A video grab shows Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown approaching the desk on the Senate floor to cast the final vote to pass the $787 billion stimulus bill in Washington, February 13, 2009. The stimulus bill is now headed to President Obama's desk for signature.
(REUTERS/Senate TV)Photos (1 of 1)
Obama wins his economic stimulus package, but without the bipartisanship he sought
By Gail Russell Chaddock | Staff writer/ February 14, 2009 edition
Washington
With just three Republican votes, Congress passed a $787.2 billion stimulus plan that President Obama calls a “once-in-a generation” chance to act boldly and transform the US economy.
The bill aims to create (or save) 3.5 million jobs and help stressed families pay for food, housing, and health care. At $575 billion in spending and $212 billion in tax breaks, the plan also aims to leverage new economic activity and growth.
“Once Congress passes this plan and I sign it into law, a new wave of innovation, activity and construction will be unleashed all across American,” Mr. Obama told workers at a town meeting in East Peoria, Ill., on Thursday.
But the president also had worked for a big, bipartisan vote to show that Washington could also transform its own toxic political culture and find a new direction. That, he did not get.
In the end, no House Republicans voted for the economic recovery bill. It passed the House on Friday by a vote of 246 to 183. (Seven Democrats also opposed the bill.) Hours later, the Senate just barely passed the bill, 60 to 38, with three crucial Republican votes to reach the 60-vote threshold to avoid a filibuster.
“But for them, we would not be where we are,” said Senate majority leader Harry Reid, after Friday night’s final Senate vote.
Their key votes gave GOP Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania unusual clout in determining the final shape of the bill. As a price for their support, Democrats agreed to cut more than $100 billion out of the Senate version of the bill ¬and to insist on those cuts in final negotiations with the House.
“This bill doesn’t meet any test of bipartisanship, and that’s a loss,” said Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona, just before the Senate vote. “There’s never been a real effort to try to find common ground here.”
There are deep differences between how Republicans and most Democrats understand the crisis. With credit frozen and consumer confidence in the tank, Democrats say that the only way out is a massive program of government spending, targeted to create jobs.
On the other hand, Republicans wanted to see most of the stimulus in the form of tax cuts, at about half the cost of the Democratic plan. Not all spending is stimulus, they say, and the spending Democrats propose will also tend to permanently expand the size of government and burden future generations with a massive federal debt.
Seven House Democrats, citing the need for fiscal discipline, joined a united Republican caucus in opposing the stimulus bill.
“Every speech I ever gave both seeking this office and seeking reelection, I emphasize the need for us to balance our budget,” said Rep. Gene Taylor (D) of Mississippi, a fiscal conservative, who says that a critical mass of other fiscal conservatives on the Democratic side of the aisle also opposes big deficits, but did not come out to oppose the bill. “It’s a disappointment.”
“This one bill will increase the national debt by as much money as the nation borrowed from the Revolutionary War through the Gerald Ford presidency. So, it’s completely contrary to what I told the people who elected me what I would do,” he adds.
For weeks in the run-up to Friday’s vote, President Obama, along with top advisers, talked regularly with Republican lawmakers to try to get significant GOP support for the stimulus plan. After that effort came up zero in the House, some Democrats called that effort a waste of time and said that the president should give it up.
“It deflected attention from the bill,” says Rep. George Miller (D) of California, who chairs the House Education and Labor committee.
Moreover, Democratic leaders say there’s little basis for compromise with Republicans.
“We’ve done something today that’s transformational for the nation,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a briefing after Friday’s vote. “Republicans want to go down the same old path that got us to this place where we are now. The failed economic policies of the Bush administration were rejected by the American people. We’re not going back.”
In response, Republicans say there are still opportunities for bipartisan cooperation on big policy issues in the future, if the president can change hearts and minds in his own party.
“To his credit, the president reached out. The problem was there was never a reciprocal action on the part of the Speaker,” said House GOP whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, who met with President Obama four times in the run-up to the vote. “It’s not about our being excluded, it’s about the fact that the ideas we’re proposing work. American people are on the side of more tax relief, not more borrowing and spending.”
But even if partisan firefights continue on Capitol Hill, the president’s bid for bipartisanship was not a failure, says Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
“When a president reaches out so much and gets back so little, it may look like a failure. But not all things can be measured by votes,” he says. “There’s a higher metric that Obama is shooting for ¬and that’s coming across as a reasonable man who doesn’t engage in the kind of slash-and-burn politics that Americans seem to find so offensive. It’s one of those things that serves him well in his support in public opinion.”
Lawmakers got to see the final version of the historic 1,073-page bill just hours before they had to vote on it. A final scoring of the bill by the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was released just before the mid-day vote.
The package includes $308.3 billion in new spending, $267 billion for social services, and $212 billion for tax breaks.
Big ticket items on the tax side include: $116.2 billion for President Obama’s signature “Make Work Pay” refundable tax credit (up to $400 for individuals and $800 for married couples), $20 billion in tax incentives for clean energy, a $14 billion tax credit for higher education expenses, and $4.7 billion earned income tax credits for families with three or more children.
On the spending side, the plan projects spending $48 billion on transportation infrastructure, including $27.5 billion for highways, bridges and road projects, and $8.4 billion for mass traffic. There’s $11 billion to modernize the nation’s electric grid and $6 billion to fund alternative energy research.
The plan gives states access to an additional $86.6 billion in federal matching payments for Medicaid and $19 billion to modernize health information technology. The measure also provides $100 billion for education, including $15 billion to increase Pell grants for low-income students by $500 to $4,860 and $13 billion for grants to schools serving low-income families.
Comments
2. Wanda Carroll | 02.14.09
I would like to make a suggestion about the economic stimulus package. Rather than making new tax laws rather than giving corporate bail outs why not spend the money in a way that will get into the economy asap. Since you are spending $787.2 billion, lets say you give every person that files their tax $300,000.00 each. This would help the housing market, this would help car industry, I am now driving a truck that is 9 years old. The first thing I would do is go out and get an American made car and truck. I have a Ford and I would love to get a new one. I would be able to get insurance, new equipment for my business, and invest in my future. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is a brilliant plan and President Obama you would ROCK as the best President for the People. This is what I would do!!!
3. Melvin | 02.14.09
I don’t see anything in the summary of the stimulus package that will contribute to turning the economy around. More spending just puts the country in more debt which means means more taxes eventually to pay for it. The only thing that will fix the economy is to get money into the pockets of the people that create the economy, the middle and lower class, that compromise the spending power and the majority of the support of the government through taxes. Paying executives millions of dollars to produce profits for stockholders and keep the pay and benefits of the workers down in the process thus killing the chance for growth. Those same millions going to a bunch of people will generate 10 fold the economy that a few executives will.
The government needs to learn how to budget and spend money. Catering to special interests to get elected has created our situation more than any one single president. As long as our elected officials think they have to support a party more than the American People things are not going to get better. The government, power companies, oil companies, airlines, etc need to support themselves just as the people do. We have to manage our money to provide for our needs by saving, borrowing and repaying as we can afford. The previous mentioned entities get their money just by raising the cost to the people. Every time our costs increase we can’t go to our employer and make them pay us more money unlike Congress which votes themselves a raise. Congress talks about these big executives that have caused their companies to need to be bailed out buy the government, HOW MUCH BETTER HAVE THEY DONE?? The last thing they deserved was the raise they gave themselves recently for the job they have done. IF the American People want change and improvement, we need to do some firing by voting these officials out if we don’t see changes for the good.
4. Ben | 02.14.09
There could be no better investment in America than to invest in America becoming energy independent! We need to utilize everything in out power to reduce our dependence on foreign oil including using our own natural resources. Create cheap clean energy, new badly needed green jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The high cost of fuel this past year seriously damaged our economy and society. The cost of fuel effects every facet of consumer goods from production to shipping costs. After a brief reprieve gas is inching back up. OPEC will continue to cut production until they achieve their desired 80-100. per barrel. If all gasoline cars, trucks, and SUV’s instead had plug-in electric drive trains, the amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota. There is a really good new book out by Jeff Wilson called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now.
5. RHarrisonScott | 02.14.09
Interesting dynamic in Washington. The idea of bipartisanship seems to have fallen in favor of the GOP. While only three Republicans voted for the bailout in the Senate, seven Democrats joined the Republicans in voting against the legislation in the House.
6. Jonathan in Denver | 02.14.09
We are in economic cycle and our leaders are supposed to provide a way to recover. Increasing our infrastucture by modernizing the electrical grid and building highways is a great idea. It seems to be taken right out of the hands of FDR and his “New Deal(s).”
It makes sense to believe that by providing jobs or cutting taxes for those who provide jobs will stimulate the economy. Since taxes make employers not able to afford to pay employees due to the taxes incurred, reduction of taxes increases the ability to employ the same employee for the 40 hours wanted and even over time in some cases.
These options seem viable and may help in strengthening the economy.
But why are we going to incur more debt to provide programs that should be performed by the private sector (modernizing health information technology). I agree with the concept of providing for education by the government. We are continuing to fall behind in education across the world. But it looks as though we are just handing out money, like when social security started, that our kids will have to repay. There is just no accountability on this package, I dont even know if anyone has actually read this as it is over 1000 pages. How are you supposed to understand what is being voted on in such a large bill.
If any senators or representatives read this.. Please note, the american people do not need or want more debt for their children.
Why are we so quick to believe that handing out blank checks to these projects are going to stimulate the economy.
7. Nick | 02.14.09
If you want a better “today” you have to plan for “tomorrow”.
This Bill does that.
8. Web Smith | 02.14.09
Congratulations.
We will have a new law after our President gets through celebrating one of the most vicious tyrants that the world has ever known.
Our new law will use your money and your children’s money to pay back the teacher and trade unions that helped him get elected. It will also serve to help impoverish future generations by using taxpayer money to hire 300,000 illegal aliens.
It will create a new government bureaucracy that will dictate what treatments that your doctor can prescribe for your illnesses. Since they want to eliminate limited return treatments in order to reduce healthcare costs, if you are elderly or suffering from a terminal disease, you are out of luck and you will die sooner rather than later.
It will pump billions of dollars into the already booming broadband and renewable energy industries creating bubbles that institutional investors can get involved with to strip these industries of the capital they need to keep growing.
This new law was passed behind closed doors by representatives, using the term very loosely, of only half of the population and they made sure that the rest of the legislators did not have time to read it, let alone digest its true ramifications.
When your cold, hungry children can’t find a job or your dying parent looks up at you in pain, you will just have to shrug your shoulders, look them in the eye, and tell them that there is nothing you can do.
10. Staci V. | 02.14.09
If those officials want to make a real difference, the more correct and effective place to start is to abolish “mark the market” and accept the loss rather than burdening American’s now and in the future. It’s an absolute insult to think that this stimulis package was signed and passed by those in congress who never once read what they were signing or supporting. I wonder what the fine lettering this package entails….what a disgrace!
11. bill johnson | 02.14.09
A table showing where the money, in general, will go or be spent would be helpful. The Sat. NY Times p. A11 did a good job of this.
Keep up the good work. Your story early last week about the war on drugs and Mexico were very good. I noticed the Wall St. Journal picked up on this story later in the week.
12. Sherry Blair | 02.14.09
I am so tired of waiting for bi-partisanship. Let’s turn the page on that old discussion too. We are more than just Democrats and Republicans! It was the non-partisans, the young and the never given time on TV who put Obama over the top. When will the media wake up to the rest of America?
Yes, Obama may be a Democrat and choosing to join either the Democrats or the Republicans might well be a political necessity now in order to win on the uneven playing field, but someday soon, we’ll have fair elections where everyone has an equal opportunity to be heard whether or not they become Republicans or Democrats. Someday the media will no longer encourage the partisan debates that divide us. Someday it’ll be about the truth.
The partisan bickering could have ruined this stimulus package. Fortunately, our new president led the media back to America, back to the people, the real stories of people like Henrietta Hughes. This stimulus bill is the best we have now. Who cares what the naysayers say? They are just afraid. It is up to us now, the ones who have faith and are willing to take this risk and act as if it will work. That’s how change works.
13. Jim Carter | 02.14.09
What happened to the 48 hours promised prior to the vote and the five days prior to a Presidential signature?
14. Darryl Collins | 02.14.09
Will someone tell me why us retired citizens who do not work, will not receive any benefits under this stimulus package, who have lost much of our retirement funds during this downturn in the stock market, caused by the terrible mis-managment on the part of those financial firms who sought increased monies for themselves using careless strategies, leading to this market condition.
These people should be charged in criminal court, and made to make whole our lost retirement accounts.
15. Sandy | 02.14.09
Seems to me it’s a better thing for a country to be deeply in debt with more people working than it is for that country to be deeply in debt with more people not working.
16. Billy Felts | 02.14.09
I am ashamed that the republicans failed to work with the president. If they keep this kind of cry baby tatics they will be completly voted out.
17. Joe Fass | 02.14.09
We entered this mess one mortgage loan at a time. Those that believed in the American dream and still hold those upside down loans are not seeing any relief in the stimulus package. If jobs eminate from a stable housing market, why not put the stimulus $$$ in making that right again? Giving banks money without directives other than to not blow it on jets and executive pay bonuses is ludicrous. Why am I accountable for my loan when the banks are not? Other than a bad credit rating, where is my incentive to hold rather than give it all back to my bank? Can’t refinance for lower interest. I am one of the lost homeowners holding onto bad paper, waiting for relief too.
Congress has missed the forest for the trees.
18. Ryan | 02.14.09
I don’t understand how this package is going to decrease unemployment. We have so many people who are living off of our hard earned money, and now thanks to a major flaw in our government system, we are encouraging more people to quit their jobs and live off the tax money that other hard working americans earn… CCCP!
19. Susan Grey | 02.14.09
The fallacy is that people think “something” is better than “nothing”. Why settle? We can do better than this. The true issue is that Congress should have and could have put together a better targeted stimulus package. It contained a lot of pork that our grandchildren will be paying for in years to come. Billions of dollars included in this stimulus package represent the pure greed of Congress and politicians who have forgetten about the daily struggle of middle-class America.
20. Ruchit Patel | 02.14.09
Thats good news that Govt. gonna helping in infrastructure specially in Highways and bridges because most of bridge got expired insense of their strength. but the trouble is our nations getting more in debt.
21. Mick | 02.14.09
Where are the jobs????
$48 billion on transportation infrastructure= more jobs
$27.5 billion for highways,bridges and road projects= more jobs
$8.4 billion for mass traffic= more jobs
$11 billion to modernize the nation’s electric grid= more jobs
$6 billion to fund alternative energy research= more jobs
$19 billion to modernize health information technology= more jobs
And the list goes on.
When you read “Social Services” you should not assume Welfare. In fact, most social services are not welfare programs. Welfare only compromises a handful of programs in ONE social service department. Also, more spending in this area creates…more jobs.
Sometimes I wonder if I am reading the same story when I read comments like this.
22. Martha F Lopez | 02.14.09
I would like to believe that the President is working for us - the working class, but it seems the politicians (republicans and democrates) are still just looking out for themselves-their areas of interest; and not for everyone in the United States, the people who need assistance with their mortgages. With all the money the banks have already taken and spent (and did not go to help us) the government could of lower our mortgages rates by a percent or two and we probably would of not loss as much money as we did with the CEOs CFOs (whatever they call themselves) on those bonuses and perks. I know there are alot of us who need help, we may not be months late on our mortgage (maybe even paying the mortgage within the 30 day month period) the mortgage interest rate would help us all. Please work together think of all the people.
23. Ben | 02.15.09
Sure,48 Billion Dollars for extra guys standing around as two guys are really repairing the roads, bridges, etc….
People getting tax credits who don’t even pay income tax. Welcome to the end of the UNITED States of America. Mark my words, states will secede in the next 20 years. Sounds familiar, the USSR.
24. Marylyn | 02.15.09
Hey Billy, I am ashamed that our country elected a guy who doesn’t respect the legislative branch enough to give time to study and debate this awful stimulus. And now I am ashamed that our country has turned into a one party dictatorship.
25. john archibald | 02.15.09
Maybe I’m slower than the average readers…”Big ticket items…..” What does the $400 and $800 “refundabe tax credit” mean to me…Is this a check,a tax deduction on future income tax filings….What!!!! And how far does anyone think $800 and $400 will go towards me buying a new car, payoff old loans, feed my family…..Where’s the Beef for my household…not the banking system or wall street….
I’ll tell you economic advisers,,,,give each household 100K and see how the economy restimulates…Like a wild fire I would think…Bills payed off, mortages caught up, new cars bought, new homes bought (first timers and up graders). Bottom line let the spenders stimulate the economy with real money…
26. Steve Weber | 02.15.09
Can anyone name 5 key metrics we should watch over the next 24 mos to demonstrate the success of this package? Would anyone in congress or the president be willing to tie their run for re-election to those metrics?
We’ll all forget this bill….we always do.
27. I’m so broke……. | 02.15.09
This is my thing, what about the current struggling homeowners? Where’s the money for us? I bought my home in August of 2007, I’m struggling like crazy! But they are offering a $7500 interest free loan for first-time homeowners and new first time homeowners to be, but what about us, I’m a first-time homeowner also, and they say we’ve been in recession for 2 years, I bought my house during a recession, where’s the help for people like me? They could’ve at least started the new interest free loan from when the recession began, are there others that agree with me?
28. Nate Cook | 02.15.09
I was intrigued by John’s post (#11) and decided to crunch the numbers. So far congress has given 350 billion dollars to banks, and has 350 billion on the backburner. Today congress approved another 700 billion or so, so lets round it to an even 1.5 trillion dollars. According to various websites, I used http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=155, approximately 134 million people submitted a income tax form in 2005. Let’s assume that there are 26 million Obama appointees that didnt pay taxes and round the average tax return filers to 150 million.
This turns out to be roughly 10,000 per person. Now thats a stimulus check that would interest me. My parents could certainly use that to rebuild their retirement, oh wait they can work another 10 years and just stretch that $800.
29. David | 02.15.09
I agree that a $10,000 check per person would stimulate something. Would it be a constructive stimulant though… you can give people money but you can’t make them spend it constructively. I for one would like to see more funding for education. Or at least loan forgiveness for recent grads. Why don’t you let the ones just starting their careers get off on the right foot. The national average college debt is more than $20,000. I’m almost done with graduate school for electrical engineering, and I can say that I’m way above average. Tuition is going up funding is going down. America won’t be able to afford competition with Japan, China, and India the way they spit out engineering and science grads… Outsourcing professionals is cheaper than finding them at home.
30. Kevin | 02.15.09
The bottom line for the whining homeowners is grab your ankles and take it. The fine print in your loan states you have risks - bummer for you. Many used their equity like an atm machine when prices went up - they refinanced, bought other homes or whatever - now they want to cry foul? People buy for varied reasons and we all watched the “flip your house” commercials and know the idea that you can buy homes and receive rent off of them and so on. What about renters? Their tax dollars are bailing out the homeowners or banks of homeowners right? Where’s their justice? Like it or not, we are a country based on capitalism. This requires cash flow and spending, and 3rd world nations for our labor - but that’s another point. The Republicans did increase government - the office of homeland security for one - too bad they didn’t keep an eye on Fitch and Moody’s when they were passing off AAA rated investments based on sub prime loans - ooops. Some government oversight is necessary. And like someone said in this thread - how are we going to measure its success - good question. We are in for a very rough ride folks.
31. Michael Sparks | 02.15.09
I agree with Billy, #2 above. The republicans fail to remember the lessons that John Maynard Keynes, the great economist, taught us back in 1929. In 1929, he wrote an election pamphlet which floated the idea of the use of public works to reduce unemployment and condemning the Treasury’s fear of “budget deficits”. (SOUND FAMILIAR??) This pamphlet, along with Keynes’ tome “The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money”, Keynes sought to develop a theory that could explain the results of aggregate output. As a consequence, this result was new employment. He believed that the result of new employment would also create new demand, thus stimulating our economy. A concept well received by Democrats in this current crisis.
Oh, Mr. Keynes, Where Are Thou Now?
32. Aimee R | 02.15.09
I have to agree with previous posts where is the money for the working middle class? I work in the healthcare system and I feel that there is so much wasteful spending that exists within our present medicaid and welfare system. I work for a living and I am living paycheck to paycheck to try and keep up with today’s economy and unfortunately that does not leave a lot of extra money for health insurance for my family. I see family members around me who openly admit that they choose not to work because they receive all the money and benefits they need from the government and compliments of my tax dollar. I take offense to this and think that congress and the president need to take a look at these individuals and make the neccessary changes to help working citizens, not high spending bank officers, or on the other end of the spectrum freeloaders.
33. Way to Go!!! | 02.15.09
Great work Obama.
Who cares about the fat cat republicans. They are the ones who got us in this mess in the first place.
34. Adam | 02.15.09
I’m sorry people but Americans are just a bunch of spoiled babies. Try living in a third world country for one year then tell me this recession sucks. Why do we expect the government to bail us out when we buy a huge house we can’t afford? One more thing I think now is the time to legalize marijuana. Think of the stimulus it would have on the economy. Instant small business. What a huge cash crop for textiles as well. The list goes on and on. Just an idea.
35. Julie | 02.15.09
I agree with a lot of the posts on this website. I have been a hard working, educated young woman since the age of 18. I have an AA in business and I am still working on my BS b/c I can’t afford to go to college b/c i make to much on my own. I make enough to get by and sometimes I am in the red with my bank to do that. Obama needs to do something to help out the lower-income to middle class working families that feed the economy. All the overpriced CEO’s do to help is buy stupid stuff that doesn’t help. Is there anyone that we can send something to that will listen to the real American WORKING People? And I am not talking about our President. B/c apparently he didn’t look into how to really help us out. 10k would help me and family out so much that I would cry when I recieved the check.
36. Rich | 02.15.09
Like to make to key points…
first, handouts will not work and have never worked. We need stimulus that create permanent jobs and stimulates the supporting job markets…create 5 that last and that create 5 more. Handouts like the $14B to Detroit Auto simply delayed the inevitable.
Second, We all love bashing the over paid CEO’s and yes I agree they are grossly overpaid. But, the fundamental root cause of this mess has not been addressed and I am sure will not be…because the truth will loose votes, hence no politician will touch it. But the bootm line is that this recession, soon to be a deep deep recession was caused by people not paying their bills. Buying houses they could not afford, cars, credit card debt, etc.. For the last 4 years the default rate on mortgages, credit cards, auto loans etc.. have all been rising. Now you can blame the banks for loaning you the money…but did they have a gun to your head? Since 2005 the savings rate in the US has turned negative and is getting worse. Doesn’t sound like the right ownership or fiscal responsibility of the American people is very good either.
Last, I agree with the guest above…you get what you measure. Therefore, what are the 4 metrics that we are going to measure the president and congress on and don’t forget, we need clear definitions of those metrics…we do not want to go through another debate on the definition of “it”.
37. cindy | 02.15.09
I too am a licensed health care professional and have dedicated my life to caring for others. I do not take some of my prescribed meds and do not take any on weekends. I also am single and live paycheck to paycheck and cannot afford anything other than basic living expenses and even those are often late being paid. I am working poor. Everyday I see inmates from state and county facilities recieving better health care than most in America receive. They have been sent to correctional facilities with gyms, education, libraries, cable tv and computers. Why are they not suffering for their crimes. In Florida you see Chain Gangs out working, maybe that is why the taxes in Florida are affordable. I think we all need to look at the working poor, I am being forced to decide to keep heat in my western new york home or food on the table. What is wrong with this picture.
38. Heath | 02.15.09
I think we’re in a great deal of trouble for our future, Government should not be handing out so much money like this, we should just have let Wall Street banks fail as they eventually will anyway, other big banks also that care more about profits than people. We middle class American’s have been hammered by our elected officials for the last 3 decades, and we’re not taking this anymore, read what I write (No amount of money can fix this problem because this is about the way we the middle class are now prioritizing are lives, we will not spend our hard earned money, yes we actually work for what we have, we’ve had enough of this ****, we earn too much for help paying for healthcare and higher education, but not enough to realistically afford these things, while some people choose not to work and receive all types of assistance, look at the earned income tax credit for example, furthermore, the ideals of a “Global Economy” doesn’t work, the true value of something is only what I or some one else is willing to pay for it. Our U.S dollar used to have real value in the world, back when only one parent needed to work, families stayed together out of true love and not just about instant gratification, back when we trully were a moral society, when we prayed. So now imagine if We The People, of These United States, decide not to buy into this shamefull doing of our elected officials, and let’s take care of ourselves for a change, not being dependent on a government entilement program, let’s value our families and our friends, let’s value GOD and learn to pray again as a nation, let’s support our fellow American’s, just give to your neighbors, work less, spend more time at home, buy only what we really need, not what commercialism dictates, because when we’re ready to pass from this world, we can not Buy back the Time we did not Give to what’s Really important, those who we Love. Thankyou, we Love, Heath.
39. justin | 02.15.09
“Wanda Carrol” (post#2) must have gone to public schools - $787.2 billion, divided by approx 138 Million taxpayers means each would get around $5,700 - not $300,000 as she claims….sad when people can’t even do basic math….and then proclaim how great Obama is…are his supporters all that stupid?
40. Heath | 02.15.09
I think we’re in a great deal of trouble for our future, Government should not be handing out so much money like this, we should just have let Wall Street banks fail as they eventually will anyway, other big banks also that care more about profits than people. We middle class American’s have been hammered by our elected officials for the last 3 decades, and we’re not taking this anymore, read what I write (No amount of money can fix this problem because this is about the way we the middle class are now prioritizing are lives, we will not spend our hard earned money, yes we actually work for what we have, we’ve had enough of this ****, we earn too much for help paying for healthcare and higher education, but not enough to realistically afford these things, while some people choose not to work and receive all types of assistance, look at the earned income tax credit for example, furthermore, the ideals of a “Global Economy” doesn’t work, the true value of something is only what I or some one else is willing to pay for it. Our U.S dollar used to have real value in the world, back when only one parent needed to work, families stayed together out of true love and not just about instant gratification, back when we trully were a moral society, when we prayed. So now imagine if We The People, of These United States, decide not to buy into this shamefull doing of our elected officials, and let’s take care of ourselves for a change, not being dependent on a government entilement program, let’s value our families and our friends, let’s value GOD and learn to pray again as a nation, let’s support our fellow American’s, just give to your neighbors, work less, spend more time at home, buy only what we really need, not what commercialism dictates, because when we’re ready to pass from this world, we can not Buy back the Time we did not Give to what’s Really important, those who we Love. Thankyou, we Love, Heath.
41. RHarrisonScott | 02.15.09
I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. When two citizens asked the President for assistance in a recent press conference, he just referred the problem to his staff and “voila”, the problems disappeared. I suggest we all put together our individual wish lists and make our problems known at his next press conference. Who needs legislation when the President can take care of our problems with a snap of his fingers. While we’re at it, why not just give him a loaf of bread. His managers could distribute a snack while we patiently await our turn at the microphone.
42. Michael | 02.15.09
I do not understand the package either..at all…What about my job at SRC Automotive here in Monett, Missouri. How am I supposed to go back to work when there is no work…I look for a job everyday.I hate being on unemployment, which is not enough by far..How is spending a bunch of money going to stimulate the economy….Makes no sense..We should give the american people the money. I would buy a better vehicle and home for my family.I would pay off my debt that keeps growing because of a sour government that can take but can’t provide.We are the people is a scam if there ever was one in our constitution…..We mean nothing to the government…..If you care congress and house do something….
43. Dan | 02.15.09
Socialism does not work folks. It results in equally shared misery for the “people”. The leaders live like kings. It has resulted in the mass murder or over 100 million innocent civilians in the past 100 years. This is just those killed by their our governments. Not war dead.
Ahh yes shades of FDR. Its so wonderful like manna from heaven.
The pres whose chief adviser was a card carrying communist. Look it up. http://www.geocities.com/mark_willey/fdr.html is a start. It has a bibliography. It explains how we got where we are since is all stems from FDR.
His new deal was ruled unconstitutional until be got to “reorganize” the SCOTUS with like minded socialists. Look up what has been given away in social programs since 1937. The dollar figures are staggering. FDR managed to increase the severity and length of the Great Depression. LOOK IT UP. He turned a cyclical financial readjustment into a major disaster. Its coming again. Panic will allow the gov’t to rush through stuff that would never pass close inspection and might even make thing worse. Just like this “stimulus” package has been past without time to look at it. For example, unless stripped away (an they were not) the bill creates a computerized gov’t data base of YOUR medical records. We know how secure the gov’ts computers are. So you may now assume that a great many Americans medical records are now going public. I hope you are not on anti-depressants or such. Has your son been diagnosed with ADD? Maybe PTSD from police or military service. Any of this will likely result in a little side note stating “mental defective”. Isn’t big brother just wonderful?
The fuel price spike and the breaking of the decades old Fannie May/Freddie Mac fiasco were all carefully ENGINEERED and did not take place just before the election by “accident”.
The fuel price rise was ENTIRELY driven by speculation. We don’t know who funded it but its funny it occured in an election year with a republican president.
The mortgage “crisis” was entirely caused by liberal demands that the “poor” own houses. It started under Jimmy Carter gaining strength over the years till they were giving mortgages to people the banks didn’t even know or knew could never afford the pay back. BUT IT WAS REQUIRED BY LAW. ACORN was SUING if they asked too many questions of people wanting a home loan (your local bank does not operate this way). So we have ILLEGAL ALIENS with mortgages because the law the liberals are so proud of would not allow sufficient questions to be asked to even determine if the applicant was a CITIZEN. Some people cannot afford the own houses. Giving them mortgages they cannot repay is not the answer. Then when the gov’t *created* house of cards folded the prime movers in the gov’t blame the free enterprise system when there WAS NO FREE ENTERPRISE. Its like a plot in a old B movie where the crooked politician steals the farm from some poor widow. Except its real and we have no “Lone Ranger” to ride the rescue. Any one opposing this was attacked as a racist for wanting to prevent poor blacks and hispanics from owning a house they could never afford to pay for.
Read the
WAKE UP!!
Have you heard of the Treasury Dept training its people is Islamic banking law so we can comply with loan terms from our islamic creditors?? http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/04/treasury-submits-to-shariah/
We are printing money that has no backing. This will REDUCE the value of the dollar to near nothing in a a short time. We will runaway inflation. If you can remember Jimmy Carter his little “mistakes” will pale by comparison to what is coming. The President does not like America much as it is (look at his statements from the past) he wants to “remake” it. Into WHAT??? 1930s Germany where money for food was transported to the market by the wheelbarrow load??
WAKE UP PEOPLE. You are paying the gov’t to destroy your liberty.
Lenin had a word for people who would vote for gov’t “protection” at the cost of their personal liberty. He called them “useful idiots”.
I am not sure we will ever recover from the 2008 election. Its like FDR but they are building on FDRs base….
44. jane gutowski | 02.15.09
would you please leave our elected officials alone? pelosi is trying to make her trip to italy.reid is preparing to get to vegas faster and these people had a lot of paybacks to give out. you dont think acorn did all that fraudulent work for nothing did you? remember these guys were so busy the poor things didnt even have time to read it .pass it pass it pass it dont read it. obama said the sky is falling and there is no time for stalling and reading the thing.meanwhile obama took a long weekend and he will get to it on tuesday.
45. John Galt | 02.15.09
Anyone read Atlas Shrugged? When a society decides to continuously take from the people who produce and give it to the people who do not, that society is doomed to failure. Until every American can live in a way that his labor Earns a safe healthy life for him and his family we will be heading in the wrong direction. How long does the government and the Obama’s think the people who produce will keep producing if what they earn for it is given to the people who do nothing but sit back and have it given to them? Take care of yourself and your families, this is only the start of the downfall of this great nation, that used to be home of the American Dream.
47. Mike | 02.15.09
Why were the people who have to vote on the this package only given it to look at just hours before the vote? Why were they not given the normal ammount of time to view it to make as well an informed decision as possible? That alone suggests the hiding of something. I fear for our country and am scared of what Obama may do to it in the name of “Change”.
48. FindtheMorons | 02.15.09
If bad goverment was a crime, every one of those idiots that voted for the porkulist bill would be guilty as ****.
It has been many years since any elected representative has done the right things in Washington. They give our $$$$ away, they don’t protect our borders (Phoenix - 2nd largest kidnap city in the world behind Mexico City), and they never do what they say that they are.
Why? Only because the idiots keep electing the idiots. We put up with it. We allow such stupid things to take place. It happens over and over again. Many times the same old stupid things keep getting said to the same old stupid people.
For our country to prosper, we must hold the individuals that have been elected to the highest standard. We cannot continue to just listen to the wonderful words of the great speakers like President Obama. There has not been a better speaker in the hitory of our country than Mr. Obama. However, a speaker does not make a great leader. He has a long way to go and governing by committee will not move our country to where we want to be. Mr. Obama has demonstrated that he that he does not have the experience to govern our country. He should have been learning when he was running for our highest office.
49. Tiffany | 02.15.09
Look i dont care what people or the republicans say. This bill will do our economy some good. The republicans are just mad because they didnt get their own way.
50. why | 02.15.09
why don’t they listen to us! The stimulas package does nothing for my family. Except make my children and grandchildren pay for this. We are stuggling! Husband laid off for 9 months - house and credit cards are behind! No one wants to work anything out for the hard working families- they want to help out banks - car - ceo’s- i don’t get it!
51. wahaw | 02.16.09
I predicted the collapse of the housing market years ago. You can not make mortgage loans to people that can not afford them and expect any different. It
is not only the poor. It seems that everybody was out to buy the largest most expensive house they could. I live in an area of the country where $30,000 per year is a very good income but builders were building only 300-350,000 homes. These homes were selling like hotcakes. Do the math. This will not work. As far as the stimulus package goes, we got what we deserve. This is only the beginning. When you elect a person that is an obvious liar and associates with
the people that Obama associated with you will get what you deserve. I am not a Republican or Democrat nut I thought any idiot could see through him. Grab your ankles, bend over and enjoy it.
52. Shelly Shannon | 02.16.09
I think the creation of new jobs and focusing these jobs on areas in the economy where we need the work done now to protect us in the future is wonderful. As for those people who want to bash individuals living off governments handouts you should know your facts. Such as, the fact the government does not allow individuals to work an make their own taxable income if they can because in order to do this some need to be medicated to control side effects of illnesses such as epilepsy, bipolar, musulat dystophy, and more. Instead of allowing them to work and bring in income to stimulate the economy while assisting with the health care they provide to maintain quality of life the make individuals choose between disability checks or nothing. With no meds most are worthless in society with no control over their illness. Before judging everyone and lumping us all together find out how the government is wasting tax dollars that could be spent to further help the health care system and allow those with disabilities to be rehabilitated into the work field if possible. how does putting your tax dollars back into the economy stimulate it more than me making taxable income and the government only remaining to help me ensure my health care stays safe as they already do. This decreases taxpayers cost and stimulates the economy by putting taxable dollars into it!
53. cmarie | 02.16.09
I agree, Obama is really taking advantage of his power here and paying back all of the people who got him into office. This bill does not encompass the economic stimuli that is really needed right now. Our kids and grandkids are going to pay for this huge mistake
54. Kathie | 02.16.09
To be honest, this bill does nothing for me. It has convinced me that there is no way that I will be going to any doctors that report my “personal” medical information to the government for approval. My medical records are so private that I am not allowed to read them, so what gives the government the right to read them? Maybe it’s that medical degree that Obama has somewhere that no one knows about? Maybe it is so taxpayers can pay a group of people to decide who is sick enough for treatment and whose life is not worth it. Sounds like a great idea to me. Welcome to the next step towards communism. I am so glad that I had NOTHING to do with voting Obama into office. Sneaking that idea into the stimulus package was sneaky and underhanded. Showing his “true colors” real quickly, isn’t he? Nothing more than another underhanded politician.
55. FCM | 02.16.09
FDR is part of the problem with this country. His New Deal was a big step toward communism and this is another one.
56. Teresa Wilson | 02.16.09
This is an outrage! This bill will in no way help our country. How about stopping our jobs from going offshore and keep the americans working. Then and only then will America recover from this economic collapse. I know for one thing I will vote out anyone I can whom supported this bill! I just hope it will not be to late!
Is there any true American that thinks this is a good idea?
57. Mark | 02.16.09
I guess Obama felt that his number one priority during the period from his election to when he took office when planning for the inauguration celebration, because he, and his cracker jack economic team, arrived in Washington with nothing. Rather than presenting congress with his economic stimulus plan (as Regan did facing the ‘82 financial crisis), Obama, in a spirit of bi partisanship, delegates writing the bill to the two most partisan liberal congressmen in the House. Who then proceed to write the bill without any republican input. “We won the election, we write the bill” Nancy Pelosi.
The American people voted for Obama, not Pelosi. Abandoning your mandate to a partisan hack isn’t smart politics, or good leadership. It smacks of someone in over their head trying to cover their *** - blame Bush, blame Pelosi if it fails (she wrote it) take full credit if it succeeds.
58. Money is illusion | 02.16.09
It is a global crisis, and has to be tackled globally …
The world has to unite, or we will have to face the dire state of the world’s Land, Sea and Air pollution alone, notwithstanding the rapidly falling bio-diversity (number of different plant & animal species), forest & mineral ressources plundering …
Asides that, where have the frogs and bees gone ?
P.S. : the 1944 New Hampshire meeting maybe was a good idea, for our present time …
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1. J | 02.14.09
This bill being passed is extremely upsetting. If I wanted to work for a communist country I would have went to china. What is wrong with the American people, are we so blind? Obama is a wolf in sheeps clothing.