House Dems offer their version of Obama stimulus

House Dems offer their version of Obama stimulus

phoenix.bizjournals.com

The list includes new and extra federal money for:

• $79 billion for states to fund schools and other education programs.

• $18.5 billion for renewable energy and energy efficiency research, programs and improvements to buildings.

• $6 billion in federal money for mass transit systems improvements and expansions.

• $5 billion for public housing construction and improvements.

• $16 billion in extra college financial aid for needy and other students as well as higher student loan limits.

• $13 billion in new K-12 education spending for disadvantaged students.

• $1 billion to renovate and build new public health centers.

• $3 billion in construction grants for airports.

• $4 billion for governments and housing agencies to deal with foreclosed and abandoned homes.

• $1.2 billion for state and local summer jobs programs for youth.

• $1 billion extra for Head Start, preschools.

• $8.4 billion for various water grants related to drinking water.

• $4.5 billion for defense construction projects.

• $1.5 billion for worker retraining programs.

• $1.5 billion in extra federal money for services and shelters for the homeless.

• $3.8 billion to build new military and veterans hospitals.

• $300 million in grants for railroad improvements.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I thought this was an "emergency stimulus package"

Can someone please show me how money going to these places will stimulate the economy and bring back consumer confidence?

My goodness, giving it to the banks actually makes more sense, especially when this plan only feeds money to programs already proven to be failing miserably.

And the largest outlay, $79 billion for states to fund schools and other education programs., won't even show a "return" on the investment for 10+ years.

The education system in the US is a horrible failure, so let's give it even more money to squander.

phoenix.bizjournals.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

You are right it doesn't sound like a "stimulus package to save the economy" but more like your regular yearly budget to keep government expenses.

Isn't this just their usual yearly tab all packaged together in one bill?

Why have it all spread throughout the year? Lets smash it all together in one fantastic bill and call it "economic stimulus."

Is every bill and cash they've dolled out in the history of our country been called economic stimulus?

Is economic stimulus the new term for reckless spending? I think so.

reply to post by David9176


I am afraid that you are right, just like the war on terror, war on drugs and all those wars an slogan to get the people into accepting what is coming.

So the bail outs will be part of the government budgets in order to bail out the banking systems and squandering tax payer money.

I wonder when they are finally going to realize that they can't just keep spending money that doesn't exist to fix the economic problems we have

reply to post by redhatty


They'll realize that when they have finally made our money worthless. And they are "full speed ahead" on that. Or to quote Dark Helmet from Spaceballs...

"Ludicrous speed! Go!"

[edit on 18-1-2009 by David9176]

I can't wait to see the Republican version. Probably some slight revisions...but more or less the same.

Just more for Rep/Dem to bash each other on....go USA.

Yeah I took a look at this pretty little bill and it does look more like a regular year's spending all put together in the guise of an "economic stimulus bill". And the 79 or how ever many billion $ for the educational deal, I agree, no kind of economic rebound any more likely to come from that then if we expected for pine trees to start sprouting up across America the spring after we threw seeds into the ocean.
I like Obama's idea with the rebuilding of our present highway infrastructures, and the starting up of widn turbine and other "green" energy sources. I like U.S. senator John Cornin's idea of a $1,500 tax credit going to any person directly for the purchase of a new car or truck of any make that is built in this country.
To summarise, we need a STIMULOUS PLAN,,,, something to "JUMP START" the economy, not a normal everyday grocery shopping list.
There are also areas in which we need CHANGE in order for the economy to keep rocking and rolling. More watch dogging over the management of banking and lending and more accountabillity. Bringing manaufacturing back into the U.S.A. would be great! And very slowly, the people of America will have to get up and be RESPONSIBLE ADULTS and slowly stop spending above their means. We all seem to live on loans and we become more recession prone.

I don't like it at all. BUT...

Actually, the "stimulus" is to come by putting people to Work doing those things.

Originally posted by redhatty
I thought this was an "emergency stimulus package"

Yeah ... well .... it's not, is it? Welcome to 'wealth redistribution'. Bush43 paved the way with the bailouts. Obama will want more bailouts and more 'redistribution'.

Chavez and Castro are giving each other high fives .. no doubt!

HA!

Why is there any surprise over this, guys? These are the same people who too a $700 Bil "bank bailout" bill, voted against it because it "cost the American tax payers too much," then tacked another $180 some Billion in pork filled pet project funding onto it, and voted to pass it a week later. Only in Washington can a price tag be "too expensive" before increasing 25%, after which it's magically the right price.

If a regular citizen operated the way the US government does, they'd be prosecuted for identity theft. That's exactly what's happening here, our wallets have been stolen and they're using our credit cards to buy limited edition Randy Johnson bobblehead collectables on Ebay.

Well, let's see:

General advantages:

Better and more accessible education for kids, preschool thru college.
Public housing and foreclosure help for people who have lost their homes
Jobs programs for youth
Cleaner water
Retraining people for new jobs
Shelter more homeless
Veterans cared for

Jobs created in:

teaching
renewable energy research
building construction
mass transit systems improvements and expansion
renovation
airport construction
defense construction
hospital construction
railroad construction and improvements

I don't generally like bailouts or stimulus packages, either, but if all this happens, and a lot of new jobs are created, I can absolutely see how it could help.

What is happening is that he is going to give all this money to these different programs and making the average people of the US, instead of professionals, do the work. It sounds like a back door to slavery to me. Get rid of the machines and put people in the field picking crops and people on the rail pounding nails and get more people to turn to the military. I still dont like it either.

Kinda like "I cant save the economy but I need a road that needs to be built so go pour some asphalt slave and we will call you a community volunteer or would you rather starve?"

Read or watch the "Grapes of Wrath" to know what I am talking about.

[edit on 19/1/09 by Pfeil]

Guys, the common denominator in each of the recipients of this bailout money - unions. This is payback money for unions, nothing more. None of this "stimulus" money is coming to our mailboxes. Most likely every dollar is going into a "general fund" for each classification of spending listed and then spent however the union heads see fit. Do you really expect that this money will go toward its intended uses?

Watch and see. Pay attention to this money, folks, because I guarantee you Obama and Congress are going to make this stimulus money disappear like a magic trick and the intended recipients are going to be left holding their hands out a year from now.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


Right. and all the college grads with IT degrees will be running to hammer nails that they are completely untrained for.

Too many people already do not want an education degree, being a teacher in most areas does not pay enough. I know - I was one when I first came out of college back in '85. When you make so little that you still qualify for food stamps as a teacher, you find a better job.

Seems like most of the areas the money is going to are areas that already have specialized and/or union labor forces in most of the nation.

What about all the people who are already out of work? Do you see the person from the Ford plant (who won't have a job soon) working in renewable energy or hammering nails?

What about the law firms? Where are all those people going to work in this plan?

I do not see this creating new jobs, I only see it making sure that some jobs aren't lost.

Redistribution of wealth. Nanny state. People become dependent upon the state. Forced 'volunteering'. Yep ... Cuba got change in 1959 as well.

6.3 billion for mass-transportation improvement? Hmmm......I wonder what that's all about?

Peace

Interesting you catch that one Dr. Love, make you go hum and ah, massive public transportation for masses to be move around whenever the need to be serving the government.

I wonder if for now on our government budget will be call economic stimulus every time is due.

They gotta get those railroads fixed. Whatever they have left over they can use to buy more shackles.

Peace