Curse

MMSDome · Feb 20, 2009, 10:43 PM // 22:43

In case you were wondering what is in the stimulus package and didn't want to take the time to read the 1,000 page report this will help you understand a little bit. Nice to know our hard earned money is paying for new furniture, such bullshit.

Quote:

Written by Senator Tom Coburn

Tuesday, 10 February 2009

[Senator Coburn recently gave this speech on the floor of the Senate]

We are going in exactly the wrong direction. We ought to be standing on the principles that made this country great.

There ought to be a review of every program in the Federal Government that is not effective, that is not efficient, that is wasteful or fraudulent, and we ought to get rid of it right now. We ought to say, Gone, to be able to pay for a real stimulus plan that might, in fact, have some impact.

I would be remiss if I didn't remind everybody that next week we are going to hear from the Obama administration wanting another $500 billion. Outside of this ["stimulus" bill], they are going to want another $500 billion to handle the banking system.

I want to make sure the American people know what is in this Stimulus bill. I think once they know what is in this bill, they are going to reject it out of hand. Let me read for my colleagues some of the things that are in this bill.

The biggest earmark in history is in this bill. There is $2 billion in this bill to build a coal plant with zero emissions. That would be great, maybe, if we had the technology, but the greatest brains in the world sitting at MIT say we don't have the technology yet to do that. Why would we build a $2 billion power plant we don't have the technology for that we know will come back and ask for another $2 billion and another $2 billion and another $2 billion when we could build a demonstration project that might cost $150 million or $200 million? There is nothing wrong with having coal-fired plants that don't produce pollution; I am not against that. Even the Washington Post said the technology isn't there. It is a boondoggle. Why would we do that?

We eliminated tonight a $246 million payback for the large movie studios in Hollywood.

We are going to spend $88 million to study whether we ought to buy a new ice breaker for the Coast Guard. You know what. The Coast Guard needs a new ice breaker. Why do we need to spend $88 million? They have two ice breakers now that they could retrofit and fix and come up with equivalent to what they needed to and not spend the $1 billion they are going to come back and ask for, for another ice breaker, so why would we spend $88 million doing that?

We are going to spend $448 million to build the Department of Homeland Security a new building. We have $1.3 trillion worth of empty buildings right now, and because it has been blocked in Congress we can't sell them, we can't raze them, we can't do anything, but we are going to spend money on a new building here in Washington .

We are going to spend another $248 million for new furniture for that building; a quarter of a billion dollars for new furniture. What about the furniture the Department of Homeland Security has now? These are tough times. Should we be buying new furniture? How about using what we have? That is what a family would do. They would use what they have. They wouldn't go out and spend $248 million on furniture.

How about buying $600 million worth of hybrid vehicles? Do you know what I would say? Right now times are tough; I would rather Americans have new cars than Federal employees have new cars. What is wrong with the cars we have? Dumping $600 million worth of used vehicles on the used vehicle market right now is one of the worst things we could do. Instead, we are going to spend $600 million buying new cars for Federal employees.

There is $400 million in here to prevent STDs. I have a lot of experience on that. I have delivered 4,000 babies. We don't need to spend $400 million on STDs. What we need to do is properly educate about the infection rates and the effectiveness of methods of prevention. That doesn't take a penny more. You can write that on one piece of paper and teach every kid in this country, but we don't need to spend $400 million on it. It is not a priority.

How about $150 million for a Smithsonian museum? Tell me how that helps get us out of a recession. Tell me how that is a priority. Would the average American think that is a priority that we ought to be mortgaging our kids' future to spend another $150 million at the Smithsonian?

How about $1 billion for the 2010 census? So everybody knows, the census is so poorly managed that the census in 2010 is going to cost twice what it cost 10 years ago, and we wasted $800 million on a contract because it was no-bid that didn't perform. Nobody got fired, no competitive bidding, and we blew $800 million.

We have $75 million for smoking cessation activities, which probably is a great idea, but we just passed a bill, the SCHIP bill, that we need to get 21 million more Americans smoking to be able to pay for that bill. That doesn't make sense.

How about $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges? I mean, did we talk with Dell and Hewlett-Packard and say, How do we make you all do better? Is there not a market force that could make that better? Will we actually buy on a true competitive bid?

No, because there is nothing that requires competitive bidding in anything in this bill. There is nothing that requires it. It is one of the things President Obama said he was going to mandate at the Federal Government, but there is no competitive bidding in this bill at all.

We have $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas. Well, that will put 10 or 15 people to work. Is that a priority for us right now?

There is $6 billion to turn Federal buildings into green buildings. That is a priority, versus somebody getting a job outside of Washington , a job that actually produces something, that actually increases wealth?

How about $500 million for State and local fire stations? Where do you find in the Constitution us paying for local fire stations within our realm of prerogatives? None of it is competitively bid.

Next is $1.2 billion for youth activities. Who does that employ? What does that mean?

How about $88 million for renovating the public health service building? You know, if we could sell half of the $1.3 trillion worth of properties we have, we could take care of every Federal building requirement and backlog we have.

Then there's $412 million for CDC [Centers for disease Control] buildings and property. We spent billions on a new center and headquarters for CDC. Is that a priority? If we are going to spend $412 million on building buildings, let's build one that will produce something, one that will give us something.

How about $850 million for that most ``efficient'' Amtrak that hasn't made any money since 1976 and continues to have $2 billion or $3 billion a year in subsidies?

Here is one of my favorites: $75 million to construct a new ``security training'' facility for State Department security officers. We already have four other facilities already available to train them. But they want theirs. By the way, it is going to be in West Virginia .. I wonder how that got there.

So we are going to build a new training facility that duplicates four others that we already have that could easily do what we need to do. But because we have a stimulus package, we are going to add in oink pork.

How about $200 million in funding for a lease - not buying, but a lease - of alternative energy vehicles on military installations?

We are going to bail out the States on Medicaid. Total all of the health programs in this, and we are going to transfer $150 billion out of the private sector and we are going to move it to the Federal Government. You talk about back-dooring national health care.

Henry Waxman has to be smiling big today. He wants a single-payer Government-run health care system. We are going to move another $150 billion to the Federal Government from the private sector.

We are going to eliminate fees on loans from the Small Business Administration. You know what that does? That pushes productive capital to unproductive projects. It is exactly the wrong thing to do.

We are going to spend $524 million for information technology upgrades that the Appropriations Committee claims will create 388 jobs. If you do the math on that, that is $1.5 million a job. Don't you love the efficiency of Washington thinking?

We are going to create $79 billion in additional money for the States, a ``slush fund,'' to bail out States and provide millions of dollars for education costs. How many of you think that will ever go away?

Once the State education programs get $79 billion over 2 years, do you think that will ever go away? The cry and hue of taking "our money" away, even though it was a stimulus and supposed to be limited, it will never go away. So we will continue putting that forward until our kids have grandkids of their own.

There is about $47 billion for a variety of energy programs that are primarily focused on renewable energy. I am fine with spending that. But we ought to get something for it. There ought to be metrics. There are no metrics. It is pie in the sky, saying we will throw some money at it.

Let me conclude by saying we are at a seminal moment in our country. We will either start living within the confines of realism and responsibility or we will blow it and we will create the downfall of the greatest nation that ever lived.

This bill is the start of that downfall. To abandon a market-oriented society and transfer it to a Soviet-style, government-centered, bureaucratic-run and mandated program, that is the thing that will put the stake in the heart of freedom in this country.

I hope the American people know what is in this bill. I am doing everything I can to make sure they know. But more important, I hope somebody is listening who will treat the ``pneumonia'' we are faced with today, which is the housing and mortgage markets. It doesn't matter how much money we spend in this bill. It is doomed to failure unless we fix that problem first.

Failing that, we will go down in history as the Congress that undermined the future and vitality of this country. Let it not be so.

sph0nz · Feb 20, 2009, 10:51 PM // 22:51

cool conservative story, bro.

MMSDome · Feb 20, 2009, 11:05 PM // 23:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by sph0nz

cool conservative story, bro.

Did you even bother to read it? Hardly a conservative story since it's fact.

Quit being close-minded.

MisterB · Feb 20, 2009, 11:06 PM // 23:06

It sure would be nice if our elected officials would reduce spending, balance the budget, return the excess taxes collected after cutting waste, and start diminishing the national debt rather than spending even more on all this crap, putting all of us further into debt. This bill is falsely labeled. Nothing remotely stimulating about it.

noneedforclevernames · Feb 20, 2009, 11:15 PM // 23:15

That's a democrat for you. Buy yourself luxurious items, give to the people who make education even worst and dont care about there lives, and don't promote the starting of more business (Jobs).

Just give the poor money instead of making them jobs, so they keep expecting everything for free...

Kerwyn Nasilan · Feb 20, 2009, 11:41 PM // 23:41

Hey, Obama Fans, betcha feel purty stupid right about now hmmmmm?

Winterclaw · Feb 20, 2009, 11:51 PM // 23:51

A viva la reveloutionne! A viva l'anime!

I really think that the gross incompetence on both sides of the isle and useless bailout after useless bailout could start driving people to the limits of their tolerance with this government. I mean we are in the middle of a recession, some people think it could be a depression and the government is taking tax dollars, which could have been left with businesses to keep people employed, and giving it to their friends and campaign donors.

WTB a new continental congress.

**cosyfiep** · Feb 20, 2009, 11:57 PM // 23:57

well I was watching one of them news programs (fox, cnn??...no idea which they are all the same so it doesnt really matter which one) and they mentioned that if instead of making it a package they gave each man, woman, and child part of that money --divided equally---that each person would get about $27,000.....I see that as a much better 'stimulus' package (yeah I know what I could do with 27k...oh yeah).

a politician is a politician, its like a dog will always be a dog, and never be a cat .....

lordheinous · Feb 22, 2009, 06:47 AM // 06:47

We have important things to spend money on, like fat contracts for big businesses so that the top brass can live in luxury while there workers struggle to subsist, amirite?

And for all the "make more jobs" crowd, it doesn't matter how many jobs there are if the jobs that exist simply don't provide the capital necessary to survive. Go read something like "Nickel and Dimed" (the events of which ironically took place during an economic boom) kool konservative kids (see what i did there?)

Eragon Zarroc · Feb 22, 2009, 10:09 AM // 10:09

the government is of course using our money for the greater good of the country! (LMAO, couldn't hold my laugh in

)

kostolomac · Feb 22, 2009, 02:43 PM // 14:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosyfiep

well I was watching one of them news programs (fox, cnn??...no idea which they are all the same so it doesnt really matter which one) and they mentioned that if instead of making it a package they gave each man, woman, and child part of that money --divided equally---that each person would get about $27,000.....I see that as a much better 'stimulus' package (yeah I know what I could do with 27k...oh yeah).

a politician is a politician, its like a dog will always be a dog, and never be a cat .....

That's actually a pretty good idea.

Yang Whirlwind · Feb 22, 2009, 04:18 PM // 16:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosyfiep

well I was watching one of them news programs (fox, cnn??...no idea which they are all the same so it doesnt really matter which one) and they mentioned that if instead of making it a package they gave each man, woman, and child part of that money --divided equally---that each person would get about $27,000.....I see that as a much better 'stimulus' package (yeah I know what I could do with 27k...oh yeah).

We also know what all the drug addicts, compulsive gamblers and alcoholics would do with their share. Are you really sure that is such a good idea?

Unlucky Slayer · Feb 22, 2009, 04:43 PM // 16:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yang Whirlwind

We also know what all the drug addicts, compulsive gamblers and alcoholics would do with their share. Are you really sure that is such a good idea?

TBH it doesnt matter what those guys spend it on as long as they spend it.

the savage nornbear · Feb 22, 2009, 06:11 PM // 18:11

27k will completely pay for my college, and give me some nice starting out cash. I don't think I will be able to reap the benefits of new furniture for the Homeland Security building. Obama... oh how you have fallen...

Yang Whirlwind · Feb 22, 2009, 06:56 PM // 18:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by the savage nornbear

27k will completely pay for my college, and give me some nice starting out cash. I don't think I will be able to reap the benefits of new furniture for the Homeland Security building. Obama... oh how you have fallen...

That money will go straight to a company who makes furniture, who will in turn hire people to produce said furniture.
The important part is to get the wheels of society turning:
building roads, houses, public buildings, renovating existing buildings and yes,- even buying furniture are excellent ways of doing just that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unlucky Slayer

TBH it doesnt matter what those guys spend it on as long as they spend it.

Hmmm, unless the drug lords finally started paying tax, I beg to differ.

Winterclaw · Feb 22, 2009, 07:12 PM // 19:12

No, the drug lords are going to buy more guns so they can start officially taking over mexico instead of taking over places here and there. Then once they hold mexico's oil supply as well as its drug supply, they'll put the US in a choke hold.

**cosyfiep** · Feb 22, 2009, 09:16 PM // 21:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yang Whirlwind

That money will go straight to a company who makes furniture, who will in turn hire people to produce said furniture.
The important part is to get the wheels of society turning:
building roads, houses, public buildings, renovating existing buildings and yes,- even buying furniture are excellent ways of doing just that.

Unfortunately, that company is probably NOT in the usa---and wont be employing americans! There is a good chance it will be a FOREIGN company, thus not helping us at in the slightest (ok, it would make the trade deficit larger)....so we are going to help the economy of say.....mexico some more I guess.

Snow Bunny · Feb 23, 2009, 12:21 AM // 00:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unlucky Slayer

TBH it doesnt matter what those guys spend it on as long as they spend it.

If a bunch of drug addicts spend it on drugs, their money goes into the black market.

The 'green' renovations I agree with. Dome, I don't know why you don't believe in Global Warming, but it's a scientific fact.

The point of this package is to spend money. It's Keynesian economics. I'd prefer to spend money on eco-friendly shit than to spend it on a bunch of Abstinence-only sex education programs.

Loveless Rage · Feb 23, 2009, 12:56 AM // 00:56

Yeah, let's give out a shitload of money because we're in debt and since everybody is supposed to spend it all to boost the economy we'll be good again.

No.

Even if everyone spends it all, we'd be in the same position.

DarkFlame · Feb 23, 2009, 05:36 AM // 05:36

At this point in time, I really don't care anymore. We're screwed and will be kept screwed, its like '04 again with the re-election of Bush. Just gotta survive and hope for change(real change) in 4 more years.