Bipartisan Group Working on Stimulus Amendments

All the pork Obama is proposing in this stimulas package is no different that the banking CEO bonus’s he is complaining about. He needs to quit paying back the idiots who voted for him and do what is right for America. No more bailouts!!! No more spending money we do not have creating temporary/fake jobs for a few and get a grip on reality. No experience and it shows.

It’s pretty apparent to all of us that Republicans are more concerned with getting their way than helping the country. I notice whenever they can’t win an argument they immediately start the name calling like when Demint infers his way is the American way and the rest of us are socialists.they don’t know the difference between a social conscience and socialism. We have been doing it their way for 8 years and look at the condition of our country.We are in favor of what they call pork if it helps the country start taking care of it’s most important resource and that its people. We voted against more tax cuts for the wealthy I guess they forgot that. They should stop letting Rush LImbaugh and Hannity tell them what to say. I can’t believe they think we haven’t heard those Reps. on ABC radio say all the things they are saying first. maybe they should try to come with us into the 21st century instead of stomping tier feet like children that can’t get their way. This is all to important to be arguing petty pork issues that don’t seem to me to be as wasteful as giving more to the rich waiting to see if they make enough to give us peasants a job.

I have lived in Michigan all my life and we have been experiencing for quite some time what the rest of the country is now coming to grips with.  We need jobs, living wage jobs, not a handout.  You selfish, tax cuts for the rich republicans have no moral standing on the issue of how to run this country.  Go ahead and marginalize yourselves some more.  Ronald Reagen was the beginning of this mess, GWB is the end. The American People can see through your greed. Lincoln was the first Republican president and I am quite sure he would be ashamed of the current state of his party.

tama wray and Angie Republican, democrat, independent, liberal, right wing, left wing, you can call me whatever you want to but the fact remains that this is supposed to be a bail out plan and not a plan for Obama and croonies to pay people back for endorsing them and thats exactly what the original plan was and if you dont see that then you are so completly blinded by your self rightousness that you will never see it. You seem to just be looking for a reason to be indignent! If you want your family for generations to pay back money for investing millions in sod for the national mall then you go ahead and you let them but I for one will not be convinced that, that is a bail out to create jobs and I dont give a crap if you agree or not because Im not blinded by color or party. I dont care that Obama is black, white, green or purple and I dont care what frigging party he or congress or you or anyone else is! What I care about is feeding my family! What I care about is that I have a job to get up and go to every morning and since Im a data entry processor and my husband is a disaster recovery specialist I just dont see us moving to another state to lay sod or fix headstones at the national cemetary and I certainly dont think I will be working on a road crew or in the Smithsonian and since Im just a simple country girl I also do not see me working for the arts or teaching STD prevention! I want a job and so does everyone I know. We dont want to live off the government, we dont want food stamps. We want an honest days pay for an honest days work. I want to put gas in my car and fix things in my home when they break so if you think that Republicans are so damn stupid because they are against all this extra spending that is NOT going to create, jobs for the midwest , Northern or Southern states then by God you better look in the mirror when call them brainwashed!!!

Pork??? Hello, do you realize we are in a deep recession and sinking? Do you know how Japan got out of an identical problem in the 1990′s? Hello==guess what, yes, it truly was: (drum roll) a huge recovery plan!!! Those who talk of Pork are denying daily reports of job losses and companies closing. These times are not normal, and a stimulas plan is NOT pork!

How many Americans actually took the time to read the stimulus package bills that were presented to Congress. It is not good enough to listen to the pundits spend their tales in order to gain ratings. Look at the H.R. 1 bill that went through the House last week. It was well crafted and there is not all of this pork barrel…I am so tired of hearing that cliche phrase post the election.
Take the time to scan the documents at least to be an informed electorate and know that Obama has all of our best interests in the package. We are not going to agree on everything but let’s start the recovery!
H.R.1
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Received in Senate from House)
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:3:./temp/~c111BN9mWx::

Obama needs to listen actively. His symbolic gestures are childish media attention grabbers!
He needs to make a good faith bipartisan effort to produce the best possible stimulus package even if it takes longer than his arbitrary time line!
Obama might be politically expedient or have some political savvy but he certainly lacks wisdom and back bone!
He is embarrassing himself and the USA! :(

How can anyone honestly look at Japan’s 10 year recession and compare it to ours?
Every economists interviewed (even the Democrat economists) have all agreed that the huge stimulus packages Japan pushed through only deepened their recession. It has been said that Obama’s team has been trying to avoid Japan’s tactics.
Their Government thought they could spend themselves out of the recession. Sound familiar?
Look at the Japanese policies and see when it is documented that they started turning it around. You’ll see a very amazing shift in tactics…and it did not involve $300 million worth of STD prevention.
Good lord.

Gee, where to start –Platon Rigos: “the laughable notion that most economists are advocating cutting taxes when that is patently false”– do some research, a large majority of economists including Nobel prize winners agree that cutting taxes IS the only way to secure recovery. Bonnie, Tama, Michelle, Sally and Clarity: Have any of you even read this thing?? the Kinsington Institute on economics broke it down and reported that of the 900 billion spent (1.3 trillion after interest) only 12c of every dollar in this bill will do ANYTHING to stimulate job growth. (that means 88 cents of every dollar in this bill is PORK).. How will 4 billion to ACORN create jobs? 30 Billion to the teachers union? 8 billion to various pet projects like STD research, TV converter coupons, and the national endowment for the arts? Will increasing food stamps create jobs? Increasing welfare checks? Maybe we need a few of these things but this is supposed to be a stimulus bill to grow jobs.. not a spending bill to grow the governemnt. This is nothing more than a spending bill to pay off all the special interests that helped get Obama elected… It will DO NOTHING to create any jobs or turn the economy around. Even Obama says that it will not show results until at leat 2010… Guess what, most economists predict that the current recession will correct itslft by 2010 or 2011 WITH NO HELP from the government. Which means that this bill actually does NOTHING>>> except make more people dependant on the government and more dependant on the current set of elected officials.. NO THANK YOU.. tama — your right we did it for 8 years the republican way– created 6 million jobs, reduced inflation, and then in the 2 years that the democrats held the senate, the economy crashed because of the way they mishandled the mortgage industry.. are you old enough to remember Carter? the last president who tried to spend our way out of a recession.. How about 11% unemployment and 14% inflation? Is that the kind of recovery you want? Finally, FIREWIDOW – WELL SAID>>>>>

To clarity, which of those will stimulate the ecomony???
• $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.
(um, i thought they wanted Coal Plants?)
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
(not enough info to defend)
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
(the switch is happening and a lot of people choose food vs converter box)
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
(the GOP are against the Guard!)
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
(the GOP doesn’t want to keep America safe!)
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
(duh!…they should sit on the floor…GOP hates America)
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
(new orders for the types of cars Americans want…gotta’ start somewhere…duh!)
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD’s.
(don’t know enough to defend)
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
(it is rural…ok…they need the help…GOP hates Americans)
• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.
(this is infrastructure!)
• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.
(don’t know enough about it)
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
(we will need to spend it & will need to do the census…pay it now or later)
• $75 million for “smoking cessation activities.”
(this pays health dividends…lower costs later)
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.
(knowledge is power)
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
(the GOP hates the FBI)
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
(the GOP hates Native Americans)
• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.
(Infrastructure!)
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
(Infrastructure!)
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into “green” buildings.
(Infrastructure/Green!)
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
(the GOP hates fire fighters)
• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.
(the GOP hates fire fighters)
• $1.2 billion for “youth activities,” including youth summer job programs.
(keyword…JOBS!)
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
(Infrastructure!)
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
(Infrastructure!)
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
(Infrastructure!)
• $160 million for “paid volunteers” at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
(k…admitted contradiction, but someone has to organize)
• $5.5 million for “energy efficiency initiatives” at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
(the GOP hates Veterans)
• $850 million for Amtrak.
(Infrastructure!)
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
(remember Rome?)
• $75 million to construct a “security training” facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.
(Infrastructure!)
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
(Infrastructure!)
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.
(the GOP hates the troops!)

SamTyler– First, I am getting my information from my own reading of the crisis and what led to it.. Not Rush or anyone else.. If you are going to call me a liar, then back up what you say or don’t say it.. I can back up what I say… For starters.. the financial meltdown got its roots with the repeal of the Glass Stegal Act byt the CLINTON administration and congress (both dems and republicans responsible – the vote was 92 to 8 with 8 republicans voting against it). this act had prevented the mortgage industry from operating in a deregulated status and was created in the 1930′s to prevent another depression. Now.. fast forward to 2006 and look up the Cspan video of a congressional hearing concerning the mortgage industry. at least 8republicans testified that we were in serious trouble if we did not reign in companies like freddie and fannie and at least a dozen democrats shot down all objections to any “reregulation”. Now, as for my other “lie” as you call it.. at the end of the clinton Administration, the dot.com bubble burst.. stock market fell from over 11,000 to under 8,000 between the strart of Clintons last year and 9/11 (which was before Bush had made any tax cuts or significant changes to the standing budget from the clinton administration). During this time period, unemployment went from a low of 4.2% to 6.6% (about6.8 million jobs lost) After 9/11 bush instituted a series of tax breaks to stimulate the economy and promote growth. Over the next 2 years, 6 million of these jobs were replaced and unemployment drifted back to the low 5% range. the unemployment rate stayed in the stayed in the mid to upper 5% range until 2 years ago when banks started tightening their belts for the impending mortgage crisis.. Maybe you need to read the bill $4.1 billion allotted to ACORN – $30 billion allotted to the teachers unions.. Tell me .. exactly what in this bill do you think will create any jobs??? and be specific so us stupid republicans can understand…

Lizzie — looking over your list — no one disputes that infrastructure is important — but its not stimulus..
Lets break it down:
*2 billion for the coal plant.. funding an operational or soon to be operational plant WILL create jobs.. funding a project to “develop a cleaner plant will not”..
*246 million to hollywood movie producers will Creat 0 new jobs for the average american.
*650 million for digital TV converters will create 0 jobs
*88 million for a polar ice breaker will create 0 jobs unless you count the extra hours the ship building industry will garner from one additional ship on their build list..
*696 million for a homeland security building and furniture.. will create a less than 1000 construction jobs that will last a few years at best.. lets see thats acost of about 700,000 per “temporary” job created..
*600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for fed employees.. lets sse, if my math is right, then they are going to buy 10,000 of these?? what are they going to do with the current fleet?? trash it at a loss.. wouldn’t it be better to buy them in as the old fleet decays?
…Oh and since Detroit already has far more than 10,000 sitting unsold,then this one time buy will create 0 jobs..
*400 million for STDs something we need, but again it will create 0 jobs..
*1.4 billion for rural waste disposal.. this one might actaully create some jobs.. depending on how its doled out..if its actually to put more refuce trucks and worker on the roads, then it might create jobs.. but considering the amount of money, i’m guessing its more for “greening” our disposal facilities which will create 0 jobs…
*1.3 billion for the smithsonian, the census, Washington sewers, WILL create jobs, but only temporary ones.. and in the case of the census, a 6 month long job that lasts less than 6 months and doesn’t start for over a year.. permanent jobs created – 0
* 325 million for smoking cessation, tribal alcohol and substance abouse, FBI pay raises, and CC computers – number of new jobs this will create for the economy – 0
*1.7 billion to do work on canals, increase environmental efficiency of federal buildings, fire management and to build new fire stations. Permanet jobs created are minimal though they may be in the low 1,000s or possibly even 10,000 average price per job created – (figured at 10,000 new jobs) 170,000 per job.
*1.2 billion for youth activities.. need i remind you that “summer jobs for youths” are not part of the economic landscape – unless the youth activites consist of getting all the kids hired on a mickey Ds.. jobs created 0
I’ll stop there.. but suffice it to say the rest of the list is the same.. recently the Kinsington institute on economics studied this “stimulus” bill and determined that less than 12 cents of every dollar spent would result in any new job creation… that means that almost 800 billion of the 900 billion allotted in this bill will do NOTHING forthe economy…

America Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.
Robert Gibbs is allowing this legislation to be called a “stimulus plan” – thus losing the PR war to the republicans.
At each mention the name needs to be used in full – otherwise a phrase like “the money will not be spent quick enough” or “that item is pork (as opposed to stimulus)” can be mouthed and is heard by the audience as having a legitimacy that these phrases do not deserve.

The honeymoon is now over, the Obamanation have come crumbling to earth. The citizens of America reprsentatives in Congress are actually listening to the voices of the people looking for change from stimulus checks,bailouts and government waste.

We might as well just cut the nonsense and have Obama propose a trillion for the creation of new pig farms.
If it’s going to be pork.. it might as well be the edible kind.