Read it and weep

Here is some of the proposed spending in the democrats stimulus package:

$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts
$380 million in the Senate bill for the Women, Infants and Children program
$300 million for grants to combat violence against women
$2 billion for federal child-care block grants
$6 billion for university building projects
$15 billion for boosting Pell Grant college scholarships
$4 billion for job-training programs, including $1.2 billion for “youths” up to the age of 24
$1 billion for community-development block grants
$4.2 billion for “neighborhood stabilization activities”
$650 million for digital-TV coupons; $90 million to educate “vulnerable populations”
$15 billion for business-loss carry-backs
$145 billion for “Making Work Pay” tax credits
$83 billion for the earned income credit
$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
$600 million to convert the federal auto fleet to hybrids
$450 million for NASA (carve-out for “climate-research missions”)
$600 million for NOAA (carve-out for “climate modeling”)
$1 billion for the Census Bureau
$89 billion for Medicaid
$30 billion for COBRA insurance extension
$36 billion for expanded unemployment benefits
$20 billion for food stamps
$4.5 billion for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
$850 million for Amtrak
$87 million for a polar icebreaking ship
$1.7 billion for the National Park System
$55 million for Historic Preservation Fund
$7.6 billion for “rural community advancement programs”
$150 million for agricultural-commodity purchases
$150 million for “producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish”
$2 billion for renewable-energy research ($400 million for global-warming research)
$2 billion for a “clean coal” power plant in Illinois
$6.2 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program
$3.5 billion for energy-efficiency and conservation block grants
$3.4 billion for the State Energy Program
$200 million for state and local electric-transport projects
$300 million for energy-efficient-appliance rebate programs
$400 million for hybrid cars for state and local governments
$1 billion for the manufacturing of advanced batteries
$1.5 billion for green-technology loan guarantees
$8 billion for innovative-technology loan-guarantee program
$2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects
$4.5 billion for electricity grid
$79 billion for State Fiscal Stabilization Fund

I suppose you would like to see the following:

$600 billion for increased military expenditures
$200 billion for the War on Terror
$19 billion for George W Bush and Cheney for doing an excellent job for the past 8 years

As long as I get to drive the polar icebreaking ship. I will be happy.

howdy wrote:As long as I get to drive the polar icebreaking ship. I will be happy.

I'll sign on as first mate

$2 billion for federal child-care block grants
$6 billion for university building projects
$4 billion for job-training programs, including $1.2 billion for “youths” up to the age of 24
$1 billion for community-development block grants
$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
$448 million for constructing a new Homeland Security Department headquarters
$1 billion for the Census Bureau
$2 billion for renewable-energy research ($400 million for global-warming research)
$2 billion for a “clean coal” power plant in Illinois
$200 million for state and local electric-transport projects
$1 billion for the manufacturing of advanced batteries
$2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects
$4.5 billion for electricity grid


All of those will directly help stimulate the economy and help create or keep jobs. I am confused, though, on why I'm supposed to read this and weep?

Americanadian wrote:I suppose you would like to see the following:

$600 billion for increased military expenditures
$200 billion for the War on Terror
$19 billion for George W Bush and Cheney for doing an excellent job for the past 8 years

Hey, all the Wall Streeters got big bonuses for screwing things up. Fair is fair!

lisan23 wrote:$2 billion for federal child-care block grants
$6 billion for university building projects
$4 billion for job-training programs, including $1.2 billion for “youths” up to the age of 24
$1 billion for community-development block grants
$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
$448 million for constructing a new Homeland Security Department headquarters
$1 billion for the Census Bureau
$2 billion for renewable-energy research ($400 million for global-warming research)
$2 billion for a “clean coal” power plant in Illinois
$200 million for state and local electric-transport projects
$1 billion for the manufacturing of advanced batteries
$2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects
$4.5 billion for electricity grid


All of those will directly help stimulate the economy and help create or keep jobs. I am confused, though, on why I'm supposed to read this and weep?

Yes, alot of good stuff in there. I don't see any reason to weep.

I'm all for census spending. I got a temp job with the census, and it's paying me several dollars more an hour than what I would get paid to do what I've gone to school for.