Jobs From Nowhere; Stimulus Checkup

We had a lot of fun with the nonexistent Congressional Districts and the jobs-from-nowhere hidden throughout recovery.gov. But with Pelosi and Obama talking about a second stimulus (through the rerouting of TARP funds), its time to point out some egregious failures in the first stimulus. Senators Coburn and McCain just released a document called "Stimulus Checkup" in which their staffs examined 100 projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Some of these stories are stunning and valuable talking points. I've read through the document and called out some of the better stories below, by state.

National
#4, p.7 -- Research to Develop Supersonic Corporate Jets ($4.7 million)
#12, p.15 -- Broadband Map that May be Obsolete by the Time It's Complete ($350 million)
#42, p.28 -- States Spend Big Bucks on Stimulus Highway Signs ($1.3 million)
#66, p.39 -- Youth Summer Jobs Program Fails to Put Kids to Work ($1.2 billion)
#72, p.41 -- Half of Stimulus Contracts Not Competitively Bid

Arizona
#50, p.32 -- Arizona Ants Work While Some Arizonans Remain Unemployed ($950,000)
#52, p.33 -- Firm with Tax Fraud, Pollution History Wins Road Contract ($21.8 million)

Arkansas
#31, p.24 -- Contemporary Art Sculpture: A Series of Giant Tubes ($13,000)
#54, p.33 -- Arkansas Teachers to Attend Education Conference ($413,124)
#89, p.49 -- School District Splurges on iPod Touches ($75,129)

California
#5, p.8 -- Water Pipeline to a Money-Losing Golf Course ($2.2 million)
#11, p.14 -- All Aboard the Wine Train ($54 million)
#37, p.26 -- Another Golf Course Gets Recycled Water ($831,700)
#49, p.31 -- California Gets Money to Upgrade Computer System...Twice ($60 million)
#71, p.41 -- Beautification of Hollywood's Sunset Strip ($1.1 million)
#73, p.41 -- Hollywood Entertainment Museum ($20,000)

Colorado
#35, p.25 -- Study of Wildflowers in a Ghost Town ($448,995)
#67. p.39 -- Colorado Climbing Gym Gets Renewable Energy Grant for Solar Panels ($157,800)
#68, p.40 -- Colorado Dragon Boat Festival ($10,000)
#96, p.52 -- Museum Receives Geothermal Grant after Hosting Stimulus Signing Ceremony ($2.6 million)

Georgia
#20, p.19 -- Repaved Georgia Road ... Getting Repaved Again ($88,000)
#27, p.22 -- County Agency Mismanages Millions, Gets Millions More ($11.9 million)

Illinois
#9, p.12 -- Dinner Cruise Company Gets Terrorism Prevention Money ($943,190)

Maryland
#28, p.23 -- Free Rides on a Water Taxi to Relieve Downtown Congestion ($1.6 million)
#85, p.47 -- Town Doesn't Know What to Do With Money ($25,000)

Missouri
#27, p.27 -- Martini Bar and Brazilian Steak House Remodeling ($100,000)
#63, p.37 -- Locals Plan Bridge Funding, Feds Insist on Paying ($5 million)

New Hampshire
#39, p. 27 -- New Hampshire Buys Buses it Doesn't Need ($2 million)

North Carolina
#21, p.19 -- Little-Used Bridge for Beachgoers Gets a Paint Job ($3.1 million)
#41, p.28 -- Stimulus-Funded Workers with No Work ($3.2 million)
#47, p.30 -- College Students Visit Costa Rica for Summer Studies ($564,635)
#58, p.35 -- "Math and Literacy Coaches" for North Carolina Teachers ($4.4 million)
#74, p.42 -- Controversial Helicopter Program Gets Stimulus Boost ($20,000)

Ohio
#92, p.50 -- Ohio Town to Turn Railroad Crossings into "Quiet Zone" ($800,000)

Oklahoma
#18, p.18 -- Oklahoma River Cruise Boats Get Transportation Funding ($1.8 million)
#59, p.36 -- OSU Professor to Study Alaska Native Grandparents ($1.1 million)
#99, p.54 -- Learning to Cooperate by Observing Birds ($90,000)

Oregon
#2, p.5 -- Renovations for Federal Building as Expensive as New Building ($133 million)
#38, p.26 -- Recovering Crab Pots Lost at Sea ($700,000)
#88, p.48 -- Removing Lead Paint from a Pedestrian Bridge ($3.5 million)

Texas
#32, p.24 -- Surf and Squat Rest Stop in Texas ($13.8 million)
#100, p.54 -- Climate-Controlled Water Taxis Get New Home ($750,000)