MacDailyNews - Republicans decry stimulus funds for iPods, cellphones; White House dismisses report as misleading

MacDailyNews - Republicans decry stimulus funds for iPods, cellphones; White House dismisses report as misleading: "'Stimulus money is going toward iPods for high school students in Utah, cellphones for smokers trying to quit in Washington and advertising devoted to the promotion of … the stimulus,' Peter Nicholas and Julia Love report for The Los Angeles Times.

'The findings are part of a 74-page report put out by a pair of Republican senators who contend the $862-billion program is fraught with needless spending,' Nicholas and Love report. ''There is no question job creation should be a national priority, but torrential, misdirected government spending is not the way to do it,' reads the introduction, signed by Republican Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and John McCain of Arizona... Called 'Summertime Blues,' the latest report singles out 100 separate projects. It is scheduled to be released Tuesday.'

'The White House said the report was marred by mistakes. The report claims, for example, that $11,000 in stimulus funds paid for new signs and awnings in Elyria, Ohio, but the money did not come from the stimulus, the White House said Monday,' Nicholas and Love report. 'Coburn's office said Monday it had removed that example from the final report'

'The report questions a decision to spend $1 million on iPod Touch devices for 1,600 students at Kearns High School in Kearns, Utah. No jobs will be created,' Nicholas and Love report. 'The school will load the iPods with educational applications that teachers hope will motivate students. Such applications include guides to identify trees, leaves and bird calls. Students will get to keep the devices if they meet graduation requirements, a school district spokesman said. A White House official defended the iPod program, saying, 'This program is actually an example of a school using cutting-edge technology to enhance learning, while providing cost-effective Internet access to students for research.''