647 Pages versus One Simple Video: Wake Up America
Written by Audrie Zettick on January 27, 2009
Four words strike fear in my heart. Well, more accurately, four names. Henry Waxman, Barney Frank, David Obey and Charles Rangel. Power brokers in this Democrat-controlled Congress, these committee chairs are key sponsors of the “government stimulus” bill near-destined to pass in some form or another.
I might be a brain-jockey but I’m no economic rocket scientist. With jobs dropping like flies here in PA and elsewhere, maybe there is some call for strategic government spending? Figuring this is too important to the future of my kids, I found an online link to H.R. 1 “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” being discussed in D.C. this week. (Glenn Beck and others have growing lists of spending proposals I’ll cover later).
Normally, a policy document of this length would be a good sleep-aid. But this one’s more in the line of a nightmare. Still slogging through the mire, but let’s just say I’m having a bit of a problem understanding why billions of bucks for items like special education, health-information technology systems and broadband access in rural areas is an emergency. (Yes, this is an “emergency” appropriation).
The Commonwealth Foundation in Harrisburg PA tweeted a link to a video that all of us should view this week. It’s by the Cato Institute and succinctly highlights how government spending can’t buy us out of this economic mess. (Make sure you watch until the end, where they show Bush-era spending increases of 2, 3 and 4 times inflation—and THAT sure helped, didn’t it?).
I’ll be putting together some talking points and other links you can pass on to your friends, family and others who need to know how their future is being mortgaged.
Meanwhile, back to the 647 pages of HR 1, and a stiff cup of coffee. Wake up America.
