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115 Comments
- NinaOdell, on 02/16/2009, -16/+43"It doles out billions of dollars to state governments, whether their governors want the money or not."
"Not" is a hyperlink to another opinion piece. The implication in this sentence is that there's a Governor somewhere who has refused this money. There is no such Governor in the piece. However, there's this list of some of what's in the Recovery bill:
* $24 million for United States Department of Agriculture buildings and rent
*$176 million for renovating Agricultural Research Service buildings
*$290 million for flood prevention
* $50 million for watershed rehabilitation
* $1.4 billion for wastewater disposal programs
* $295 million for administrative expenses associated with food stamp programs
* $1 billion for the 2010 Census
* $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges and libraries
* $650 million for the digital TV converter box coupon program
* $2 billion for Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program
* $10 million to combat Mexican gunrunners
* $125 million for rural communities to combat drug crimes
* $1 billion for the Community Oriented Policing Services program
* $1 billion for NASA
* $300 million to purchase scientific instruments for colleges and museums
* $400 million for equipment and facilities at the National Science Foundation
* $3.7 billion to conduct "green" renovations on military bases
* $375 million for Mississippi River projects
* $10 million for urban canals
* $5 billion for weatherizing buildings
* $2 billion to develop advanced batteries for hybrid cars
* $3.4 billion for fossil energy research
* $5.1 billion for environmental cleanup around military bases
* $5.5 billion for "green" federal buildings
* $300 million for "green" cars for federal employees
* $20 million for IT upgrades at the Small Business Administration
* $200 million to design and furnish Department of Homeland Security headquarters
* $98 million earmarked for a polar icebreaker
* $210 million for State and local fire stations
* $125 million to restore trails and abandoned mines
* $146 million for trail maintenance at National Park Service sites
* $140 million for volcano monitoring systems
* $600 million for the Environmental Protection Agency Superfund environmental cleanup program
* $200 million to clean up leaking underground storage tanks
* $500 million for forest health and wildfire prevention
* $25 million for the Smithsonian Institution
* $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts
* $1.2 billion for "youth activities" (for "youth" up to 24 years old)
* $500 million earmarked for National Institute of Health facilities
* $1 billion for Head Start Program
* $32 million for home-delivered nutrition services
* $160 million for volunteer programs at the Corporation for National and Community Service
* $500 million earmarked for the SSA National Computer Center in Maryland
* $220 million for the International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S. and Mexico
* $8 billion for high-speed railways (This amount is 4 times higher than the one voted on Tuesday in the Senate bill)
* $1.3 billion for Amtrak
I would like to hear from the Governor who actually refuses this money when the States have been looted through Republican sponsored unfunded mandates for decades. In fact, I would like to hear from ANY Republican in charge of State or Local Government that actually refuses this influx of cash. - Alheithinn, on 02/16/2009, -22/+49Obama ENABLERS?
This WOULD have been a historic achievement if the GOP had been willing to work with the President. As it is, it's going to be too little to help. The GOP has weeded out all the most useful aspects of the bill in order to further enrich the rich. - inactive, on 02/16/2009, -15/+36In GA every single republican assclown dragged Obama and the democrats for this bill. What's in the paper yesterday? How the republican govna' and his cronies can't wait to get their hands on the cash coming their way from the Federal Government because of this bill. They condemn it, but now that it's gong to be on their way, they admit how much they need it because it was THEY that dug a deep deep whole with reckless spending while tax rolls were going down over the past few years...
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/200 ... - Alheithinn, on 02/16/2009, -14/+34More propaganda, huh? Just saying it makes it so? Doesn't work.
1. Government IS now open and transparent (unlike the Bush regime)
2. Congressmen did not slip in any pork barrel projects into the stimulus
3. Laws are open to the public. Congressional Republicans have shut themselves out by obstructing government
4. There is no secrecy compared to the Bush era. 100% improvement on that score
5. The public does get to look at bills. Even one or two slip ups is again a huge improvement over the Bush era, on an order of magnitude.
6. We know what's in it. It was posted online. Unless you're an ignoramus like Rush, you could actually read it AND search it.
8. There was no pork barrel spending in the stimulus.
This is a Republican disaster. The Republicans have decided they would rather see the US fail than see a Democrat succeed in getting us out of the mess THEY created in the first place.
And Hilary is so far doing a great job as Secretary of State.
And is the GOP doing great? Not so much...
They're acting like school children. They didn't get their way so they're picking up their toys and going home.
Let's take a look at this story here for some facts... http://digg.com/politics/Opposing_Obama_on_Stimulu ... - Firstdaughter, on 02/16/2009, -5/+24I prefer to be called an "Obamaholic"
:D - PoizonFrog, on 02/16/2009, -8/+24I thought the Republicans were the enablers ...they now have 2 depressions under their belt.
- nihilville, on 02/16/2009, -6/+22They have nothing left they know how to do. They have no power, and all they're used to is screwing us over to make some cash for their cronies.
The "smartest boys in the room" have had every one of their so called theories blow up in their faces, exposed as utter failures, paving the way towards American ruin. The only way they can see to save face is to try to invalidate the oppositions tactics, but this will never hide the stench of their own failed ideology. - emailowndme, on 02/16/2009, -6/+22In actuality, tax cuts have been the way of the last 10 years, 20 or more I would say, since Reagan. Even Clinton bowed to the tax cut philosophy.
I got news for ya bud. Tax cuts don't work, especially if you don't wanna cut military spending, or in bush's case, any spending, the same is true for Reagan, Bush Sr. and W. - Alheithinn, on 02/16/2009, -4/+18Very well put, nihilville!
- Firstdaughter, on 02/16/2009, -5/+19...and you wonder why GA doesn't feel like home...
*face palm*
Blue is my favorite color ya know :D - Alheithinn, on 02/16/2009, -8/+21So your solution is tax breaks for the rich? Quite clever. That will fix everything. I'm so relieved.
- normlsparky, on 02/17/2009, -1/+13Ever hear of "No child left behind?"
- Batfishy, on 02/16/2009, -9/+20"George Bush retired, have some decency and let him retire in peace." Suuuuuuure, he deserves his hard-earned retirement.
I've got news for you - I derserve mine but it's been decimated. - Alheithinn, on 02/16/2009, -15/+26And I dare say you thought Bush was the great public speaker in American history? Obama is a great speaker. He not only speaks TO the people and instead of down AT them, but he answers their questions. He not only thinks questions are legitimate (which Bush didn't) but he answers (which Bush didn't). You one of them their anti-intellectuals the south likes to bread, or did you just catch it somewhere?
- inactive, on 02/16/2009, -10/+21Global, do you smoke crack? Obama is one of the eloquent speakers this nation has ever had the good fortune to have as it's leader. Like Alheithinn said...Bush was the polar opposite of that.
Obama is never afraid to take questions from any and all. Bush even avoided certain members of the White House press corps because he KNEW that they were going to ask him "real" questions (unlike Jeff Gannon questions). Did you miss the thread the other day where Ari Fliesher admitted that he sat certain WH reporters in one section and called it Siberia and Bush was instructed NOT to take questions from those reporters. True words spoken from his former press secretary.
Whatever it is you see or hear...you're obviously blind and deaf. Must be that "spell" put on you as a child... whatever it was, it certainly messed up your sense of perception. - Alheithinn, on 02/16/2009, -7/+18wow, I guess I wasted that college degree and the summa cum laude because I chose to actually think. The Great Depression...yes, I HAVE read about that (unlike you). WE SPENT OUR WAY OUT OF IT. It was called the NEW DEAL fro those of you who missed class. Hitler spent Germany out of the Great Depression too by the way. Know why? BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO! Yes, I'm shouting because you're either hard of hearing or dim-witted. I'm not certain which.
Grow up. - Alheithinn, on 02/16/2009, -7/+18Then you best study some history. The New Deal got us out of the depression. This bill might have helped more than it's going to if not for Republican obstructionism.
- Alheithinn, on 02/16/2009, -5/+16Exactly. tax cuts don't work. The definition of insanity comes to mind...
- JenniferInMO, on 02/16/2009, -3/+14That is an accomplishment.
- freedomjoe, on 02/16/2009, -11/+22oh, alheithinn, you keep presenting facts to them and you know they aren't going to read them! We throw pearls after swine, my good friend...but still, I admire your efforts. If you save just one, it's worth it.
did you read their comments? A more misinformed bunch of dogmatic fools I've never met. - eir574, on 02/16/2009, -3/+13@flip,
Okay, so Obama is maybe sometimes unwilling to take questions at times that are not designated for taking questions (such as during a quick visit to the press corps to say hi and see where they work). Still, he's on track to beat Bush's oh-so impressive four press conferences per year during his first term. - freedomjoe, on 02/16/2009, -3/+13If you don't call that hypocrisy and not standing by your principles, it's no wonder the GOP stands for nothing.
Railing against the bill as a "deficit" from the party whose tax cuts put us 1 trillion dollars into a deficit and another 1 trillion for an illegal war is hypocritical. Accepting the money you are railing against, claiming you have better ideas but never articulating them, is even worse. - USArugula, on 02/16/2009, -5/+14"The Democratic Party just pushed a Partisan PORK Bill that offered no compromise, except to appease their own political greed."
Bi-partisanship is a two-way street. I didn't see a lot of Republicans offering compromise.
""I won" is the most absurd form of arrogance..."
How about this? I voted for him, as did the majority of the country, and we didn't put him in office to run a Republican agenda".
"The Carter folly has returned and it is getting ugly."
Yawn.
"So far, Mr. Obama has broken nearly all of his promises and has lied in rather tiresome fashion. "
The only people complaining that Obama has broken promises are the people who didn't want his promises to start with. The rest of us -- and then some, according to the polls -- are pretty damn satisfied with thus far.
"1. Make government open and transparent."
The Obama administration has thus far shown a historically unprecedented transparency. I encourage you to cite evidence to the contrary.
"2. Make it "impossible" for Congressmen to slip in pork barrel projects."
An accusation with no supporting evidence. Please list all pork projects in the final Stimulus bill.
"3. Meetings where laws are written will be more open to the public. (Even Congressional Republicans shut out.)"
This would fall under transparency, which you already listed. Still, you are welcome to provide specifics.
"4. No more secrecy."
How many different ways can you list "transparency"? Weak.
"5. Public will have 5 days to look at a bill."
Again, transparency. By the way: 02/15/2009 supercandy (that's you) Dugg in news '"Urgent' Stimulus on hold for Obama's Weekend Off". So which is it? He's moving too fast or he's moving too slow?
"6. You’ll know what’s in it."
So really your complaint boil down to transparency, yet you haven't submitted anything to substantiate the claim. The content of the Stimulus bill has been very public discussion for over a month and the final version has been online since the middle of last week. Of course, if he mailed you a personal copy to keep you from having to use "teh google", you'd be complaining about tax dollars being spent on postage.
"7. We will put every pork barrel project online."
Redundant. - inactive, on 02/17/2009, -2/+11***** you people, we remember what you did the last 8 years, you can't fool us now
- Alheithinn, on 02/16/2009, -12/+21Glob, we can't let criminals retire in peace. We don't do that in our society, do we? I mean, okay, he's not killing anybody anymore so just let him go. He tortured a few thousand people? No problem, he's given it up. Leave the man alone.
Sorry, that doesn't cut it.
I've all the decency in the world. It's you who lack it. - inactive, on 02/16/2009, -9/+18I guess you'd prefer outright lies, like we get from Republicans?
- PoizonFrog, on 02/16/2009, -6/+15Pubs are becoming more and more disconnected from reality. Here's something to wrap your head around supercandy: How many terms as president did Franklin Delano Roosevelt serve after the first Republican induced depression? Four...the point being Obama can count on being re-elected to a second term even if his policies fail, as long as he's perceived as caring about the average American...enjoy the next eight years.
- novenator, on 02/17/2009, -2/+10Nice biased article there chief.
For the record Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Arlen Specter (R-Penn.), and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) are probably the ONLY 3 moderates left in the Republican Senate. That's because the party has been hijacked by ultra-right religious fundamentalists, and they just keep proving it over and over. - JenniferInMO, on 02/16/2009, -3/+11Look up the definition of pork. There is not one dollar of pork in the bill: http://www.examiner.com/x-1172-Birmingham-Progress ...
You also haven't even read a summary of the bill, have you? Try reading it for yourself. It is nicely indexed by topic: http://thomas.loc.gov/ Tell us which part is pork?
Do you always let Rush do the thinking for you? - pickleprince, on 02/16/2009, -2/+10Hey now, Gay Jesus!
I'm an educated ex-Southerner (alabama) who presently lives in SF. I still say y'all. Ain't nothin' wrong with that. - eir574, on 02/16/2009, -10/+18The question about Bush is relevant to your complaint about Obama. Would you have considered an attack on Bush's speaking style (and there's plenty to be critical of there) a legitimate criticism of his presidency? Or, is it only legitimate when you're looking for anything and everything to complain about regarding Obama? If he's so horrible, surely you can come up with something better than criticizing some hesitancy in his speaking style.
- tmonsta1, on 02/17/2009, -1/+9I think you mean Every Child Left Behind...
and if zacharytelschow ever bothered to talk to a real teacher... maybe he'd realize how absolutely stupid the idea of trying to get mentally retarded children to read at grade level really is....yet it's right there in the NCLB bill
***** YOU REPUBLICAN SCUM
the Retarded party that took power with a surplus, and now bitch about 1 Trillion, when the Republican president drove us into a 10 trillion deficit
morons, absolute morons - nihilville, on 02/16/2009, -4/+12When were the cons ever connected to reality?
- CosmicSurfer, on 02/17/2009, -1/+8Actually - wrong. TAX CUTS WILL work if they are offset by Hikes on the appropriate people.
The Income Tax was never to be a tax on people. It was ONLY a tax on corporations that got bastardized. The people who pay the most taxes are the bottom tier of the country. The less wealth, the less the write offs. The poorer one is, the fewer investments and deductions.
The cuts for the lower tiers will work IF and only IF the burden is placed squarely on those who can most afford it but that will not happen since the RUSHIANS and what is left of the corrupt Reaganites won't pay taxes and won't let their buddies pay taxes so they never will.....
Corporations are classified as people and have to be treated as invalids while their CEOs can get paid off in stocks that don't get taxed until they sell or they pull out dividends and then they will find so many loopholes that they get money back (their loses are so terrible, ya know).....
During the time of the BIGGEST growth in our country, the rich were taxed at a rate nearly double that which they are now. Reagan cut it then Bush - the Middle Class has now shrunk and they are still responsible for paying for the upper tiers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A611 ...
CBO report in Aug 2001 found:
"the wealthiest 20 percent, whose incomes averaged $182,700 in 2001, saw their share of federal taxes drop from 64.4 percent of total tax payments in 2001 to 63.5 percent this year. The top 1 percent, earning $1.1 million, saw their share fall to 20.1 percent of the total, from 22.2 percent.
Over that same period, taxpayers with incomes from around $51,500 to around $75,600 saw their share of federal tax payments increase. Households earning around $75,600 saw their tax burden jump the most, from 18.7 percent of all taxes to 19.5 percent.
The BS that Bush's tax cuts helped us SO much is a farce - Propaganda by the Republican spin machine that was forced through without lubricant
If it had been the other way around, the government would have generated MORE revenue. If the top 10% are paying the same percentage of tax without the write ofrs, the revenue generated would be HUGE. The cuts could be made to the bottom tiers where it is needed and the income for the government would come from those who get the MOST from government....the wealthy - inactive, on 02/16/2009, -5/+12I already told my best friend John that I can't WAIT to hear his newborn daughter grow up to say "ya' all"... if I had kids, the second that phrase would come out of one of their mouths...that alone would make me pack up and leave...
soon enough... soon enough...
Truthfully...If I did have children here...i always said I'd leave the second they were ready to enter school...and that's SAD bc i feel EVERY KID should be able to get the same education in this country regardless of what state or region they live in. - Firstdaughter, on 02/16/2009, -1/+8*****! I hope you don't have a problem with liberal use of the word, "hey"...
XD - Alheithinn, on 02/16/2009, -11/+18I do try, freedomjoe. I realize that facts are to these people what holy water is to vampires...they run away. They're no different than McCain. No matter how often you point them towards the truth, they shy away. To use another analogy, they are cockroaches.
Unfortunately for them and their dogma, the real world still works the way it always has. You can hide from the truth, but you can't hide from its consequences. They're condemning themselves to a small, regional religious sect. My guess is they'll lose even more seats in 2010. When that happens, we won't need to worry about catering to their ignorance.
What a happy world that will be. - emailowndme, on 02/16/2009, -3/+10how about this...No tax cuts...take that 500$ and put it into infrastructure, build/fix some bridges/aqueducts...
most dems didn't want tax cuts for stimulus because they do almost nothing for the economy. They were put in to appease republicans, who still voted no. So yeah, stop bitching, and hold your senators accountable buddy. - Zomgondo, on 02/17/2009, -4/+11@Njon: I've driven from LA to Vegas. It's a few hours of miserable traffic unless you go in the middle of the night. You can argue that people don't need to go to Vegas, but improving the transportation link between those two cities can hardly be called "pork"... it's exactly the sort of thing I pay taxes for.
- USArugula, on 02/17/2009, -5/+12"How about Sen. Reid wanting a "big chunk" of $8 billion to build a train rail from Las Vegas to L.A.?"
The entire project is estimated to cost 12 to 14 billion dollars, of which they are only asking a portion ($8 billion) from the stimulus.
Why does it it cost 12 to 14 billion dollars? Because they have to hire people to lay the track (employment); hire people build the high-speed MagLev trains (employment), contract companies to provide the materials (employment), and then hire people to run and maintain the trains when they are up and running (employment). The train will run between Disneyland and Las Vegas, both tourist destinations that will benefit from the increased traffic (employment).
Add to that a US step toward high-speed, electric mass transit, and we begin moving away from our dependency on countries that don't like us for our fuel.
Then there's the fact that this is an interstate project, meaning: 4 billion to California and 4 billion to Nevada.
So let's sum it up: they are only looking for partial funding; it will be split between two states; it will employ people in its construction and in its implementation; and it is a step toward moving us away from fossil fules. And of course, car- (or train-) pooling is always cheaper and better then everybody-brings-a-car.
Next. - JenniferInMO, on 02/16/2009, -4/+10Looks like you need the cut and pasting treatment:
Look up the definition of pork. There is not one dollar of pork in the bill: http://www.examiner.com/x-1172-Birmingham-Progress ...
You also haven't even read a summary of the bill, have you? Try reading it for yourself. It is nicely indexed by topic: http://thomas.loc.gov/ Tell us which part is pork?
Do you always let Rush do the thinking for you? - USArugula, on 02/16/2009, -10/+16GlobalRoamer: Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. As much as you might wish to distance yourself from Bush (understandable) he damaged this country almost irreversibly. One cannot make repairs and prevent further damage until one thoroughly assesses its extent and and cause.
- Zomgondo, on 02/17/2009, -4/+10If $146 million is only going to create "tens" of jobs... I want a job working on trails.
Meanwhile, if you've walked any of the trails in our park system in the past decade, they are badly in need of repair... and the way you repair them is to pay someone with a shovel and a chainsaw to go out and fix them. This is probably one of the most direct paths to job creation there is. - USArugula, on 02/16/2009, -6/+12Wow, you really liked this comment -- you posted it twice in one article within 15 minutes of each other. Not quite an accidental repost, is it?
Ah, well, then I guess I can call ***** twice too:
"The Democratic Party just pushed a Partisan PORK Bill that offered no compromise, except to appease their own political greed."
Bi-partisanship is a two-way street. I didn't see a lot of Republicans offering compromise.
""I won" is the most absurd form of arrogance..."
How about this? I voted for him, as did the majority of the country, and we didn't put him in office to run a Republican agenda".
"The Carter folly has returned and it is getting ugly."
Yawn.
"So far, Mr. Obama has broken nearly all of his promises and has lied in rather tiresome fashion. "
The only people complaining that Obama has broken promises are the people who didn't want his promises to start with. The rest of us -- and then some, according to the polls -- are pretty damn satisfied with thus far.
"1. Make government open and transparent."
The Obama administration has thus far shown a historically unprecedented transparency. I encourage you to cite evidence to the contrary.
"2. Make it "impossible" for Congressmen to slip in pork barrel projects."
An accusation with no supporting evidence. Please list all pork projects in the final Stimulus bill.
"3. Meetings where laws are written will be more open to the public. (Even Congressional Republicans shut out.)"
This would fall under transparency, which you already listed. Still, you are welcome to provide specifics.
"4. No more secrecy."
How many different ways can you list "transparency"? Weak.
"5. Public will have 5 days to look at a bill."
Again, transparency. By the way: 02/15/2009 supercandy (that's you) Dugg in news '"Urgent' Stimulus on hold for Obama's Weekend Off". So which is it? He's moving too fast or he's moving too slow?
"6. You’ll know what’s in it."
So really your complaint boil down to transparency, yet you haven't submitted anything to substantiate the claim. The content of the Stimulus bill has been very public discussion for over a month and the final version has been online since the middle of last week. Of course, if he mailed you a personal copy to keep you from having to use "teh google", you'd be complaining about tax dollars being spent on postage.
"7. We will put every pork barrel project online."
Redundant. - USArugula, on 02/17/2009, -4/+10"You said, 'The entire project is estimated to cost 12 to 14 billion dollars, of which they are only asking a portion ($8 billion) from the stimulus.' So your defense is that it doesn't count as pork because they need to acquire even BILLIONS MORE to complete this silly project? Not only is that a bad defense; it's also a sorry situation for the American taxpayer.
Njon: You apparently stopped reading there and missed the whole 75% my comment that related to job creation. The larger point, which you seem incapable of wrapping your still-growing 21-year old brain around, is that jobs will created for only a portion of the entire project cost -- which will be shared by two states. - CosmicSurfer, on 02/17/2009, -1/+7BUT.....Simple is not possible in this country. The more complicated, the more spin and BS can be rammed down the throat of the average American. We don't question what we don't understnd and tend to trust sweet talkers...Those who claim piety get more support than those who are honest and reflect decency.
- Firstdaughter, on 02/16/2009, -9/+15Njon - how is public transit pork?
Have you ever heard of a thing called global warming? What is that stuff that cars pump out into the atmosphere? Oh and what's that stuff they use to power car engines? ...
What you said is *****. So what if you can drive there? That is beside the point! - inactive, on 02/17/2009, -5/+11Anyone against funding rail travel is a fool...plain and simple.
- Firstdaughter, on 02/16/2009, -2/+8I read somewhere that cockroaches scurry when you turn on the lights...
hmmmm... - AngelaQ, on 02/17/2009, -0/+6You misunderestimate the point. Work for working people who are unemployed is "pork". No bid contracts to Halliburton for billions of dollars to fund a fraudulent war is a good thing.
-
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