Fact: I am not an economist. Perhaps some of you are. Granted, I did take 4-5 econ classes in the Krannert School of Management and an advanced class in regulatory policy, but my credentials don’t substantiate an expertise. Hence, let’s examine the stimulus from a non-expert perspective.
Senate proposal H.R.1 is intended to create jobs and grow the economy. It is professed to be a stimulus package - not an appropriations bill. As best I can discern reading through the proposal (best advised as creative bathroom literature), as of Monday, the bill now estimated at approximately $900 billion, contains the following:
$17 million for student loans
$40 million for health insurance for the unemployed
$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts
$50 million for National Cemetery monument repairs
$75 million for smoking cessation programs
$150 million for honey bee insurance
$150 million for the Smithsonian
$200 million for earthquake and volcano monitoring
$200 million for National Mall repavement
$276 million for new computers at the State Department
$300 million to improve teacher quality
$355 million for sexually transmitted disease education
$400 million for global-warming research
$650 million for more digital TV conversion coupons
$650 million for government employee car purchases
$870 million for influenza pandemic preparation
$1 billion for Amtrak
$2 billion for child-care subsidies
$2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects
$6 billion for mass transit systems
$7 billion for modernizing federal facilities
$8 billion for renewable energy funding
$20 billion for food stamps
$30 billion for fixing bridges or other highway projects
$36 billion for expanded unemployment benefits
$40 billion for broadband and electric grid development, airports and clean water projects
$83 billion for Earned Income Credit (for people who don’t pay income tax)
$89 billion for Medicaid
According to the outline of the current bill, monies will be distributed to persons who do not pay taxes and to illegal aliens.
Something is running amok. While our President is trying to usher in “a new era of responsibility,” the CSD’s (“Congressional Stimulus Designers”) are proposing multiple expenditures, many of which fail the litmus test for job creation AND responsibility. Also, Monday’s Washington Post, LA Times, Cincinnati Enquirer and no doubt multiple others report a rapidly swelling number of state lobbyists eerily similar to those eager children waiting in that December photo line at Macy’s. They want their Red Ryder BB guns, too!
Friends, research the New Deal. Research what worked and what did not. Research the expenditures which may have perpetuated the instability as opposed to stimulated the recovery. And then ask yourself: is the current bill in the Senate designed to stimulate the American economy? Or is it designed to advance a party agenda? Republican or Democrat does not matter; it should not matter. It’s time to discard the congressional red, padded suits, listen to Obama’s call for responsibility, and do what’s best and right for the entire American people.
AR
Posts
4 comments:
Where's Dave Ramsey when you need him!! Dave.... please call the president, et al, and straighten them out!!
Here is what I do not understand. President Obama says that a "catastrophe" will occur if we fail to act NOW. However, I have to ask how is this plan helping "me"? If "I" (not specifically me)do not have a job and I'm losing my home etc. why would I go out and buy a new home or a new car to receive the tax benefits proposed? If "I" have any sense at all "I" will be doing all "I" can to save any bit of money "I" get. How is this going to stimulate anything? People rushing out to spend money is not going to solve this and neither will that stimulus plan LOADED with all the trimmings. Sorry, rant over now!
I would agree, yes there are portions of the stimulus package that have more of a progressive slant than conservative, HOWEVER, many of those items will still help put people back to work and stimulate the economy. I'm going to touch on a few of those you listed.
Students Loans--Who can argue that helping to educate our future generations is not going to do good in the long run for the country. (Not to mention that these programs were cut drastically during the Bush administration)
Health insurance for the unemployed--Newsflash--those without insurance are still getting sick and seeking medical attention--hospitals are going in the red caring for them, tax payers are already footing those bills.
Amtrak--upgrades in tracks and facilities will create jobs
Same with Bridges and Roads
New computers--shouldn't those running our government have the best equipment and enough of it to do their jobs?
Teacher quality--No Child left behind has significantly hurt our education system, improvements need to be made.
child care subsidies--everyone clamors for people to get off of welfare and get back to work, but when it comes to providing services that will enable them to do so, suddenly there are objections.
I could go on in support of most of the things on the list. Through the questioning of the stimulus package in the past week, what I find myself asking is this: Where was all this Fiscal concern and responsibility when our government was handing out no bid contracts to Haliburton and spending millions on a war with no strategy? Where was the outrage over wasteful spending? I can't help but feeling the outrage is more about keeping the new administration from succeeding then it is about real concern over spending tax payer money. They didn't seem to bother them when the spending fit with their agenda.
I didn't care for President Bush's excessive spending either.
Post a Comment