A coalition of Democrats and some Republicans reached a compromise that trimmed billions in spending from an earlier version of the Senate economic stimulus bill.
CNN obtained, from a Democratic leadership aide, a list of some programs that have been cut -- either entirely or partially:
|
Matt Miller: Spaghetti Economics
We need to throw lots of spaghetti against the wall, and fast -- and continue to throw lots of spaghetti against the wall for at least a few years.
|
|
Kathleen Reardon: Where's Ross Perot When You Need Him?
I'm ready for a little old fashioned Ross Perot specification of the expected outcomes of the stimulus package. This is what we call in education a "teachable moment."
|
|
Geoffrey Dunn: Palin's Facebook Page: Opposes Obama's Stimulus Plan
We learn on Facebook that Palin has "serious concerns" with Obama's stimulus package. Say what?
|
|
Jay Mandle: Our Twin Crises
That we are unable to manage a functioning economy or deal with climate change because rapacious Wall Street traders have disproportionate political clout is a measure of our political dysfunction.
|
|
Ellis Weiner: Steele Crazy After All This Year
We are witnessing, not so much the collapse of the Republican Party, as its slide into insanity. What was the GOP's great accomplishment last week? A show of "unity" enough to block the first stimulus package.
|
|
Robert Kuttner: Stimulus, Yes; Bank Bailout II, No
If Obama does his job he will mobilize public opinion and isolate Republicans who would rather sink the economy than give a Democratic president legislative success.
|
|
MJ Rosenberg: Obama: Use This And the Jobs Bill Will Pass With a 100 Vote Margin
Our best salesman is Obama. There is no house or senate member who this president cannot roll over.
|
|
Drew Westen: Change vs. Bipartisanship: What Happens When You Throw a Bipartisan Party and Half the Guest List Stays Home?
The problem with a message of bipartisanship is that it makes it very difficult to tell the story of why things are so bad that we need dramatic change.
|
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
I looked at this list, and now I'm depressed. They removed the very important things which can't wait to be dealt with "sometime in the future". And in the event that Republicans come back to power, I think they're not going to care about our crumbling country (ideology is above reality for them after all).
I expected more. I'm not sure this is working.
I'm really depressed now
I am sick in the pit of my stomach AND depressed. I wish Obama could have forgotten about bipartisanship and sold us all on what was best for the United States. I agree with Paul Krugman, this bill is too small and has too many tax cuts to help this economy.
I can't believe they cut education. Who would want to cut education? That's crazy.
It doesn't even mention that the arts were cut (50 million for NEA) and a prohibition passed against using any stimulus funds for arts centers, museums, or parks.
So what's left? Let me guess: tax credits and rebates to encourage us to spend more money. And corporate bail outs.
Don’t think for one moment that Nancy’s not going to get some of these projects put back in HER bill, remember it’s not final yet and they can partially cut some in half to. Once it goes back to the house. The bill still has to be compared to the original house bill that was sent over to the sentient
$50 million for Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service
$40 billion for state fiscal stabilization (includes $7.5 billion of state incentive grants)
$50 million for aquaculture
$10 million state and local law enforcement
$50 million for Cross Agency Support
$1 billion for Energy Loan Guarantees
$50 million from Department of Homeland Security
$200 million Transportation Security Administration
$20 million for working capital fund
$3.5 billion for higher education construction
$16 billion for school construction
$1 billion for Head Start/Early Start
It's good to remember that a 'billion' is a thousand times bigger than a million.
The list of items cut by the Senate represents about 10% of the total in the bill,
so one really needs to think about all of the Pork that was left behind.
$40 billion for 'state assistance' is arguably critical for states, which actually
DO have to balance their budgets. $20 billion for school & higher ed construction
is arguably exactly what is meant by 'shovel-ready' infrastructure re-building.
That's $61.5 billion right there, with Head Start & 'Energy Loan Guarantees' (?).
All the rest of this list adds up to all of half a billion. In a country the size of ours,
a half billion or less is not a significant amount.
Explain to me why $20 billion for school & higher ed construction is "pork"?! People need to be HIRED to do this, and this is a JOBS bill, JOBS that will stimulate ECONOMY because WORKING PEOPLE BUY STUFF.
You talk about billion as if it some huge number, but 62 billion divided among every man, woman and child in the United States is only $155 per person. This is NOT a lot of money! I hope the House puts every cent of it back into the bill.
Anything that has the word "construction" in it should stay in. Those are good jobs with tangible results that will help our economic growth and stability well into the future.
I can't believe funds for mass transit were heavily reduced (that is also an investment in the future and will help with our pursuit of energy independence).
And to cut food stamps is clear stoopid, since EVERY economic analysis I have seen shows that they are the most stimulative form of spending available. Duh!
The real question is why does this stuff take so long to kick in? It's gonna take like 18 months for it to hit the ground. That's too long. It just so happens that that is right around re-election time.
My fear is that Prez Obama is smart and well-intentioned, but naive...That the fact that he didn't spend much time in the Senate building relationships and seeing how things work will be problematic... And add to that the fact that the Democrats are crappy at articulating their ideas and their benefits AND that the republicans are very GOOD at establishing the vocabulary and corralling support, and we have a real problem here...
The republican machine is diabolical AND methodical, -- more left-brain, where the Democrats are more right-brain, which is good in campaigns but is less effective in actual governance...and I'm not sure that our president realizes that.
What must be done now is for the president to declare in so many words that despite his preference to the contrary, he and the democratic majority in congress are going to have to be as hard-lined as the republicans have been, and present the kind of responsible fiscal change that America voted for...PERIOD....
AND THEN DO IT. (After having had a conversation with Nancy Pelosi to keep inappropriate programs out of the bill and with Harry Reid to grow a pair and not back down.)
Do we have 50 Senators will do do whatever it takes within the rules, to get this bill passed?
Prepare to Nuke the Filibuster!
The Filibuster did not exists
when the founding fathers wrote the Constitution.
The Filibuster is non-constitutional.
This bill can pass with a simple 50 votes majority plus VP.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_option#Nuclear_option_readied
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/05/12/nuclear_option_primer/
No 2/3rd, no 5/8,
50+VP.
At first I was disappointed to see the $300 million for federal prisons cut because we need to house the hundreds of financial, regulatory and political crooks and thieves when we round them up. But as an after thought amnesty and pardons could be granted for convicts with higher moral standards to make room for them.
Could we send all Republicans back to business school to take Finance 1?
Free market created by recent Republicans failed...
Because... unleashed all greed + abuse...
Where were monitoring or check and balance...
Drain of resources/equities by Paper CEOs... resulted...
less funding in where companies could have used to conduct R&D or studies...
to be much more competitive in this global market...
Instead... in personal wealth...
You call this free market?
These PAPER CEOs... if it was a company they created...
They may be entitled to with their own money...
but NOT with public money - loss of public trust...
The Republicans knew they could make Obama a one term President by setting him up (and the rest of America) for failure by ruining his stimulus plan. The GOP had nightmares over the idea of Obama actually succeeding at bringing back the U.S. economy when there are more and even bigger wars to be had in the mideast (Iran, Syria) and more oil to drill for in Alaska. Now the Republicans will huddle together and start organizing along with the networks, various ways to rip Obama to shreds for loosing the battle of the economy. In other words they will turn him into another Jimmy Carter.
That is what they are trying to do.... nasty acid bugs
Because what is left, should be fine for them to agree to, and what they are demonstrating now is ugly, mean spritied, and they are willing to let the entire nation just burn in order to be right. They are a nasty lot of folks..... the ones behind this stallmate need to be kicked out of office!!! And that is the nicest thing I will be allowed to say without being cut off. Bunch of turdy boys!
You are so right even at their rallies they are ugly, mean spirited and have no sense of common decency. I just hope in 2010 they get elected out of office.
Just as likely, if Obama keeps his cool, that the people will rally behind
him & jam the stake a little bit deeper into the GOP than was done the last time.
It's not the Demos who made this particular mess, and it seems to be the Repos
who still don't want to fix it.
Regardless of who created it, the Democrats are in power now, so they own it. This plan's success or failure will have a big impact on the 2010 Congressional elections.
Obama and the Dems should reject this bill, rewrite one that includes much of what was deleted to satisfy the Republicans and force it to a vote. Let the moronic minority filibuster- it will show the country that their only solution to every problem is tax cuts (that won't help anything in these circumstances) and that they are willing to sacrifice the good of the nation to their pathetic politics. America voted for real change and the Republicans are standing in the way. Run over them.
I am sure that is what they want to do, but they need 60 votes and I believe they would not have enought that is why they need some republicans. I wish they would do what you said.
Better to let the bill go down in flames then to vote for a weakened and expensive piece of horse dung-- which is what the republicans have made of this bill.
The democrats are going to make another bill mark my words. Everything doesnt have to be in one bill and if republicans think this is it well they really are not very bright at all. Do you think that the democrats would have given in if this was it timing was of the essence. But they are going to do another bill and Obama will sign it. It will have education food stamp unemployment you know all that good stuff that rethugs think are pork. As oppose to fighting illegal wars which is a necessary endeavor.
Carol
I agree. Everything doesn't have to be in one bill. This can be a start but President Obama and the Dems have to stop caving to these republicans that got us in this mess.
The shell game is in effect.... The Senate has turned an imperfect bill into a more imperfect bill. They cut out 100 Billion and say they are fiscally responsible when in reality the cost is about the same as the House Bill. Meanwhile, they increase the number of tax cuts for people that don't need them, and decrease the amount of tax cuts and aids for people that do. Obama ran on $500 tax cuts for anyone making less than $200,000... what do we get? $500 tax cuts for anyone making less than $70,000. They cut food stamps and aid to states, that is really needed and will really flow back into the economy. Then they give $15,000 tax credits to anyone buying real estate no matter how much they make? Sounds like a buying opportunity for Wall Street billionaires and more long-term debt for main street America. I hope a bunch of democrats bail on this "deal"... it makes no sense to make a bunch of changes for republicans that aren't going to vote for the bill anyway.
I think they otta scrap the whole thing and start over. Leave out the pork. leave out the social spending, which does not belong in a stimulus bill. How about revamping the tax code and go to a flat tax. Everyone pays 10 % of their income, no more and no less. No more earned income credits, which could be replaced with credits for health insurance premimums. Leave in the $15,000 cr for buying a home, and I agree that this should not be income limited. Get real, the reason that we are in this mess in the first place is that homeownership was given to people who could not afford it in the first place. Since when did renting a home become a stigma. Since many Democrats pushed banks to make loans to people who had no way of paying for them. Listen to the tapes of Barney Frank and Maxine Waters. Since when did a family getting Food Stamps (and I am not against that kind of help) ever get money flowing into the economy? What they need is small business to do well so that they can hire them. Step back, take a deep breath and be logical.
Exactly! And can you imagine what these real estate credits are going to cost? Goodbye health care reform, etc. You can't have it both ways. You can't bail out all of private industry (thieves!) and have money left for the public good and besides they are against the public good.
Since the people of America vote to elect our leaders why don't they let us vote for what should go into the stimulus package? I get sick of hearing Congress say "the American people want, or don't want." How do they know? There are millions of us that they are not hearing from. They should put up a website with a detailed list of package initiatives and the recommended cost for each and voting buttons. Then based on the results that's what should go in. Seems simple enough to me. My 8 year old came up with the idea!
I honestly dont think Obama will ever sign anything this bad!! he has stated over and over tried and failed tax cuts of the past. I really see he will have to enforse different arrangements of this bill.
I'm afraid he will sign it, as lame as it has now become.
Oh, he'll sign it. He may not believe this is the best they can do, but after all his talk of "now, now, we've got to do something now!" he's got to take some kind of action, even if it's this pork-laden mess.
It would be unwise to sign it, but I would be surprised it he didn't
new thread thumbsdown!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/07/krugman-senate-stimulus-c_n_164944.html
What the centrists have wrought
I’m still working on the numbers, but I’ve gotten a fair number of requests for comment on the Senate version of the stimulus.
The short answer: to appease the centrists, a plan that was already too small and too focused on ineffective tax cuts has been made significantly smaller, and even more focused on tax cuts.
Loading comments…
CNN | February 7, 2009 01:20 PM