Research Briefing

Let’s Hope “Sheriff” Biden Didn’t Leave His Badge At Home, Because Stimulus Waste Is Running Rampant In The West And Needs To Be Corralled

President Obama: “[A]round The White House We Call Him ‘The Sheriff’ Because If You're Misusing Taxpayer Money, You'll Have To Answer To Him.” (Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller, “President Obama Introduces ‘Sheriff’ Biden, Touts Roads And Jobs,” ABC News’ “The Note” Blog, 3/3/09)

SHERIFF BIDEN WON’T FIND A “RECOVERY SUMMER” IN THE WEST

“Vice President Joe Biden is in Big Sky, Mont., this weekend in preparation for ‘Recovery Summer’ events at national parks early next week. Biden will visit Yellowstone and Grand Canyon National Parks on Monday and Tuesday.” (Bridget Johnson, “Biden To Tout ‘Recovery Summer’ At Yellowstone, Grand Canyon Parks,” The Hill, 7/24/10) 

Since The Stimulus Was Passed, Arizona Has Lost Over 80,000 Jobs, And The Unemployment Rate Has Gone From 8.3 Percent To 9.6 Percent.  (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 7/24/10)

Since The Stimulus Was Passed, Wyoming Has Lost Nearly 10,000 Jobs, And The Unemployment Rate Has Gone From 4.8 Percent To 6.8 Percent.  (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 7/24/10)

Since The Stimulus Was Passed, Montana Has Lost Over 3,000 Jobs, And The Unemployment Rate Has Gone From 5.7 Percent To 7.3 Percent. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 7/24/10)

BECAUSE THE SHERIFF ALLOWED STIMULUS FUNDS TO BE WASTED

Two Arizona Universities Are Using Stimulus Funds To Study Ants. “Half A Million Dollars Went To Arizona State University To Study The Genetic Makeup Of Ants To Determine Distinctive Roles In Ant Colonies; $450,000 Went To The University Of Arizona To Study The Division Of Labor In Ant Colonies.” (Alexander Bolton, “Senate GOP Point Out 'Pure Waste' Found In Stimulus Package,” The Hill, 12/8/09)

A $21.8 Million Stimulus Contract In Arizona Was Awarded In A Questionable Manner. “A contract for the state's top federal-stimulus highway project is raising questions about why state transportation officials relied on a verbal agreement when they awarded millions of dollars in work last week. The $21.8 million job involves widening 6 miles of Interstate 10 in the West Valley near Verrado Way.” (Sean Holstege, “Bidders: ADOT Didn’t Follow Rules In Awarding 1-10 Contract,” The Arizona Republic, 7/22/09)

• Which Allowed A Firm Guilty Of Tax Fraud To Receive The Stimulus Contract.  “The lowest bidder, Tempe-based Fisher Sand & Gravel Co., DBA Southwest Asphalt Paving, had taken responsibility in federal court for filing fraudulent tax returns three days before bidding the I-10 job. Three of the firm's top executives, including the owner's brother, had pleaded guilty earlier and face sentencing next month. …But Pulice objected on the grounds that ADOT officials created an uneven playing field with its side agreements with Fisher about how to file.After a July 10 hearing on Pulice's objection, ADOT recommended awarding the work to Fisher, and the Arizona Transportation Board followed that recommendation Friday. ADOT is set to sign the contract on Monday.”  (Sean Holstege, “Bidders: ADOT Didn’t Follow Rules In Awarding 1-10 Contract,” The Arizona Republic, 7/22/09)

Stimulus Funds Went To Nonexistent Congressional Districts In Arizona.  ABC NEWS’ JONATHAN KARL: “The website, for example, says 30 jobs were created and over $700,000 spent in Arizona's 15th congressional district. The problem, the state has only eight congressional districts, there is no 15th district. And it lists $34 million spent in Arizona's 86th district. That district doesn't exist either.” (ABC News’s “World News Tonight,” 11/20/09)

“The Federal Government Has Awarded More Than $4.5 Million In Stimulus Money To An Idaho Company Hired To Oversee Engineering And Construction Projects At Fish Hatcheries In Idaho, Wyoming And Colorado.” (“Idaho Company Snags Stimulus Cash For Fishery,” The Associated Press, 1/25/10)

CNN Investigates $50,000 In Stimulus Funds Used For Tennis Court In Montana. CNN’s David Mattingly: “I came to Bozeman to find a city on thin ice over how it's spending stimulus money -- $50,000 to erase all of these cracks and potholes in city tennis court. … Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer wants to make Bozeman an example of how not to spend stimulus money.” … GOV. BRIAN SCHWEITZER: “What they violated was that rule of common sense. There ought to be that little guy in your head that waves his finger at you and says, wait a minute, we might want to rethink this thing.” (CNN, 1/25/10)

“The Stimulus Package Will Buy, Among Other Things, New Skylights For A State-Run Liquor Warehouse In Helena, Mont., Ground Zero For All Adult-Beverage Distribution In Big Sky Country” (Christopher Weaver, “Stimulus For Liquor Makes You Snicker,” ProPublica, 3/11/09)