RWNJ Conservative Views from Cincinnati

AP has released an article describing the Democrat’s proposed $410 Billion appropriations package.  The bill includes thousands of earmarks totalling at least $3.8 Billion.  It is also 8% larger than the bill from last year, well in excess of inflation.

Democrats are claiming the excess is necessary to counteract cuts the Bush administration put in place.  Republicans are claiming that the raises are well in excess of the cuts when combined with the recently passed stimulus package.

In addition to the financial considerations, the bill includes loosening restrictions on travel and trade to Cuba.

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Here is a video of Rick Santelli on CNBC.  He gets vocal about Obama’s proposed $275 Billion (to be funded by more debt of course) mortgage bailout plan.  Rick gets a ton of support from those on the trading floor in Chicago.  He shouts out at one point “President Obama, are you listening?” It seems apparent that the backlash on Obama’s policies is growing.

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Bradley Schiller has stated in a Wall Street Journal opinion article today that Obama has turned his fearmongering into an art form.  He has continually compared the current econonmic situation to the Great Depression.  He has repeatedly said that action must be taken immediately or the economy may be unable to recover (yet he mysteriously is letting the bill sit on his desk until Tuesday…  go figure).  Honestly, he is invoking fear just as well as Bush did with Iraq.

While the economic situation is not rosy, it is far from The Great Depression but more like the Carter-era recession.  Schiller points out that last year we shed 2.2% of the work force.  1981-1982 job force losses were also 2.2%.  The Great Depression saw us lose 4.8% in 1930, 6.5% in 1931, and 7.1% in 1932.  Our current job losses aren’t even in the ballpark.  Current unemployment is 7.6%.  The peak in the Carter-era depression was 10.8%.  The peak during The Great Depression was 25.2%.

If you stick some evidence alongside the fearmongering, Obama seems to be stretching the evidence far futher than Bush ever did.  Is this a trend Obama will continue?  It certainly will have a negative effect on the economy as consumers aren’t likely to have their confidence boosted by these heavyhanded fear tactics from our President.

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Rep Boehner (R-OH) said clearly what needed to be said.  The fact that the Democrats backed out of a promise to leave for the public to review the bill was bad enough… but consider the fact that not a single member of the House had a chance to read the bill and yet voted on it.  Yes, they voted for a bill that, when interest is added in, will cost the country $1 Trillion… Absolute obsurdity!  By the way, check out the size of this bill when it is printed out.

Boehner also pointed out (not in video) that this bill will cost every American family approximately $10,000.  The Government seems determined to find out if the way to get out of debt is to go further into it.

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The Democrats are forging ahead to have an immediate vote on the $780 Billion stimulus package.  This will mean they will back out of a promise they made to give the American people and members of Congress 48 hours to review the package.  According to Drudge Report, Rep. Culberson (D-TX) is claiming that the vote must be made today because Rep Pelosi has an 8 day trip to Europe planned.

The bill has swelled to 1071 pages.  Representatives do not have the appropriate time needed to review the bill, which was first made available at 10:45PM Thursday.  As seems to be the pattern in the new administration, urgent action is more important than thorough review.  Personally, I’ve never liked any legislation to be rammed through quickly, regardless of who is pushing it.  Though the economic situation is unpleasant, it can wait some time for a real review of this bill.  This isn’t a situation, such as an attack on our country, that demands a purely reactionary response.

If you want to see the bill, it is available here.  I have had no success downloading it due to the heavy traffic the site is experiencing.  It seems that the “chattering class” is interested in this bill after all!

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