Stimulus? What stimulus?

I've read so many articles lately about how the economic stimulus money is bogged down in bureaucracy and red tape and not much is actually getting out there to accomplish what it was intended to accomplish. Other articles bemoan the delays and feet-dragging of the banks to refinance loans, in spite of more federal dollars disappearing into their coffers to make that possible. Billions and billions of dollars are coming out of taxpayer pockets - and evidently going nowhere. The economy is doing what the economy does, moving along on its own, recovering what it can based on the production and consumption of goods and services while its future expansion is crippled by the prospect of all those billions of dollars disappearing - a virtual black hole of federal deficit.

Stimulus money was supposed to get 'out there' NOW. Immediately. "Shovel-ready" projects, they said. Start infusing fresh money into the economy right away. Ha!

Here's what I want to know:

• Since it didn't happen, why don't we just cancel the whole thing and save ourselves the liability that we are now putting on our children and grandchildren?
• Why haven't we learned yet that it isn't the government that creates jobs?
• Why can't we just admit that the federal government is truly, profoundly, lousy at solving problems?

It isn't solving this one. I fear to think of the results of its efforts to 'solve' the health care situation.