejected the ban in 2008, prompting supporters to gather enough signatures for the ballot measure. The ordinance, which was approved by voters last month, has divided the community. Supporters say it was necessary to make up for what they see as lax federal law enforcement and opponents argue that it could fuel discrimination.

But the council's president, Scott Getzschman, insisted the elected body was concerned about money, not about any lack of support for the ordinance. The City Council is scheduled to vote on suspending the ban on Tuesday night, a day before the city goes to court over the measure.

The city faces lawsuits from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund. City officials have estimated that Fremont's costs of implementing the ordinance -- including legal fees, employee overtime and improved computer software -- would average $1 million a year. More....

DISCLOSE ACT is Down But Not Out in Senate

Unable to reach 60 votes for cloture today Harry Reid called off the vote on the McCarthyite legislation of HR 5175 , the DISCLOSE Act.

Senators Snowe, Collins and Brown have all said they will not vote for the legislation and I even heard late today that Senator Feinstein said she would vote for cloture but not for the legislation.

From Fox --

Moderate Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, just told reporters she will not support proceeding with debate on a campaign finance bill, known as the DISCLOSE Act, a move that signals the end of the road for this legislation for now.

Complaining that there have been “no hearings, no vetting, no attempt to bring people together,” Snowe touted her own past work on the issue and added, “I know the new routine on legislation these days is to ram and jam…but it really does take time…It really does require building a consensus.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, a gun control advocate, said she will support Democratic leaders’ effort to start debate on the legislation, but spokesman Gil Duran says the senator will not support the bill on final passage. And Feinstein told reporters moments ago that if today’s vote were one to shut off debate and move to final passage, she, too, would be a ‘no’ vote.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, the bill’s lead sponsor, had to keep in a House-passed exclusion from disclosure requirements for large membership groups like the NRA, in order to secure enough votes for passage. Feinstein opposes this carve out....

We all know this means we must remain vigilant and keep the pressure up and make sure no GOP and a few of the Democrats do not MAKE A DEAL, to get this passed!

Pat yourselves on the back now and scream hurray! But we remain alert & ready to burn up the phones, emails & faxes again! We will not be silenced!

Prolonged Detention -- Obama's Newly Made Up Presidential Power

This is very alarming!

Harry Reid and the Democrats' New McCarthyism -

We just got this in from our National Coordinator Team.... please make these call immediately!

The Democrats are running scared, fearful of the impact grassroots activists will have in November. With the DISCLOSE Act, which will go into effect almost immediately, in time for the November elections, they will be able to effectively and legally shut us down. The effort to silence us before the elections is tantamount to a witch hunt. Read this email carefully for more information about this bill and then please make some phone calls NOW and tell them to VOTE NO!!

From our friends at Freedom Action about this speech violating bill:

Even if somehow the speech restrictions in this bill were constitutional, their uneven application would be a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection under the law. Even the left-leaning Sierra Club has labeled the DISCLOSE Act a two-tiered system that is "unfair and undemocratic" and that smaller grass-roots organizations would be disadvantaged because they lack the resources to cope with "the additional disclosure burdens." The unions and the big non-profit groups get to keep their free speech given to them in the January Supreme Court decision, but the corporations and small non-profits lose theirs under DISCLOSE.

Also, President Obama and some Democrats are dishonestly stating that the Court's decision would "open the floodgates for special interest, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections." However, current federal law and Federal Election Commission regulations already ban foreign corporations from participating directly or indirectly in American elections. (see 2 U.S.C. § 441e and 2 U.S.C. 437g).

HOW THIS AFFECTS YOU

Exampleville, Ohio has two people running for U.S. Congress-Mr. A and Mr. B-in what promises to be a close race. Exampleville's local Tea Party believes in Mr. B. The Tea Party wants to run ads highlighting Mr. B's stance on cap and trade, federal spending, increased taxation, etc, but they don't have enough money to fulfill the new highly complex reporting requirements from DISCLOSE. And DISCLOSE would force them to list their top donors, even if they are not necessarily the specific donors to the ads, in their ads. Besides, the disclaimers required could take up to 14 of a 30 second ad. The Tea Party gives up trying to run ads to support Mr. B..

In contrast, Mr. A has some well-funded unions who want to see Exampleville's factories unionized, so the unions run ads against Mr. B and ads for Mr. A. Also, the Sierra Club and the ACLU (groups actually opposed to DISCLOSE) want Mr. A to support their issues, so they also run ads for Mr. A. None of these ads are subject to DISCLOSE's requirements.

Guess who wins?

(For those interested, here's a good link with information on the actual language and problems with the DISCLOSE bill, click here.) The DISCLOSE Act exempts unions and very large special interest groups!! And the little guy is left without a voice.

Senators to call:

Scott Brown (R-MA) http://scottbrown.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme
Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-4543, (F) (202) 228-2646
(CTPP Note -- Brown's office just stated he is voting no -- but please call anyway)

Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
http://snowe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorSnowe.Email
Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-5344, Toll free (800) 432-1599, (F) (202) 224-1946

Susan Collins (R-ME)
http://collins.senate.gov/public/continue.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorCollins.EmailIssue&CFID=42880122&CFTOKEN=39747274
Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-2523, (F) (202) 224-2693

Ben Nelson (D-NE)
http://bennelson.senate.gov/email-issues.cfm
Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-6551, (F) (202) 228-0012

Evan Bayh (D-IN)
http://bayh.senate.gov/contact/email/
Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-5623, (F) (202) 228-1377

Kent Conrad (D-ND)
https://conrad.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm
Washintong DC: (T) (202) 224-2043, (F) (202) 224-7776

You are the heart and soul of the Tea Party Movement. Thank you for promoting the causes of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free markets with us!

Your Tea Party Patriots National Coordinator Team,
Debbie Dooley, Mike Gaske, Rob Gaudet, Jenny Beth Martin, Mark Meckler, Sally Oljar, Diana Reimer, and Dawn Wildman

Justice Department Partying on your Dime!

Absolutely unbelievable! No wonder President Obama says he & his Administration never rest -- they're partying on our dime like they've never partied before!

From Senator Coburn's Office --

Dr. Coburn has released a new oversight report “Party at the DOJ” that describes how DOJ is wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on recreational activities that are undermining DOJ’s core mission to enforce the law, prevent crime and administer justice.

Dr. Coburn writes in the report:

With our nation facing the heightened threats of domestic terrorism and unprecedented debt and financial challenges, taxpayers should be shocked to learn DOJ crime prevention grant programs are paying for parties and rollercoaster rides for children rather than focusing on investigating crimes, locating and prosecuting terrorists, and administering justice.

This report, “Party at the DOJ,” examines a number of recent recreational activities funded by DOJ and a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) review that found DOJ does not track the amount spent on recreational activities or the outcomes associated with those activities. The report also makes recommendations to help DOJ better adhere to its mission and protect taxpayers’ funds from misuse.

Craft-making, bowling, and trips to water parks were among the activities GAO identified as being paid for by DOJ. The Department’s own manual for grantees even recommends spending federal crime prevention funds on parties and trips. A review of recent activities sponsored by DOJ grantees identified luaus, a Mardi Gras party, block parties, a film festival, a carnival, skateboarding, dancing, fashion shows, and even a doughnut eating contest as among the recreational activities made possible with federal crime prevention funding.

While many of these may be fun or even educational, there is little data to demonstrate how these types of initiatives advance the mission of DOJ, which is “to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.”

Click here to read the full report.