Fur-lined Sinks and Solar-Powered Turtleneck Sweaters
January 31st, 2009
Word has it that President Obama has directed everyone to stop calling his "stimulus" plan a stimulus plan. Instead, it will be called an "economic recovery plan." It's comforting to know that we finally have a title for a plan for creating a gazillion jobs and making all residents -legal and illegal- of America wealthy beyond their dreams.
The truth is there's very little economic stimulation in the President's plan (unless you're one of his cronies.) To paraphrase a recent campaign speech "you can put lipstick on pork, but it's still pork." Someone -some economic genius du jour- needs to explain how these "stimulate" anything:
$20 million “for the removal of small- to medium-sized fish passage barriers.” (Pg. 45 of Senate Appropriations Committee report: “20,000,000 for the removal of small- to medium-sized fish passage barriers) I don’t even know where to begin questioning this tripe. Wouldn’t removal of these barriers make it harder to fish?
$400 million for STD prevention (Pg. 60 of Senate Appropriations Committee report: “CDC estimates that a proximately 19 million new STD infections occur annually in the United States …The Committee has included $400,000,000 for testing and prevention of these conditions.”) We’re going to spend over $20 million per case of clap? What exactly does this stimulate that’s not already being stimulated?
$25 million to rehabilitate off-roading (ATV) trails (Pg. 45 of Senate Appropriations Committee report: “$25,000,000 is for recreation maintenance, especially for rehabilitation of off-road vehicle routes, and $20,000,000 is for trail maintenance and restoration”) Do these ATV’s meet the new mileage standards? How about carbon footprints?
$34 million to remodel the Department of Commerce HQ (Pg. 15 of Senate Appropriations Committee report: $34,000,000 for the Department of Commerce renovation and modernization”) This is self-explanatory. Congress can bitch, moan and whine all they want about private companies remodeling their offices for $12 million?
$70 million to “Support Supercomputing Activities” for climate research (Pgs. 14-15 of Senate Appropriations Committee Report: $70,000,000 is directed to specifically support supercomputing activities, especially as they relate to climate research) $70 million to research a hoax!!!
$150 million for honey bee insurance (Pg. 102 of Senate Appropriations Committee report: “The Secretary shall use up to $ 50,000,000 per year, and $150,000,000 in the case of 2009, from the Trust Fund to provide emergency relief to eligible producers of livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish to aid in the reduction of losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the Secretary”) Are you kidding me? This is a joke, right? Someone please give me the punchline!!!