Carcieri: Stimulus hasn't stimulated RI economy
1:06 PM Tue, May 12, 2009 | Permalink
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- So far, the gargantuan federal economic stimulus package has done little to revive Rhode Island's economy, Governor Carcieri said Tuesday. Three months after President Obama signed the historic $787-billion spending bill, designed to reverse a worsening national recession, only $28.6 billion has been distributed to states. For Rhode Island, just $176 million of a projected $1 billion in stimulus funds has been spent. "They make it sound like all this money is flowing," Carcieri told his top economic advisers at a meeting of the Economic Policy Council. "It's not." In large measure, the stimulus was designed to turn around the deep job losses caused by the financial crisis. But in Rhode Island, the 10.5 percent jobless rate, the highest level in three decades, has not improved since the stimulus passed. The stimulus spending has helped food stamp recipients, strengthened jobless benefits and paid for roadway improvements in Rhode Island. But overall, Carcieri said Tuesday, "this money is not having any significant impact right now." 
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That is because Carcieri has been a horrible governor. It must be easy for him to blame the federal government, or better yet, let's blame it on those immigrants, those lazy people keep taking our jobs... Carcieri, I can't wait till you get out of office.
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No kidding.
The recent so-called State Supplemental Budget for 2009 eliminated funds already budgeted for by all the cities and towns, so communities have been told by the Governor to use 'stimulus' funds to make up for the money that the state promised to pay and then didn't.
Simple math. You budget for 10, state takes away 3 and stimulus gives you 2. I think that makes a deficit?
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Instead of playing the blame game, why doesn't Governor Carcieri propose his own stimulus? After all, it was under his watch that the state failed to act on one of the worse foreclosure and unemployment crises in America.
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The state has to apply for the money, listing projects it will be used for. If Carcieri hasn't gotten off his duff and done that, no money will appear. Of course, he wants the stimulus to fail, being a Republican. Too bad projo doesn't do some investigative reporting.
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Why would it?? The GA sent the money to shovel-ready projects instead of investing in RI's future. It's too bad because this was a windfall more competent leaders could have used to benefit all instead of just a few.
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Any "stimulating" effect is quickly negated by the horrible political leadership (and subsequent economic disaster) in this corrupt little state. There is no hope. Bankruptcy looms ever closer. Perhaps Rhode Island will be the pioneer in the bankruptcy category. Heck, we seem to lead almost every study of negative issues, when compared to other states.
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Yeah! That darn Obama and his darn Democrats and their darn stimulus package haven't DONE ANYTHING and it's been, like, three whole MONTHS!!! we should be rolling in cash and jobs by now. And
Carcieri should know! He's had like, six whole YEARS to turn our economy around and he hasn't DONE ANYTHING either.
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I draw your attention to the first couple of paragraphs in the "roadway" article linked to in this posting. Perhaps the fault lies more with the state's readiness to make use of the funds rather than the federal gov't's making the funds available.
State scrambles for a stimulus wish list
08:46 AM EST on Friday, January 9, 2009
By Bruce Landis
Journal Staff Writer
The Providence JournaL / Frieda Squires
PROVIDENCE — With a major exception — the Department of Transportation — state government has been caught flat-footed by the opportunity offered by the economic stimulus plan taking shape in Washington.
Preoccupied with budget problems, the Carcieri administration didn’t assign officials to assemble plans for using the money until Wednesday, weeks after the governor began receiving criticism for lack of action.
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You might want to give it 10 minutes to take effect Don... you spent 11 years getting us into this state of affairs. Why did you ditch the 40 little school kids 3 Friday afternoons ago that you gathered atthe state house for their essay writing? What bridge did you have to go dedicate that you used as an excuse? Nice- they had an appointment with you since February...
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Oh please! If you need to play the blame game look to the cowards in the GA. The stimulus money was to create new jobs to grow the future. Instead it went to union jobs to fix roads. Four people standing around, 3 people running errands for the bosses, 2 people dropped off at home for a nap and 1 person directing traffic around a hole in the road.
The so called stimulus money is being wasted as was the tobacco money. What are you going to do next year, raise my taxes again? If I can ever afford to retire now, I'm heading to an income tax free state.
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As far as money for road-way programs funded by Obama's stimulus, why is it taking soooo long for the State to interview and hire the help. My husband applied for a job, took a few weeks to be notified to go for the civil service test, passed, now is waiting another few weeks for an actual interview. By the time people are hired, it will be time to quit for the winter season, and funding is only guaranteed thru June 2010.
Time for someone to push this program along. Hey, how about you Governor?
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Wasn't our governot going to refuse the stimulus money on priciple. Geez, where would we be then? Where did the $$$$ go??
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