The Militant Libertarian

I'm pissed off and I'm a libertarian. What else you wanna know?

Saturday, February 14, 2009

What is really in the Stimulus bill? Find out here...

Read the original at this link.

The Majority leadership finally made available at 11pm last night the final text of the 1,073-page borrowing-and-spending "stimulus" -- just 10 hours before consideration of the bill began on the floor this morning. The House unanimously approved a Republican proposal a few days ago to post the final legislation online for 48 hours for the American people to review before a vote is held in the House or Senate, but it does not appear that Leadership will be following through with this, since a vote is expected today.

Click Here Watch the Video of my Latest Comments about the "Stimulus" Spending Bill on the House Floor Today.

When Congress is trying to pass THE most expensive spending bill in the history of not just the United States, but the whole world’s history, Americans deserve to know what is buried in the pages of the text. We all do. You should be able to have the time and opportunity to give your feedback to your elected officials in Washington, D.C. who are making these cloaked, billion dollar decisions with your tax dollars and the tax dollars of your children and grand children and beyond. What is the Democratic Leadership trying to hide? Some of my Democratic friends in Congress are likewise offended by the way this legislation is being rushed through for a vote.

Here are just a few of the many deeply troubling points about the bill that you should know:

- Transportation and Infrastructure spending constitutes a mere 6% of the entire package despite many from the Majority party claiming this is an “infrastructure” bill.
- Direct small business tax relief in the legislation amounts to about one-third of one percent of the total bill, just $3 billion in tax relief out of a $789.5 billion bill!

Also, this spending bill calls for questionable or non-stimulative provisions such as:

- $8 billion for a High Speed Passenger Rail Program which will fund a project from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, which happens to be an earmark to bring more Californians to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s home state to gamble
- $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts
- $2 billion for the Neighborhood Stabilization Fund, providing funds to organizations such as ACORN, which has many complaints filed regarding voter fraud or unlawful voter registration in recent elections
- $10 million for the inspections in urban large cities
- $300 million for federal procurement of plug-in vehicles
- $170 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to research the cause, effects and ways to mitigate climate change
- $400 million for NASA to accelerate climate research missions
- $5.5 billion for federal buildings (GSA), as if we don’t have enough federal buildings. How about projects that are not further bloating our massive federal enclaves.
- $142 million for the Coast Guard to alter or remove 4 obstructive bridges
- $1 billion for a Prevention and Wellness Fund, which can be used for sexually transmitted disease (STD) education and prevention programs at the CDC
- $500 million for a health professions training program—funding which an earlier committee report said were allocated because, “a key component of attaining universal health care reform will be ensuring the supply of primary care providers.” Universal health care is code for Washington deciding what procedures or medicines you can have or not have as healthcare is rationed across the nation.

Americans are hurting, and we need to take swift action that will create jobs and spur economic growth, but this $790 billion spending bill is not the solution. Neither Members of Congress nor the American people know what all lies either hidden or for a bureaucrat to throw away in this legislation, but what we have found makes clear that this bill is more about passing liberal spending priorities than providing true relief for citizens.

American industry has been trying to hold on to their wonderful workers, but in the last month 600,000 workers were let go. The businesses say they were holding out for the hope Pres. Obama promised but it has become clear that there is no hope in what they had heard the Democratic leadership (not to be confused with some moderate Democrats in Congress) were sticking in this overloaded spending bill. Their leadership said through their actions and even directly in some quotes that the American people can not be trusted to spend money the way Pelosi and Reid want it spent, so Washington has to spend their money for them.

Such a critical and expensive bill that will affect every American and generations to come deserves more time and transparency and review. Furthermore, Americans deserve to have the time and opportunity to provide feedback to their leaders in Washington, DC. What else is hidden in this bill that Democrat Leadership is trying to rush it through passage without thorough review by Americans and Members of Congress? You can view the overwhelming, 1,000+ page text here: http://www.rules.house.gov/bills_details.aspx?NewsID=4149. Please contact representatives in Congress by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202.224.3121 to demand greater accountability and transparency on such a critical issue and true relief for American citizens.

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