The Stimulus Package Explained

[J-WS6]

Couldn't agree with you more, Steve

[CichlidFan]

I wish the real stimulus bill was that amusing....

this is what I see happening down the road a piece....

:ertrink:

CF

[PhishPhreek]

Understanding the stimulus bill

Shortly after class, an economics student approaches his economics
professor and says, "I don't understand this stimulus bill. Can you
explain it to me?"

The professor replied, "I don't have any time to explain it at my
office, but if you come over to my house on Saturday and help me with my
weekend project, I'll be glad to explain it to you." The student agreed.

At the agreed-upon time, the student showed up at the professor's
house. The professor stated that the weekend project involved his backyard pool.

They both went out back to the pool, and the professor handed the
student a bucket. Demonstrating with his own bucket, the professor said,
"First, go over to the deep end, and fill your bucket with as much water
as you can." The student did as he was instructed.

The professor then continued, "Follow me over to the shallow end, and
then dump all the water from your bucket into it." The student was
naturally confused, but did as he was told.

The professor then explained they were going to do this many more
times, and began walking back to the deep end of the pool.

The confused student asked, "Excuse me, but why are we doing this?"

The professor matter-of-factly stated that he was trying to make the
shallow end much deeper.

The student didn't think the economics professor was serious, but
figured that he would find out the real story soon enough.

However, after the 6th trip between the shallow end and the deep end,
the student began to become worried that his economics professor had gone
mad. The student finally replied, "All we're doing is wasting valuable
time and effort on unproductive pursuits. Even worse, when this process is
all over, everything will be at the same level it was before, so all you'll
really have accomplished is the destruction of what could have been truly
productive action!"

The professor put down his bucket and replied with a smile,
"Congratulations. You now understand the stimulus bill."

[J-WS6]

You know something isn't right with this bill when the CBO themselves say that it won't stimulate the economy.

[treehuggingfishlover]

I do so love Ron Paul. I wish more politicians had his courage to be honest....

Don't know much about his "campaign for liberty", but I'll check it out.

[CichlidFan]

I am already an active member of Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty, and that organization is growing by leaps and bounds on a daily basis, but we need to get a personage with clout into a leadership position ASAP, or it could be too late to try to escape from the well conceived plan of the elite.

CF

PS....the "Campaign for Liberty" above is a link or URL. Please visit.

[treehuggingfishlover]

Guess it's time to run for office, CF

[CichlidFan]

This stimulus bill is nothing more than "protection money" robbery, so some of the neo conservatives say.

I personally, do not believe that you can erase debt by creating more debt.

Last summer I shared my opinions about how the higher cost of living (specifically GAS) was due in a large part to the devalued dollar, this stimulus package in my opinion will only make matters worse in the long run.

If we do not wake up and look into ways of taking back control of our countries direction, we will find ourselves in a 3rd world country where most of us will live out a life of serfdom to the NWO.

I feel that this subject matter is closely related to the restricted arena of politics, but I also feel this is a critical message that needs to be shared with anyone who professes to keep an open mind.
CF

[treehuggingfishlover]

okay, but it's not just an infrastructure bill, for example, the money for the hybrid cars will stimulate the economy just by purchasing the vehicles. I seem to remember a bunch of auto CEO's crying about needing a bailout because no one was buying their cars. same thing with all of the new computers. you don't turn money into computers, you buy them from companys who hire other people to put them together, to package them and then you pay someone else to set the whole thing up. Money isn't going to build the new dept. of homeland security building, but it will hire builders, architects, plus were gonna have to buy materials, I mean we're not gonna build it out of cash paper machet'. This is a stimulus, not a full fix. Besides.....what's your plan?

+1 x10

I find it so interesting that people have this concept that putting money back in our pockets (by giving the stimulus money to you and me instead of the governements budget) is going to solve all our problems. There is an infrastucture that is in place that makes it possible for us to drive, obtain food at the grocery store, turn on our lights, buy medicine, and even to have access to exotic fish through international commerce :).

I don't know about you, but I barely have enough time in my day to feed my pets, clean my fish tanks, go to work, cook dinner and keep my house clean. I certainly don't have the time to manage all the things it takes to keep this country running, so that is why we have GOVERNMENT. To do all the dirty work we don't want to bother ourselves with- like where our poopoo goes after we conveniently flush the toilet.

And much of that work takes place in government buildings that are in desperate need of repair thanks to the fact that many of those repairs have been put on hold for many years so we could pay for a senseless war.

I'm all for the stimulus plan. So, some people might think it's silly to give money to hollywood (I don't even LIKE hollywood films)- but think of that HUGE industry. Think of all those jobs! I'm not the moral police, and if that's where our representatives, based on their sound judgement and delegated research, think we need to spend some money- then go for it.

If you disagree with their decision- vote for a new representative. It's pretty simple.

And until you are ready to roll your sleeves up, put your family and personal life on hold to be a public servant and run for office- stop complaining.

Most politicians are not the enemy- a few bad apples have ruined the reputation of many- but most of them are really trying to do their best for our country. Give them a chance.

[blacksmith37]

I am am going to cash in on the Democratic pork bill ; I am investing in Smithfield Ham (the largest pork producer in the US ).

[stevenallenbarnard]

okay, but it's not just an infrastructure bill, for example, the money for the hybrid cars will stimulate the economy just by purchasing the vehicles. I seem to remember a bunch of auto CEO's crying about needing a bailout because no one was buying their cars. same thing with all of the new computers. you don't turn money into computers, you buy them from companys who hire other people to put them together, to package them and then you pay someone else to set the whole thing up. Money isn't going to build the new dept. of homeland security building, but it will hire builders, architects, plus were gonna have to buy materials, I mean we're not gonna build it out of cash paper machet'. This is a stimulus, not a full fix. Besides.....what's your plan?

[djmatthewblack]

Okay, I will say it is 90% flawed then since only between 5%-10% of the bill is dedicated towards infrastructure.

[stevenallenbarnard]

you can't say that the plan is completely flawed, it has many worthwile programs that will not only create jobs, but will benefit the people of THIS country as well. Such as the money to imrove roads and infrastructure. But unfortunatly there was a lot of unnecessary spending involved in the bill, like money for hollywood directors to buy film. Unfortunatly, the economy won't be fixed with the same old trickle down policies that we've had before. It's going to take equal amounts of government spending and tax cuts to really stimulate things.

[J-WS6]

This stimulus package is a combination of 30 year old liberal wet dreams all compacted into one bill. It's not just Obama who wants to pass a lot of these things, it's that moron Harry Reid and Nancy Botox Pelosi. Although I don't support our current president, they are just using him as a puppet to cram down any sort of legislation down our throats.

[djmatthewblack]

It is just insulting to me that a man who ran on a campaign of tax breaks, comes out of the gate with the largest spending bill this nation has ever seen. It isn't a economic stimulus package, it is a government stimulus package packed with the pork barrel spending and catering to special interest groups, the very kind of politics that Obama promised us to fight against.

How is $650 million for the converter box program going to stimulate the economy?
Or $87 million for polar ice breaking ships?
How about $400 million to buy hybrid cars for local and state government?
Or $20 billion for food stamps?

And most of the infrastructure projects are renovations on government buildings
$150 million for the Smithsonian
$34 million to renovate the Department of Commerce headquarters
$500 million for improvement projects for National Institutes of Health facilities
$44 million for repairs to Department of Agriculture headquarters
$350 million for Agriculture Department computers
$88 million to help move the Public Health Service into a new building
$448 million for constructing a new Homeland Security Department headquarters

Further more to actually start construction on the project it will take up to two years to finish all the red tape and engineering in order to break ground. While it will bring construction jobs to Washington everywhere else will not receive any benefit from the spending.

And I do have an answer. I propose that the government not spend our money, but return $920 billion to us in a check, and let us decide how to invest it into the economy. Let us create jobs and businesses through the free market rather than expanding the role and size of the federal government.

The bill is all but passed, but I am not going to stand here and accept the government expanding itself and it's responsibility while I am paying for it. The role of government is to serve the people but I don't think a single person in Washington is serving anyone other than themselves. Cause right now I believe that if they had sat on their thumbs and done nothing to try to fix the economic situation here and let the market level itself out, it would have been better than what they are doing now.