Posted by
John Caile on Saturday, February 14, 2009 12:48:28 PM
If I hear one more person use the word "stimulus" to describe the out-of-control Democrat spending plan, I think I'll scream. This massive expansion of government is the biggest push for outright socialism since FDR's disastrous New Deal. And yes, those of you who worship at the shrine of the first socialist "messiah," it WAS a disaster, turning an economic recession into the Great Depression.
Unfortunately, since most people are graduates of our government run school system, they have no clue as to what Roosevelt really did in the 1930's, let alone what Obama and friends are doing today.
The "stimulus plan" will stimulate little in the way of PRIVATE SECTOR economic growth - but it WILL stimulate the growth of government, the growth of far-left socialist intrusion into the private sector, and the growth of the Democratic party, courtesy of suitcases full of "stimulus" money going to the likes of ACORN, the sleazy voter fraud mob masquerading as "community organizers."
Also tucked away in this "stimulus" bill is a huge expansion of government "social programs" and subsidies, including rewarding states that INCREASE the number of people on welfare! Now, this will merely encourage those out of work to stay unemployed, and about the only thing that increasing welfare benefits will "stimulate" is the demand for crack cocaine.
If you actually want to stimulate the economy, you do it by getting government OUT of the equation as much as possible. Cutting tax rates on businesses would do more for the economy than all the government spending programs put together.
Oh, sure, these government spending programs will result in some private sector activity - if you build a road, you need to hire road builders. But only 17% of the spending in this bill goes to things like roads. The rest goes to all sorts of "pork barrel" projects, and even worse, to a plethora of social welfare programs designed to get as many Americans as possible sucking at the government teat.
But the problem with ALL government spending is this: THE MONEY HAS TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE - IT HAS TO BE EITHER TAKEN OUT OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN THE FORM OF TAXES, BORROWED (WHICH WILL PUT YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN IN DEBT), OR PRINTED BY THE TREASURY, WHICH IS NOTHING BUT A "STEALTH" TAX, SINCE THE RESULT WILL BE INFLATION, WHICH INCREASES THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING WE BUY.
Reducing taxes, on the other hand, spurs investment and spending in the PRIVATE SECTOR, which is the ultimate source of ALL actual growth and productivity. Whenever more money is left in the private sector, it not only allows individuals to buy TV's or clothes, it increases the amount of AVAILABLE CAPITAL, which keeps interest rates lower, making things like cars and housing more affordable. More importantly, it also allows people to invest in their companies, hire more workers, and grow their businesses - all of which contribute to REAL economic growth.
Reducing regulations that government has no business imposing is yet another way to unleash the power of the American private sector. While some regulations do indeed fall under the heading of protecting the "general welfare" (i.e. preventing the dumping of toxic waste into our rivers and lakes, for example), the idea that government should be deciding what wages a company "should" pay, or what kind of health insurance a private business "must" provide is ridiculous.
But the worst part of this so-called "stimulus" bill is that it is, at the end of the day, not just a massive spending bill, but a DEFICIT SPENDING bill, because they DON'T HAVE THE MONEY, and no one has asked the key question: Where will they get it? (Hint: see above)
Sadly, in spite of the many sources of information that the technological revolution has provided, far too many people still seem to be under the delusion that "the government" has some sort of unlimited supply of money. They seem unable to grasp that, at the end of the day, ALL government money comes, one way or another, out of their pockets.
Perhaps most ironically, even those "Democrat faithful" who are at the bottom of the income ladder, will be hit, because even if they pay no income taxes at all, they will be "taxed" in the form of higher prices for everything they buy, and, in the worst case, by losing their jobs.
At which point, their "stimulus checks" will provide little solace...