900 Billion Price Tag

I just can't get past the price of the so-called "stimulus" Bill. Barack Obama, the House and our Congress are playing the voters for fools with this thing. This Bill incredibly, (or perhaps not so incredibly), has almost nothing to do with stimulating the economy or creating jobs. If anything, it actually creates a pervasive climate of government dependency upon government spending.

It is rife with runaway government spending for pork barrel spending, increased welfare, government bureaucracy, political payoffs, and other waste.

I wrote a previous blog about this, but tonight, I'll lay it out a little more.

$2.1 billion for Headstart- a worthy program, but not known for "stimulating" the economy.

$2 billion on Child Care Development Block grants which provide day care.-- Sooo, we're going to borrow 2 billion to pay for babysitting??

$50 million for the National Endowment of the Arts.--God alone can follow the Byzantine logic that this will stimulate the economy or create jobs.

$120 million to fund part time work for seniors in community service agencies.

$500 million to speed processing of social security disability claims. It's reported this resulted in a net of one new job in the Obama administration. The new guys job is figuring out how this 500 million will stimulate the economy.

$6 billion to colleges and Universities. Don't we already provide hundreds of billions to these schools? And while the eduction provides long term ability to increase ones skillset, what on earth does this do for the economic meltdown currently occuring?

$13 billion in Title I grants "to provide extra academic support to help raise the achievement of students at risk of educational failure or to help all students in high-poverty schools meet challenging State academic standards," as the congressional report detailing this explains.

$13 billion in IDEA, Part B State grants to help pay for "the excess costs of providing special education and related services to children with disabilities." Once more, a noble idea- but what does it have to do with stimulating the economy?

$20 billion for increased food stamps, including lifting restrictions on how long welfare dependents can receive food stamp benefits. After all, doesn't it always stimulate the economy when you rob Peter to pay Paul?

$1.7 billion is to be spent to help the homeless, not a typical economic powerhouse for our society. No offense, but how does this further our supposed goal of improving the economy? You'll notice I don't say it's not a worthy cause, only that it has nothing to do with improving the economy.

$1 billion goes for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program, to help low income families pay their heating bills, a worthy objective that has nothing to do with stimulating the economy.

$1 billion goes to the Community Services Block Grant to support "employment, food, housing, health, and emergency assistance to low-income families and individuals."

$200 million goes for senior nutrition programs, such as Meals on Wheels.

$200 million for AmeriCorps, to help satisfy "increased demand for services for vulnerable populations to meet critical needs in communities across the U.S."

$5 billion is devoted to public housing.

$87 billion is to be spent on Medicaid, a welfare program already costing roughly $400 billion per year. Those funds would be spent in part on "family planning services," meaning contraception.

Not one of the above programs will produce a single job. In fact, they are far more likely to produce longterm reliance on government welfare.

$2.5 billion for the National Science Foundation.

$2.0 billion for the National Park Service.

$650 million for the U.S. Forest Service.

$600 million for NASA. -- Ok, this one might create a job or two,, or possibly just keep a few layoffs from happening.

$800 million for AMTRAK.

$276 million to the State Department to upgrade and modernize its information technology,

$209 million for maintenance work for the Federal Agricultural Research Service.

$150 million for maintenance work at the Smithsonian Institution.

$44 million for repairs and improvements at the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the Department of Agriculture.

$245 million to upgrade the information technology of the Farm Service Agency.


None of these programs are anything but bureaucracies borrowing from the private sector, (you and I-- our taxes), for a net gain of zip.


$1.1 billion for federal comparative effectiveness research in regard to health-care services. The congressional report explaining the stimulus bill says:

"By knowing what works best and presenting this information more broadly to patients and healthcare professionals, those items, procedures, and interventions that are most effective to prevent, control, and treat health conditions will be utilized, while those that are found to be less effective and in some cases, more expensive, will no longer be prescribed."

Since when do politicians in Washington know what items and procedures, and interventions are most effective to "prevent, control, and treat" health conditions? Isn't that what doctors spend years in college to learn? Isn't it what doctors spend years in residency programs to learn how to implement? How is that a politician with zero medical knowledge or training thinks they can legislate what is best for a patient?


$4.2 billion provided to the Neighborhood Stabilization Fund, which provides the funds to local governments to purchase and rehab vacant housing due to foreclosure.

The congressional report accompanying the stimulus bill states, "Up to $750 million may be used for a competition for nonprofit entities to enhance the funding included under this heading through capitalization of the funds." It is reported that this money is meant for ACORN- you know,, the far left, lawbreaking agency Obama supports?

$79 billion is to go the states to maintain their government spending, particularly for such jurisdictions as California, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. High state government spending is also not a source of economic growth. Balancing ones budget and living within ones state tax base also seems to be old fashioned.

$3 billion for health care prevention and wellness programs, such as childhood immunizations and other state and local public health programs. Another worthy program,, just not an economy stimulator.

$2.4 billion for projects demonstrating carbon capture technology. Great to buy research, but where are the jobs?

$17 billion for Pell Grants.

$1 billion for Technology Education. After all, technology can't stay uneducated.

$1.9 billion for the Energy Department for "basic research into the physical sciences."

$650 million for digital TV coupons to help Americans upgrade to digital cable television. Once again,, where are the 4-6 million jobs here Barry?

$100 million to reduce lead-based paint hazards for children in low income housing. Ok, this one I have a real problem with. Why in hell are we not slapping the homeowners with this 100 million? How about the landlords, or slumlords,, whichever may be the case. How did this become the taxpayers responsibility??

$400 million for "habitat restoration projects" of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

$1.2 billion for summer jobs for youth.

$2 billion for Superfund cleanup.

The list goes on. Frankly, it makes me sick reading it. Here it is, http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/RecoveryBill01-15-09.pdf



The data shows that even if Obama's plans will save or create 3.7million jobs, the cost of those jobs will be approximately 200,000 each.

Mr. President, we're better off with you simply sending each of those people a check for 50,000, and lower taxes.

How about it? You said you would entertain any reasonable idea. Isn't it reasonable to save the taxpaying public, and just drop the checks on those that need them?

Or at least, it's no more ridiculous than what our Federal government is actually doing.