Stimulus Funding Misleads

The term "Job created or saved by stimulus dollars" has become somewhat well known. The 800 billion dollar stimulus package promised to create or save 3.5 million jobs, and be able to prove it. So the jacked up part about this is now that they aren't creating as many jobs as anticipated, they decided to change how they are tallied.
A memo was released (in the smoke screen that is health care) that outlined how the jobs should be tallied and reported. After reading over the memo, I found the following exerts very fishy...

Page 11
"2. Definitions of jobs considered to be created or retained:
a. A job created is a new position created and filled, or an existing unfilled position that is filled, that is funded by the Recovery Act;
b. A job retained is an existing position that is now funded by the Recovery Act."

and...

"3. A job must be counted as either a job created or a job retained;"

Pay attention to the "job retained" in line item 3 above because a "job retrained" could be due to a pay rate increase, right?

Basically, the lines above make it so that ANY job that is funded or touched by stimulus dollars, regardless of if it was always going to be there with or without stimulus money, now counts towards Obama's 3.5 million jobs.

This maybe why we keep hearing these job creation and saved numbers that sound good, but unemployment is above 10% and rising higher. (That 10% does not reflect the people that have gave up looking for jobs, just those who are currently looking for jobs)

Also, this memo is supposed to lay how they will track this information to see if the stimulus is working or not. But as you see in the text below:

Page 12
10. This Guidance does not establish specific requirements for documentation or other written proof to support reported estimates on jobs created or retained; however, recipients should be prepared to justify their estimates. Recipients must use reasonable judgment in determining how best to estimate the job impact of Recovery dollars, including the appropriate sources of information used to generate such estimate. Where such written evidence exists, it can be an important resource for validating the job estimates reported.

They are relying on vague guidelines for jobs saved and created being reported to them on the recipients judgment, with no written proof required!

It is crap that is happening. No wonder there is so much corruption in politics and business now-a-days. Its because our government, which is supposed to be a role model, tolerate and condone it!