Stimulus too much of a questionable thing
The California Recovery Taskforce stated that approximately 100,000 jobs were saved or created as a result of stimulus funds managed by state government entities. Prior to the stimulus bill being passed, the Obama administration and Congress were talking about creating 3 million new jobs for Americans. When it became apparent that not a lot of jobs were being created by the stimulus bill, a new category was introduced: "Saved Jobs." How do you accurately measure the number of saved jobs?
The majority of new jobs created have been government, teaching or union. As we look at the jobs being created, it appears that the majority of them are for road and infrastructure projects. It is terrific that people are working and roads and bridges are being repaired, but all of the government and teaching jobs are paid for by the taxpayer and add to our national debt.
I can find nothing in the stimulus bill that helps small and private business. Seventy percent of jobs in the U.S. are from small and private business entities. Until there are programs geared toward small and private business with tax breaks or incentives to hire new employees, our national unemployment will hover around 10 percent or higher.
Adding jobs to government will continue to increase our debt. Providing opportunities for small and private business to grow and expand their businesses will lead to growth and prosperity.
RICHARD SCHWARTZ
Bakersfield
