Stimulus Debate: Which Side Makes Sense or is Full of BS?

If you have some time, 9 minutes or so, check out this compilation of arguments for and against the Obama stimulus plan. You'll notice an amazing thing: Republicans are advancing misinformation and are just plain wrong about the facts. I say amazing because as obviously wrong as they might appear, juxtaposing their comments with supporters of the stimulus, they are winning the argument in the eyes of the public. They're still representing a minority of dissent, but more and more people are turning against the plan.

I put these clips together so I wouldn't have to write 20 separate blog entries.

Obama's Simple Message Evades Congressional Democrats

Every Democrat should be repeating one thing over and over in every interview and public statement, but aren’t. Why is Barack Obama the only one brave enough to take the Republican Party to task for our current crisis?
Reuters:

Obama poured scorn on Republican critics who said the stimulus bill lacked enough tax cutting measures and pointed his finger at the polices of his Republican predecessor George W. Bush for dragging the country into recession.

"We can't expect relief from the tired old theories that, in eight short years, doubled the national debt, threw our economy into a tailspin, and led us into this mess in the first place," Obama said.

"We can't rely on a losing formula that offers only tax cuts as the answer to all our problems while ignoring our fundamental economic challenges."

“We don’t Need no Education…” Say Republicans over Economic Stimulus. Let the Teacher Bloodletting Begin.

The AP reported a proposal by Senate Rublicans cutting $60 billion from the stimulus plan that would have gone to the states to "avoid budget cuts for schools as well as law enforcement and other programs." The "talk of cuts in proposed education funds ... (caused) unhappiness among Democrats." I'm hoping the word "unhappyness" was a bad choice of words by the reporter. It should have been "outrage among Democrats." Here's just a sampling of other smaller side-bar stories around the nation, where schools can longer afford...teachers?

According to the Wausau Daily Herald: The Merrill Area Public School Board issued layoff notices Thursday and Friday to 21 teachers, or nearly 10 percent of its more than 200-person teaching staff, as part of its effort to cut more than $1 million and balance its budget. The district will cut 14 elementary school teachersJaneen LaBorde, president of the Merrill Teachers Association, said the district's situation mirrors problems around the state.

The majority of the districts financial problems stem from the state imposed school funding formula. The state imposed revenue caps are increasing at a lower rate than minimums on salaries and benefits, inflation and state and federal mandated programs.

The state nor the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators track teacher layoffs.

In Providence, R.I., nearly 600 teachers will receive preliminary layoff notices next week, although the vast majority will retain their jobs once the School Department works through a Byzantine seniority system known as bumping.

Republican Marketing Machine Wants More Time For Stimulus to Sway Public Opinion With B.S.

The Republican plan is simple: Push tax cuts, call job creators "wish list spending" and ask for more time to push misinformation to the public to sway opinion.

"It's a bad bill" is the line heard over and over, yet their solution is to do exactly what they have done under the Bush administration. "Scrap the bill" is popular among the Republican Senators who want to politically poison the economic rescue. Ron Christie pushes the delay tactic to the extreme, while Tad Devine exposes the Senates removal of all spending in the jobs creation bill while leaving only tax cuts. It was a bare naked look at the GOP's real agenda.

The Republican Fringe Party Applying Religious Test to Justice Department Appointees

When you’re backed into a corner like an angry dog, in this case a failed Republican Party, a dog will be forced to brutally fight back for dear life right or wrong. That’s what we’re seeing now, as senators apply a religious test to Justice Department appointees. What were glaring attempts to roll back first amendment rights over pornography or injecting government into the tragically exploited story of Terry Schiavo, these Republican mistakes are now being portrayed as moral high points to bash and smear Obama Justice Department picks. Have they no decency?
AP reports:

Republican senators challenged President Barack Obama's pick for the No. 2 position at the Justice Department, echoing concerns raised by Christian conservatives about his past legal arguments on pornography and abortion. Christian conservatives are challenging David Ogden, nominated to be the deputy attorney general, and others Obama has nominated for top positions at the Justice Department, contending that their past positions taint their resumes.

"You've taken some very extraordinary positions, some left-leaning and unorthodox positions," Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. told Ogden, citing the lawyer's past work opposing some anti-pornography statutes and mandatory parental notification for teenage girls getting abortions. While a private attorney, Ogden argued on behalf of Playboy and librarians fighting congressionally mandated Internet filtering software.

Good for him. In this case, Kyl is portraying “left-leaning” as something abhorrent. “Unorthodox.” Not to subtle is it, but a typical “right wing” tactic.” We also have Patrick Trueman, a former Justice Department official during the first Bush presidency, who betrays his radical conservative leanings with this comment: "Ogden has been an activist in support of a right to pornography, a right of abortion and the rights of homosexuals."

Yeah, right. Both issues trampled on individuals first amendment rights. But that doesn’t concern those who know what’s best for all of us. You won’t believe this next comment:

“… many on the religious right are saying they have promoted far left, pro-abortion, pro-gay policies.

Besides Ogden, conservatives also have taken aim at two other Justice picks - Indiana University professor Dawn Johnsen for her association with an abortion rights group, and Thomas Perrelli, who represented the husband of Terry Schiavo, the brain-damaged woman at the center of a right-to-die case that energized evangelical groups across the country.

And as we all know by now, the Terry Schiavo case was handled “so well” by the zealot conservative Republicans in Congress, backed up by a special trip into Washington by President Bush. So I don’t go on forever about how crazy these people are, I will let the following comment be the final word.

Michael Greenberger, a law professor at the University of Maryland and a past colleague of the three during the Clinton administration, said the criticism of the trio is unusual and unwarranted. "Usually, you may have a fight over who the attorney general is, but this is not par for the course, picking off next to the attorney general three of his top appointments,"

Greenberger said. "This is harassment and it is an attempt to reverse the election."

Laissez-Faire Dead

From a failed Republican ideology to an unrepentant Wall Street, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, Paul Krugman and Harry Markopolis sound the death knell for Laissez-Faire capitalism.

Are Teens "Child Porn" Sickos? Sexting Nude Pics a Felony? Give Us All a Break.

This is the third story I’ve done about cell phone porn, sexting, where adults still don’t get the innocent nature of these hormone driven acts of carelessness by kids. Hey parents, don’t tell me you forgot the pictures you took with a Polaroid? Or your geek photographer friend in high school who helped you develop those naked pictures you took with your Instamatic in his very own dark room? You were under age and a child pornographer. To this day you’re on the run, a felonious criminal who never got caught. Today, some teenagers aren’t so lucky.

AP- Teenagers' habit of distributing nude self-portraits electronically - often called "sexting" if it's done by cell phone - has parents and school administrators worried. Some prosecutors have begun charging teens who send and receive such images with child pornography and other serious felonies. But is that the best way to handle it? "Hopefully we'll get the message out to these kids," says Michael McAlexander, a prosecutor in Allen County, Ind.

You know how kids “get the message” don’t you; they don’t. Dumb teenage kids should know better, but they’re still dumb teenage kids. To tag them with a felony charge of child pornography will sure look good on their job or college application. Way to go.

A teenage boy there is facing felony obscenity charges for allegedly sending a photo of his private parts to several female classmates. Another boy was recently charged with child pornography in a similar case. In some cases, the photos are sent to harass other teens or to get attention. Other times, they're viewed as a high-tech way to flirt. Either way, law enforcement officials want it to stop, even if it means threatening to add "sex offender" to a juveniles confidential record.

This month in Greensburg, Pa., three high school girls who sent seminude photos and four male students who received them were all hit with child pornography charges. And in Newark, Ohio, a 15-year-old high school girl faced similar charges for sending her own racy cell phone photos to classmates. She eventually agreed to a curfew, no cell phone and no unsupervised Internet usage over the next few months. If she complies, the charges will be dropped. In Pennsylvania, all but one of the students accepted a lesser misdemeanor charge, partly to avoid a trial and
further embarrassment.

Whatever the outcome, the mere fact that child pornography charges were filed at all is stirring debate among students and adults. Dante Bertani, chief public defender in Westmoreland County, Pa., where the students went to court, called the felony charges "horrendous." He says such treatment should be reserved for sex offenders, not teenagers who might've used poor judgment, but meant nothing malicious. "It should be an issue between the school, the parents and the kids - and primarily the parents and the kids," Bertani says. "It's not something that should be going through the criminal system."

Wes Weaver, the principal at Licking Valley High School, agrees that pornography charges or other felonies are not appropriate, noting that "the laws have not caught up to technology." But he says there has to be some way to educate students and their parents about the harm these photos can do. "I don't think we're anywhere near having a handle on this. It's beyond our scope as a school."

But is it porn? That's questionable.

Certainly, technology makes it easier to do and say things we might not do in person, says Amanda Lenhart, a senior researcher with the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "But ultimately," she says, "I think this is merely another case of technology extending an activity or action that young people have engaged in for years, if not beyond that."

CBS News wrote: Roughly 20 percent of teens admit to participating in "sexting," according to a nationwide survey (pdf) by the National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

Here is one posted comment that seemed to hit the nail on the head:

Felony charges??? Come on these are just kids, they are not profiting from doing this and they are not sending them to any adult, an adult is not taking or requesting these pictures. Parents need to do their job and parent their kids.

So stop with the felony charges already.

Note: the picture above is actress Vanessa Hudgens.

RNC Chairman Steele Starts Leadership with Lie: Government Doesn't Create Jobs. Newsweek's Dan Gross Proves Otherwise.

The Morning Joe's Mika Brzenzinski, a walking Republican cliche' machine, had to painfully bust the conservative myth that government does not create jobs with Newsweek's Dan Gross. Even more painful for Mika was Gross's discrediting comments about the RNC's new leader Michael Steele, who tried to peddle that tired old myth.

Can you imagine a better way for Steele to start leading the GOP back into power, with a down the rabbit hole lie, and a Bizarro World take on reality?

Darth Dick's Unpleasant Stench Emanates from His Politico Interview

After criticizing other former presidents for bashing the Bush administration policies, that same standard does not apply to our former White House inhabitants. Dick "dark" Cheney, in his final throws of decomposition, offers up a plate full of fear and foreboding. The Dick Cheney "Dr. Strangelove" routine couldn't get any more frightening.

Republican Gubinatorial Hopeful Milw. Cty Executive Scott Walker Mismanages Food Aid, State Takes Over Program Plagued with Bottlenecks For Poor

The Repubublicans are counting on Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker to run for governor and win. For a guy hell bend on selling off parks, pools and airports, not to mention turning down the Obama stimulus money, Walker has now lost control of administering food to the poor due to errors that denied 1 out 5 deserving claims. Inhumane is a word that seems to fit this philosophical zealot.

The Journal Sentinel:

The state's unprecedented move Tuesday to strip Milwaukee County of its role in administering food aid, child care and medical assistance programs was prompted by years of county mismanagement, state Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake said.

County Executive Scott Walker, however, called Tuesday's state move "the worst of all scenarios." Walker had suggested a state takeover himself. But he wanted to divest the county completely of the public assistance operation, which he said the state could do more cheaply.

The move was prompted by administrative bottlenecks resulting in unfair benefit denials, Timberlake said. "Milwaukee County has demonstrated a sustained inability to successfully provide services to its (poor) customers." She disputed Walker's assertion that the problem has been the state underfunding the operation, or due to the souring economy. The state "has in fact expended millions of additional dollars and thousands of hours of staff resources to assist your county over a period of years," Timberlake wrote. "

Despite these efforts, Milwaukee County's performance fails national and state standards and is failing the people of the county." The move includes a state takeover of the county's public assistance call center, the focal point of recent criticism about delayed and bungled aid applications. The state move also is aimed at settling a class-action lawsuit accusing the state and county of shortchanging poor families. According to a state memo:

• The county's poor performance in the programs includes answering only 5% of the hundreds of thousands of phone calls to the county's public assistance call center every month.

• The county fails to process 30% of its benefit applications within the required seven days, with some families waiting weeks or months for food or health care.

• In 2007, 60% of county decisions to deny food or health care benefits were overturned within two months. That resulted in benefit delays and forced families to go through time-consuming appeals or a second round of applications.

• The county's high food assistance error rate means nearly one in five deserving applicants were cut off from the program in fiscal 2008.

Banking Industry Abandons Former Employees for Foreign Workers

If the banking industry couldn’t get much worse passing out bonuses, redecorating offices and purchasing jets, now we find out they have applied for H1-B visa’s so they can hire cheap help. And what of all those people with experience who are out of work from all the other bankrupt banks…drop dead. AP explains:

Two senators proposed requiring bailed-out banks to hire only Americans for one year, after an investigation by The Associated Press showed that banks receiving the most federal aid had requested visas for thousands of foreign workers even as they laid off employees amid the economic collapse.

The legislation by Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, would apply to more than 200 banks that have accepted the government's aid. They would be barred from hiring foreigners who hold special visas that are reserved for certain skilled and advanced-degree jobs."It is obscene and vulgar for these huge banks getting taxpayer bailouts to use the bailouts to throw American workers on the street and bring in foreign workers," Sanders said.

AP showed that the dozen banks now receiving the biggest rescue packages, totaling more than $150 billion, requested visas for more than 21,800 foreign workers over the past six years for high-paying jobs. Even as the economic collapse worsened last year - with huge numbers of U.S. bank employees laid off - the numbers of visas sought by the dozen banks in AP's analysis increased by nearly one-third, from 3,258 in the 2007 budget year to 4,163 in fiscal 2008. The AP reviewed visa applications the banks filed with the Labor Department under the H-1B visa program, which allows temporary employment of foreign workers in specialized-skill and advanced-degree positions. Such visas are most often associated with high-tech workers.

This was the one big story I watched Lou Dobbs for each and every night, no longer though, and thought was our economies ticking time bomb. Pray the amendment in approved for the sake of unemployed bank workers everywhere.

Bras for Men, The Sexy Scent of Burger King and The Robot Farmer

Here are a few stories from Reuters that you may have missed over the last few months:

A bra for men becomes the hottest selling men's underwear item on a Japanese online shopping site. The move has provoked heated online discussion in Japan with thousands debating the merits of male use of the item of underwear.

Burger King's new meat-inspired cologne is sold out, and it's commanding fat prices on ebay.
The limited edition product costs just under four dollars. That's one-tenth the price of a bottle of Aramis.

Finally, Reuters takes a look a farmer who builds unbelievable robots. A guy who never finished high school.

When it comes to the Stimulus Plan, Republicans are For It and Against It. Can They Get Away with That?

It’s amazing to watch the political game Republicans have created surrounding the Obama stimulus package being written up by Congressional Democrats. The GOP is for the stimulus only if you listen to the Republican governors pleas for help; Republican Congressional Representatives and Senators are against it because they hope to win reelection when the watered down plan fails; and GOP state legislators in Democratically controlled states are ignoring the country wide crisis so they can blame their budget deficits on state Dem. Governor and lawmakers. Except for the governors, the rest of these bottom feeders are only looking to play the game of one ups-man-ship in order to win the next election.

To highlight this contrast in political positioning, the two video clips here present Republican Gov. Charlie Crist and State Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. (clip 1) Crist blames the national economy for the states problems, while (clip 2)Fitzgerald lays the crisis on the doorstep of Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle.

Governor Crist states his case in a way even I can honestly say is moving.



Below, State Sen. Scott Fitzgerald attempts to shift the blame to his Democratic Governor, Jim Doyle. Fitzgerald contradicts Crist’s claim it's a national economic crisis and not a state problem(not to mention all the other Republican governors), hoping the voters in Wisconsin don’t notice.



Will voters hold the Republicans accountable for the sad shape of the economy, the contradiction of positions in regards to the stimulus plan and outright disregard for the growing number of people losing their jobs everyday while they hold things up?

We can only hope.

Obama on GOP Capitalism Theory of Stimulus: "I Reject Those Theories, and So did the American People when they went to the polls..."

The Washington Post treated as new President Obama’s rejection of the old failed Republican solutions to economic growth, with his comments today that simply restated his nomination night victory speech, shown in the short segment below. It would appear the public needs a gentle reminder (not us of course):

Stepping up his pressure on Congress to pass his economic stimulus plan, President Obama reminded lawmakers that he had won the election -- and that voters had already rejected old solutions to fixing the economic crisis.Obama said he was aware of the criticism of his spending package, but said the criticisms were rooted in "the very same failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis in the first place," including the notion that tax cuts offered the best path to a recovery."I reject those theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change," Obama said. "So I urge members of Congress to act without delay."

NRA President Ted Nugent? His Message: "Obama, suck on my Machine Gun...Hillary, you worthless bitch.'

The Republican Party re-do is not just inching further to the right, but racing into a radical state of desperation. According to the Gun Guys:

U.S. News & World Report wrote on Jan. 30th that NRA board member, Ted Nugent, is campaigning to become the organization's next president as a celebrity
spokesman in the mold of Charlton Heston. Nugent said that he: Stands ready to battle the antigunners in Washington. "Clearly, the NRA is the ultimate 'we the people,' family, grass-roots organization for what is clearly Job 1 for free men everywhere: to guarantee our God-given right to keep and bear arms and defend ourselves. To be so honored to participate in any way, as an NRA board member or the ultimate honor of serving as president, would surely be a duty I would put my heart and soul into. I am genuinely moved that it is even being discussed. I am ready, willing, and able to serve if the good NRA members call upon me."

The problem is that Ted Nugent has a long and troubling record of espousing hate speech and threatening violence against political candidates, such as then Senators Obama and Clinton during the democratic presidential campaign. In August of 2007, Nugent went on a vicious onstage rant.

So it would be logical to ask, "GunGuys.com is urgently demanding that the National Rifle Association immediately remove Ted Nugent from his position as a board member of the NRA after Nugent threatened United States Senators and Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton:"



According to Rolling Stone:

Renegade right-winger Ted Nugent recently went on a vicious onstage rant in which he threatened the lives of Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Decked out in full-on camouflage hunting gear, Nugent wielded two machine guns while raging, “Obama, he’s a piece of shit. I told him to suck on my machine gun. Hey Hillary,” he continued. “You might want to ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless bitch.” Nugent summed up his eloquent speech by screaming “freedom!” This isn’t the first time Nugent has been caught spewing hatred. Last January, the guitarist caused a scandal for Republican Texas governor Rick Perry when he wore a Confederate flag shirt and insulted immigrants at Perry’s inauguration event. In July, Nugent was quoted in a Wall Street Journal story blaming “stoned, dirty, stinky hippies” for “rising rates of divorce, high school drop-outs, drug use, abortion, sexual diseases and crime, not to mention the exponential expansion of government and taxes.”

If you had any doubts about the Republican Party’s position in our political system, and its even more radical, marginalized place in our system of government, check out the conservative contingents comments below. Keep in mind the liberal solution was to try Bush and Cheney in our legal system for breaking laws and war crimes; Right wingers tend toward having opponents suck on the end of a firearm (now that’s democracy):

Anonymous Ted Nugent is pretty kick ass. And to you “English” posters here, go back to you f**king country and pay 50% of your money to the government for some shitty health care system. Mc Cain go ted……oboma is the anit christ

john h I did not vote for Obama. I think he will be the downfall of this country. Do you fuks realize you probably just elected the anti-christ. Bottom line is he wont last long, don’t kid yourself by thinking the KKK or skinheads are dead. They are alive and well. I however not being one for the record have friends that are and man o man are they upset. When obama is gone maybe biden will be worthy for the oval office, after all they dont call it the WHITE house for nothing.

jd TED FOR PRESIDENT HE WILL CLEAN UP THE COUNTRY AND GET RID OF THE TRASH.. GO TED GO….

Patriot Ted YOU are a TRUE AMERICAN. Those of us that have served our country understand.

Kevdogger The sheep people do not understand the greatness of being free. Nor do they appreciate our forefathers and the blood they shed fighting for the incredible gift of being an American. Many of these fools are college students which of course means that they are young and ignorant of anything they didn’t see on some hollywood produced mindless TV show. The sheep people will wake-up when this country is over run with Mexicans, South Americans, and terriorists. God bless America and real Americans like yourself!

joe aww the libs cant take a little heat. You actually think hes threatening to kill them? cmon, good luck trying to take our guns you f**king hippies.

Republicans Block Jobs From Jobs Bill in Senate. Hello....Democrats are you Awake?

But in a bizarre twist, AP-“the Senate turned back a proposal to add $25 billion for public works projects, a rejection engineered by Republicans critical of the bill's size and voicing skepticism of its ability to create jobs." Republicans may not really under stand the concept of “a stimulus plan,” the kind that would create new jobs and reconstruct our crumbling infrastructure. The Republicans turned down new construction on highways, mass transit and water treatment facilities.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein, and Patty Murray argued the increase would quickly translate into jobs.

But Sen. Jim Inhofe countered, "We can't add to the size of this bill. ... The amount is just inconceivable to most people."

What the HELL! Why aren’t the impotent Democratic Senators shouting from the highest hill top about this outrageous act of idiocy? They can’t add jobs …in a jobs bill?

....silence......

New Radicalized Republican Party offers Jaw Dropping Agenda

Here's a collection of stories NOT cut and pasted from Onion News. These are real, or should I say, surreal?

Republicans Getting Professional Advise from Experts:

USA Today: Joe the Plumber is scheduled to address GOP congressional aides today on the economic stimulus package, Politico reports. Politico says Wurzelbacher, who also did a brief stint as a war correspondent in Israel recently, will speak to the Conservative Working Group, an organization of Hill staffers who meet regularly to chart GOP strategy for the week. Wurzelbacher will be focusing his talk on the proposed stimulus package. He's apparently not a fan of the economic rescue package. Kimberly Wallner, an aide to South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, wrote in a message to her e-mail list this afternoon: “In case you weren’t planning to attend CWG tomorrow morning, you might want to reconsider because Joe the Plumber will be joining us!”

Conservative Racist Duke Wants to Save Republican Base:

Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke is not happy with the Republican Party these days. Duke, says the GOP has forgotten its roots by electing a "radical Black racist" as chairman of the party. "We will not stand for Obama junior to be head of the Republican Party," Duke writes. Duke attacks former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele, the newly elected RNC chairman, as a "passionate supporter of affirmative action programs that racially discriminate against tens of millions of White Americans." Duke argues that Steele "supports increased discrimination against White owned businesses in the awarding of non-merit and non-bid minority contracts" and is "opposed to the death penalty and thinks that it is disproportionately applied to Blacks even though it is applied to White murderers at 500 percent higher than it is to Black murderers." The 57-year-old former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan also predicts the Steele election will divide the party and "will lead to a huge revolt among the Republican base." "As a former Republican official," writes Duke, "I can tell you that millions of rank-and-file Republicans are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore! We will either take the Republican Party back over the next four years or we will say, 'To Hell With the Republican Party!' And we will take 90 percent of Republicans with us into a New Party that will take its current place!" Duke spent time in prison for tax-related issues. He denies that he is a white supremacist and instead calls himself a "White civil rights advocate."

RNC’s Michael Steele Promotes Partisan Politics as Solution:

The election last week of Michael Steele to be chairman of the Republican National Committee represents a break from the Republican past. The new face of the Republican Party does not seem to share the hunger for bipartisanship that Mr. Obama has made one of the stylistic touchstones.

The Headline: “California GOP lawmakers use budget as leverage to refight old battles” counters public will. “With their votes needed for a spending plan, Republicans press for delaying or rolling back rules on overtime pay and diesel pollution, a move they say would aid the economy.” Is this politics or blackmail?

Back on the table: labor rules on overtime pay and work breaks, plans to clean up the dirtiest diesel construction equipment and California's curbs on greenhouse gases.

As Republicans in Congress complains the stimulus contains non-stimulus items, it’s different when they include the same non-related items. The items include a breathtaking list of dangerous public health issues and third world labor standards.

Although such policies are not directly connected to the state budget, Republican lawmakers say they are germane to the economic downturn that has depleted tax revenue and helped open California's gaping budget deficit. Delaying or rolling them back, GOP lawmakers argue, will spark a recovery, create jobs and refill state coffers.

They are looking to curtail overtime requirements for the eight-hour workday to give businesses more flexibility in scheduling. "One man's provisions to protect labor can be another man's imposition on business," said Niello, vice chairman of the Assembly budget committee.Republicans are also looking to delay or change diesel regulations for big construction equipment … exempting several road projects from the state's environmental review process … setting up an ad hoc committee of governor-appointed agency chiefs with veto power over environmental requirements hindering some of the state's more contentious projects and easing regulations meant to reduce air hazards caused by pesticide use.

…and these Republican lawmakers are serious about becoming a majority again.

Please God Grant Georgia Its Wish For Statewide School Vouchers.

When Republican legislators in Utah thought they knew best how to spend taxpayer dollars on private school vouchers, the citizens there were outraged, quickly repealing the purely ideological law via a statewide referendum that saved their public school system.

That meant waiting a little longer for another Republican state to take the plunge, to take their informed electorate and dumb them down, at the cost of destroying their state economy. That wait may be over. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Georgia would be the first state to offer vouchers to all public schools students under a Republican plan introduced in the state Senate on Monday. The bill from Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) would allot parents about $5,000 in taxpayer money to use toward private school tuition. Senate Bill 90 also would allow parents to switch their children from one public school to another.Georgia’s education ranking is “near the bottom,” Johnson said.

While the bill is not a “silver bullet,” he said, “Georgia is a conservative state that understands the free market.” Nine states, including Georgia, offer vouchers, but those programs focus on low-income students or children with disabilities.

Voters in Utah defeated a universal voucher referendum in 2007.

Johnson says Georgia has a chance of passing such a measure now because the state’s education record is abysmal and people are sick of it. “We’re at the bottom year, after year, after year,” he said.

Yes, please, bring the free market system of private unaccountable schools to Georgia. Allow them to advertise their claims of smarter kids, better courses and higher graduation rates. Sure we can trust them for being honest and factual in their glossy presentations. All you have to do is...BELIEVE. Does in matter really how they spend our money? Of course not, they're private, and they would never waste taxpayer dollars on anything wasteful or deceptive. And if they turn out not to be very good, hell, it's was only a few years out of your child's life when they didn't learn anything at all. Don't forget, you saved the state some money, and isn't that worth the risk?

Please Georgia, give every other state a leg up on attracting businesses due to an educated work force, while you save a little cash diverting children away from those expensive public schools.

GOP Against Real Stimulus FIx & Majority of Americans. Wisconsin Senator Fitzgerald Highlights Minority Status

How out of step are the Congressional Republicans? According to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll:

Americans overwhelmingly want Congress to pass an economic stimulus bill, a finds, but expectations are low that it will have much of an effect on their own finances or turn the economy around this year. About two-thirds of those surveyed predict that a package would make the nation's economy a lot or a little better. When it comes to their own family finances, however, just over half say it either would have no effect or even make things worse.

"It's sort of paradoxical: They're both supportive and pessimistic," says Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who studies public opinion. Still, "you have your political leaders saying this is going to be a long process, so maybe it's not so surprising that voters would pick up the idea that there's no quick fix."

What percentage of Americans supports the Republicans rejection of the stimulus bill: just 17%.
Now that's broad appeal. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow reviews Moody's Mark Zandi's breakdown (Mark Zandi, an economist at Moody's advised GOP presidential nominee John McCain last year and has helped shape the Democrats' stimulus plan) of what works and what doesn't when trying to stimulate the economy in the clip below. It's not corporate tax cuts either. But then, you probably knew that. In the second part of the clip, while most all Republican governors want the stimulus money, Republican legislators with Democratic governors play the political game of saying no to the money and blaming the state shortfall on those governors. State Senator Scott Fitzgerald ignores the U.S. economic crisis, and insists the problem is caused by bad policy making from the Democratic governor.

The amazing part of State Sen. Scott Fitzgerald's claim that Dem. Gov. Jim Doyle is at fault for not having a rainy day fund, is that he ignores the state rebate that returned "excess" taxes collected, that could have been applied to such a fund during economic good times. Keep in mind, the Clinton economy had produced a budget surplus in 2000, so the Republican Governor and ligislature had a field day spending money liberally. According to the Wisconsin State Journal:

With the Sizzling economy increasing tax revenues each year, Thompson wasn’t
worried about critics questioning whether he would be able to balance the next
budget. “It is going to be like going to kindergarten,” he told reporters at the budget signing. For several years, it was almost easier. Thompson and lawmakers doled out a wealth of tax cuts, (like the) one-time sales-tax rebate of $688 million in January 2000. Yet Thompson and the Legislature still had money to spend. They passed tougher sentencing laws for criminals and started a prison building boom that would nearly double the share of the state budget going to the Corrections Department...."

So who's fault was it that we didn't have a rainy day fund? Who obligated the state to future expenses of housing more criminals and paying for prison upkeep because of tougher sentencing laws that helped Republicans look tough on crime?

Oh yeah, it's Gov. Doyles fault some 9 years later.

Paul Ryan to laid-off constituents: Drop dead. GOP Message Loud and Clear.

The above headline was part of an editorial comment from the Capital Times online that pretty much said it all about the GOP message to America:

(Rep. Paul Ryan’s) hometown has been devastated by the closing of the General Motors plant that was the mainstay of the local economy for almost 90 years. Parts suppliers in Janesville and surrounding communities are laying off workers and shutting their doors. Main Street businesses are cutting back. On the other side of Ryan's 1st District, communities are still reeling from the closings of major employers such as the Delphi Corp. plant in Oak Creek. The 1st District has always been part of the industrial heartland of Wisconsin, so it is no surprise that, as American industry collapses under the weight of the bad trade and economic policiesYet the Janesville Republican did not merely vote against the bill. He led the opposition. If the Obama plan fails, families in Ryan's district that once had jobs and health care protections will have neither.

On Wednesday, they heard a voice. But instead of saying, "I will fight for you," Ryan said: "Drop dead."

Believe it or not, Ryan STILL supports business tax cuts to create new jobs in an economy shedding jobs due to a lack of consumer buying power. In his mind, businesses can expand and hire more people, top down/trickle down economics, even during a recession. The Bush plan on steroids.

I guess the Republican thinking goes something like this: “If we act like our policies didn’t get us into this crisis, no one will notice or blame us for our failed capitalist philosophy, and we can play these suckers for another decade or two.”

But it’s one thing to play partisan, ideological games in Congress; it’s another to be on the front lines like most Republican governors who have to pay the bills and are facing huge deficits.
According to MSNBC:

Most Republican governors have broken with their GOP colleagues in Congress and are pushing for passage of President Barack Obama's economic aid plan that would send billions to states for education, public works and health care. Their state treasuries drained by the financial crisis, governors would welcome the money from Capitol Hill. States are coping with severe budget shortfalls and mounting costs for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor. "States are facing fiscal conditions not seen since the Great Depression — anticipated budget shortfalls are expected in excess of $200 billion," the National Governors Association statement said. "Governors ... support several key elements of the bill critical to states-increased federal support for Medicaid and K-12 and higher education; investment in the nation's infrastructure; and tax provisions to spur investment.”

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas pressed their case for a share of the package. "As the executive of a state experiencing budget challenges, Gov. Douglas has a different perspective on the situation than congressional Republicans," said Douglas' deputy chief of staff, Dennise Casey.

But of course, there are those Republican Governors who don’t like taking the money, but may be “forced” too.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said he would accept the stimulus money but would have voted against the bill if he were still in Congress. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said he wasn't sure whether he would accept the approximately $3 billion his state would be in line for. The most outspoken critic has been South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has not yet said whether he would accept it. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said governors have little choice but to accept the relief being offered. "States have to balance their budgets," he said. "So if we're going to go down this path, we are entitled to ask for our share of the money. I

“Ouch, ouch, don’t force me to take the money…okay…fine…I give. I’ll take it, I’ll take the money damn it.”

Don’t you wish it were this simple: If Republican Representatives and Senators vote against the stimulus money, they shouldn’t get it, and then they can explain to their constituents why they took the “high ground?” And while we’re at it, make every person in the country who might be against stem cell research sign away their right to benefits from treatments derived from such immoral medicine. Think of how much money insurance companies and Medicare could save by not paying for these freeloaders.

The bulls**ter with the biggest balls, Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, "called on President Obama to “immediately disavow plans by some political groups who announced that they will run attack ads against Republicans." That’s right, Cantor doesn’t want voters to know how reckless the GOP’s agenda is when it comes to their constituents overwhelming problems. It’s so unfair to point these things out, considering the history of abuse and victimization conservatives have had to put up with these many years. Just more piling on I guess…!

Washington Post: A new national radio ad campaign sponsored by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee targeting more than two dozen Republican lawmakers for their opposition to the bill. The ads are tailored to highlight specific elements of the bill that House Democrats believe will resonate with voters. Some knock the GOP members for voting against a bill that cut taxes for "95 percent of American workers." Brian Wolff, executive director of the DCCC, said: "These are serious times; hardworking families are worried about keeping their jobs, health care and homes -- they want action, not House Republicans cheering about doing nothing."

For Democrats, it’s a step in the right direction.

Money For War, Not for Stimulus; Boehner Makes up Contraceptive Story in Stimulus

Iraq War Costs More than Stimulus: According to Think Progress:
In the public debate over the stimulus package, Democrats have found themselves largely on the defensive … Rep. Barney Frank did his best to flip those dynamics, playing a card that has largely -- somewhat surprisingly -- gone unused: the war in Iraq. From his exchange on ABC's This Week with Sen. Jim DeMint:

DeMint: It's the largest spending bill in history and we're trying to call it a stimulus.

Frank: The largest spending bill in history is going to turn out to be the one in Iraq. If we're going to talk about spending, I have a problem when we leave out that extraordinary expensive, damaging war in Iraq, which has caused much more harm than good in my judgment. I don't understand from my conservative friends, building a road, building a school, helping to get health care, that's wasteful spending. But that war in Iraq, that's going to cost us over a trillion dollars, yeah, I wish we hadn't done that we would have been in a lot better shape fiscally…self-purported fiscal conservatives should not be entitled to selective memory. So when George Stephanopoulos jumped in to say the issue could be fodder for "a whole other show," the Massachusetts Democrat had none of it.

"That's the problem," said Frank. "The problem is we look at spending and say don't spend on highways or health care. Let's builds weapons to defeat the Soviet Union when we don't need them.

Contraceptives on in Stimulus Plan-Huffington Post:

Remember last week House Republicans, led by Rep. John Boehner, staged a prime-time temper tantrum arguing they couldn't tolerate spending $200 million on contraceptive coverage, which they reported was part of the stimulus plan? Democrats capitulated and contraception was gone. Now, it turns out there never was a $200 million budget request for contraception included.

Rep. Henry Waxman called Boehner's office seeking their source on it, but Boehner's office is not forthcoming. That's because the budget item didn't exist. There is a $200 million figure that appears in the stimulus package for contraception: it refers to the projected cost savings to the states in five years. the provision in the stimulus package would have allowed every woman who is already eligible for Medicaid coverage for pregnancy-related care, to be eligible for pregnancy prevention care too. Just under half the states have already requested and received waivers to do exactly this --14 even during the Bush administration. Changing the law would have simply made it much quicker and easier for additional states to expand their Medicaid programs in this way, and for states already with expansions to renew their programs.

The one question that does remain is "Will Boehner get away with brazenly misleading the public on this issue." Hopefully some real journalism will emerge to answer this question.