Monday, February 9, 2009

Pork in Obama's Stimulus Bill

For Nancy and Kevin on WILK because they claim there is absolutely no wasteful spending or pork in the Messiah's nearly trillion dollar spending plan. Also for the left wing loonies that called in and agreed with them.



Wasteful and Non-Stimulus Spending Provisions

• $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

• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film

• $650 million for the digital television (DTV) converter box coupon program

• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship)

• $448 million for constructing the Dept. of Homeland Security headquarters

• $248 million for furniture at the new Dept. of Homeland Security headquarters

• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees

• $400 million for the CDC to screen and prevent STD’s

• $1.4 billion for a rural waste disposal programs

• $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

• $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

• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities

• $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 NIH facilities in Bethesda, MD

• $160 million for “paid volunteers” at the Corporation for National and Community Service

• $5.5 million for “energy efficiency initiatives” at the VA “National Cemetery Administration”

• $850 million for Amtrak • $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint

• $75M to construct a new “security training” facility for State Dept 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.

• 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.

Did I miss any?????

3 comments:

prsent said...

I don't understand why we need to spend money on a polar ice breaker. Aren't the same people voting for this spending claiming that the ice caps are melting?

Ted said...

Since Obama’s earnest drive to convince the nation to weaken its economic strength through redistribution as well as weaken its national defense, COUPLED WITH HIS UNPRECEDENTED WHITE HOUSE TAKEOVER OF DECENNIAL CENSUS TAKING FROM THE COMMERCE DEPARTMENT, has confirmed the very threats to our Republic’s survival that the Constitution was designed to avert, it no longer is sustainable for the United States Supreme Court and Military Joint Chiefs to refrain from exercising WHAT IS THEIR ABSOLUTE CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY TO DEFEND THE NATION FROM UNLAWFUL USURPATION. The questions of Obama’s Kenyan birth and his father’s Kenyan/British citizenship (admitted on his own website) have been conflated by his sustained unwillingnes to supply his long form birth certificate now under seal, and compounded by his internet posting of a discredited ‘after-the-fact’ short form ‘certificate’. In the absence of these issues being acknowledged and addressed, IT IS MANIFEST THAT OBAMA REMAINS INELIGIBLE TO BE PRESIDENT UNDER ARTICLE 2 OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION. Being a 14th Amendment ‘citizen’ is not sufficient. A ‘President’ MUST BE an Article 2 ‘natural born citizen’ AS DEFINED BY THE FRAMERS’ INTENT.

Anonymous said...

They use polar ice breakers to rescue ships that get lodged between broken pieces of ice that are floating up by Alaska. We need them to save lives and shipments including oil shipments.Employees run it and it also has to be built.

The idea of this stimulus is to be directed in its spending. You can hand money to companies via tax breaks and it does not mean they hire people. They often add to their personal wants as in buying large vehicles to use. They may buy equipment that saves money by hiring less people or they may train foreigners to manage and send them to new plants in other countries.

Direct purchase hires crews to build and maintain structures which belong to the public and ensure we all get something from our money as well as get people working.

The stimulation of actual spending happens when paychecks are spent to pay bills and pay power companies for services etc. Groceries are made by someone and power plants are maintained to provide service. Time is needed for the actual stimulus to work.

Direct purchase of Medicaid benefits allows the economy to be stimulated by paying for health services of doctors, techs, and nurses as well as businesses as are clinics, hospitals and private labs. This keeps them out of the red allowing them to stay in business without a government bailout as a grant.

Direct purchase shows something for the money spent. That is the difference and Yes, it does work.

I do agree that it should be used to purchase American made products and labor first before foreign made products.

Saving Energy will benefit everyone and the Veterans Hospitals could save tons if they had solar hot water alone. Especially in the Northern states.