On July 15, 2010, President Obama appeared at a groundbreaking ceremony in Holland, Mich. to tout a $151 million stimulus grant his administration made to build the LG Chem electric car battery factory.

“[W]hat this plant will prove is that we’re headed in the right direction,” he said. “This is a symbol of where Michigan is going. This is a symbol of where Holland is going. This is a symbol of where America is going.” Two years later, this factory has yet to ship a single battery. WOOD TV8, a western Michigan television station, found that the workers at the LG Chem plant “have so little work to do that they spend hours playing cards and board games, reading magazines or watching movies.”