Obama gets one right (for the wrong reasons),,,

[Lulz]

That was a convoluted post.  I think if Republicans agreed to reasonable tax hikes on millionaires and billionaires and cutting subsides for multi billion dollar companies such as big oil and big agra Obama would have to make some deep cuts elsewhere.  Obama can't go to his base and tell grandmothers on a fixed income to eat cat food while GE pays no taxes and someone making $500,000/yr claims to be just scraping by and can't afford a tax hike.

Check out Greece if you want to see what happens when the rich don't pay any takes and the working people are forced to take wage cuts to pay the debt.  It's not pretty.

[Lulz]

Ok, let’s review.

First, you have kept insisting that The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was a ‘stimulus’ bill.  You state that the “purpose” of the bill was “to stimulate the economy.”

Now, you have subsequently admitted that it might not have been successful in achieving that purpose (“whether it worked or not”).

I have pointed out that the purpose of the bill was primarily to fund liberal interests and reward contributors with preferences (such as accelerated depreciation for business aircraft). 
If the purpose had been “to stimulate the economy,” rather than reward certain contributors, the acceleration in depreciation would have applied universally.

Also, to support my point as to the bill be primarily to fund liberal interests, let me cite some examples:

• $ 87 billion Medicaid aid to states
• $ 79 billion school districts/public colleges to prevent cutbacks
• $ 54 billion to encourage energy production from renewable sources
• $ 41 billion for additional school funding
• $ 24 billion for "health information."
• $ 6 billion for "higher education modernization”.

So, in conclusion, calling it a ‘stimulus’ bill is inaccurate and biased.

Now, to an impartial reader, calling the Porkulus bill a ‘stimulus’ bill does imply that you do approve of it (although it’s nice that you are now stating that “I'm not claiming that this policy was a good policy.”)

Going just by the brief description of those projects they all sound pretty good to me, besides the $24 billion for "health information."  I haven't seen any studies proving putting an obese, sedentary, smoker's health records on a computer is going to extend their life.

They sound a lot better than the GW Bush waste $1 Trillion+ in Iraq Halliburton Stimulus Package.  By the way Carl those aren't liberal or Democratic ideas.  Most civilized people on the planet would think those are a great place for a government to spend their money during a recession.


Here are some FACTS...


CBO Report Shows Stimulus Plan Had Positive Effects On Economy

In a report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), it was estimated that ARRA increased the number of employed Americans by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million and lowered the unemployment rate by between 0.7 percentage points and 1.8 percentage points in the second quarter of 2010. Furthermore, the stimulus plan raised the gross domestic product by between 1.7 percent and 4.5 percent