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640,329 jobs created or saved, White House says
Consumer spending drops, casting doubt on strength of economic recovery
PoliTex blog: From North Texas to D.C., our insiders take you beyond the usual rhetoric 
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Texas gained 19,572 jobs created or saved by federal stimulus funds, at a steep cost to taxpayers: $545,000 per job, according to data from a new but flawed government report.
The information, available on recovery.gov, shows that 376 contracts worth $608.9 million created 1,458 jobs. Grants totaling $10 billion contributed 18,114 more. Administration officials argued that it was "calculator abuse" to figure the cost per job because many contracts haven’t been completed so additional people could be hired.Still, at this stage, some contracts awarded in Tarrant County showed a high premium for jobs. A company called Affiliated Western received a $2.6 million contract to repair hangar doors. Total jobs created: a single position. Or two, since an interactive map on recovery.gov counted the contract twice.The city of Arlington reported that $853,342 in stimulus money for "new pedestrian infrastructure" — a sidewalk — and a van service would create 130 jobs. Though the city reports that the project is less than 50 percent completed, it claims that 100 of those jobs would come from providing more transportation options to low-income residents. Sheryl Kenny, grants manager for Arlington, said the grant from the . Department of Housing and Urban Development will provide two full-time drivers to ferry the 100 low- to moderate-income people in central Arlington to jobs. "We’re providing them access to transportation ... in 15-passenger vans," said Kenny, who said some details had not yet been worked out. As for the jobs number, "It’s an estimate," she said. In another case, Tarrant County got credit for a contract awarded to B.W. Strayhorn of Wichita Falls worth $2,559,791. But zero jobs were created or saved, according to recovery.gov. The contract calls for the company to conduct embankment repairs at Bardwell Dam and shoreline erosion repair at Lavonia Park and Lavon Lake.Project manager Shana Rose said the company isn’t going to be hiring for any new positions, but the contract is "actively keeping us afloat." The contract was not bid out, Rose said.She said 12 jobs were retained for the project — but that total isn’t reflected on recovery.gov. The Web site does not distinguish between jobs created and jobs saved. U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, said he believes that the administration’s claim that 640,329 jobs were created across the nation is inaccurate based on other media reports.Burgess was incredulous at the average cost of jobs in Texas, saying, "$500,000 per job created is preposterous." He added that before passage of the stimulus act, called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Americans were told the $787 billion stimulus would prevent the unemployment rate from topping 8 percent. Burgess said he expects an unemployment report next week to show the rate above 10 percent.The Texas unemployment rate is more than 8 percent, which translates into nearly 1 million people out of work, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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