Now that the political season is upon us our politicians are crying out for more jobs and government efficiency. They’re in fear that the people have grown weary of the perpetual fraud, waste and abuse. Too bad our representatives did not thoroughly read the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. We’ve spent millions of dollars for signs to tell us our money is at work, but tucked away is a grant of $712,883 for Northwestern University to develop a joke telling robot. more ›

Yesterday we took a look at the progress of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, opinions of which predictably split along party lines. Illinois’ Republican Congressman Aaron Schock has a new bone to pick with the stimulus - signage. According to the Chicago Tribune, a spokesman for IDOT reported that about 950 signs have been posted along roadways to inform people that the roadwork was funded by the stimulus bill. Calling it “propaganda” and an “unnecessary overhead expense,” Schock introduced a bill titled "End the Stimulus Advertisement Act” to put an end to the signs. more ›

In his first official address before a joint session of congress, President Barack Obama struck a tone more reminiscent of a campaign stump speech than a presidential address. After weeks of bad news on Wall Street, compounded by sometimes public musings by lawmakers about the sorry state of the economy, Obama struck positive notes throughout his speech: "while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken,'' the president said, "though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.'' Given the downward spiral of the markets recently in spite of the administration's attempts to shore up the economy, that may not be such a bad thing. more ›

While the U.S. Senate was debating the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the bill that President Obama hopes will pump billions of dollars and thousands of jobs into the faltering economy, the White House released a study indicating that the bill could save or create 150,000 jobs over the next two years. According to Crain's Chicago Business, those estimates "are based on the overall goal that the plan will create or save 3 million to 4 million jobs nationally over the next two years." (You can check out per capita details of the House stimulus plan over at the Wall Street Journal's nifty "Who gets what" map.) more ›