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StumbleStimulus is paying, not that you’d know it here
Friday, Oct. 16, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Sun Coverage
Beyond the Sun
- The New York Times: Some States Forgo Road Signs on Stimulus Program (10-13-2009)
- Nevada Department of Transportation
Shhh. Those road projects are paid for by the federal stimulus.
Nevada has opted not to erect signs designating highway projects paid for by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, despite “strong encouragement” from the federal government to draw motorists’ attention to the work’s funding source.
As road projects were put up for bid over the past few months, Nevada Transportation Department Director Susan Martinovich decided not to spend money on the signs, which cost about $1,200 each, department spokesman Scott Magruder said.
“We made a decision not to put up signs based on costs,” Magruder said. “Purely on costs.”
The signs, which show the silhouette of a worker digging and the words “putting America to work,” can be either 10 feet by 7 feet or 7 feet by 5 feet, according to a layout provided to states by the federal government.
The New York Times reported this week that some vendors in other states are charging as much as $4,000 for the largest signs. Nevada has an in-house sign shop in Reno that produces most of the department’s signs at a lower cost.
Nevada is among the few states that have chosen not to put up the signs after grumbling from conservatives about the cost and concern that the signs amount to a political ad for a key Democratic policy program.
Among the states that have decided to not use the signs are Georgia, Florida, New York and Texas.
In March, President Barack Obama “made the commitment” that all projects funded by the plan would have the recovery emblem, according to the Federal Highway Administration Web site.
States were strongly encouraged to use the signs. But a spokesman for the Federal Highway Administration stressed that they are optional.
“As part of the administration’s commitment to keeping government transparent and accountable, the ARRA signs ... were envisioned as a way to help motorists see where their tax dollars were going,” said Doug Hecox, the agency’s spokesman.
Nevada received $201 million in stimulus money for transportation. Of that, the state controlled $134 million, with the remainder divided among Clark County, Washoe County and the rurals.
Instead of doing one large project with the money, the Nevada Transportation Department decided to do projects across the state.
“Some (projects) will be up for three or four months,” Magruder said. “Maybe if we were doing one major project that would be out for one or two years, we would consider putting up a sign.”
Of the 18 state projects, 15 have been put out to bid and work has started on seven or eight, he said.
The first one in Clark County is a landscaping project along U.S. 95 north of the Spaghetti Bowl.
A recent report by a U.S. House committee found Nevada to be one of the states spending its transportation stimulus money the slowest.
Discussion: comments so far…
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I tried not putting up the sign on a project in California and the public officials, who just happen be Democrats flipped. We put them up and were paid $5,500.00 a sign (bid price). Kudos NDOT, never adopt the wasteful spending Obama and clan want.
I hope that NDOT never adopts affirmative action like California has.
FAR paperwork on these projects is deceiving and very misleading. We have to provide labor utilization reports, the number of workers used along with saved or new jobs created, which is a crock. The only personal that is considered a new hire on our work is the affirmative action requirements.
The sad aspect is that we honestly look for new hires that meet the contract requirements and we have yet to have anyone who meets the requirements that wants to get out of bed during the daylight hours and actually work. We have found many who do work the system and will take a paycheck so we can comply with the reporting requirements mandated by contract and not produce work knowing they can't be fired. They know the contract doesn't tell us they have produce work; they just have to be paid and listed in the certified payrolls.
If Reid junior is elected into office then grab your children and hide your wallets, he'll cram down NDOT's throat the Democrats affirmative action programs. NDOT then would become just like Caltrans, a whole lot of money and nothing useful produced to comply with their programs. We'll be forced into the Affirmative Action local hiring policies and we'll be left paying the bill. This cost averages out to 23% for every payroll dollar spent on public works project to manage the documents and to comply with contract for the personal to produce absolutely nothing.
"As part of the administration's commitment to keeping government transparent and accountable, the ARRA signs ... were envisioned as a way to help motorists see where their tax dollars were going," said Doug Hecox, the agency's spokesman.
Oooh, boy. That a doozie there, Doug. Don't pee on my head and tell me it's rain.
This state better not EVER purchase those signs either. Wasteful spending. If you want to use that money for something, give it back to the taxpayers who could actually use the money for something useful.
Not putting up signs is one of the dopiest ideas I've ever heard. Even pre-Obama, when you used federal grants for a project (DOJ, DEd, et al), you were required by the grantor to ID where the money for the project came from. The purpose of ID'ing the money trail is to let the PUBLIC know what their tax dollars support.
If "its2hot"/imposing to comply with federal reporting requirements, don't accept the funds -- simple.
What a pleasant surprise to read this article about the governor not wasting our money on useless road signs that consume our natural resources for no good reason.
Add to that, were in the middle of a huge recession right now so we need to save where ever practical..
And if someone wants to know what government agency is paying for a particular road project they can look it up on the internet instead of wasting our money & natural resources on a road sign.
pretty good price for the signs.good stimulus for the sign company.are they made of gold
So the teabaggers kept asking where the stimulus money went. Now we know where some of it is going and the feds want to make sure Nevada lets us all know... And now they don't want accountability? HA! They didn't seem to mind it when Bush was in office, but I guess they hate the people actually seeing government working just fine.
Republicans just love taking credit for the stimulus without mentioning the stimulus that they didn't support. Hypocrites.
Yes, I think to date Sinator Gried has made about $12 million off the deal for his campaign....
Republicans are scared to death to acknowledge the successes of the stimulus.
This is clearly a political decision to hide the fact that the democrat stimulus money is helping the economy. This is money GOING to the people and NOT Wall Street executives-who don't deserve it.
Didn't Bush just hand wall street 700 billion dollars with NO QUESTIONS?
The fact that Nevada is so slow in spending the money is more proof of trying keeping things looking bad as long as possible for the democrats.
The real losers hear are the people. Here is a chance for them to learn that government is working and doing something for them.
Let's just hide the fact that sometimes government does work!
Why call it "affirmative action" when all it produces in the way of a social program is "negative" results?
Besides, AA is inherently evil and communistic.
I will agree that the stimulus has worked in at least one area. The sign makers are living pretty large...
Another pathetic example of the utter and bottomless stupidity of many Nevadans. If they hate the federal government so much they shouldn't accept ANY FEDERAL AID! But of course, they know what would happen. Nevada would dry up (completely) and blow away as dust in the winds of empty-headed thinking. Stupid is as stupid does.
right, because putting up a sign is such a big deal, even more than you pathetic losers who still have a job because of the funds.
Maybe if the stimulus money was used to reduce taxes we all would feel the benefit...
I took a vacation during July and August where I drove across the country. It seemed every road was being fixed and they put up the sign saying who funded it. The reason Nevada doesn't want to put up the signs is because they were the ONLY state not using the funds to get people working. In Nevada, playing games with the people's money is more important than getting people working. Hmmm, who is controlling the funds? Way to go Luv Guv. Showing what is most important to you, YOU.
This is just amazing! The United States!
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
It's like a runaway train. All aboard Americans!
ROTFLMAO, The 2.5 billion received under the stimulus plan; $201 million is used for Infrastructure. The balance is used for Harry's social programs and other Democrat programs that don't produce any jobs let alone useful. Since Reid pushed so hard to get this stimulus package through the Senate our state has lost over 68,000 jobs lost since the legislation was signed into law. Kudos to Reid, he's doing a great job!
As Reid states on his website "The Recovery Act will bring more than $1.5 billion to Nevada and create or save roughly 34,000 jobs in the state over the next two years, and we're already beginning to see the results. Funding from the Recovery Act is putting teachers back in classrooms, police officers back on the street and putting hard-working Nevadans to work on badly-needed infrastructure projects that not only create jobs but help make Nevada an even better place to live, work and raise a family." Even when this idiot lies, and he does every time he opens his mouth, you democrat followers believe every word he says. The funny part of all this, If he was smacking you upside the head with a 2 x 4 and he told you it was a feather, you'd believe him.
Knowing the industry, the $201 million hasn't and won't create any jobs. The projects are asphalt milling and repave projects. These projects employ existing personal who are on the road paving elsewhere and will return for a week or so and mill the street and repave. To put in a layman point of view that you should understand, $201 million state wide is less than 2 months of work that will not produce a single new hire, it will produce new payroll to employ the affirmative action requirements and when done, they back to the welfare line and suck off their system they've grown accustomed too.
About the signs, we don't care. The low bid price of the total contract value is the basis of award. If they want their signs; we'll plaster the City with them. Its taxpayer money and we have no problem working their system. We're here to make money, we don't care as long as it's honest and the bills are paid. We know their system better than they do, we know the government employees have no clue on their quantities or how they were derived at and we know how to unbalance the revenue of the bid and maximize the final contract value. We can take $10 million contract and turn into a cash cow these days because they have no clue, they know it, we know it and contractors love it.
Good ol Harry, created many jobs. Here is for you lunatics, facts smacking you upside the head again. Show us the JOBS, Harry bring home the bacon.
The only thing your fearless leader brough home is welfare and social programs. Must we be so stupid, welfare and social programs are jobs for the democrats. Forgive me, you are all so right, go to work now.
Funds allocated to Nevada under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009*
*Numbers from Federal Funds Information for
States, February 20, 2009 www.staterecovery.org
NEVADA
Program
Amount (In Thousands) Health Programs
Medicaid FMAP (2009) 2010/2011
$ 183,865 $ 258,130
Medicaid DSH
$ 2,294
Foster Care/Adoption
$ 5,580
Immunization
$ 3,875 Education Programs
Fiscal Stabilization (Total) Education General Purpose
$ 396,583 $ 324,405 $ 72,178
Title I Grants to LEAs School Improvement
$ 70,605 $ 17,064
Special Education Part B Part B-Preschool Part C
$ 67,119 $ 2,391 $ 3,901
Education Technology
$ 4,279
McKinney-Vento (Education for Homeless)
$ 548
Work Study
$ 450
Transportation and Infrastructure Programs
Highways and Bridges
$ 201,352
Transit Capital Grants Urban Rural
$ 49,464 $ 42,114 $ 7,350
Rail Modernization
$ 0
Drinking Water SRF
$ 19,500
Clean Water SRF
$ 19,389 Energy and Food Assistance Programs
Weatherization
$ 38,770
State Energy Program
$ 26,311
Emergency Food & Shelter
$ 830
TEFAP
$ 749
Food Stamp Administration
$ 1,800
School Lunch Equipment
$ 608
Food Stamp Benefits
$ 84,000 Human Services Programs
Elderly Nutrition
$ 976
Child Care
$ 14,315
Head Start
$ 2,818
Community Services Block Grant
$ 5,000
Vocational Rehabilitation
$ 4,218
Independent Living
$ 243
Housing & Community Development Programs
Public Housing Capital Fund
$ 10,187
CDBG Entitlement
$ 4,775
CDBG Non-Entitlement
$ 756
HOME
$ 14,856
Homelessness Prevention
$ 8,291 Justice Programs
Crime Victims Assistance Grants
$ 668
Crime Victims Compensation
$ 561
Internet Crimes Against Children
$ 1,058
Violence Against Women
$ 2,118
Child Support Enforcement
$ 7,900
Byrne/JAG
$ 20,267 Labor Programs
Unemployment Ins. State Admin.
$ 5,228
Employment Service
$ 3,255
Community Service for Older Americans
$ 604
WIA: Adult Youth
$ 3,426 $ 7,647
Dislocated Workers
$ 14,103 Total $ 1,592,725
Nice to see the token libs (edgewise, atdleft) show up to complain about NOT spending taxpayers money.
These freaks will do and say anything to win a date with Obama.
I believe that edgewise and atdleft will be glad to hear that the federal deficit hit a record $1.42 trillion and is expected to exceed $9 trillion over next decade.
C'mon now, lead us down the right pathway, show us the money Harry claims will create or save jobs. Here is the link, www.staterecovery.org scroll to the right and open Nevada.
When you are done there visit www.harryreid.com and read what he says about the jobs and stimulus money. Harry just like the rest of them, a liar, they lied to you and they lied to America. If you are presently unemployed and waiting for the stimulus to help you, don't hold your breath or wait too long, you'll go broke waiting, it isn't ever going to happen.
If by some chance you can manipulate the dollars on the Recovery website where jobs are going to be created as so stated by Reid, then please by all means, patent it, sell it and you're the next self made billionaire for wishing in one hand and XYZ in the other hand and turning into a pot of gold.
Thanks to those who are bringing this to our attention....Government dollars to support government programs.
www.staterecovery.org
Also, this is great information on State of Nevada for statewide/county salaries. You can see where there is difficulty in balancing the budget. Salary cuts are needed:
http://transparentnevada.com
its2hot - california does not have affirmative action, please reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_...)
please provide references to the ridiculous statistics you provide.
adruanhu:
The Voters did remove affirmative action, however, under ARRA and FAR California is superseded. When state funds are the sole source of funding, the policy prohibits such practice. When federal funds and other funds are used the more stringent of the laws is applied. In the cases I speak of, federal funds is the primary source of funding and/or bonds.
Why would the State of California need affirmative action programs of any kind when:
1. 20 million mexicans and other hispanics live there
2. 20 million chinese, korean, filip's, and viets live there
3. 10 million blacks live there
4. maybe 10 million of God's people, white, live there
5. and a sprinkling of the sand jockeys live there, too?