ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida officials are investigating an unemployment agency that spent public money to give 6,000 superhero capes to the jobless.
Workforce Central Florida spent more than $14,000 on the red capes as part of its “Cape-A-Bility Challenge” public relations campaign. The campaign featured a cartoon character, “Dr. Evil Unemployment,” who needs to be vanquished.
Florida’s unemployment agency director asked Monday for an investigation of the regional operation’s spending after the Orlando Sentinel published a story about the program. State director Cynthia Lorenzo said the spending appeared to be “insensitive and wasteful.”
Workforce Central Florida Director Gary J. Earl defends the program, saying it is part of a greater effort to connect with the community. The agency says it served 210,000 people during its last fiscal year, placing nearly 59,000 in jobs.
Nice, A great use of taxpayer funds, probably thought up by a 3 year old. In other news, McDonald’s hires 50,000 burger flippers.
25% job placement? I wonder if they include being deported as a job placement?
I have no idea how job placement is defined or what the national stats are on Unemployment Department placing people but I find the stat pretty high.
I wonder if the stat is recalucated based on people leaving the active search for a job phase or some other statistical boosting manipulation?
What is there “good job” placement stat?
Statistics are good, they just have to be defined and understood.
I’d like to see if there was an impact on unemployment before passing judgement. Turning work into a game can be a good way to get people motivated.
Sure, it’s childish, but we’re talking about motivating perpetually unemployed people.
Compare to the amount spent on billboards saying this repair is funded by the stimulus package.
When a public agency spends 14K on advertising for a constructive program, this sounds a hell of a lot better than the
7 BILLION DOLLARS A MONTH EVERY MONTH FOR NINE YEARS NOW
which were thrown down a RATHOLE IN AFGHANISTAN.
Don’t even ask me to count the IRAQ RACKET.
LISTEN UP DVORAK.ORG
HALF OF THE ENTIRE FEDERAL DEFICIT IS THE RATHOLE OF MILITARY SPENDING
THAT’S THE MONEY THAT IS not GOING TO THE STATES FOR YOUR KIDS EDUCATION, YOUR KIDS HEALTH, YOUR PARENTS RETIREMENT, YOUR PARENTS HEALTH
Good luck taking care of your parents when they MOVE BACK INTO YOUR HOUSE AND YOUR KIDS NEVER LEAVE IT
In #5 Publius has several valid points.
But he didn’t need to SHOUT!
I know when a piece of stupidity is being perpetrated odds are its from Florida… (Florida, our most fucked up state.)
“HALF OF THE ENTIRE FEDERAL DEFICIT IS THE RATHOLE OF MILITARY SPENDING”
Actually, no. It’s not. I think defense spending should be drastically reduced, but by far the biggest spending goes to entitlements and keeping the bloated federal workforce at their desks pushing papers and making our lives miserable with new, petty rules. So take your socks off, prepare to be groped and shut up. It’s what Barack Obama demands.
Dear Reader,
Please ignore #2, #3, #4, #5, #8 and #9 (so far).
Apparently they didn’t – or they were unable to – read the story and divine the meaning of the story.
Can you imagine what the Internet will be like when the wealthy successfully un-fund education, so they can have even more of these drooling idiots available and desperate enough to either flip burgers for a living or to die overseas in The Corporate Wars?
God Bless Corporate America!
#5 is correct. Factor in the interest paid to BORROW in funding Bush’s wars + the indirect military costs shifted to other agencies and it’s about half.
The fact that Pukes “funded” the war with borrowed money and tax cuts for the rich is criminal.
“I lost my job to outsourcing and all I got was this red cape.”
I hope the capes were made in America.
In other news… McDonalds hires 3.9 persons per location.
Given that most people that work at a McDonalds are college and highschool students and graduations mean that people tend to move around in the months of May and June all that really happened was McDonalds sent out a press release over something that its franchisors have to deal with every year.
“Cape-A-Bility”
I almost believe they misspelled capability on purpose.
Gee, I can’t understand why the economy isn’t bouncing back.
Well, if it hides their buttcracks that those stupid “don’t-hire-me” pants show, well then OK.
Back before I retired, I noticed on my daily commute into town that there seemed to be fewer really idiot drivers on those days when the state government workers had a holiday (and business did not).
I am pretty sure there’s a reason.
$14,000 is a drop in the bucket. Workforce Central Florida probably spends more than that in a year on the staff coffee service in their offices. (For 5 office locations that would be about $54 per week per location.) Having looked at some of the videos in their Annual Reports, I’d say they have an upbeat attitude and an imaginative PR department. Going to them to look for work is probably a much better experience than any of the various other state employment agencies I’ve seen.
but by far the biggest spending goes to entitlements and keeping the bloated federal workforce at their desks pushing papers and making our lives miserable with new, petty rules. So take your socks off, prepare to be groped and shut up. It’s what Barack Obama demands.
Taxed Enough Already Dude said, on April 19th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
#5 Let’s defund education, so you can quit shouting.
We should fund education so you could learn simple things like not putting your comment in bold, basic economics, staying on topic, how government works, and why you shouldn’t claim the President is a drug dealer when you have no evidence except your own hatred.
Good job, they tailored the campaign to the intelligence level of the audience.
Better than usual planning for Florida.