{"id":1457,"date":"2009-02-05T15:31:15","date_gmt":"2009-02-05T20:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/?p=1457"},"modified":"2009-02-07T08:50:52","modified_gmt":"2009-02-07T13:50:52","slug":"tom-coburn-the-stimulus-package-is-more-debt-we-dont-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/02\/05\/tom-coburn-the-stimulus-package-is-more-debt-we-dont-need\/","title":{"rendered":"Tom Coburn: The Stimulus Package Is More Debt We Don&#8217;t Need"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I wanted to mention <a href=\"http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/article\/SB123371083449746103.html?mod=djemEditorialPage\" target=\"_blank\">Sen. Tom Coburn&#8217;s Op Ed<\/a> in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, but I didn&#8217;t get chance.<\/p>\n<p>Coburn gets right to the heart of the matter this pork stuffed crap sandwich &#8220;will not only fail to stimulate the economy, but could seriously delay economic  recovery.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>As the Senate considers a massive $1.1 trillion stimulus bill, it is vital  that the American people ask hard questions of their elected officials. When  they do, it will become very clear that the bill will not only fail to stimulate  the economy, but could seriously delay economic recovery.<\/p>\n<p>As a nation, we got into this mess by spending and investing money that  didn&#8217;t exist. We won&#8217;t get out of it by doing more of the same.<\/p>\n<p>Yet this is precisely what this bill proposes we do. Less than 10% of the  bill could be considered true stimulus, if one assumes tax credits and  infrastructure spending will jolt the economy. The other 90% of the bill  represents one of the most egregious acts of generational theft in our nation&#8217;s  history, with taxpayer money going to special-interest earmarks, an  ill-conceived bailout to states, and permanent spending increases that expand  government&#8217;s reach in areas like health care and education.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Coburn also highlights a wide array of wasteful and non-stimulus spending and questionable policy provisions on his <a href=\"http:\/\/coburn.senate.gov\/public\/index.cfm?FuseAction=RightNow.Home&amp;ContentRecord_id=3db704c6-802a-23ad-406c-a424db591389\" target=\"_blank\">web site<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p>Wasteful and Non-Stimulus Spending Provisions<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Dept. of Energy defunded last year because the project was inefficient<\/li>\n<li> A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film<\/li>\n<li> $650 million for the digital television (DTV) converter box coupon program<\/li>\n<li> $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship)<\/li>\n<li>$448 million for constructing the Dept. of Homeland Security headquarters<\/li>\n<li> $248 million for furniture at the new Dept. of Homeland Security headquarters<\/li>\n<li> $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees<\/li>\n<li> $400 million for the CDC to screen and prevent STD\u2019s<\/li>\n<li> $1.4 billion for a rural waste disposal programs<\/li>\n<li> $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities<\/li>\n<li> $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion<\/li>\n<li> $75 million for \u201csmoking cessation activities\u201d<\/li>\n<li> $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges<\/li>\n<li> $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI<\/li>\n<li> $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction<\/li>\n<li> $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas<\/li>\n<li> $6 billion to turn federal buildings into \u201cgreen\u201d buildings<\/li>\n<li> $500 million for state and local fire stations<\/li>\n<li> $650 million for wildland fire management on Forest Service lands<\/li>\n<li> $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities<\/li>\n<li> $1.2 billion for \u201cyouth activities,\u201d including youth summer job programs<\/li>\n<li> $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service<\/li>\n<li> $412 million for CDC buildings and property<\/li>\n<li> $500 million for building and repairing NIH facilities in Bethesda, MD<\/li>\n<li> $160 million for \u201cpaid volunteers\u201d at the Corporation for National and Community Service<\/li>\n<li> $5.5 million for \u201cenergy efficiency initiatives\u201d at the VA \u201cNational Cemetery Administration\u201d<\/li>\n<li> $850 million for Amtrak<\/li>\n<li> $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint<\/li>\n<li> $75M to construct a new \u201csecurity training\u201d facility for State Dept Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.<\/li>\n<li> $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems<\/li>\n<li> $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.<\/li>\n<li> State Medicaid Bailout: $87.7 billion Through 3 different mechanisms, the bill would provide additional federal funds to state Medicaid programs over the next 3 years. This is nearly $70 billion more than the governors asked President Obama for in December, and should be a loan to be repaid by the states.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Questionable Policy<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> Eliminates fees on loans from the Small Business Administration, thus pushing private capital toward unproductive businesses and away from productive businesses.<\/li>\n<li> Increases the definition of \u201cyouth\u201d for certain summer job programs from age 21 to age 24.<\/li>\n<li> $160 million to the Job Corps program at the Dept. of Labor, but not for job programs \u2013 rather, to construct, alter or repair buildings.<\/li>\n<li> Requires a government study on the impact of minimum wage laws on the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa.<\/li>\n<li> $79 billion State Fiscal Stabilization (slush) Fund to bailout the States by providing billions of dollars for \u201ceducation\u201d costs of any kind.<\/li>\n<li> $47.843 billion is appropriated for a variety of energy programs that are primarily focused on renewable energy development and energy conservation\/efficiency. Not one dollar is appropriated to make fossil fuels more affordable in the near future. More than $6 billion of these funds go to environmental clean ups.<\/li>\n<li> Increases eligibility for \u201cweatherization\u201d assistance to households 200 percent above the poverty level.<\/li>\n<li> The \u201cMaking Work Pay\u201d credit of $500 to every individual making less than $75,000 (or $1000 to couples making $150,000 or less) would pay people whether they are productive or not \u2013 akin to welfare.<\/li>\n<li> The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP \u2013 food stamps) would temporarily suspend the 3-month limit for non-working adults to receive SNAP benefits, thus giving incentives not to find a job.<\/li>\n<li> Installs government as the creator of broadband deployment regardless of whether the specific local\/regional market can sustain it.<\/li>\n<li> Funds new \u201cgreen jobs\u201d job-training program without eliminating inefficient job-training programs or consolidating duplicative job-training programs.<\/li>\n<li> $890 million to the Social Security Administration without any provisions to reduce improper payments, or any plan to increase solvency of the trust fund.<\/li>\n<li> Nothing requires the products that are purchased with these funds be here in America. Lithium ion batteries, for instance, are primarily made in Asia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I&#8217;m not opposed to the government taking steps to jump start the economy, but the bill Democrats are proposing is a pork laden 40 year wish list of democratic spending and policy priorities masquerading as a &#8220;stimulus bill&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>We have to face reality&#8230; We have never spent our out of a recession and we&#8217;re not going to do it this time. The only thing this bill will do is add a trillion dollars to the deficit and saddle our children and grand children with a debts they can&#8217;t repay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I wanted to mention Sen. Tom Coburn&#8217;s Op Ed in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, but I didn&#8217;t get chance. Coburn gets right to the heart of the matter this pork stuffed crap sandwich &#8220;will not only fail to stimulate the economy, but could seriously delay economic recovery.&#8221; As the Senate considers a massive $1.1 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[57,59,1363,454,463],"class_list":{"0":"post-1457","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-politics","7":"tag-barack-obama","8":"tag-democrats","9":"tag-economy","10":"tag-stimulus-plan","11":"tag-tom-coburn","12":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfpI7-nv","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3058,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/16\/tom-coburn-fires-warning-shot-across-harry-reids-bow\/","url_meta":{"origin":1457,"position":0},"title":"Tom Coburn Fires Warning Shot Across Harry Reid&#8217;s Bow","author":"Jeff","date":"December 16, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Things got little interesting in the Senate earlier today when Senator Tom Coburn fired what can best be called a warning shot across Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's bow. Sen. Coburn refused to allow unanimous consent on Sen. Bernie Sander's single payer amendment to the health care reform bill and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health Care&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health Care","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/health-care\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1542,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/02\/19\/sniffing-out-a-rat\/","url_meta":{"origin":1457,"position":1},"title":"Sniffing Out A RAT","author":"Jeff","date":"February 19, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The more we learn about the provisions of the recently passed stimulus law the more their is to be concerned about. Byron York writing in today's Washington Examiner sniffs out a RAT buried in the stimulus law: You\u2019ve heard a lot about the astonishing spending in the $787 billion economic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3074,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/17\/tom-coburn-senate-health-care-bill-is-scarier-than-you-think\/","url_meta":{"origin":1457,"position":2},"title":"Tom Coburn: Senate Health Care Bill is Scarier Than You Think","author":"Jeff","date":"December 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I have no doubt that critics will claim Dr. Tom Coburn's Wall Street Journal op-ed is nothing but scare tactics... But the simple truth is if quoting from the bill scares people maybe the bill itself isn't such good idea: My 25 years as a practicing physician have shown me\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health Care&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health Care","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/health-care\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":498,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2008\/09\/26\/crash-burn-harry-reid%e2%80%99s-56-billion-stimulusoil-shale-ban-bill-augers-in\/","url_meta":{"origin":1457,"position":3},"title":"Crash &#038; Burn: Harry Reid\u2019s $56 Billion Stimulus\/Oil Shale Ban Bill Augers In.","author":"Jeff","date":"September 26, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Reuters is reporting that Harry Reid's $56.2 Billion economic stimulus\/oil shale ban bill has failed in the Senate: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate on Friday blocked a $56.2 billion economic stimulus package that would have extended unemployment benefits, increased food aid and funded new construction projects to create jobs. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Economy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Economy","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/economy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1264,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/01\/01\/predictions-for-2009\/","url_meta":{"origin":1457,"position":4},"title":"Predictions for 2009","author":"Jeff","date":"January 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Five predictions for 2009: Despite being propped up with billions in taxpayer dollars one of the Big Three US automakers will fold. Barack Obama's roughly 1 trillion dollar stimulus package will pass with bipartisan support... and will fail to stimulate anything. The economy will sink deeper into recession and crime\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2481,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/07\/07\/will-obama-push-for-a-weaker-dollar\/","url_meta":{"origin":1457,"position":5},"title":"Will Obama Push for a Weaker Dollar?","author":"Jeff","date":"July 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Ugh, this is not good... former Clinton trade official and current member of the Obama administration's economic advisory panel Laura Tyson said in Singapore today that the $787-billion plan Congress passed in February \"will have a positive effect, but the real economy is a sicker patient.\" She went on to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Economy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Economy","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/economy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1457\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}