Stimulus... for WHAT?

Republicans leaders are finding the new $825 Billion dollar stimulus package that passed the House (without a single GOP vote) a little hard to swallow.. and rightfully so. As the minority party the responsibility falls to them to propose alternate ideas and better solutions. Since being the majority party and having their President in the White House Republicans have really fallen off and the way they are acting so far this year has been downright sad and regrettable.

So Republicans decided instead of coming up with a cleaner, leaner, and possibly more effective bill they went to the "well your plan is terrible" path and just offered a list of some of the items they consider useless, pork, or unnecessary spending. The list, which follows, has some of each.. and then there is some stuff that just sounds a little childish to dispute or items which should be fully funded but have nothing to do with a "stimulus" package. , The bullet pointed the items are the ones the GOP Congresspeople object to and I decided to follow each item they object to with a little comment of my own... enjoy. Some of the items are hilarious... hilariously sad.

• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.

Because all the US Government needs is a coal power plant! I guess they wanted something familiar (especially in Illinois): dirty AND inefficient.

• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.

This is really outrageous. Has Hollywood had any problems buying motion picture film? Is there a shortage? With all the garbage Hollywood produces every year having a limited amount of film might actually make them make a good movie every once in awhile.

• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.

Why? The government has been broadcasting warnings about the digital tv conversion for TWO YEARS! If folks haven't got a box yet they ought to be penalized, by NOT getting a free $40 bucks off.

• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).

I actually don't see much of a problem with this however this spending belongs in the 2.65 trillion dollar defense budget not a stimulus package.

• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.

• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.

Building a headquarters for the DHS isn't a bad idea. spending more than half of what you did on constructing the place on furniture is baloney. Some furniture makers are getting rich selling DHS $4,000 desk chairs and $50,000 toilets! Once again, this doesn't belong in a stimulus package, it belongs in the appropriations bill for the DHS.

• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.

Umm... I'm not sure if this means they will be giving tax incentives for employees to buy hybrids... or they plan on purchasing hybrids as fleet vehicles (a good idea by the way in terms of fuel economy).. or Oprah decided that the President ought to tell federal employees: "You get a new car, and you get a new car, and you get a new car...." Oh yeah, how does this stimulate the economy again?

• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.

That's nice.. I support funding the CDC but this really isn't stimulating the economy, there isn't a financial meltdown because sexually promiscuous individuals have STD's.

• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.

This could be very useful and helpful if done correctly... but it belongs in the Department of Agriculture or Dept of the Interior's appropriations bill.

• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.

Careful folks! Improving the sewer system might cause more waste to end up in the Potomac. Congress, I suggest you begin investing in swimming lessons! Seriously, complete pork.

• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.

They need it! The Smithsonian museum system is a national treasure but this isn't really going to stimulate the economy.

• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.

Completing a Census is very important. It tells us about the direction of the country in so many ways and it leads to the reapportionment of districts for the House of Representatives and countless state/local legislative bodies. Something troubling.. how does a program run a $3 billion dollar overrun with a budget of $13 billion? Was someone trying to impress the new boss with a ridiculously low estimate for costs or are these people just incompetent spending money?

• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."

Great. That's right I'm a HUGE anti-smoking advocate. Go cry about it. Better yet, go cough, wheeze, and give yourself serious disease.. far away from me. Oh yea, this is a good investment because it does decrease health costs down the line, so it is borderline OK to include in a stimulus package but it doesn't do anything for the "now" or "today" of this crisis.

• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.

Why do the GOP object to this? This is a great idea. In bad economic times people who are out of work often turn to education to help them find gainful employment and are trained in new areas giving the American worker more skills and a wider variety of experience. Computer centers can add to that by giving community college student access to more resources, including online job listing and resume-makers (and this blog!)

• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.

The FBI has a budget. This is a stimulus package. The stimulus package is not the FBI budget. 'Nuf said.

• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.

Great... a good $25 million dollars to spend on the Bureau of Indian Affairs budget. This could really uplift reservations out of their third-world environment if the money was allocated in the right place and used wisely on programs that have been proven to work not sunk into the same old programs that have shown no promise over the years.

• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.

Ok... going for the whole TVA thing (Tennessee Valley Authority, for those who didn't pay attention in High School US History). A nice FDR touch could actually be helpful if it was used to protect cities (like New Orleans) while respecting wildlife.

• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.

Speaking of New Orleans... I'm not sure this is quite a "stimulus", it is needed but still.. I'm not sure it applies

• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.

A great idea.. that sounds like it is going to turn into a stimulus for "green" contractors who will be rolling around in our "green". "Green" buildings are good for saving on costs down the road, but maybe this could be done piecemeal, with the most cost-efficient work done first then work our way towards true eco-friendlier buildings.

• $500 million for state and local fire stations.

Good. They are feeling the pain out there. Not sure if this belongs in a stimulus package but they really do need it, as do the communities these fire stations serve courageously.

• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.

NO. The over-protection of the forests from fire is one of the leading causes of the current crisis that has killed MILLIONS of acres of trees across the country, from the Rockies clear out to the Pacific Northwest. If you want more info on this leave a comment.

• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.

How about instead of "including" we cut out all the non-work/service related program funding and focus in on pushing the next generation of American worker into positive programs that will really help in the long run.

• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.

1) Sounds like too much, 2) Public Health is important 3) their building may need some repairs - they should include an extra $88 million on their next budget request

• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.

Too ambiguous. Possibly reasonable, maybe not.

• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.

*sniff* Oh yeah.. smells like pork, a big half billion dollar load of pork. These facilities fall in Rep. Van Hollen's Congressional district.. who is that you ask? Rep. Van Hollen is Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means as well as the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform" --quote from Rep. Van Hollen's website

• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

This is a good idea, one thing the country could really use this period of economic downturn for is to renew the Community service spirit and get people involved in their own communities, helping each other so the government doesn't have to help them. Ask for a cup of sugar from your neighbor and offer to carpool to work instead of putting your hand out and asking for a bailout from Uncle Sam. A community can serve as a helping hand to help you find those bootstraps and get you out of despair.

• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.

This one stinks so bad... well, you can finish that one. If they need it then they should ask for it in their annual budget, it seems that Congress is willing to give anything to the VA, no matter how useless, in order to prove to their voters that they "care" about returning soldiers. Hardly. Most are just token supporters who only cared for vetrans when Walter Reed (the hospital, not middle school) came up. Most have already forgotten and almost none have worked towards projects like the Hagel/Webb G.I. Bill.

• $850 million for Amtrak.

Why? Oh yeah.. it IS a bailout. I don't even know what Amtrack would use the money on! Their trains, service, employees, and scheduling has been terrible for years (except the DC-Wilmington, Del. service). Heck, most folks are use to it, don't change it now - especially when that money could go to better uses like stimulating the economy!

• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.

Congress: Tell companies to stop putting lead in paint.

I'll be expecting my $100 million dollar check in the mail, thank you.

• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.

This is a good idea, it think all State Dept personnel should be well trained especially with the hazards of the current age, none larger than the threat of a ballistic Hillary Clinton. Oh yeah, put this in the Dept of State budget.

• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.

I'm really not sure how badly this is needed or what its effect will be so I won't judge. That's right, I didn't know the answer and I decided to own up to it instead of putting a snarky comment here. How many bloggers do that? Not a lot.

• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.

Lease? Leasing is the biggest scam in the auto industry since the advent of the "Under-vehicle protective coating" that "must" be purchased with a new car. Stop leasing and just buy vehicles, negotiate sane service plans, and put this spending in the Dept of Defense budget where it belongs.


Wow. Wasn't sure if I was gonna make it through that heap of garbage but I think it'll be ok.

Agree? Disagree? Think there is something more outrageous in the bill? Leave a comment and let everyone know. Thanks.

What's 350 Billion Bucks, really?

President-elect Obama is urging Congress on his hands and knees then from his mighty pedestal to pass the second half of the Bailout money. Most Congressional members, Democrats included, are a little resistant to that kind of thinking. There is a glimmer of hope that is attached to this debate.

First off, Congressional democrats are already off to the wrong start for the 2010 elections and would be in a tough spot if not for the bunches of retiring Republican Senators. Democrats pledged over and over again their allegiance to Obama's plans during the campaign, especially health-care related items, but now are having a little trouble reconciling their own political futures with the Obama Economic plan.

Congress finally buckled and released the remaining half of the $700B bailout they approved in October. After all their complaints they decided.. "hey, maybe we are just whiny! Let's just approve it!" As usual they were exactly wrong. Usually (most) members of Congress are whiny and ask frivolous questions and engage in self-serving "investigations" while the American people suffer or could someway be better served. In this case there are legitimate questions to be asked. Where did all the money go?!

We were told that this money would fix the financial markets and one would think that the over 500 Billion dollars we've spent would have done that however the banks are asking for more and other industries are getting a piece of the pie too. Where's the money? Banks refuse to tell us.. or Congress.. or their shareholders. Seems a little suspicious. Let me draw up a scenario: You are a rich philanthropic individual and you see a bunch of poor homeless people. You want to help them and a bunch of Soup Kitchens come to you telling you the only way to do that is by giving them a million dollars, you give them 500,000 and then come back a year later and find that nothing has actually changed. Do you: 1) Wonder if the Soup Kitchen people are crooks? 2) Call the police to investigate? or 3) Both. Obviously you'd do #4, just fork over the rest of the money.. because evidence is for the weak.

Just sad.

In the 2008 election we had a choice between one candidate who was surrounded by Oil Industry executives and one who was surrounded by Financial Industry executives. Guess which one we picked? I'm not saying President-Elect Obama is in their pocket but he needs to start showing some backbone if he wants to really get us out of this thing.

DOW under 10K & Cronyism Watch!

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped below 10,000 for the first time in four years. Guess that means that bailout/rescue bill didn't suddenly ignite the investing engine of the United States middle/upper class. Kind of a sad time with all the bouncing up and down of the stock markets. With the future of the market looking so rocky, this definitely isn't the best time to get in.

Nancy Gibbs writes a very poignant and well thought out article for Times magazine about the true winners of the financial crisis: frugal financial conservatives. I agree with her, the fact that there have been few voices that have encouraged the American people to do something that led to our financial might, save money, is disconcerting. After 9/11 we all remember President Bush telling us that the best way to fight back against the terrorists was to "go shopping". Now, while we are in a crisis it has still been the Administration's message that a reduction in spending is a sign of our economies weakness although our US savings rate has been going negative since late 2000. The only other time the US went negative in their savings rate was a period during the early 1930's... remember how that turned out? Not Pleasant.

Maybe more people should be listening to the Concord Coalition, one of personal favorite groups, when they talk about how saving and paying down the national debt instead of adding on 4 trillion (thanks, President George W Bush) can lead to a return to financial safety. Who would have predicted that spending more than we earn would lead to a credit crisis? I mean.. who'da thunk it?

The last item is today's Cronyism Watch:

Treasury Secretary fresh off his victory in passing a bailout bill (although not quite as empowering as he'd have liked) has decided that with that legislative mandate he'd do something that has become commonplace in this Bush Administration, hire friends and people from the industry to regulate themselves.

Paulson hired Neel Kashkari to oversee the Troubled Assets Relief Program and the newly created Office of Financial Stability. Mr. Kashkari worked as assistant Treasury secretary for International Economics and Development and had joined the Treasury Dept. in July 2006 and worked on several of Treasury's initiatives in response to the housing crisis - including the formation of the mortgage industry alliance Hope Now.

So, this fellow was suppose to be stopping the sub-prime mortgage crisis from developing further.. by forming an alliance of the people who got us into the mess to begin with. Wonderful. I guess his HUGE success in stopping any further problems from erupting got him his promotion to assistant Secretary and now his throne as the dispenser of 250 BILLION dollars by December 31st, 2008. Nice. So failure has been rewarded with promotion and powers never thought possible in US Financial history.

Seems like a typical Bush Administration story.. but something doesn't seem right.. It just isn't dirty enough. Was he someone important's roommate? Did he help someone cheat or hold great parties? Did he give/raise huge amounts of money for someone's campaign? Nah.. not really. Hmm.. well what did Financial Czar Kashkari do before he dedicated his life to public service at the Treasury Department in 2006? What's that? OH, HE WAS AN Vice-Presidential EXECUTIVE AT GOLDMAN SACHS! It seems as though Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, himself a former topman at the Goldman Sachs firm, has been filling the Treasury chock full of his former buddies from Goldman Sachs. Paulson’s inner circle already includes former Goldmanites Dan Jester, a financial institutions banker, and retired banker Steve Shafran, who focused on corporate restructuring at Goldman. It also included Robert Steel, who has since left Treasury to become CEO of Wachovia.

I know that a bit of cronyism is perfectly normal in politics. Every politician, and in fact normal person, wants to surround themselves with people they trust. When it comes to the government though that person should also be able to do the job they were hired to do in a fair and competent manner. One would think that the ultimate picture of cronyism and nepotism was JFK appointing his brother, RFK, to be Attorney General but guess what? RFK was competent and did an OK job. FEMA headman Micheal "Heckuva Job Brownie" Brown was not.

What a joke this Administration has become. We have come to expect the worse from the Government and not even hope for a change. Whoever the next President may be, I wish them luck cleaning up that mess. They are going to need it.

Paulson taps bailout chief - CNN Money

Feel free to comment, I'd love to hear what you think!

Bailout fails and Congress keeps failing us!

Hmm.. there is a financial crisis.. that just got waaaay worse because House Democrats and Republicans can't get their rhetoric out of the way and actually work towards a little thing we like to call a compromise.. also referred to as a solution. In Washington though.. they believe that spitting rhetoric in 30, 60, and 90 seconds slots on the House floor can take the place of sitting down and hammering out a deal that may actually benefit us, their constituents.

I hope everyone takes a hard look at their Congressperson and decides whether they proved to you why they voted Yes or No to the bill because of partisan bickering or real qualms/hope for the bill. I don't care their party affiliation, show them that their time is up if they can't get their acts together and work for us, the taxpayers, instead of working for themselves and their party leaders.

Oh boy.. that bunch was really disgusting today. Horrendous. Then they all came out of it whining and pointing fingers at each other like a room full of children. Scratch that, children don't deserve to be associated with that bunch. In fact, scummy lawyers and dirty used car salespeople are more kin to many of those Congresspeople.

Meanwhile, Wall Street lost about 1 trillion dollars, let me repeat that in caps.. ONE TRILLION DOLLARS due to the stupidity and infantile actions of the House of Representatives. Clearly, both Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner thought there was a deal.. until a bunch of Congresspeople decided to vote differently. Some, no doubt, were brave individuals who bucked their party's leadership to show their true stance on this very important issue while others were selfish self-serving politicians with an eye only on that 50%+1 in November - no matter the damage done.

Perhaps you can tell from the slightly ranting and rambling nature of this post but I am very angry and frustrated with the House of Rep.s right now. Also I'm disappointed. Very disappointed. I figured that the true villain of this crisis would end up being the Senate. The House of Rep.s is meant as a quicker moving organ of government - beholden to their constituents - to react to a crisis and avert it through quick and decisive action. Meanwhile the Senate is meant as an Upper chamber for contemplation as for what is truly better for "we the people" in the short and long term. As it turns out, the Senate were the brave ones.. they put in long hours and fought against dissatisfaction with the bailout idea to create a more manageable bill that addresses our financial institutions, creates protections for taxpayers, and creates some oversight so the Treasury Secretary doesn't go immediately shovel all the money into his former employer, Goldman Sachs, pockets.

What a waste. To think that even a penny of my taxes go to pay for some of these people then they go out and put our economy in further peril. The Dow plunges nearly 780 points. The markets lost about 11 percent of their worth. The dollar is being set up for a nice devaluing slide very soon, mark my words.

Phew.. that left a bad taste in my mouth just thinking about it. Enough is Enough.

Later!

McCain Suspension - Analysis

Wow. Democrats really asked for it on this one, didn't they?!

All this complaining about the negative Rove tactics.. then Senator McCain pulls out a real great maneuver that I'm sure has the Obama people either scratching their heads or running around like they don't have any. John McCain just schooled the young Democrat about how you turn a disadvantage into a huge (free) PR campaign and put the opponent on the defensive.

The move to his suspend his campaign was so brilliant... I can scarcely believe it. It works on so many levels in so many ways... Senator McCain, my hat is off to you.

That being said.. his plan does have some (major) drawbacks but we'll get back to those later. First, let's talk positives:

1. "Bipartisanship" is the key to winning over Independents who are the key to winning elections



2. Why not dominate a day with free press? (Especially when behind in fund raising numbers)


3. Take the wind out of the Obama's campaigns sails after recent surge in the polls


4. Take pressure off of Sarah Palin and give her some time to prep for interviews, press conferences, and a show down with Joe Biden in next weeks VP debate


5. Show how deeply McCain cares about the economy (a topic he has admitted he knows little about)


6. Cast a few votes in the Senate, try to rally House Republicans around your cause


7. Throw a monkey wrench in the Democratic Party's strategy of linking McCain to Bush by opposing some of the Bush Administration's bailout measures


8. Have I mentioned FREE press?

Oh boy.. I'm sure I've missed quite a few more, but as you see the move really was an excellent one politically and strategically. Whether you think it was all political or you believe that John McCain is putting "Country First" by suspending his campaign to focus on the economy, it doesn't matter. You have to agree the move was brilliant.

Brilliance, however, comes at a price in this case. There are a few drawbacks that have occurred.

1. Senate/House Republicans weren't expecting the sudden media focus/scrutiny into the politics of the bailout


2. Makes McCain look like he cannot multi-task, focusing on the economy and other things


3. Why cancel Letterman and then go show up on CBS News with Katie Couric? You know Letterman is going to air out his concerns to his multimillion person audience!


4. Was suspension necessary? Does McCain not believe Palin could take the helm of the campaign ship while he's in DC? What does that say about what he thinks about her abilities and weaknesses.


5. I know McCain wants to take the attention away from the Democrats' blame for the bad economic conditions on Republicans but is saying that this crisis is so bad that everything is the world (aka the election cycle) but come to a complete halt because of the enormity of the problem really the right message to send?

I'm not sure if that list is quite complete yet either.. but time will tell.

So tell me what you think of my lists, and tell me what you think: Political Stunt or Patriotic Selflessness?

P.S. Go Huskers, beat those Hokies!!!

BREAKING NEWS: McCAIN SUSPENDS CAMPAIGN!

This just in:

Senator John McCain has suspended his campaign.

He has also asked for a postponement of the debate scheduled for Friday (on Foreign Policy, set for Oxford, Miss.)

He has asked Senator Barack Obama to also suspend his campaign.

He reasons that the "historic" crisis on Wall Street should lead both candidates to focus on the economy for a bit instead of campaigning. It is possible that he wishes for time to have a big hand on the 700 Billion dollar bailout being crafted in the Senate because Republicans are largely being punished in the polls for the crisis.

Barack Obama has spoken and he has let the American people know that he will NOT be suspending his campaign so far and that he wishes to keep the debate on Friday going because there's only 40 days left until the election.

The White House and many Senate Republicans are applauding the move by John McCain and his call for bipartisan compromise to get the bailout passed as early as possible.

In response to the question about if he would consider participating in the debate if the bailout passes on Friday, his answer was "Yes".

More UPDATES AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE.

Links:

McCain suspends campaign, calls for Obama to do same - CNN
McCain Suspending Campaign, Asks for Debate Delay - Washington Post
McCain to 'Suspend' Campaign Amid Crisis, Return to D.C. - Wall Street Journal
McCain seeks to delay Friday's debate - MSNBC