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What GOP Leaders deem wasteful in Senate stimulus bill

scourge99

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http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/02/gop.stimulus.worries/index.html

What GOP Leaders deem wasteful in Senate stimulus bill

• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs. • $125 million for the Washington sewer system.• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.• $500 million for flood reduction. projects on the Mississippi River.• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.• $500 million for state and local fire stations.• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.• $850 million for Amtrak.• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.

Wow I didn't know anti smoking adds, STD programs, hybrid cars, tax breaks for movie produces, museums, and green buildings stimulated the economy.:roll:

What a bunch of ****ing pork for special interests passed under the disguise of "stimulus".

As much as I can see why these funds would be needed during NORMAL economic times they are simply a waste of money right now and dig us deeper into a hole.

The dems really know how to blow through money.
 
What GOP Leaders deem wasteful in Senate stimulus bill - CNN.com



Wow I didn't know anti smoking adds, STD programs, hybrid cars, tax breaks for movie produces, museums, and green buildings stimulated the economy.:roll:

What a bunch of ****ing pork for special interests passed under the disguise of "stimulus".

As much as I can see why these funds would be needed during NORMAL economic times they are simply a waste of money right now and dig us deeper into a hole.

The dems really know how to blow through money.

I agree. It's sickening. BTW, you forgot one other wasteful spending program - The Iraq War.
 
I agree. It's sickening. BTW, you forgot one other wasteful spending program - The Iraq War.

Spending money to insure Iraq continues to become a peaceful Democracy is a better deal than throwing money away on social welfare programs intended to create a dependent class of citizens who politicians can pander to for votes.

:cool:
 
Wow I didn't know anti smoking adds, STD programs, hybrid cars, tax breaks for movie produces, museums, and green buildings stimulated the economy.:roll:
Does it surprise you that our new-found guardians of fiscal responsibility are loading up an 'economic stimulus package' with their pet projects?
 
I agree. It's sickening. BTW, you forgot one other wasteful spending program - The Iraq War.
Still rabid over Bush. He's in Texas now, get over it.
 
Though I agree with some of this spending I do not agree it should be tied to this stimulus package. Hopefully the GOP will be able to rid this "stimulus" package of its pointless spending.
 
Still rabid over Bush. He's in Texas now, get over it.

I actually live pretty close to him. Damn we got some good tax payer funded security around here now:lol:
 
Though I agree with some of this spending I do not agree it should be tied to this stimulus package. Hopefully the GOP will be able to rid this "stimulus" package of its pointless spending.

But then the people will see it for what it really is, frivilous spending, kickbacks, and returned favors. The whole point of hiding this spending under the name "STIMULUS" is to distract from all the favors, dealings, and payoffs the democrats are pushing through with it. This is EXACTLY the type of stuff McCain was talking about and so fervantly oppossed to. It happens from both sides but because the Dems control congress and Obama is unwilling to threaten with veto or rebuke, this type of behavior will continue, undaunted.

This is one reason why I liked McCain. He always had the balls to speak up about this stuff even when his own team had their hand in the cookie jar.

Where is our "change" now? Its just more of the same.

Obama needs to veto this if it passes and take a stand if he is truly about change and not just about more of the same old guard politics which use this as a means of repaying old and creating new debts. Arnold put his foot down in Cali. If Obama did the same he would get a far better response that couldn't be so easily ignored, unlike Arnold can be in Cali. But as I see it, Obama is just about pretty speaches and hollow promises, as expected. I hope he proves me wrong.
 
Lets look at some of them

• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.


How exactly is this pork? The Bush administration and the Republicans championed this red tape organisation.. so now they dont want to house it? Wont the construction employ hundreds if not thousands of Americans?

$600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.

Fear that the US government should actually save on gasoline bills.. This smells of Detroit buying off the Republicans because Detroit does not have hybrids that are worth a damn yet.

$400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.

Sounds sensible. If they can prevent STD's then they will save on medical bills.. oh wait, that is not what the HMO's and drug companies want... Smells again of industry pressure.

$125 million for the Washington sewer system.

Sounds sensible. Bet the Washington sewer system is like many old cities.. a total wreck.

$1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.

Again smells of Republican sewer tactics.. wonder if they are worried that a new census will weaken their grip on power even more.

$75 million for "smoking cessation activities."

Ahn I see the tobacco companies at work here. Spend 75 million and maybe save hundreds of millions in medical bills in the future.. worth it if you ask me.

$200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.

So only those with money should have access to an education and computer facilities?

$25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.

Yea dont get those native american's off the juice.. typical Republican bull****.

• $500 million for flood reduction. projects on the Mississippi River.

So spend 500 million to save billions in damage due to the river going over its banks? What is not sensible in that? Or do the insurance companies like to pay out billions in damages?

$6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.

Very sensible.. Extremely sensible and will put tons of people into work. Not to mention the savings for the government in heating and power.

Lets just stop there.. sure there are pork projects that you ask.. wtf are they thinking, but that whole list is full of things that will benefit the US economy now and in the future.
 
How exactly is this pork?
Like almost everything else noted here, it is spendng that does nothing to further the objective of the bill.
 
Lets look at some of them

You've completely missed the point. This emergency stimulus bill is being rushed through Congress because we supposedly need to stimulate the economy RIGHT NOW. Cleaning the DC sewers and buying computers for community colleges might be great ideas, but they are not emergencies, nor are they directly related to stimulating the economy. They should be discussed and voted on in the course of the normal legislative process.
 
You've completely missed the point. This emergency stimulus bill is being rushed through Congress because we supposedly need to stimulate the economy RIGHT NOW. Cleaning the DC sewers and buying computers for community colleges might be great ideas, but they are not emergencies, nor are they directly related to stimulating the economy. They should be discussed and voted on in the course of the normal legislative process.

...in hopes that no one will actually pay much attention to what it really contains. :2wave:
 
And yet you support further tax breaks for billionaires.
 
You've completely missed the point. This emergency stimulus bill is being rushed through Congress because we supposedly need to stimulate the economy RIGHT NOW. Cleaning the DC sewers and buying computers for community colleges might be great ideas, but they are not emergencies, nor are they directly related to stimulating the economy. They should be discussed and voted on in the course of the normal legislative process.

So what do you recommend?
 
And yet you support further tax breaks for billionaires.

What a trite little talking point I see you and others like to use; but the irony is that it is not supported by any facts, truth or REALITY.

Why do you think using the same tired talking point would ever change that fact? Do you think if you repeat the same lie enough times it might just make it true?

I support giving taxpayers and businesses more of their money back because the FACT is that by having more of what you earn, you spend it, save it, invest it and expand new businesses with it. Isn't that what helping the economy is all about? Or are you one of those people who have been fooled into thinking that the Government can do the same thing by confiscating money from one group of people and giving it to another for the purely political purpose of creating a dependent class of citizens who will vote for them?
 
So what do you recommend?

Passing a stimulus bill that only contains the main things that are directly intended to stimulate the economy. Everything else can be handled the way it's always handled.

If you really buy the Dem's argument that this thing needs to be passed as soon as possible, then the decision by the Dems to include this stuff is only hurting their cause. It just creates additional controversy and arguments that wouldn't be there if this were a clean bill.
 
Let's look at this "wasteful spending" another way, based on the $600 billion dollar expense of the war in Iraq so far, which costs American taxpayers $300 million each day

• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
23 hours of the war in Iraq
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
2 days of the war in Iraq
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
6 hours of the war in Iraq
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
1.5 days of the war in Iraq
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
23 hours of the war in Iraq
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
2 days of the war in Iraq
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.
30 hours of the war in Iraq
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
4.5 days of the war in Iraq
• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.
10 hours of the war in Iraq
• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.
12 hours of the war in Iraq
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
3 days of the war in Iraq
• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."
6 hours of the war in Iraq
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.
18 hours of the war in Iraq
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
6 hours of the war in Iraq
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
2 hours of the war in Iraq
• $500 million for flood reduction. projects on the Mississippi River.
1.6 days of the war in Iraq
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
40 minutes of the war in Iraq
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.
a whopping 2 weeks of the war in Iraq
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
1.5 days of the war in Iraq
• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.
2 days of the war in Iraq
• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.
4 days of the war in Iraq
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
7 hours of the war in Iraq
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
30 hours of the war in Iraq
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
36 hours of the war in Iraq
• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
12 hours of the war in Iraq
• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
25 minutes of the war in Iraq
• $850 million for Amtrak.
2.5 days of the war in Iraq
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
8 hours of the war in Iraq
• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.
6 hours of the war in Iraq
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
8 hours of the war in Iraq
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.
16 hours of the war in Iraq
 
Let's look at this "wasteful spending" another way, based on the $600 billion dollar expense of the war in Iraq so far, which costs American taxpayers $300 million each day

All of which has nothing to do with whether or not these should be included in the stimulus. Well done.
 
I want to use this analogy again for those on the left side of the aisle who are confused about what it is the Liberals in Congress and the White House are telling you;

Imagine if you will that the economy is this huge lake. The water in the lake is currently going down. The democrat solution is to dip buckets into this lake, walk over to the other side of the lake and have a press conference showing the pouring the water back into the lake while claiming they are filling it back up and doing something for the American people.

Carry on. :roll:
 
Let's look at this "wasteful spending" another way, based on the $600 billion dollar expense of the war in Iraq so far, which costs American taxpayers $300 million each day

• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
23 hours of the war in Iraq
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
2 days of the war in Iraq
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
6 hours of the war in Iraq
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
1.5 days of the war in Iraq
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
23 hours of the war in Iraq
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
2 days of the war in Iraq
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.
30 hours of the war in Iraq
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
4.5 days of the war in Iraq
• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.
10 hours of the war in Iraq
• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.
12 hours of the war in Iraq
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
3 days of the war in Iraq
• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."
6 hours of the war in Iraq
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.
18 hours of the war in Iraq
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
6 hours of the war in Iraq
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
2 hours of the war in Iraq
• $500 million for flood reduction. projects on the Mississippi River.
1.6 days of the war in Iraq
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
40 minutes of the war in Iraq
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.
a whopping 2 weeks of the war in Iraq
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
1.5 days of the war in Iraq
• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.
2 days of the war in Iraq
• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.
4 days of the war in Iraq
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
7 hours of the war in Iraq
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
30 hours of the war in Iraq
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
36 hours of the war in Iraq
• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
12 hours of the war in Iraq
• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
25 minutes of the war in Iraq
• $850 million for Amtrak.
2.5 days of the war in Iraq
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
8 hours of the war in Iraq
• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.
6 hours of the war in Iraq
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
8 hours of the war in Iraq
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.
16 hours of the war in Iraq

There must be a POINT here but I am having difficulty getting it.
 
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