Media is discovering the count of jobs saved by stimulus is fraudulent.

Recently the administration claimed that the stumulus bill passed back in February was responsible for more than one million jobs being "saved or created". If this was true it would be a huge shot in the arm for an economy that is still reeling from the loss of credit and wealth that started with the crash of the secondary mortgage markets over a year ago. Unfortunately, as time has passed the numbers appear to be inflated by deliberate miscounts where jobs that were never in jeopardy are counted as "saved" by administrators.

The evidence that the numbers are wrong come from many sources and many states.

Back on October 29 writers Brett J. Blackledge and Matt Apuzzo in an article titled Stimulus jobs overstated by thousands published through the Associated Press began the questioning. They detail several contracts where there the reports are openly incorrect and note: The AP review found some counts were more than 10 times as high as the actual number of jobs; some jobs credited to the stimulus program were counted two and sometimes more than four times; and other jobs were credited to stimulus spending when none was produced

In Ohio the Columbus Dispatch examined the count of 7000 saved jobs in the state and in an article published on November 3 found that: Not all jobs 'saved' by stimulus were in danger. And they found the people doing the false reporting surprisingly unrepentant that they were claiming jobs saved that were never in danger.
Federal Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a conference call with reporters yesterday that the country has "325,000 who would literally not be in the classroom today if not for these funds." But not in Columbus, where the district's finances looked pretty solid before the stimulus. Voters passed a levy last November that should keep the district's books largely in the black until 2012.
Of the 212.5 full-time equivalent jobs the district said were funded with part of the $64 million in stimulus it expects to receive, about 65 percent were "saved," including 36 principals and assistant principals.
So was the district on the verge of laying off 36 school administrators?
"No," Dannemiller said, explaining that the reporting choices were "created" and "saved."

In Massachucets – The Boston Globe hardly an enemy of the administration published an article Wednesday titled Stimulus job boost in state exaggerated, review finds. The article started with the simple fact: While Massachusetts recipients of federal stimulus money collectively report 12,374 jobs saved or created, a Globe review shows that number is wildly exaggerated. Organizations that received stimulus money miscounted jobs, filed erroneous figures, or claimed jobs for work that has not yet started.

In Wisconin the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel wrote on November 5: Don't count on stimulus job tally. And like their counterparts in other states broke down a number of counts where the jobs were not in danger or in fact never existed at all. Their report includes the fact that: In one case, five jobs were mistakenly listed as 50 - and then counted twice. In another, pay raises to workers were listed as saving more than 100 jobs. And in another, jobs were listed as saved even though the money had not been received and no work on the project had begun.

And the false counts keep coming. On November 4 in another article for the AP by Blackledge and Appuzo it was noted that at a Georgia non-profit that received federal stimulus money: President Barack Obama's economic recovery program saved 935 jobs at the Southwest Georgia Community Action Council, an impressive success story for the stimulus plan. Trouble is, only 508 people work there.

Consider that again. A place where only 508 people work, but the stimulus "saved" 935 jobs at that one location. It hardly seems possible, but the administration has quoted it as fact, even as the evidence continues to flood in that the counts are wrong.

There is more.
Texas – the Dallas Morning News on October 31: Jobs created with stimulus funds lag in Texas

Illinois – The Chicago Tribune on November 4: Illinois data on stimulus-related jobs saved, created don't add up

Washington State – The News Tribune on November 13: Fewer local jobs saved by federal stimulus than reported

And Colorado – The Denver Post on November 10: Stimulus-jobs count in Colorado overinflated

This is dangerous for the economy and for consumers. Most banks don't believe the numbers. They have their own internal economics and forecasting staffs and they can see that the labor markets have not been massively helped by the stimulus, so they remain unwilling to risk loan capital with large loans to small businesses. However, consumers who believe the claims of the administration are going to make bad economic decisions based on the false promise of jobs where there are none. Its something that we should be worried about, although it appears that for now the media is paying more attention and beginning to question the economic news being provided.