Saving Money the Congressional Way

Saving Money the Congressional Way

As the US Senate wraps up work on their version of the “pork laden” Federal stimulus bill, a group of moderate (aka “big spending”) Republicans and conservative (aka “we spend less than liberals”) Democrats met to recommend cuts on the package.   So what does saving money look like in Congress?

US government proposed spending in Federal Stimulus that was partially cut:

• $3.5 billion for energy-efficient federal buildings (original bill $7 billion)

• $75 million from Smithsonian (original bill $150 million)

• $200 million from Environmental Protection Agency Superfund (original bill $800 million)

• $100 million from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (original bill $427 million)

• $100 million from law enforcement wireless (original bill $200 million)

• $300 million from federal fleet of hybrid vehicles (original bill $600 million)

• $100 million from FBI construction (original bill $400 million)

Source:  www.americanthinker.com   The Mighty Porkulus Oinks Along 2.09.09

For a complete PDF of the Nelson/Collins Stimulus recommendation (that still recommends spending more money than the US house version), go to the Senate Conservative Fund http://senateconservatives.com   and click on the Nelson-Collins Stimulus Summary.   The amounts of pork spending under the guise of creating jobs and jumpstarting the US economy will overwhelm the average common sense US taxpayer.    Or I forgot, less and less Americans actually will pay taxes under the Obama tax plans, so I guess government spending and the resulting taxes don’t impact the average American.   We save the tax increases for the rich!

Most Americans just don’t spend money at all, if they are trying to cut costs and save money.   As for jumpstarting the economy, a focus on tax cuts for small business, reductions in capital gains tax rates for investors and some actual infrastructure projects would go much farther that the “Porkulus Bill” in term of turning the US economy around.      Instead the Democrats in Congress and the new Democrat President are attempting to spend, then borrow, and then increase taxes on the “rich” to pay for their financial boondoggle.  

For more on a conservative free market approach and to see a financial reality check, click through the CATO Institute   www.cato.org/fiscalreality    While the legacy media, main stream Democrats, the left coast and east coast elite are pushing the financially irresponsible Federal Stimulus package, the rest of America is wondering what are these Congressional big spenders are thinking?      It is simple: The majority of the Congress and the President think that big government and massive spending is the answer.     However a majority of Americans do not support the Democrat Federal stimulus package.   Popular support is down at 37% approval, according the Rasmussen Reports    www.rasmussenreports.com      What will the US taxpayers say to their US Congressmen and US Senators when they get home to defend the Porkulus Package?      Time will tell.

© Jasper Welch, Four Corners Media, www.jasperwelch.org