Economic Stimulus; House Democratic Steering & Policy Committee

“Moreover, I think it should be a balance between Tax Cuts and Spending,
but I think it should be directed more toward spending than tax cuts.

Spending has a much larger economic bang for the buck.

[With] aid to state governments and infrastructure spending, for every $1 spent results in an average $1.50 on average GDP, whereas [with] tax cuts, every dollar of tax cuts  results in roughly $1 of GDP. So it’s much more efficient to provide stimulus through spending than tax cuts.

…I do think tax cuts would be helpful though in that that could be provided to the economy relatively quickly, and that’s something the economy needs.”

—Dr. Mark Zandi
Moody’s Economy.com
Chief Economist & Co-Founder

Take a moment to read about the WPA.

I shall now get mean. Be warned.

Before I start, let’s get a few things out of the way.

Republicans love their talking points. “Wasteful Spending” is one of them. It’s cute coming from a party that spent EIGHT YEARS driving up the deficit with nothing to show for it. Thanks, fat, white jerks.

Regarding spending, Robert Reich has this to say: “Consumers are pulling way back; investors are pulling back because, why invest if consumers are pulling back; exports can’t possibly make up the slack because the recession is worldwide, so the government is the spender of last resort.”

If Reich is too cheeky for you, here’s Zandi. Read it, please.

The bottom line, more than anything, is SPEED. Apparently Republicans didn’t get the memo. Obama wanted this damned thing on his desk on day one because he GETS it. People are losing jobs every day. And quick stimulus is the difference between a recession and a depression.

Republicans want to stall the bill because, apart from being heartless swine who don’t care about poor people, they want to drag out details like this and call it wasteful. And people who haven’t been paying attention to the TRUE waste flung around by their dear Republicans (in the form of war, corporate welfare, bailouts to billionaires, bridges to nowheres) come out of the woodwork when we’re talking about spending on infrastructure, jobs, health and human services, science and, yes, arts.

This is the talking points memo being circulated amongst the Republican flock (in quotes—my notes follow each) detailing what they believe constitutes waste (I’ll withhold the irony of the inherent waste that was the last 8 years of failed Republican policy):

• $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.

May not be the greenest energy spending, but it is spending, jobs, and infrastructure.

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

Republicans think they’ve struck gold with their catch-all “Hollywood” key word. You Republican lapdogs are supposed to automatically shriek, “Hollywood! Those Communists don’t represent my family values!” and, well, you get the talking points from your prayer books.
The fact is, film is one of America’s great economic and cultural exports, and with lenders not, um, lending; it follows that filmers won’t be filming…

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

You may be able to afford a converter box. But some people can’t. And they won’t have a television signal. And if you think that serves them right, then I say WWJD?

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

Why do you have a problem with military spending all-of-a-sudden?

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

Construction=jobs. Homeland security was Republican’s baby.

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

New buildings usually require new furniture. New furniture needs to be built. Building furniture=jobs.

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

This is worded to make you think they’re getting new car’s ala Oprah’s “you get a new car, you get a new car, you get a new car…” The federal government has cars that it’s employees use. It is thus converting its fleet to hybrid. Spending, check. Environment, check.

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

Do you like STDs? You can keep your STDs if you likey.

• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.

You may think rural is some key word for “the other”, but these people grow your damned food. And they’re among some of the most depressed demographics in the United States. Do you mind if we use some of this government spending to give them garbage cans?

• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.

Infrastructure. Or would you rather have leaky sewage systems?

• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.

Spending, jobs, investment in the humanities. If you don’t like it, go hang out at WalMart full-time and think about what America would look like without humanities spending.

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

You’re right. Who needs a Census?

• $75 million for “smoking cessation activities.”

Health and human services. Oh, I forgot. Republicans hate human services.

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

Education spending=investment in career-track job futures.

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

Fine. Whatever. Take that $75 million and throw it from a plane over Iraq.

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

Fine. Whatever. Let them drink themselves to death. We’ll tell them it was a Republican prescription.

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

INFRASTRUCTURE. Um, remember Katrina?

• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.

Inspect for potential Katrinas

• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into “green” buildings.

Got a problem with that? It’s jobs AND energy savings.

• $500 million for state and local fire stations.

I’ll make sure and let the firefighters know the Republicans only like them for photo-ops.

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

You’re right. Fire management is SO unnecessary.

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

Why do you hate youth?

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

Renovation=jobs. Public health benefits everyone.

• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.

building=jobs

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

infrastructure, jobs, health…

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

jobs + community service= double-up goodness!

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

What’s with the quotes on this one? Do you hate energy efficiency?

• $850 million for Amtrak.

Infrastructure + jobs

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

Do you enjoy lead paint?

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

Construction = jobs

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

Computers, in case you haven’t noticed, are a good thing. They make stuff more efficient and all.

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

Again. Republicans don’t like military spending? When did that happen?

But go ahead and let the wingnuts drag our feet into a depression, because when the spender of last resort (the government) can’t spend, that’s what we’ll get. Enjoy.

In a previous post, I lauded what I was so sure would be a sweeping sea change via Obama’s rise to power based on a few assumptions, the greatest of which I believed was his inevitable good-will-driven momentum. Unfortunately there are a few factors blocking his mandate, and they’re all republican.

It’s too bad, because Obama has been far more post-partisan than most liberals would have liked. Republicans could have had it much, much worse; with any other party-line Democrat steamrolling through with a stimulus package minus ANY tax cuts or ANY other Right-wing appeasements. I’ve been hearing some rhetoric from the moment Obama’s victory seemed inevitable that points to either an underestimation of Obama’s toughness or, frankly, hubristic racism. Republicans seem either unable or unwilling to hear their white-male fraternity’s swansong. I guess we have to just wait for them to die, or 2010, whichever comes first, to get a damned thing done in this country.

Did anyone else hear the whole “wait-and-see” commentary applied to Obama during the campaign? Considering his intelligence, education, character, and yes, community organization, such drivel as “let’s give him a chance” is not only exceedingly condescending, it ignores our country’s sad recent history of electing the largest dumbass idiot of the Earth TWICE.

And now, with this man’s awesome presence in office, the douchebags-on-diapers with their perma-frowns carved with poorly-worn age into the sides of their mouths treat Obam-adonis (and any other rationally-minded commentator, for that matter) like an ignorant child. Did these geriatrical has-beens SEE the throngs of people who froze their ass off to see Obama be tasked with whipping old white Metamucilians like them into shape? Do they ever look in a mirror?

I hope the recent Republican block of Obama’s proposed DTV delay doesn’t keep too many disadvantaged Americans from watching this display of arrogance play out live. These old blobs need to realize who’s boss. Their worst fears have come true: the young, the quick, and the black now reign over their sorry old pasty souls. They’d better suck up their sloppy jowls and get used to it, because misogyny, et. al. doesn’t look good on YouTube.

Hon. Senator Bennett,

I’m grateful for your service to our country. Thank you.

I was personally thrilled at the prospect of our senators working together to pass an economic stimulus package. Now, my hopes have been dashed and I can barely stand to tune in. Americans were very excited about the swiftness with which President Obama pledged to pass the Recovery Act, because we lose hundreds of thousands of jobs every month. By stalling, we’re getting the clear message that the senate doesn’t care about those lost jobs. And by some Senators pledging to vote against stimulus, we’re getting the message that some members of congress want America to fail. This is extremely disheartening, and I don’t think I’m the only member of your constituency losing her patience with this partisanship.

And when you lose our patience, you lose our respect. Keep in mind Barack Obama’s still lofty approval ratings when you vote against it. Eyes will only turn to you if you vote against public interest and in favor of your own political interest. And the gaze won’t be favorable.

Sincerely,
Tracey Bushman