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50 De-Stimulating Facts
National Review ^ | Feb. 5, 2009 | Stephen Spruiell & Kevin Williamson

Posted on 02/06/2009 6:37:31 AM PST by mtnwmn

Senate Democrats acknowledged Wednesday that they do not have the votes to pass the stimulus bill in its current form. This is unexpected good news. The House passed the stimulus package with zero Republican votes (and even a few Democratic defections), but few expected Senate Republicans (of whom there are only 41) to present a unified front. A few moderate Democrats have reportedly joined them.

The idea that the government can spend the economy out of a recession is highly questionable, and even with Senate moderates pushing for changes, the current package is unlikely to see much improvement. Nevertheless, this presents an opportunity to remove some of the most egregious spending, to shrink some programs, and to add guidelines where the initial bill called for a blank check. Here are 50 of the most outrageous items in the stimulus package:

VARIOUS LEFT-WINGERY The easiest targets in the stimulus bill are the ones that were clearly thrown in as a sop to one liberal cause or another, even though the proposed spending would have little to no stimulative effect. The National Endowment for the Arts, for example, is in line for $50 million, increasing its total budget by a third. The unemployed can fill their days attending abstract-film festivals and sitar concerts.

(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 111th; democrats; dtimulus; porkulus

1 posted on 02/06/2009 6:37:31 AM PST by mtnwmn
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To: mtnwmn

Mitch McConnel was wrong, it is not $1,000,000 a day since Christ was born, it is $1,226,430.39 a day since Christ was born.


2 posted on 02/06/2009 6:40:43 AM PST by Perdogg (Only the hypnotized never lie)
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To: mtnwmn

“REWARDING STATE IRRESPONSIBILITY

One of the ugliest aspects of the stimulus package is a bailout for spendthrift state legislatures. Remember the old fable about the ant and the grasshopper? In Aesop’s version, the happy-go-lucky grasshopper realizes the error of his ways when winter comes and he goes hungry while the industrious ant lives on his stores. In Obama’s version, the federal government levies a tax on the ant and redistributes his wealth to the party-hearty grasshopper, who just happens to belong to a government-employees’ union.”

Almost all of our States have their hands out to some extent or the other. Check yours here:

http://www.stimuluswatch.org/project/by_state


3 posted on 02/06/2009 6:41:01 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: mtnwmn
A few moderate Democrats have reportedly joined them.

The only one I can think of who would come close to the definition of a moderate Democrat is Ben Nelson of Nebraska. More likely they mean lieberal Democrats who represent conservative constituencies like Comrade Conrad of North Dakota.

4 posted on 02/06/2009 6:41:22 AM PST by Vigilanteman (Are there any men left in Washington? Or, are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud)
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To: mtnwmn

$87 million for a polar icebreaking ship

hmmm, sounds like a great chance to send Obama and his cronies on a long vacation! Maybe the polar bears will give him a warmer welcome.


5 posted on 02/06/2009 6:44:19 AM PST by boughtwithaprice
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To: boughtwithaprice

But I thought that all that globull warming had melted all the ice everywhere and that we wouldn’t need icebreakers anymore. I must have missed the memo on that one.


6 posted on 02/06/2009 6:51:47 AM PST by shankbear (Al-Qaeda grew while Monica blew)
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To: mtnwmn

I’m so “stimulated” I’ve already written my congressman, both senators, my governor and Obama expressing my opposition to this. Unfortunately BOTH my senators voted for it!


7 posted on 02/06/2009 6:53:23 AM PST by rfreedom4u (Political correctness is a form of censorship!)
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To: mtnwmn

RINOS will take the bait.


8 posted on 02/06/2009 6:53:53 AM PST by screaminsunshine (f)
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To: mtnwmn
$87 million for a polar icebreaking ship???

Wait a minute! Didn't Al Gore say all the ice is melting?

Who they trying to fool?

9 posted on 02/06/2009 6:55:35 AM PST by JDoutrider
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
I see many projects with "replaces contractor/contractor services".

It seems the stimulus package will put a lot of folks OUT OF A JOB.
10 posted on 02/06/2009 6:56:34 AM PST by Thrownatbirth (.....Iraq Invasion fan since '91.)
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To: shankbear
Ha!

I should have refreshed before posting!

11 posted on 02/06/2009 6:56:42 AM PST by JDoutrider
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To: Thrownatbirth
It seems the stimulus package will put a lot of folks OUT OF A JOB.

Oh, but the government can take care of them. They've got enough welfare money to care for everyone!

12 posted on 02/06/2009 7:00:00 AM PST by boughtwithaprice
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To: boughtwithaprice
$87 million for a polar icebreaking ship

Why build the ship? Let the globull warming do it instead!

13 posted on 02/06/2009 7:04:46 AM PST by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus (Nihil utile nisi quod honestum - Marcus Tullius Cicero)
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To: mtnwmn

If my quick math on these numbers is even close, then there is over 342 billion dollars in this bill that does nothing to stimulate. One third of the whole pif trough bill is spending for spendings sake?


14 posted on 02/06/2009 7:06:40 AM PST by shankbear (Al-Qaeda grew while Monica blew)
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To: mtnwmn
I cannot believe this, I really can't. And it seems the D's and the MSM are blaming the R's for not wanting to help the country, not falling in line with the will of the American people and their dear leader!!!!

This is like a alternate universe, I am so pissed and speechless. Do you really think the R's are going to stop this, last I heard the Senate had jacked up the bill from 819 Billion to 925 billion?

15 posted on 02/06/2009 7:12:02 AM PST by thirst4truth (www.Believer.com)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

This is most enlightening! I live in AL:

http://www.stimuluswatch.org/project/by_state/AL


16 posted on 02/06/2009 7:24:41 AM PST by mtnwmn ( Liberalism leads to Socialism)
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To: mtnwmn

Woo hoo!!!


17 posted on 02/06/2009 7:28:08 AM PST by Uncle Miltie (This is not an Administration. It is a Sitcom.)
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To: mtnwmn

The $ 4.19 Billion for ACORN is the biggest thorn in my side.
NObama and the Democraps are rewarding ACORN for all their illegal votes that swept NObama into the Oval Office.

ACORN is an evil group, and I would like to see them prosecuted under the RICO Act.

If you take $4.19 billion, and divide it by 125 million- the approx number of votes that NObama got,
ACORN is being paid $33.52 for each and every vote.

I don’t remember the exact number of NObama votes, so someone else can correct my math.


18 posted on 02/06/2009 9:35:43 AM PST by ridesthemiles
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To: mtnwmn

A billion seconds is over 31 years.

A trillion seconds is over 31,000 years.

These were once fantastic numbers suitable for science fiction, not dollars doled out by government.


19 posted on 02/06/2009 3:09:41 PM PST by Jacquerie (More central planning is not the solution to the failure of central planning.)
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