Flashback: Stimpack Pandemic Money

[Lunar]

I put the two main arguments congresscritters made at the time in bold below.  I wonder if the  breakdown on this will be on partisan lines.  The word "retrospect" is important too.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0409/Collins_spurned_stim_cash_for_pandemic.html

Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), one of three Senate Republicans who trimmed the House stimulus bills by billions, took aim at about $780 million in funding for pandemic preparedness.

"I think everybody in the room is concerned about a pandemic flu," Collins told MSNBC on Feb. 5 during stimulus negotiations. "But does it belong in this bill? Should we have $870 million in this bill? No. We should not."

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Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), another "Gang of Three" member, emphasized his efforts to ramp up flu preparedness during the regular appropriations process (in concert with Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin) -- but also opposed insertion of the cash in the stimulus.

The larger point -- that pandemic preparedness may not have a stimulative impact on the economy -- is arguable but it puts Collins in an awkward position given the speed and spread of the swine flu outbreak.

Particularly since House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wisc.) said this at the time: "A pandemic hitting in the midst of an economic downturn could turn a recession into something far worse."

[You kip if you want to...]

Markets have dropped like a stone today because of the flu scare. Good goin' GOP.

[Rowan]

Schumer also called it porky.

“All those little porky things that the House put in, the money for the [National] Mall or the sexually transmitted diseases or the flu pandemic, they’re all out,” Schumer said.

So you can also say, way to go Schumer.

[Lief 🗽]

Schumer also called it porky.

“All those little porky things that the House put in, the money for the [National] Mall or the sexually transmitted diseases or the flu pandemic, they’re all out,” Schumer said.

So you can also say, way to go Schumer.

True, but Schumer wasn't one of the moderate heroes who forced the Democratic majority to cut it.

[Lunar]

Schumer also doesn't conceive of the word "pork" as something bad.

Another thing to note is that the stimpack bill covers such a wide breadth of spending, such as the infamous "volcano monitoring" and so on, that the bill can be linked to almost anything and everything that happens in this country, especially naturally disasters and so on.  I wonder if the Democrats intentionally did that so they could claim foresight.

Obviously if the Democrats were so brilliant and the money was so essential, they would have fought to eliminate something else to placate Collins.  However, the pandemic money was something the "Gang of Three" (Specter, Collins, Snowe) specifically targeted and the Democrats were in a hurry to pass any bill.  

Eh.  I'm not passing judgment on this, I find it interesting.


Collin's office recently released this statement:

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[Linus Van Pelt]

The inference from "you don't support my specific initiative to increase funding for x" to "you don't support x" is lame. Like Collins, I see no evidence that the CDC is unprepared for this due to lack of stimulus funding.

[Rowan]

Clearly Senator Collins approves of the swine flu.

[opebo]

No because the stimulus bill should have been about three times larger than it was.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I just love the way our political culture is structured. You oppose one bill or one segment of a bill and all the sudden you oppose that whole issue and you are evil. No wonder we have a "culture of corruption", it is driven by fears of populist reprisals and so people can more easily game the system for the own advantage. Plus I have yet to see how the money would have made a difference in this case.

[Lunar]

I just love the way our political culture is structured. You oppose one bill or one segment of a bill and all the sudden you oppose that whole issue and you are evil.

I think people are only criticizing Collins here for opposing the segment of the bill she opposed, and are not treating it as if she opposed the entire economic stimulus (which she didn't.. obviously, she voted for it).

I don't know, like I said this reminds me of "volcano monitoring" in so many ways.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

A more important and relevant point, of which I have no idea.



I think Collins, if anything, wanted to keep the overall expenditures of the bill itself down and limited to things that directly resulted in an economic stimulus.   She may have supported a separate bill to fund pandemic awareness or whatevsky.  Eh.

[??????????]

If people get sick they get sick, money won't stop it no matter what. It's best we get it anyway so that we get a natural immunity.

[Lunar]

If people get sick they get sick, money won't stop it no matter what. It's best we get it anyway so that we get a natural immunity.

That's just not true...all of it except "if people get sick they get sick"

[??????????]

People don't get an immunity to a virus? Since when?

[Lunar]

It's certainly not the best course of action to infect everyone and move on.

Ever hear of a vaccine?   Those cost money.

[??????????]

It's certainly not the best course of action to infect everyone and move on.

That's certainly a subject up for debate.

[Lunar]

It's certainly not the best course of action to infect everyone and move on.

That's certainly a subject up for debate.

Why not take your daughters down to Mexico then?

Do you disagree ideologically with the concept of a vaccine?

[??????????]

Do you disagree ideologically with the concept of a vaccine?

No, I do disagree with the way they are pushed on the public w/out a full understanding of potential problems.

[Lunar]

Like what?  A few people becoming infected?  Just a second ago you sounded pro-infection in order to "eliminate" a disease.

[??????????]

Like what?  A few people becoming infected?  Just a second ago you sounded pro-infection in order to "eliminate" a disease.

No, like links to Autism, mercury, etc.

[You kip if you want to...]

People don't get an immunity to a virus? Since when?

When the virus mutates, like flu. Why do you think people have to get flu shots every year?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I just love the way our political culture is structured. You oppose one bill or one segment of a bill and all the sudden you oppose that whole issue and you are evil.

I think people are only criticizing Collins here for opposing the segment of the bill she opposed, and are not treating it as if she opposed the entire economic stimulus (which she didn't.. obviously, she voted for it).

I don't know, like I said this reminds me of "volcano monitoring" in so many ways.

My point was that when a poltician opposes a bill or even a segment of a bill like in this case they are accused of being pro-flu pandemic. You either misunderstood my post or I am not grasping your response correctly. I tend to think its the former cause I never suggested that Collins opposed the stimulus cause obviously she voted for it.

[Lief 🗽]

Like what?  A few people becoming infected?  Just a second ago you sounded pro-infection in order to "eliminate" a disease.

No, like links to Autism, mercury, etc.

Pseudo-scientific garbage.

[??????????]

Like what?  A few people becoming infected?  Just a second ago you sounded pro-infection in order to "eliminate" a disease.

No, like links to Autism, mercury, etc.

Pseudo-scientific garbage.

Opinion.

[Franzl]

I can't really fault Collins for this....the thinking being that this type of spending wouldn't provide a quick economic stimulus. She even said in a speach back then in the Senate that there were many projects taken out of the Stimulus that she personally supports...but couldn't allow to be placed into such a package. That seems understandable to me.

Not to mention that I don't know how that money would really have prevented any of this from happening. I don't think it's really all that relevant.

So, yes, it still should have been taken out.