GOP Up to Their Old Shenanigans
Boehner says no, no, no!
As we already know the Democrat written stimulus package was passed through the House despite the absence of even a single Republican vote. Now as the Senate begins debating the 900 billion dollar bill Republicans are once again expressing outrage for it’s “huge spending”. Republicans have already warned that the bill will not pass in its present form despite facing a huge gap in actual party votes. Republicans claim that the only way this bill will be viable is to remove “wasteful spending” and instead use tax cuts to stimulate the economy. We are already aware of the huge gains this caused under the Bush presidency so it is easy to see how many are skeptical.
But the purpose of this entry is not to delve into the stupidity of GOP tactics or their willingness to beat a dead horse. Instead it is to point out their complete inability to understand that the American people recognize when they are being swindled, most specifically that the Republicans claim that their bill is not a spending increase.
Tax cuts by definition are an increase in spending. When the government limits the taxes they collect we are then shorting the budget dollars that would normally be in the Treasury. Couple this with the fact that the Republicans rarely ever offset their tax cuts by curbing spending and we are looking at not only limiting government income but also increasing the debt we accrue at a much faster rate. The idea of spending money into infrastructure or propping up poor or middle class Americans seems to be a foreign idea to the GOP. Why support the backbone of the economy by increasing jobs and building more efficient transit when we can instead add an extra $100 to our yearly salary through tax cuts. This all comes back to the idea that funneling money into corporations is supposed to somehow, forgive me, help “Joe the Plumber”. American needs a massive spending infusion to bring us back on level with the necessary infrastructure and social programs to curb the exact kinds of economic problems we face. Contraception? Yes! Controlling unwanted pregnancies in lower income areas is vital for decreasing the need for government aid. Consider the cost, we can pay for education and contraceptives from inner city youth or we can pay their welfare and medical bills for the next 18 years. A relatively small investment now will yield incredible results in the long term.
As this bill enters debate in the Senate the Democrats should ignore the Republicans for the partisan hacks they are. The American people have spoken and they desire a change from the last eight years of poor policy. Let the Republicans yell out their sound bites and crawl to Limbaugh. At the end of the day the American people come first.
