Congratulations to the House Republicans!

It appears that the Republican Party members residing in the House of Representatives have found what once appeared to be lost forever-their spines. Amazingly, they fought off what must have been some very heavy pressure from the Obama people, the media, and probably some folks back home, and unanimously voted against the passage of HR1, the most expensive, pork-laden, nonsensical vote-buying spending bill to ever be introduced anywhere. Ever.

While they clearly lacked the necessary number of votes to prevent the passage of this hideous monstrosity, I believe they at least were able to send the message to the White House that Obama's heretofore seemingly magical tiptoe-through-the-tulips was destined to be a short trip. Let us hope he didn't stub his toe.

Now the bill moves over to the Senate to try its luck there. Hopefully the Senate Republicans have taken notice of what their House colleagues did yesterday, and unanimously vote against this nonsense as well.

I urge you to begin emailing and calling your respective senators now, and not waiting until next week. We need to put their feet to the fire, and hold it there until they squirm.

We were able to kill Scamnesty, and we can kill Porkzilla, too.

Economic "Stimulus" My Arse III

The economic "stimulus" disaster just keeps getting, a'hem, better and better. Here is an even more comprehensive break down of some of the pork-fat dripping goodies contained in this ill-conceived "plan:"

Happy reading.

Just Some of the Economic Stimulus Bill

By

Jamie Dupree @ January 24, 2009 2:51 PM

What follows are a number of the spending projects included in the economic stimulus bill filed by Democrats late on Friday, which will be voted on in coming days by the House of Representatives.

This is not a complete list. Instead, it is an overview of some of the major items found in this bill in terms of spending. No judgments are made about the need for these expenditures.

That is up to you, the voter, and your elected members of the House and Senate.

You can find the full text of the bill, H.R. 1 at http://www.rules.house.gov/111/LegText/111_hr1_text.pdf

Here is a sampling of what we found:

$44 million for construction, repair and improvements at US Department of Agriculture facilties

$209 million for work on deferred maintenance at Agricultural Research Service facilities

$245 million for maintaining and modernizing the IT system of the Farm Service Agency

$175 million to buy and restore floodplain easements for flood prevention

$50 million for "Watershed Rehabilitation"

$1.1 billion for rural community facilities direct loans

$2 billion for rural business and industry guaranteed loans

$2.7 billion for rural water and waste disposal direct loans

$22.1 billion for rural housing insurance fund loans

$2.8 billion for loans to spur rural broadband

$150 million for emergency food assistance

$50 million for regional economic development commissions

$1 billion for "Periodic Censuses and Programs"

$350 million for State Broadband Data and Development Grants

$1.8 billion for Rural Broadband Deployment Grants

$1 billion for Rural Wireless Deployment Grants

$650 million for Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Program

$100 million for "Scientific and Technical Research and Services" at the National Institute of Standards And Technology

$30 million for necessary expenses of the "Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership"

$300 million for a competitive construction grant program for research science buildings

$400 million for "habitat restoration and mitigation activities" at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

$600 million for "accelerating satellite development and acquisition"

$140 million for "climate data modeling"

$3 billion for state and local law enforcement grants

$1 billion for "Community Oriented Policing Services"

$250 million for "accelerating the development of the tier 1 set of Earth science climate research missions recommended by the National Academies Decadal Survey."

$50 million for repairs to NASA facilities from storm damage

$300 million for "Major Research Instrumentation program" (science)

$200 million for "academic research facilities modernization"

$100 million for "Education and Human Resources"

$400 million for "Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction"

$4.5 billion to make military facilities more energy efficient

$1.5 billion for Army Operation and Maintenance fund

$624 million for Navy Operation and Maintenance

$128 million for Marine Corps Operation and Maintenance

$1.23 billion for Air Force Operation and Maintenance

$454 million to "Defense Health Program"

$110 million for Army Reserve Operation and Maintenance

$62 million for Navy Reserve Operation and Maintenance

$45 million for Marine Corps Reserve Operation and Maintenance

$14 million for Air Force Reserve Operation and Maintenance

$302 million for National Guard Operation and Maintenance

$29 million for Air National Guard Operation and Maintenance

$350 million for military energy research and development programs

$2 billion for Army Corps of Engineers "Construction"

$250 million for "Mississippi River and Tributaries"

$2.2 billion for Army Corps "Operation and Maintenance"

$25 million for an Army Corps "Regulatory Program"

$126 million for Interior Department "water reclamation and reuse projects"

$80 million for "rural water projects"

$18.5 billion for "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy" research in the Department of Energy. That money includes:

$2 billion for development of advanced batteries

$800 million of that is for biomass research and $400 million for geothermal technologies

$1 billion in grants to "institutional entities for energy sustainability and efficiency"

$6.2 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program

$3.5 billion for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants

$3.4 billion for state energy programs

$200 million for expenses to implement energy independence programs

$300 million for expenses to implement Energy efficient appliance rebate programs including the Energy Star program

$400 million for expenses to implement Alternative Fuel Vehicle and Infrastructure Grants to States and Local Governments

$1 billion for expenses necessary for advanced battery manufacturing

$4.5 billion to modernize the nation's electricity grid

$1 billion for the Advanced Battery Loan Guarantee Program

$2.4 billion to demonstrate "carbon capture and sequestration technologies"

$400 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency (Science)

$500 million for "Defense Environmental Cleanup"

$1 billion for construction and repair of border facilities and land ports of entry

$6 billion for energy efficiency projects on government buildings

$600 million to buy and lease government plug-in and alternative fuel vehicles

$426 million in small business loans

$100 million for "non-intrusive detection technology to be deployed at sea ports of entry

$150 million for repair and construction at land border ports of entry

$500 million for explosive detection systems for aviation security

$150 million for alteration or removal of obstructive bridges

$200 million for FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter program

$325 million for Interior Department road, bridge and trail repair projects

$300 million for road and bridge work in Wildlife Refuges and Fish Hatcheries

$1.7 billion for "critical deferred maintenance" in the National Park System

$200 million to revitalize the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

$100 million for National Park Service Centennial Challenge programs

$200 million for repair of U.S. Geological Survey facilities

$500 million for repair and replacement of schools, jails, roads, bridges, housing and more for Bureau of Indian Affairs

$800 million for Superfund programs

$200 million for leaking underground storage tank cleanup

$8.4 billion in "State and Tribal Assistance Grants"

$650 million in "Capital Improvement and Maintenance" at the Agriculture Dept.

$850 million for "Wildland Fire Management"

$550 million for Indian Health facilities

$150 million for deferred maintenance at the Smithsonian museums

$50 million in grants to fund "arts projects and activities which preserve jobs in the non-profit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn" through the National Endowment for the Arts

$1.2 billion in grants to states for youth summer jobs programs and other activities

$1 billion for states in dislocated worker employment and training activities

$500 million for the dislocated workers assistance national reserve

$80 million for the enforcement of worker protection laws and regulations related to infrastructure and unemployment insurance investments

$300 million for "construction, rehabilitation and acquisition of Job Corps Centers"

$250 million for public health centers

$1 billion for renovation and repair of health centers

$600 million for nurse, physician and dentist training

$462 million for renovation work at the Centers for Disease Control

$1.5 billion for "National Center for Research Resources"

$500 million for "Buildings and Facilities" at the National Institutes of Health in suburban Washington, D.C.

$700 million for "comparative effectiveness research" on prescription drugs

$1 billion for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance

$2 billion in Child Care and Development Block Grants for states

$1 billion for Head Start programs

$1.1 billion for Early Head Start programs

$100 million for Social Security research programs

$200 million for "Aging Services Programs"

$2 billion for "Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology"

$430 million for public health/social services emergency funds

$2.3 billion for the Centers for Disease Control for a variety of programs

$5.5 billion in targeted education grants

$5.5 billion in "education finance incentive grants"

$2 billion in "school improvement grants"

$13.6 billion for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

$250 million for statewide education data systems

$14 billion for school modernization, renovation and repair

$160 million for AmeriCorps grants

$400 million for the construction and costs to establish a new "National Computer Center" for the Social Security Administration

$500 million to improve processing of disability and retirement claims

$920 million for Army housing and child development centers

$350 million for Navy and Marine Corps housing and child development centers

$280 million in Air Force housing and child development centers

$3.75 billion in military hospital and surgery center construction

$140 million in Army National Guard construction projects

$70 million in Air National Guard construction projects

$100 million in Army Reserve construction projects

$30 million in Navy Reserve construction projects

$60 million in Air Force Reserve construction projects

$950 million for VA Medical Facilities

$50 million for repairs for military cemeteries

$120 million for a backup information management facility for the State Department

$98 million for National Cybersecurity Initiative

$3 billion for "Grants-in-Aid for Airports"

$300 million for Indian Reservation roads

$300 million for Amtrak capital needs

$800 million for national railroad assets or infrastructure repairs, upgrades

$5.4 billion in federal transit grants

$2 billion in infrastructure development for subways and commuter railways

$5 billion for public housing capital

$1 billion in competitive housing grants

$2.5 billion for energy efficiency upgrades in public housing

$500 million in Native American Housing Block Grants

$4.1 billion to help communities deal with foreclosed homes

$1.5 billion in homeless prevention activities

$79 billion in education funds for states

-END

Remember, Jamie says this is just "some" of what is in the bill.

I expect this lunacy will sail through the House with ease.

That means the only thing standing between us and the end of America as we know it is the United States Senate.

:-O

Economic "Stimulus" My Arse II

As of today the "stimulus" package has now reached $850 billion and is moving past 1588 pages. The pork being added to this bill is coming fast and heavy, and getting more difficult to track.

To make things easier to find, Rob Neppell has created a searchable web site that contains the current plan.

You will also find a wealth of links to some very interesting analysis from all over the internet that deals with the possible consequences of this bill's passage.

Tomorrow, our congress critters will vote on this hideous vote-buying scheme.

The outcome may very well determine the future of our republic.

(h/t: Ed Morrissey @ HotAir.com for the link)

Economic "Stimulus" My Arse

Our new POTUS is working hard to get his people in place so that they can start ramming (his?) $825 billion (for now) economic "stimulus" plan down our throats (or upward into another, much tighter bodily opening) as quickly as possible. The Democrat big-wigs are pressing hard for a mid-February signing ceremony, and are telling anyone who will listen that the federal government must spend this money if our economy is to be saved.

Hmm, where have we heard that before?

Several days ago, House minority leader John Boehner circulated an email with some eye-opening, if not actually eye-popping, details about this latest government scheme to separate us Americans from our hard-earned money.

Oh yes, the balance due on this "bailout" will be coming right out of our pockets, as there is actually no such thing as government money. I am not altogether sure the 65 million Americans who were conned into voting for Mr. Obama are aware of this fact.

Anyway, here is what the social democrats are proposing (emphasis mine):

A Dozen Fun Facts About the House Democrats' Massive Spending Bill

1. The House Democrats' bill will cost each and every household $6,700 additional debt, paid for by our children and grandchildren.

2. The total cost of this one piece of legislation is almost as much as the annual discretionary budget for the entire federal government.

3. President-elect Obama has said that his proposed stimulus legislation will create or save three million jobs. This means that this legislation will spend about $275,000 per job. The average household income in the U.S. is $50,000 a year.

4. The House Democrats' bill provides enough spending - $825 billion - to give every man, woman, and child in America $2,700.

5. $825 billion is enough to give every person living in poverty in the U.S. $22,000.

6. $825 billion is enough to give every person in Ohio $72,000.

7. Although the House Democrats' proposal has been billed as a transportation and infrastructure investment package, in actuality only $30 billion of the bill - or three percent - is for road and highway spending. A recent study from the Congressional Budget Office said that only 25 percent of infrastructure dollars can be spent in the first year, making the one year total less than $7 billion for infrastructure.

8. Much of the funding within the House Democrats' proposal will go to programs that already have large, unexpended balances. For example, the bill provides $1 billion for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), which already have $16 billion on hand. And, this year, Congress has plans to rescind $9 billion in highway funding that the states have not yet used.

9. In 1993, the unemployment rate was virtually the same as the rate today (around seven percent). Yet, then-President Clinton's proposed stimulus legislation ONLY contained $16 billion in spending.

10. Here are just a few of the programs and projects that have been included in the House Democrats' proposal:

• $650 million for digital TV coupons.
• $6 billion for colleges/universities - many which have billion dollar endowments.
• $166 billion in direct aid to states - many of which have failed to budget wisely.
• $50 million in funding for the National Endowment of the Arts.
• $44 million for repairs to U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters.
• $200 million for the National Mall, including grass planting.
• $400 million for "National Treasures."

11. Almost one-third of the so called tax relief in the House Democrats' bill is spending in disguise, meaning that true tax relief makes up only 24 percent of the total package - not the 40 percent that President-elect Obama had requested.

12. $825 billion is just the beginning - many Capitol Hill Democrats want to spend even more taxpayer dollars on their "stimulus" plan.

-End

My personal "favorite" was item No. 3. Only government could come up with a way to spend $275,000 to "create" or save just one job.

This isn't an economic stimulus anything. It is a pork-fat dripping payoff for the constituents of the social democrats.

Little wonder they are in such an all-fired hurry to get this lunacy passed and signed into law, because the longer it sits around collecting dust, the greater the chances are that people might actually read the thing and start asking questions that I do not think the supporters of this world-class rip-off are going to want to answer.

Who knows? One or two of them may be actually be out of that group of 65 million Americans who voted for "change."

Yep, change is about all we will have left once this insanity blows through.

Sadder still is that many of our representatives in Washington who were once fiscal conservatives and should know better, are gleefully lining up to support a plan that I am convinced will do nothing but reward a particular political party's supporters. Furthermore it will leave us with a still-ailing economy, a much emptier treasury, a far higher budget deficit and overall national debt, and even greater threats to our freedoms and liberties when it becomes apparent, even to an Obama voter, that this plan has only managed to stimulate Chris Matthew's leg.

Then what?

Heinz Yanks Their Pickle

I realize this does not quite rise to the level of heresy that New Coke was, which was probably one of the darkest periods in this nation's history (ask any of my fellow Atlantans) but H.J. Heinz Co. has decided to remove the familiar little green gherkin that has been adorning their ketchup bottles for over a century.

They are going to replace the little pickle with a (gasp!) actual tomato.

Sheesh, is nothing sacred anymore?

At least we can be thankful the people at Chicago-based Heinz didn't decide to put an image of Barack Hussein Obama on the bottle.

-At least not for the time being.

(h/t Reuters via WND)

School Bans the Dissing of Barack Obama

As a libertarian and lover of freedom, I have all kinds of problems with this move on the part of a government school, my biggest issue here being that they are teaching the students of this school that it is okay for government to decide what American citizens can and cannot say.

"Inappropriate comments that may make other students, staff or families feel unwelcome or uncomfortable in school or on the bus will not be tolerated," Superintendent Kevin Bright said in an e-mail sent to parents Monday, Jan. 12.

So, who is it that decides what constitutes an inappropriate comment? Some government bureaucrat? Sorry, but that is utter nonsense, and should be tolerated by no one who truly cares about our freedoms and liberties as Americans.

(h/t Dayton Daily News via WND)

The Continuing Bailout Boondoggle

This government bailout nonsense appears to be gaining even more steam, that despite the fact billions of (our) dollars spent so far has shown little or no positive economic results. Banks aren't lending, people aren't buying, and absolutely nobody seems to be hiring.

I am certainly no economist, but it seems to me that massive federal spending programs, along with even more draconian regulations heaped upon an already over-regulated economy, are not the answer to our current economic predicament. I am fully convinced that it was misguided and overbearing government policies that got us here in the first place, some of which can be traced back to the late 1970's.

Government does absolutely nothing well, and I am concerned the massive bailout the new administration is proposing is only going to result in worse problems a few years down the road. By that time, most of the problems we have now will still be around, but we will be facing far larger budget deficits. This is not going to be good for future generations of Americans, who are already facing a less-free and more austere future due to the confiscatory amounts each of us already owes.

I am of the belief that the best thing the federal government could do for this nation's economy is to get out of the way and let the markets, and specifically the private sector, work it out instead. I believe all the government is going to wind up doing is causing the tough times to last longer, and run much deeper than they already are.

I ran across the following over at Newsmax.com today. Its nice to see that at least some are questioning this apparently out-of-control spending insanity:

Obama's Trojan Horse: Bailout Signals Return of Welfare State

Sunday, January 18, 2009 5:50 PM

By: Newsmax Staff

President-elect Barack Obama’s proposed $775 billion stimulus package, being sold as a cure-all for the ailing economy, is little more than a checklist for funding the pricey social-services agenda that he promised during his campaign.

Some experts say that the Trojan horse of pork and welfare spending will ultimately worsen the recession and drive the nation deeper into debt, according to financial experts.

Most of Obama’s costliest promises have found their way into the so-called American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, which now includes everything from an expansion of Pell grants for college students, to health care for the unemployed, to an expansion of unemployment benefits, to investment in renewable energy.

“This legislation appears to blanket government programs in spending with little thought toward real economic results, job creation or respect for the taxpayer," said Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee. "I'm scratching my head trying to determine how items like $50 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts will create jobs or provide relief for families across the country."

Lewis and other Republicans question the inclusion of items like $850 million for wildfire prevention and $600 million for new cars for the federal government.

Lewis lists others: $200 million to “encourage electric vehicle technologies” in state and local government motor pools, $1.9 billion in funding for high level physics research, $650 million to extend the coupon program to allow analog TV owners to continue to watch TV, and $400 to the Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration for “habitat restoration.”

What do any of these expenditures have to do with creating job? They are a far cry from the traditional tools of stimulating the economy such as road and bridge construction, for which the bill allots $30 billion, some experts say. Their inclusion reflects Democrats' expansive view of how the government can create jobs: helping the auto industry by replacing government cars, for example, and hiring people to restore areas hit by wildfires.

Far from sparking the economy, the package will send the budget deficit soaring, crowd out private investment, and fuel a surge in inflation and interest rates, according to Arthur Laffer, an economic advisor to President Reagan.

The package essentially transfers wealth from those who are working to those who aren’t, Laffer tells Newsmax. “When you give people real resources other than what comes from work effort, those resources have to come from workers and producers.

“Conceptually, the government doesn’t create resources, it redistributes resources,” Laffer says. “Whenever you bail something out, you have to take resources from people doing well. It’s a zero sum game.”

Specifically, Obama is proposing spending $775 billion in government dollars in four key areas:

Tax Relief: $310 billion. Companies could write off losses for 2008-09, small businesses could write off spending this year up to $250,000, companies would receive a $3,000 credit this year for each employee hired and retained. Individuals would receive $500 tax rebates, couples $1,000. Those who don’t make enough money to pay taxes would benefit from reductions in Social Security and Medicare withholding taxes. Energy. Obama seeks a national energy grid including renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydroelectricity. Funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which seeks new technology to make U.S. manufacturing more efficient, would be doubled. These are only part of Obama’s excessive $150 billion green-jobs plan. Health Care: $100 billion. This includes more health insurance for laid-off workers and funds for states to finance Medicaid. The program also allocates $20 billion toward Obama’s ultimate goal of $50 billion to modernize medical records. Education. Pell grants for college students and spending on Head Start programs would be increased. Funds also would be raised to help special education students. “I’m skeptical about green jobs. Why do we as a government propose all this green spending? Look at what happened when the government insisted on boosting the housing sector,” Steve Horwitz an economist at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., tells Newsmax. In fact, all of these pricey programs are likely to last a long time, whether they help the country out of its economic morass or not, experts fear. "If all of the infrastructure and the programs to temporarily help individuals, to temporarily [help] companies, if all of this becomes bureaucratic institutions that are in place from now until forever, we're in trouble," Thomas Donahue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 3 million businesses told Time magazine recently. "You stop and think of some of these things and you say, 'All right, that's just for two years.' Well, who's going to be in charge two years from now, saying 'We're not doing that anymore'?" Strikingly, things are so bad in the economy that Obama admitted as much in a speech earlier this month and still hasn’t engendered much resistance to his plans. As the economy has worsened, the president-elect has been asked repeatedly which of his campaign initiatives he would be willing to cut. The answer? Not many. "There is no doubt that the cost of this plan will be considerable," Obama said. "It will certainly add to the budget deficit in the short term. But equally certain are the consequences of doing too little or nothing at all, for that will lead to an even greater deficit of jobs, incomes and confidence in our economy." The reality of the Obama spending plan flies in the face of the consensus has emerged among mainstream economists that the recession can’t end without a massive fiscal stimulus program. Everyone from Larry Summers, incoming director of the White House National Economic Council, to Martin Feldstein, chairman of President Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers, has jumped on board. But sometimes the consensus is wrong, and this, some financial experts maintain, is one of those times. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that the deficit will explode to $1.2 trillion this year, even before the stimulus package, which could another $1 trillion to the gap over the next two years. A $1.2 trillion deficit would amount to about 8 percent of gross domestic product, smashing the post-World War II record of 6 percent, set in 1983 under President Reagan. If the stimulus package pushes the deficit to $1.7 trillion this year, that would total a whopping 10 percent of GDP. Not everyone is comfortable trading deep deficit spending for the promise of recovery, however. “We’re in a situation where the budget deficit will top $2 trillion over the next two years, and they’re talking about adding $700 billion-$800 billion in new spending,” J.D. Foster, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, tells Newsmax. “If deficit spending stimulated the economy, with $2 trillion already out there, the economy should be performing like a double shot of espresso.” Instead economists are forecasting a contraction of up to 5 percent for the fourth quarter of last year and the current quarter. “The reason why the package is not stimulative and that the additional deficit spending won’t help is that the federal government has to borrow from the private sector to spend it,” Foster says. “Whoever was going to spend that money in the private sector won’t be able to do so. Deficit spending just rearranges demand in the economy, it doesn’t change incentives to produce.” “The transfer [of wealth] drives a wedge between wages paid and wages received,” adds Laffer. “That larger wedge creates a disincentive to produce.” Laffer asks rhetorically: “If you’re going to give some resources to those who don’t work, why not give 100 percent? GDP would go to zero.” Many critics have said it was deregulation that sparked the financial crisis and recession, but Horwitz says the problem was too much regulation, and that the stimulus package represents just another example. “There was this government focus on the housing market, giving power to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and keeping interest rates low,” he says. “Now we’re repeating the problems that got us into trouble.” And of course, bulging deficits always are accompanied by jumps in inflation and interest rates. “We are taking about issuing an enormous amount of debt at the same time that governments around the world are talking about something very similar,” Foster says. “Globally, additional deficit spending could top $1.5 trillion this year. That’s an enormous number, large enough to have a material effect on real interest rates, driving them up and thereby slowing the economy.” As for the $310 billion of tax cuts in Obama’s program, many of them represent temporary measures, such as a $500 rebate for individuals, $1,000 for couples. And even those who don’t earn enough to pay income taxes would be handed a rebate for automatic Social Security and Medicare deductions from their paychecks. Experts like the idea of increased tax cuts, but fault Obama for seeking only temporary reduction. His tax plan is misdirected. “There will be more money left in families’ pockets, which is good, but that’s not stimulative,” Foster says. “The federal government has to borrow to give you rebates or lower withholding taxes. It’s a reduction in tax barriers that stimulates the economy.” Horwitz favors a reduction in capital gains taxes to spark business investment and Laffer would like to see a decrease in top marginal tax rates. Only one element of Obama’s spending plan makes sense, experts say: infrastructure improvement. “If you’re going to have a stimulus program, you may as well be sure you are spending on things the government can do that others can’t,” says Horwitz. “If you’re going to borrow, do so for the long-term. In that sense, infrastructure makes sense.” But that is about the only part of the boondoggle that is defensible, he and others say.