Not Quite a Stimulus: Speaker Pelosi’s Payoffs and Pork Bill – UPDATED
by Tom McClusky
January 28, 2009
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently found that the cost of the Pelosi-Reid stimulus package now exceeds $1.1 trillion. CBO also estimated that only 7 percent of infrastructure money would make its way into the economy by the end of the year and only 38 percent would be spent by the end of the 2010 fiscal year. Senator Jeff Session’s (R-Ala.) office estimates the actual number going to tangible road and bridge construction is just a little more than 3 percent.
Where is this money going to? A not exhaustive look at the 1,588 page legislation, H.R. 1, “The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009″ shows the bill is more payoffs and pork then stimulus.
Many thanks to the website readthestimulus.org and its participating organizations.
PAYOFFS
To the “Green” Lobby
$600 Million To Buy New Cars For Government Workers (Page 89)
These cars would be “green” friendly cars – however very few gas pumps have the right gas to run these cars. The Federal government already spends $3.5 billion a year.
$10M for bike and walking trails (Page 65)
$200M for plug-in car stations (Page 31)
$400 million for NASA scientists to conduct climate change research (Page 22)
$800 million to clean up Superfund sites (Page 122)
$600 million for grants for diesel emission reduction (Page 119)
$650 million for “alternative energy technologies, energy efficiency enhancements and deferred maintenance at Federal facilities” (Page 119)
$1.5 billion for construction of “Green Schools” (Page 176)
To the Unions
$1 billion to the controversial COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES COPS Hiring Program
“$150 billion in new federal spending, a vast two-year investment that would more than double the Department of Education’s current budget. The proposed emergency expenditures on nearly every realm of education, including school renovation, special education, Head Start and grants to needy college students” Sam Dillon, “Stimulus Plan Would Provide Flood of Aid to Education,” New York Times. January 27, 2009. NOTE: Private and religious schools are excluded.
Look for the Union Label. “The stimulus bill passed by the House last night contains a controversial provision that would mostly bar foreign steel and iron from the infrastructure projects laid out by the $819 billion economic package. A Senate version, yet to be acted upon, goes further, requiring, with few exceptions, that all stimulus-funded projects use only American-made equipment and goods.” Anthony Faiola, “‘Buy American’ Rider sparks trade Debate,” Washington Post, January 29, 2009.
To the Abortion Industry
Representative Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) inserted in the original bill billions of dollars for family planning groups, including the abortion giant, Planned Parenthood. Pressure and public exposure from Congressional Republicans forced the Democrats to remove such funding from this bill. However the bill still provides billions in reforming the health care system and working towards nationalized health care – with little to no debate.
$2.7B in NIH grants which would be targeted to among other things embryonic stem cell experimentation. (Page 56)
Other Special Interests
$3 Billion for Prevention & Wellness Programs, Including $335 million for STD Education and Prevention — Recent government expenditures in this area include a transgender beauty pageant in San Francisco that advertised available HIV testing and an event called “Got Love? – Flirt/Date/Score” that taught participants how “to flirt with greater finesse.”
$83 billion for the earned income credit for people who don’t pay income tax. SOURCE Wall Street Journal
$246 million for Hollywood SOURCE National Journal
$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (Page 122)
$75 million for smoking cessation (Page 148). This contradicts the latest version of SCHIP that is funded largely by new taxes on cigarettes.
$4.19 billion open to ACORN. The Pelosi-Reid bill makes groups like ACORN eligible for a $4.19 billion pot of money for “neighborhood stabilization activities.”
MISCELLANEOUS PORK
Some of the biggest winners in the package are federal agencies and Congressional relatives:
$2 Billion for national parks. “A top House Republican is demanding an investigation into whether the more than $2 billion for national parks in the House stimulus package is proper in light of the fact that the chief lobbyist for the National Parks Conservation Association is the son of House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey (chief author of the bill.)” Stephen Dinan and S.A. Miller, “Stimulus has plum for Lawmakers Son,” Washington Times, January 29, 2009.
$54 billion will go to federal programs that the Office of Management and Budget or the Government Accountability Office have already criticized as “ineffective” or unable to pass basic financial audits. SOURCE Wall Street Journal
$462 Million for Equipment, Construction, and Renovation of Facilities at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (Page 137)
$1.2 billion to the National Science Foundation (Page 46) “Chuck Grassley knows it when he sees it. The “it,” of course, is pornography. And Grassley has seen it deep in a demurely titled section of a report from the National Science Foundation — a report that says NSF employees have been spending significant amounts of company time on smut sites and in other explicit pursuits . . . In one particularly egregious case, the report says one NSF “senior official” was discovered to have spent as much as 20 percent of his working hours over a two-year interval ‘viewing sexually explicit images and engaging in sexually explicit online ‘chats’ with various women.’ Investigators calculated the value of the time lost at more than $58,000 — for that employee alone.” Andie Coller, “Grassley Lainches Porn Inquiry,” Politico, January 29, 2009.
$150 Million for Repairs to Smithsonian Institution Facilities (Page 128)
$44 million to the Agricultural Research Service (Page 135)
$227 million for oversight of the pork barrel spending in the stimulus (Page 11)
$1 Billion for the Follow-Up to the 2010 Census (Page 49)
Discretion is given to governors and Mayors for how to spend a large chunk of the money. The U.S. Conference of Mayors recently sent Congress a $96.6 billion wish list of “shovel-ready” projects which now could be funded by the stimulus. These projects include: “$1 million for annual sewer rehabilitation in Casper, WY; $6.1 million for corporate hangars, parking lots, and a business apron at the Fayetteville, AR airport; 28 projects with the term “stadium” in them; and 117 projects mentioning landscaping and/or beautification efforts. The taxpayers should be most teed off at the 20 golf courses included in the list.” SOURCE National Taxpayers Union
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Comments
It doesn’t surprise me that the liberal’s are behaving this way. I hope someday soon we will have a goverment that will be smaller, spend less and allow us more of our money that we work hard for.
In Tony Perkins’ Washington Update (01/28/09), “GOP Loses Standoff, Wins Respect,” it may be too little, too late. They should have mounted the same opposition against the Paulson/Bush bailout last Fall. It’s tragic that a “conservative” president opened the door to this level of government control.
Speaker Pelosi’s Pork and Payoff bill updated – That’s not all folks!
When you have a huge bill like Hr. 1, the so-called stimulus bill, sometimes it takes a while for things to come out. I’ve found some updates on political pork being directed towards the author of the bill’s, Rep. David…
When people begin to look to the government for all their answers, this is what happens. Give me Freedom…that is all I want. I want the Government to stay out of my business and I will be happy. Poor or rich, as others across the world have realized, Freedom, Liberty…that is all that matters. I feel we have lost the long battle for our democratic nation.
Do whatever you have to do to get this info out and expose those who are promoting this tax and spending spree – the president included.
Wake up people. I know that most of you have never even called a representative or senator in your lives. Shame on us. They work for us, to do what we want and need. Call, e-mail, text and write every day. Overwhelm them with our common sense. They need to hear it from us, not the small special interest groups, from us, the majority. It will matter.
It seems that “we the people” are being replaced by “we the special interests.” It is said to not fight with a pig–you’ll both get dirty and the pig will just love it.” We’ll, it didn’t say don’t feed the pig/pork. I commend those legislators, especially the 11 democrats who broke from their party line, who voted against the pork “stimulus” package. Side note #1: What kind of warped political system has evolved where big business is allowed to fund political parties/candidates in order to gain influence for their individual agenda’s at the expense of the greater good of the people? A side note #2: Obama feeds the growling lions and those who oppose him just enough to pacify them. Side note #3: National Health Insurance = government assistance which expands the bloating of the pharmacuetical and insurance industry’s by socialistically placing the burden of providing for many people who get sick from poor eating habits, smoking, drinking, wreckless living, no exercise and whatever else onto the financial backs of those who, through discipline, live well.
I would have thought the new-car allocation a very good stimulus. Putting the environmental issues aside, it results in much buying of new cars. The auto industry is struggling right now. $600m worth of demand for new cars isn’t likely to save them, but it might help a little.
It’s no surprise this plan is full of pork. What do you expect when you hand politicians not only an excuse to spent huge amounts of money, but actually request they do so? I wouldn’t blame any one party for this, it’s just the nature of politics. The republicans were certinly no misers when they were in control.
I think the FRC is making a lot of fuss about nothing with the NSF porn viewing. What relivance to the budget does this have? A few employees looked at porn while they should be working, certinly – so discipline or fire the employees, don’t cut their funding in order to punish the entire department. The NSF does some good work.
I find some of the language a little confusing. The claim that “$2.7B in NIH grants which would be targeted to among other things embryonic stem cell experimentation” doesn’t specify what those other things are, or the proportion going to embryonic stem cell research. I can’t imagine ESC research using up the entire $2.7b, so the bulk of it must be going on other areas. Maybe it’s money well spent, maybe not. I havn’t the information to judge.
After we see Obama’s campaign promises, there is little left to help the unemployed. The jobs will require special requirements that the general population will not have. Naturally the illegal imagrants should be totaly left out, but there seems to be nothing to stop that.
The entire program should be scraped of pork and only jobs be included so the total money needed is less, thus interest payments which aren’t factored in such be included. Less payroll taxes should take effect immediately, health costs should come off taxes (nothing ever said about the thing that bankrupts families)
Tax Free Interest is paid on twice by seniors. Those that were thrifty and helped projects occur and accepted low interest since it would be tax free, especially if in the state you live. Seniors have to include 85% of their S.S. as income if they have enough. For three years the total is added to the total income for Medicare B which raises the amount paid such an increase that the S.S. becomes a minus income. The retired may not have lost their job, but because of the bank crises taking their savings, many need a job to pay for Medicare D (which is a fraud)which they are required to take or pay a penalty. They don’t get bonuses like the bank employees, yet they have made America the country that was the best country in the world. Seniors are suffering and unless they are pennyless, they have to get by on little. Where are the middle class seniors in the stinulus program? They are more important than govt cars, etc.
None of this should be a suprise. For the 53% or so who voted for Obama and the Democratic congress, they will think all this is fine. Those of us who see it as more waste of our tax dollars will have to keep paying.
Until the Republican party can come up with someone who can articulate conservative principles to the American public and who has the courage to do so, the Democrats, misguided Republicans and fat cats will keep doing this to us. It is amazing to me that no one at that level can explain any of this to the American public from a conservative perspective, yet many of us ordinary citizens would do a better job of it. If the public really understood the alternatives to the left’s agenda, many of them wouldn’t have voted for Obama. Now we have to live with it, but we will not forget.
There are two kinds of “wealth re-distribution.” Honest and dishonest.
Honest wealth re-distribution is done by honest, responsible people within the framework of our Constitutional Republic (limited Government with self-disciplined freedom), and free enterprise and capitalism, by people who earn money making and selling quality products and services, and then buying products and services from others. The wealth continues to redistribute and keep our economy healthy.
Dishonest wealth re-distribution is done by tyrannical Socialistic Government (un-limited Government, with Government-freedom), using our tax money without our permission (“Taxation Without Representation”) to support dishonest, irresponsible, and lazy people, leading to an unhealthy economy.
Want the best “economic stimulus package”? Try the one described on pages 210-211 of Wm James Murray’s book “Uncommon Sense;” private property, incentive, labor, production, abundance.
I believe the most effective health care is accomplished by responsible parents caring for their children for about 20 years plus, and then 20-40 years later adult children caring for their aging parents and grandparents. We don’t need expensive, Government-run (socialistic welfare) health care programs.
Chuck Sproull, Springville In 1/28/2009
I strongly believe conservatives were behind the gun on this one. We fielded a weak candidate in McCain,way too left for my speed, and Palin was not a good choice for VP. She couldn’t hold her own against Democratic Hacks like Couric. She was strong during the convention, but bent under the negative media pressure. They tore her up. She needs alot more global experience. We need someone that can stand against these liberal media types, with better answers than “i can see Russia from my back yard”.
Also, with a black presidential candidate running, there was a massive turnout from minorities,mainly because he was black. I’ll bet most of the voters voted for him because he was black! They probably know zero about embryonic stem cell research, abortion, marriage protection,homosexual marriage etc. “those issues don’t affect me” is what i hear. They probably don’t know anything about Joe Biden! They only want a handout from the Big G. What bothers me the most is the cars i saw in my church’s (a bible centered, Christ centered Baptist church) parking lot with Obama stickers on them. This is horrendous! What person who knows Christ as his savior, would vote for this guy? Highly irresponsible. We can’t vote with our wallets guys! What are our core values? God, Liberty, Life and Family. I couldn’t do it just for conscience sake at the least. We as believers need to be a loud voice, lest we lose what we have. Perhaps God put him there to unify us.
A mother of six feels that, if parents taught their children moral values about life, money would not have to be spent on abortions. Also, as a retired public school teacher, the sex-education teaching belongs to parents, not teachers. We all are given a choice–to do right or to do wrong. Listen to your conscience and you will always choose right if you have had loving, caring parents who patterned for you.
Very well said! I have wondered why Bush and the whole Republican agenda has seemingly failed and left us in the lurch. I think it is because they really don’t take a strong enough stand for the things that made our country great: God, integrity, honesty, and patriotism. Notice I put GOD first – if we as people would insist that everyone was accountable first to God and a well politicized Biblical standard, then half of this mess wouldn’t even be an issue. Like trans-gender beauty pageants – how misguided it that? We have deterorated so far that no one is willing to say God hates that in the marketplace.
Ben Franklin said “God rules in the affairs of men.” He was convinced of this after many years of evaluation. And he said it in a political arena. Yes, God has a place in the marketplace and in Politics. George Washington said that anyone who tries to separate religion and morals from politcs shouldn’t even be called an American. My,my, how far we’ve fallen!
OK I am a bit confused…
So us hard working people who work all ungodly hours trying to make a decent life for our families are paying even more for the welfare people? Isnt this strange? I mean it is called the earned income tax credit right? They didnt earn it. We did.
I heard some people who actually thought that Obama would be sending out actual checks to them via stimulus $. This was their reason for voting for him. ” o girl if I am getting money back for voting for Obama then Ill vote for him” this is was the talk was everywhere around here.
How fair is this?
I am sick and tired on hearing Obama’s lies. Is there anyone left in America with any common sense? I read the comments left on this blog and see that basically every comment screams that they are as tired of this mess as I am. Yet we are stuck with this guy for at least 4 years. Are liberals really so sick that they can’t see through all this garbage?
How did we get here? NBC has refused to air an ad during the SuperBowl that promotes life. I reminded the NBC chairman that the Declaration of Independence actually says in the second paragraph that we have the “right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Where does this guy get off turning down an ad that promotes what the Declaration advocates? He calls it political. When did the right to life become political?
Virtually nothing Obama says makes any sense to even the least educated of our society if they would take just a few minutes to really think about what this guy is saying. When I look at what is contained in this so called ’stimulus’ package, I think, how could anyone’s blood not boil seeing all that money literally wasted, poured down a rat hole (no pun intended)?
I listened to Barney Frank and Robert Reich this past week talk in hearings about how they wanted this ’stimulus’ money to be earmarked for special groups of people. The poor, according to them, can only be people of color. I guess they forgot that white is still a color.
This is not a ’stimulus’ bill. It’s just another spending bill brimming over with pork.
Please everyone reading this blog, talk to just one liberal and ask them this question. What one thing has Obama and this liberal Congress done since getting in office that makes financial sense to you? And don’t let them breath till they make sense. We’ll either have a lot of funerals or converts to conservatism.
What is this all about? Besides pushing the Left Agenda on the entire nation? It’s about pushing every American into paying 50+% of their income in taxes! Socialism at it’s “best”. God help us and bring repentance to each of our elected officials, as well as the judges, and ACLU.
I am forced to consume this pork, and I am politically kosher! Oy veh!
I think the bottom line is that we all need to be responsible for ourselves and realize that we should be held accountable for our own actions- not the bank that shouldn’t have approved us for a loan that we couldn’t afford; not our parents who didn’t teach us how to save money rather than spend it all. This country is so “free” that we are bombarded daily with ads for all of the things that we can buy, all of the things that we “cannot possibly live without”, sales, sales, sales, gorgeous people that get paid millions to stand in front of a camera… It’s no wonder every child grows up thinking that they have to have every toy that they see- this “have to have” mindset just continues throughout our lives. We have to have the nicest cars, the biggest houses, the newest clothes- we are all missing the point. Isn’t it more important that we SLOW DOWN? Too many of us are working too hard just to have all of these extra things that we do not really need to survive- cell phones, cable TV, Playstation3. If we could all just learn to live within our means, without credit cards, without that $3.50 Grande Mocha every day, wouldn’t we all be a lot better off? Maybe instead of paying $10.00 to go to a movie every weekend we could just go outside and enjoy a park with friends- that’s free and it gives us oxygen and vitamin D. Maybe if there is a spot of grass available we could all plant our own little organic gardens- learn how to grow something- this would save some money too. No need to spend $5.00 on 2 tomatoes. I am happy to see that we finally have a president who is actually trying to do something about renewable energy, alternative fuels- his plan for spending this money on new gov’t vehicles is obviously in order to save money in the long run. We’ve known for years, decades, that our sources of oil would one day be depleted- the time is NOW that we do something about it! Isn’t it fantastic that we have someone at the head of our gov’t that wants to save us from ourselves? I think it’s wonderful that the National Parks have been included. Doesn’t everyone wish to see them all? We need to preserve as much wilderness as possible and stop building houses that are not being occupied.
Our public schools need to be completely revamped. Our children go to school for fewer days/yr and fewer hours/day than other countries like Germany, England, and Japan. Our schools need to stop cramming info into our kid’s heads so that they can pass the standardized tests and instead work to encourage an environment that will excite our children about learning. They need art, PE and music!!! These are the times that they are able to use the left side of their brains and exert energy! No one likes sitting behind a desk for 6 hours a day! Our public schools need programs that integrate Montessori-type learning for kids who do not like to write, kids who are tactical learners- instead of encouraging parents to have them tested for ADD/ADHD. There has been a major increase in ADD/ADHD of the last 10+ years and our schools need to adapt, we shouldn’t have to give our kids amphetamines to make them fit into the mold that the schools can work with. Maybe the stimulus money for education could go towards research into a better education system/more alternative types of education that is affordable and practical for everyone.
Why is our healthcare so expensive? Why do the Doctors feel that they must charge so much money for treatment? It is partly because of the insurance companies and malpractice ins.- but also because many Doc. feel that it is their right to live in the upper middle class- it didn’t used to be this way. Doctors became Doctors because they were drawn to helping people and they enjoyed it. If we move to a healthcare system that is more socialized, don’t you think only those that are truly committed will stay?
This country needs to reevaluate what is important- having the most money should not be our #1 priority. Shouldn’t it be just having a good quality of life? Finding that one thing that makes you happy to get up every morning?
I think if everyone would just calm down, open their minds, let the stimulus package work, in a few years everything will level out and we will all be able to live in a better place.
By: BevB | January 29, 2009 at 3:12 am
I am so angry. I feel betrayed and used. There is an agenda that is being worked towards—it’s Socialism. What about transparency?!?! The American people are being railroaded and we have nothing to say about it. Our pockets are being picked and that of our children and grandchildren. I’m also betting there will be another “Stealing Pkg” at a later date on some of these “must act now” to complete the raping of taxpayers process. Then we will be so dependent on the government and they will have all the control and all our money. We will have nationalized everything. Yes we can rebuild Socialist America—but I will miss the America that I know and love—the land of independence, oppritunity, liberty and freedom.