Sure I do.

Post #303,741 by beepster 2/6/09 8:19:47 PM Reply	Sure I do. The building and infrastructure spending would likely pass without a hitch. Might even get a 100% vote. IIRC...that was about half of the bill. They may throw a bit of debate in, its politics after all...but it wouldn't have gotten the same response as the original bill. I will choose a path that's clear. I will choose freewill.
Post #303,742 by Another Scott 2/6/09 8:31:33 PM Reply	Repairing the National Mall is infrastructure... http://www.nationalm...wsroom-010809.php [...] Bill Line, spokesman for the National Park Service, which maintains the Mall, likes to say it has been "loved to death," an American treasure battered by 25 million visitors a year -- more than Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks and the Grand Canyon combined. As the crowds have grown, the budget has shrunk, and with $350 million in overdue care, the park service cannot maintain a standard that befits what many consider a national jewel. [...] This cherished view, inspired by the wide streets of Paris, is protected by an act of Congress. But lately Congress has been blind to the Mall's poverty. The park service budget has dwindled to $31 million, even as more attractions bring relentless wear and tear. A $100-million appropriation for repairs failed to pass last year. [...] Bill, you're dreaming if you think that infrastructure spending would be supported by the remaining rump of the Republican party. Their actions say otherwise. http://blogs.abcnews...se-dems-stri.html Cheers, Scott.
Post #303,747 by beepster 2/6/09 10:38:34 PM Reply	Re: Repairing the National Mall is infrastructure... In a fairly limited sense. Didn't see them screaming about bridges and roads did you? I will choose a path that's clear. I will choose freewill.
Post #303,748 by Another Scott 2/6/09 10:51:12 PM Reply	Some of them screamed about everything, at various points. http://tpmdc.talking...erican-people.php The stimulus bill that is being championed by President Obama, which was passed by Democrats in the House last night, is the worst piece of economic legislation Congress has considered in a hundred years. Not since the passage in 1909 of the 16th Amendment - which cleared the way for a federal income tax - has the United States seriously entertained a policy so comprehensively hostile to economic freedom, nor so arrogantly indifferent to economic reality. ... This bill is not a stimulus, ladies and gentlemen; it is a mugging. It is a fraud. http://www.humaneven...icle.php?id=30399 Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is working on a real stimulus plan for the economy. The DeMint Plan is similar to a plan rolled out by The Heritage Foundation: Keep in place the tax rate reductions scheduled to expire in 2011 and lower marginal tax rates across the board on individuals, small business and corporations. According to DeMint, his stimulus package will Âcall for a 10-percentage-point cut in the top rate (from 35 percent to 25 percent)Â and other rate cuts. DeMint explains that Âthese tax cuts would soften the recession and expedite the recovery to the tune of 500,000 new jobs in 2009 and 1 million new jobs in 2010 and surpass by 2012 the presidentÂs stated goal of 3.5 million new jobs.Â And a flying pony for every good girl and boy! Cheers, Scott.
Post #303,751 by beepster 2/6/09 11:18:42 PM Reply	His plan was garbage too but his criticism of the one in play was pretty spot on. Money spent now is emergency stimulus. Putting "long term investment" projects in that bill is pork. I will choose a path that's clear. I will choose freewill.
Post #303,752 by Another Scott 2/6/09 11:22:04 PM Reply	You're not paying attention. See HR 1 preamble text again.
Post #303,764 by beepster 2/7/09 10:13:52 AM Reply	Re: You're not paying attention. See HR 1 preamble text aga So we can see what got written instead of what was promised? I will choose a path that's clear. I will choose freewill.
Post #303,767 by Another Scott 2/7/09 11:03:04 AM Reply	Eh? http://www.nytimes.c...?pagewanted=print [...] This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. (APPLAUSE) For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality... (APPLAUSE) ... and lower its costs. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do. Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply. MR. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. [...] It was never sold as "just" a stimulus package by Obama. He's been exceedingly clear about this. HTH. Cheers, Scott.
Post #303,768 by beepster 2/7/09 12:30:28 PM Reply	75% spend within 18 months. They're not even at 50 last I heard. I will choose a path that's clear. I will choose freewill.
Post #303,769 by Another Scott 2/7/09 12:51:07 PM Reply	More words, please. Who are you criticizing for supposedly promising something that isn't in the Economic Recovery Act proposals? Please be specific about your criticism. Thanks. Cheers, Scott.
Post #303,770 by beepster 2/7/09 1:11:04 PM Reply	Re: More words, please. http://whitehouse2.o...onths/discussions I will choose a path that's clear. I will choose freewill.
Post #303,776 by boxley 2/7/09 3:04:56 PM Reply	:-)
Post #303,780 by Another Scott 2/7/09 3:32:26 PM Reply	That's a number proposed by a citizen on a web page. What did he actually say? January 3: http://change.gov/ne...and_reinvestment/ ThatÂs why we need an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term. And this plan must be designed in a new wayÂwe canÂt just fall into the old Washington habit of throwing money at the problem. We must make strategic investments that will serve as a down payment on our long-term economic future. We must demand vigorous oversight and strict accountability for achieving results. And we must restore fiscal responsibility and make the tough choices so that as the economy recovers, the deficit starts to come down. That is how we will achieve the number one goal of my planÂwhich is to create three million new jobs, more than eighty percent of them in the private sector. Yes, Obama "endorsed" that 75% figure. But let's see what else he said: http://www.whitehous...etrics_report.pdf In light of this historic economic weakness, President Obama is working with Congress to enact an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, a nationwide effort to create jobs and transform our economy to compete in the 21st century. The plan invests in clean energy, health care, education and infrastructure; cuts taxes for American families and businesses; and helps protect the most vulnerable families from economic harm during the recession. This plan will also break from conventional Washington approaches to spending by ensuring that public dollars are invested effectively and that the economy recovery package is fully transparent and accountable to the American people. Overall, the plan will: Â Create or save 3 to 4 million jobs over the next two years. Independent analyses by Macroeconomic Advisers and Economy.com have confirmed that the recovery plan will meet this job goal. Jobs created will be in a range of industries from clean energy to health care, with over 90% in the private sector. Â Spend out at least 75% of the package in the first 18 months after passage. By including major fast-spending provisions like tax cuts for middle class families, measures to avoid state health care cuts, and temporary expansions of unemployment insurance, food stamps and health care for unemployed workers, the package will spend out at least 75% of its total commitment within the first 18 months after passage. The Administration will work with Congress to refine this package to ensure that it meets this 75% goal. It's a goal, not a "promise". HTH! Cheers, Scott.
Post #303,784 by beepster 2/7/09 5:07:02 PM Reply	Thanks for weasel wording for him. I will choose a path that's clear. I will choose freewill.
Post #303,793 by Ashton 2/7/09 7:10:22 PM Reply	Thought the weasel was the Patron Saint of Reactionaries :-0 The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. -- H.L. Mencken
Post #303,744 by drook 2/6/09 9:22:18 PM Reply	Right, again "not a soul would question ..." "They may throw a bit of debate in, its politics after all." Please define "question" and "debate". -- Drew

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