2/17/09 – Stimulating Thoughts
There’s been a lot of talk over the airwaves of the economic stimulus bill that was being debated in the House and Senate, and is now being signed by President Obama today. Unfortunately, virtually none of this talk was of any meaningful use to the American people. When we should have been hearing from a panel of economic experts to explain what exactly was in the proposed stimulus package and how it will impact the economy, and, ultimately, the lives of the average American, once again the news media failed the American public. Instead of informing the masses of the policies of what was being debated in Washington, the news story became the politicians themselves. If you watched the news, it was nothing more than Republicans screaming that the Democrats were proposing wasteful government spending, and the Democrats were screaming that the Republicans just wanted more tax breaks for the rich. And since the Republicans are famously better loud-mouthed screamers (led by professional blowhards such as Limbaugh, Hannity, et al, and their blindly faithful followers), they were able to seize control of the headlines and this bill became known as a “spending” bill. Even as Obama so adeptly pointed out that an economic stimulus has to inherently have spending in it, it was too late. The damage was done, and this bill has been deemed a failure by the ignorant masses before it has even been given a chance to work. Once again, in a microcosm of the current state of American politics, the loud and ignorant win the debate with pure certainty and volume over their more uncertain, educated, pensive, nuanced, see-the-world-in-shades-of-grey counterparts. I believe it was said best by Bertrand Russell, who apparently made a career out of creating quotations to be used later by hack writers like myself – “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”
As the cable networks paraded their “political analyst” talking heads across our TV screens to repeat the same old tired clichés and empty buzzwords, several thoughts crossed my mind:
- Obama’s first mistake was allowing this stimulus package to be handled by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum – Pelosi and Reid. They are so infected with the Washington disease of political ploys and filled with bitterness over the past eight years of Bush, that anything they touch is met with partisan fervor and revulsion. Obama sat back in silence for quite some time before getting fed up with the nonsensical bickering and setting the record straight with his first prime-time address to the nation. At one point, the leading story on the stimulus package was that it included funding for sex ed and birth control. I cannot confirm or deny this, but the fact that this was the leading story is proof positive that Obama had lost control of the political narrative, which is at least half the battle.
- Did these cable network political analysts always have full time gigs? Dozens of them seemed to pop out of the woodwork during last year’s presidential campaign, but they didn’t leave my TV screen when the election was over. What did these people do for work before political news became tabloid TV? Whatever the outcome of the stimulus is, at least these folks seem to have steady work. And considering how dead wrong or pointless they continue to be, I’d say they have pretty darn good job security. Bill Bennett, for example, has been repeatedly disgraced in public – gambling away thousands while being a loudmouth “moral” conservative, smoking cigarettes while acting as the “czar” of the Office of National Drug Control, and suggesting that aborting all black babies would be an effective method of crime control – yet still can be found espousing his political wisdom regularly on CNN.
- Do the Republicans think that if they ignore the November election, we’ll forget about it? McCain ran on tax cuts for the wealthy and lost, yet somehow they’re still arguing for it, and whining when they don’t get their way like spoiled children. Not only did their failed policies get us into this mess, but Democrats now have a majority everywhere because people finally started to wise up to how bad the Republicans were screwing things up. Why are we still paying attention to them? If someone set your house on fire, and then tried to convince you that the best solution was to pour more gasoline on it, would you sit there and listen, or would you shove him out of the way and grab the hose?
- For the past eight years, we’ve been running up a record deficit without creating any new jobs for Americans (unless you count the military, I suppose), yet suddenly Republicans are shrieking about fiscal responsibility and bipartisanship. Forgive me if I’m a bit skeptical of their sincerity. One of my favorite quotes of Republican idiocy was from Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas – “Insurgency, we understand a little bit more because of the Taliban…And we need to understand that insurgency may be required when the other side, the House leadership, does not follow the same commands, which we entered the game with.” Interesting sentence structure, Pete, but allow me to paraphrase what I believe you’re trying to say – the Republicans are similar to Islamic fundamentalists in their blind and irrational support of their views, and will stop at nothing to get their way, no matter the price to their people. They are political jihadists.
- The most ironic part is that by all accounts I’ve read this stimulus package contains what may be the largest tax cut in American history – about $282 billion over two years. Too bad you won’t hear about this over the screams of the ignorant.
Regardless of how much pork is in the bill (and whether it’s actually even “pork”, or just stimulus projects labeled as such by the opposition), or how much the Republicans have bastardized it with their irrational demands, I hope we can all agree that it is a positive thing that something, anything, is happening. Much of the current economic crisis is really based on people’s perceptions – a crisis of confidence which leads to everyone being scared to spend money, and stops the wheels of commerce from moving. While everyone held onto their wallets to wait and see what Obama had up his sleeve, these wheels ground to a complete halt, spiraling the economy downward. The perception that help is on the way, whether it is actually effective or not, should at least be a step in the right direction.
I’m trying to keep my posts shorter these days, so I’ll cut off this week’s ramblings here. The final point I would like to make is to preemptively counter the argument that I expect to hear from my irrational right wing adversaries – that our government is set up with a system of checks and balances and the Republicans in Congress are doing their duty to prevent the Democrats from passing whatever bill they want, unchecked. The problem with this argument is that it assumes that the Republicans are operating with the best interests of the American people in mind. By now it should be apparent to everyone that this is clearly not the case. I’m not arguing that the Democrats are all saints or geniuses, but listening to the Republicans at this point is like believing that smoking cigarettes help cure a sore throat. Or that mankind has not contributed to global climate change. Or that we are not descended from monkeys. The evidence is a bit overwhelming to ignore.
I’ll be following up with a post later this week unveiling my own stimulus proposal. Hopefully the country will still be intact when I run for office in 2016 to put some of my ideas to good use.
KP Silverman
You say arguing against the stimulus is arguing against one’s own well being as a member of the middle class. If one doesn’t beleive that the stimulus bill will solve the economic crisis, then how can your statement be true. You assume your opinions are fact, and then analyze accordingly. Besides, it is the middle class who will most of the bill for the trillions in new spending, so arguing for it is arguing against your own well being, in favor of the extremely rich and extremely poor, the ones who will e directly benefitting from the bailouts.
So not only can Barry cure cancer, but he can magically tell the difference between home buyers who were duped by financial institutions (still their own fault and don’t deserve money) and ones who just bought houses they couldn’t afford.
Another ridiculous argument. The alternatives are to let the economy continue to crumble, or to bail out the lenders. And bailing out the lenders is basically the “nationalizing” of banks that your crew is so deathly afraid of. Or really, it’s nationalizing their debt, while letting them keep their profits to themselves. And all those tax dollars will just go to private planes and corporate retreats, whereas bailing out the homeowners would flow money towards retailers, restaurants, and other small businesses, while still allowing the debt to the financial institutions to be repaid, and get the credit market moving again. So the choice is basically to save the economy, or to hand money to white collar criminals with no strings attached. And if your hang-ups lead you to choose the latter, than I strongly suggest you move out of my country or that we arrest you for treason.
The worst part is that, unless you’re in the upper 1% of wealthy Americans, you continue to argue against your own well-being. The current economic crisis is the death of the middle class.
“Even if we manage this plan flawlessly, there will be no real recovery.”
-Barack Obama on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Typical right wing propoganda tactic – take partial sentences out of context. The full statement was:
“…even if we manage this plan flawlessly, there will be no real recovery unless we clean up the credit crisis that is severely weakened our financial system.”
That reference to the credit crisis is kind of key, and downright deceptive for you to leave out. But don’t worry, I don’t expect you to understand such difficult concepts.
I can only hope that you are never put into a position that impacts the lives of others, since you are clearly ill-equipped to see any reality outside the confines of your bedroom, while you stare at your Sarah Palin posters.
Funny you should mention that. Obama said last night that his plan will accomplish nothing on it’s own. Yet today Joe Biden announced that this same plan was designed to “drop-kick” us out of this recession.
Which one is it?
Do you know what words mean?
I commend you on your ridiculous attempt to tie these initiatives to the economy and job creation, but you’re kidding yourself if you believe it. This bill is called an economic stimulus passage, but contains billions and billions of dollars that is being thrown at projects whose main purpose is not stimulating the economy. Surely you realize that making tenuous connections to job creation is merely a disguise for the real purpose of the projects, which in most cases is Obama’s crusade to “save” the environment. Sure, some of his “green” programs will create temporary jobs, but the effect they have on the overall economy and job market will be more insignificant than the millions of dollars you refer to as chump change. Furthermore, many of the pork items listed, you defended by claiming they are good programs and smart investments. That misses the point; they are non-economc stimulus items snuck into a bill labeled as an ectonomic stimulus package. In times like these, where Obama says (somehow with a straight face considering his actions) that we need to be fiscally responsible and cut spending, I think pig manure and Filipino WWII veterans can wait. (Although those Hollywood producers need help ASAP) It’s just another example of Obama’s dishonesty.
And there is no need to be so defensive. The pro Obama argument has become so depleted that you resort to ridiculous and unfounded attacks that have no relevance to the issues, such as accusing every Republican of not believing in evolution. Or suggesting that every Republican would like to throw money at Wall Street executives and military contractors. I didn’t realize the only two choices were throwing money at everything “green,” or throwing money at Wall Street executives. Why not make the tax cut a more significant part of the bill? Why not give people a real incentive to buy houses rather than including a first time home-buyer tax cut that is half of what he first promised? Why not focus on the economy rather than the environment? Why throw money away and encourage irresponsible behavior by giving billions of dollars to unsuccesful banks and delinquent home buyers? Simply because someone does not cowtow to Obama (I learned that word from Interested Bystander) does not mean that he is some right wing maniac having a knee jerk reaction to Obama’s policies. As a matter a fact, it usually means he is thinking logically.
again, your argument is completely baseless, as you somehow think because a project has a goal of benefiting the environment, it cannot also be beneficial for the economy. The truth is quite the opposite. Not only do projects such as these create jobs, but they also train the workforce for the up and coming industry of alternative energies. In addition, they wean our nation off of our addiction to foreign energy sources, taking baby steps towards energy independence. So instead of literally giving money away for nothing (as the $700 billion Bush bailout did, giving it all to banks and Wall Street with no accountability), our country will actually gain tangible results from these projects.
As for encouraging irresponsible behavior of homebuyers, you again fail to see that there are two sides to this argument. Predatory lenders were giving out mortgages to people that had no business getting them. Who’s fault is that – the citizens who took the loans thinking that they had managed to grab a hold of the “American Dream” bullshit that everyone’s been pounding into their heads, or the mortgage brokers and lenders who lent them the money knowing full well that they had little to no chance of ever paying it back? It didn’t matter to them, because the brokers earned their fee upon the signing of the papers, and the lenders than flipped these bad mortgage loans to other banking institutions. This system built the house of cards that is now crumbling. So who deserves the bailout – the irresponsible predatory financial institutions that crippled our entire economy out of greed, or honest hardworking Americans who were duped into thinking they could afford houses beyond their means? And regardless of your ridiculous answer, Obama’s mortgage bailout package is going out of its way to not reward irresponsible homebuyers and only provide assistance to those that were truly victims of ARM’s with ballon payments and the like. But I don’t expect you to have actual facts and reason on your side of the argument, so go ahead and feel free to continue to ignore the reality around you.
By the way, I’m loving your attempts to attack Obama’s dishonesty. I’m sure you were a big fan of the Bush administrations incomparable level of honesty and transparency.
Oh, and good luck studying.
if we’re descended from monkeys, why are chimps and gorillas so much stronger than us? also if we “evolved” from primates, shouldn’t we have kept our tails? i can think of at least seven situations in which having a tail would really help get things done.
The real counterargument is to say that the basic premise that your entire argument relies on is nothing but a misguided opinion: the whole mess we’re in has been caused by Rebuplican policies, so we should therefore blindly do whatever Democrats say. You say Republicans only support the rich (just because wealthy people are included in a more general tax cut does not mean it’s a tax cut for the rich, unless you listen to the loud-mouthed screaming, professional blowhard Democrats) then do you think it was the Republicans who encouraged and incentivised housing loans to low income buyers? Buyers who, not surprisingly, could not afford their payments, lost their houses, and helped devalue everyones else’s home and cause a housing crisis. If the Democrats have their way, the average taxpayer will rescue these irresponsible homeowners, so we can start the process all over again. Maybe everyone should stop paying their mortgages, the superhero Democrats will rescue us all.
And wasn’t Obama’s first mistake freeing terrorists from Guantanamo Bay without any plan of what to do with them. Terrorists in the middle of trial receiving their due process rights, by the way. Or not properly vetting his appointees, since everyone was so concerned with McCain’s supposed lack of vetting. Or the breach of his promise to unilaterally renegotiate NAFTA, or immediately withdraw troops from Iraq, or to make government transparent. Or his abandonment of hope over fear (pass my bill or the economy will be forever damaged beyond repair; the white house has even released statements predicting how many jobs WILL be lost in the future. That is either a fear tactic a built in excuse for if his “economic” stimulus fails).
By the way, this smells of pork:
• $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.
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD’s.
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.
• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
• $75 million for “smoking cessation activities.”
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into “green” buildings.
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
• $650 million for wild land fire management on forest service lands.
• $1.2 billion for “youth activities,” including youth summer job programs.
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
• $160 million for “paid volunteers” at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• $5.5 million for “energy efficiency initiatives” at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
• $850 million for Amtrak.
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based 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.
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.
This entire post is patently absurd. To include the $850 million to Amtrak in your list of supposed “pork” completely discredits your entire argument. As for investing in new buildings for government agencies, this is also a pretty weak argument on your behalf – it creates construction work, and the end result is a new building for government use. If the government is paying for the project, shouldn’t they get something useful at the end?
For some reason, folks on your side of the fence are more in favor of blindly throwing billions at Wall Street executives and military contractors instead of everyday American citizens or actual infrastructure improvements. I just don’t understand how you’ve been so brainwashed. You should try thinking for yourself sometime instead of having these knee-jerk anti-Obama reactions. It might fool people into think you’re intelligent.
To elaborate:
• $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.
(A SMART INVESTMENT IN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT)
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
(DID YOU WATCH THE OSCARS? IT WAS NOTHING BUT INDIANS WINNING ALL NIGHT – WE NEED TO SUPPORT AMERICAN FILM MAKERS. I THOUGHT YOU AND YOUR JINGOIST BUDDIES WOULD BE ALL OVER THIS ONE)
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
(HOW ELSE WILL YOU AND YOUR BUDDIES BE ABLE TO WATCH FOX NEWS ALL DAY?)
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
(SO YOU’RE AGAINST MILITARY SPENDING?)
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
(SOUNDS LIKE A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT WILL CREATE HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF JOBS)
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
(DO YOU EXPECT THEM TO STAND IN AN EMPTY BUILDING?)
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
(THIS IS PERHAPS THE SMARTEST PART OF THE ENTIRE STIMULUS, AS LONG AS THEY BUY AMERICAN MADE VEHICLES. I’LL EXPLAIN MORE IN MY UPCOMING POST OUTLINING MY OWN PROPOSED STIMULUS PLAN)
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD’s.
(THE COST OF PREVENTION IS LESS THAN 25% OF THE COST OF TREATMENT. THIS HAS A DIRECT, AND HUGE IMPACT ON THE COST OF EVERYONE’S HEALTHCARE)
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
(PIG MANURE IS A HUGE PROBLEM IN AMERICA’S MIDWEST. IT IS TOXIC TO HUMANS AND KILLING OUR PLANET. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT THIS TO SAVE OUR COUNTRY. THIS IS A HUGE UNREPORTED STORY)
• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.
(AGAIN, CREATING HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF JOBS, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME IMPROVING THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF A SEVERELY OUTDATED CITY)
• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.
(CREATING JOBS)
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
(CREATING JOBS, WHILE ALSO GETTING ACCURATE CENSUS NUMBERS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A DECADE. THIS MAY ACTUALLY HELP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, WHICH I WOULD THINK YOU WOULD SUPPORT. ALSO, OF COURSE IT HAS A COST OVERRUN – HOW DO YOU THINK THE CENSUS BRINGS IN MONEY?)
• $75 million for “smoking cessation activities.”
(AGAIN, PREVENTION FAR OUTWEIGHS THE COST OF TREATING PATIENTS FOR LUNG CANCER, EMPHYSEMA (SP?), ETC., WHICH WILL BRING DOWN THE COST OF HEALTHCARE FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY? ARE YOU STARTING TO GET IT YET?)
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.
(I WOULD ARGUE THIS IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH. INVESTING IN EDUCATION IS IMPERATIVE TO GET OUR STANDING BACK IN THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE AS WORLD LEADERS OF INNOVATION. ALSO, COMMUNITY COLLEGES ARE THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE – WEIGHING OUR NATION DOWN WITH 4 YEAR PRIVATE COLLEGE DEBT HAS HAD A DIRECT CONTRIBUTION TO OUR CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS. THIS WILL BE ELABORATED ON IN A FUTURE COLUMN)
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
(THIS IS PEANUTS IN COMPARISON TO THE OTHER ITEMS, AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF POINT YOU’RE TRYING TO MAKE HERE. I WOULD ARGUE THAT INVESTING IN THE FBI AND CIA IS MUCH MORE COST EFFECTIVE THAN BATTLING TERRORISM WITH TRILLION DOLLAR WARS.)
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
(AGAIN, CHUMP CHANGE. PLUS, PREVENTION IS CHEAPER THAN TREATMENT)
• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.
(I THINK THERE’S SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA THAT WOULD ARGUE AGAINST YOU CALLING THIS “PORK”)
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
(AGAIN, THIS IS BARELY ANY MONEY, BUT INVESTING IN INSPECTION AND REPAIR OF OUR NATION’S INFRASTRUCTURE IS CRUCIAL, AND COULD HAVE PREVENTED DISASTROUS FAILURES OF LEVEES)
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into “green” buildings.
(CREATION OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS, WHILE ALSO PROVIDING TRAINING FOR PEOPLE FOR AN UP AND COMING INDUSTRY, AND MAKING THESE BUILDINGS MORE COST EFFICIENT IN THE FUTURE. A VERY SMART USE OF STIMULUS FUNDS)
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
(THIS MONEY IS KEEPING STATES AND CITIES FROM GOING BANKRUPT. WHAT IS YOUR ALTERNATIVE – INCREASE EVERYONE’S STATE AND LOCAL TAXES? YOU’RE COMPLETELY BLIND TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU)
• $650 million for wild land fire management on forest service lands.
(YOU PREFER TO LET FIRES RUN WILD AND BURN DOWN PEOPLE’S HOMES? NOT ONLY IS THIS JOB CREATION, BUT ALSO LIFE-SAVING.)
• $1.2 billion for “youth activities,” including youth summer job programs.
(KEEPING KIDS OFF THE STREETS AND OUT OF JAIL SAVES EVERYONE THE MONEY OF KEEPING THEM LOCKED UP, AND INVESTS IN OUR NATION’S FUTURE)
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
(CREATING JOBS)
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
(CREATING JOBS)
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
(CREATING JOBS)
• $160 million for “paid volunteers” at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
(CREATING JOBS)
• $5.5 million for “energy efficiency initiatives” at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
(CREATING JOBS)
• $850 million for Amtrak.
(CREATING JOBS WHILE ALSO INVESTING IN OUR NATION’S FAILING MASS TRANSIT SYSTEMS. IMPROVED MASS TRANSIT ALSO INCREASES THE PRODUCTIVITY OF COUNTLESS OTHER INDUSTRIES)
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
(PREVENTION CHEAPER THAN TREATMENT)
• $75 million to construct a “security training” facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.
(CREATING JOBS AND BETTER SECURITY TRAINING)
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
(CREATING JOBS WHILE ALSO BRINGING AN INDUSTRY UP TO CURRENT TECHNOLOGICAL STANDARDS)
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.
(AGAIN, PROBABLY ONE OF THE SMARTEST USES OF THE STIMULUS MONEY, AS LONG AS THE VEHICLES ARE AMERICAN MADE).
OVERALL, YOUR ARGUMENT IS COMPLETELY UNFOUNDED BECAUSE YOU FAIL TO DEFINE “PORK”.
sweet new theme, same unreadable nonsense.