Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Sordid Story of The Stimulus


Arlen $pecter has written an article for the Washington Post, trying to convince us that he is acting responsibly in supporting the $timulus Package.  Here are some of his asinine points:
  • I am supporting the economic stimulus package for one simple reason: The country cannot afford not to take action.
  • Failure to act would be devastating not just for Wall Street and Main Street but for much of the rest of the world, which is looking to our country for leadership in this crisis.
  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the proposed cuts "do violence to what we are trying to do for the future," especially on education. 
  • This proverbial half a loaf beats no loaf by a mile.

My response:

Dearest Arlen,

Your argument for the "stimulus" is incoherent.  Let me help.  This bill is 88% pork and 12% stimulus. If you were being perfectly honest you would tell us that you simply do not know what impact this bill will have—no one does. If you were being perfectly reasonable, you would admit that a trillion dollar spending spree will likely do more harm than good

Because of the tremendous impact their decisions have, physicians take the following oath: "...first do no harm." I know that Senators aren't held to the same high standard, but maybe you should think about these words as you go forward.  You say we "cannot afford not to take action."  Fine.  But here's my question...can we afford to make things even worse?

Perhaps your thinking is being shaped by considerations regarding your chances of being re-elected next year. You don't want to be labeled as a "do nothing", do you?  I can sympathize, but please put your concern for the future of this country ahead of your political ambitions.

I think you're digging your own grave.  Conservatives in your state are going to be sorely disappointed with you. Liberals will know that they can get more of what they want from a real Democrat.  Let's frame the discussion this way: why should Pennsylvanians vote for you when they could have someone who is more honest about his political and ideological affiliations?


Audio Update: Hannity interviews Republican Arlen Specter on his support for the spendulus package.  h/t: M


Other Thoughts

  • Pork = stimulus?  Obama is having a hard time selling his stimulus package, not for lack of communication skills, but because his stimulus package is a lie.  Sweet little lies are easy to sell.  This lie is neither sweet nor little.  
  • Obama espouses all of the worst political ideas of the last 100 years.  How could he not fail?  If he is re-elected in 2012, it will be because he will have been successful in one single thing: shifting the blame.


More


We have nothing to hope for but hope itself.
Jesus took a handful of loaves and two fish and fed 5,000 people. Barack wants to take a trillion pieces of pork and feed it to a handful of Democratic Party interest groups. 

The New Great Communicator … Isn't
Somehow this week, unbelievably, Obama and the Democrats seem to be losing the spin war. There are the worrying poll numbers.

50 De-Stimulating Facts
The great French economist Frédéric Bastiat called politics “the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.” But who pays for the state bailout? Savers will pay to bail out spenders, and future generations will pay to bail out the undisciplined present.

Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan
Health-care reform “will not be pain free.” Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them. That means the elderly will bear the brunt.

Obama's Remarks at Press Conference
"The strongest democracies flourish from frequent and lively debate, but they endure when people of every background and belief find a way to set aside smaller differences in service of a greater purpose."  Translation: Sign the bill or I will trump you.

10 questions for Obama



Mark Sanford clearly explains why the stimulus is a very bad idea: 


h/t: American Thinker

7 comments:

Pen of Jen said...

After studying the quantity of Pork in the stimulus, I have decided that the Left wishes for our nation to fail. I mean why else sabotage future generations?

Oh and I mean the politicians, I am certain that there are many that believe in the ideals of the democratic party and have no desire for the nation to fail.

When the politicians use fear and woe...for only a 12% stimulus we are IN TROUBLE, because of them.

Anonymous said...

To sum up most of President Obama's campaign promises and his actions since assuming the Presidency, it is apparent that as a Citizen of the World, he has made himself responsible for defanging America, for emasculating our nation and removing us as a threat to all of the murderous genocidal dictators in the world. I to hope he will fail in all of his edeavors, from bankrupting us with his abusive "stimulus" package to his appeasement of enemy regimes.

~~Deby said...

I just went to Spector's website and left a rather direct comment on how shameful he is....I may not live in his state but the internet is a BIG world...his vote and reasoning is pathetic.
Deby
Came over from Pen of Jen's (favorite of mine !!)

Z said...

Spector really is an idiot.
Sanford is a really good guy.
Thanks, Rightklik.

I saw your post below about Obama resigning and it made my morning..just the THOUGHT of it..thanks!

WE HAVE TO STOP THIS PACKAGE....
Senators and Reps' names and addresses are on my site, about 5 posts down or so. USE THEM, people!

ONe friend commented that she's in California but she sends money to other state elections..and threatened Collins and Snow and Specter with sending money against them next time! THAT might work!! HA!! We have to use anything available to us..because THIS MUST BE STOPPED!

Obama, whether he likes it or not, is NO JESUS!!!(your fish/loaves point's a good one)

WomanHonorThyself said...

great overview of this horror!

a red voice said...

Doing nothing IS BETTER than this stimulus. I agree with Jen, the left wishes for the nation to fail. - then the big government can step in and take care of us because we were unable to take care of ourselves - that will be their reasoning for socializing everything.
We all know what Obama's plan is - to "break free from the essential constraints placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution.” as our freedoms guaranteed in the constitution are “a charter of negative liberties.”

RightKlik said...

M: Thanks for mentioning the Hannity interview. I posted a link.

Pen of Jen: The won't admit it, but they want to make fundamental transformations to this country that would make most people very upset.

PM: Obama is not an American president, he's an international president. He doesn't represent you and me, he represents our critics. So you and I don't have representation. What do they say about taxation without representation?

Thanks for visiting.

Deby: Keep it up! And thanks for visiting.

Z: "One friend commented that she's in California but she sends money to other state elections..and threatened Collins and Snow and Specter with sending money against them next time! THAT might work!! HA!!"

I've begun to support this kind of strategy. I like it VERY much. I think conservatives should seriously contemplate making this into an organized grassroots effort.

WHT: Thanks, and thanks for visiting.

Red: Obama clearly has disdain for the law of the land, our Constitution. I have a very big problem with that. It's no wonder he's chosen law breakers for his cabinet.