Posted on 02/14/2012 5:48:04 AM PST by IbJensen
It is sad that we have gotten here, but House Republicans, including conservative stalwarts like Jim Jordan of Ohio, are set to pass Barack Obama’s latest stimulus plan. Except they are calling it John Boehner’s “Highway Bill.” Consider, however that Barack Obama’s budget, unveiled yesterday, calls for much of the same infrastructure spending the House Republicans want.
There is a reason the Heritage Action for America, Club for Growth, Competitive Enterprise Institute, and other conservative organizations are opposed to this spending spree. It is not conservative. It should not be Republican. It is Barack Obama style spending. Call your Congressman today at 202-224-3121 and tell him to oppose H.R. 7, the American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act.
Last week, when I pointed this out, I handed the front page over to Brendan Buck, Speaker Boehner’s Press Secretary, to rebut my claims. I would say he more than proved that this is, in fact, Barack Obama’s latest stimulus scheme hiding behind John Boehner’s name.
Consider first that this highway bill “expands domestic energy production and puts in place a long-term plan for America’s infrastructure that is controlled by the states and completely paid for –without raising the gas tax.” Why would a highway bill focus on energy production? Well, first because it is called a sweetener designed to woo conservatives to vote for it. Second because “the gas tax does not generate enough revenue to meet all the infrastructure needs in America.”
There you have it. Instead of opening up American land to energy production and using that energy production to pay down the national debt, we will instead jack up highway spending, bankrupt the highway trust fund as a result, and then use the energy taxes to offset the project funding. Oh, and even better, the House GOP has an accounting “score” that claims they won’t bankrupt the Highway Trust Fund. How’s that? Well, just like how Democrats took all the major budget busting provisions out of Obamacare and put them in separate legislation so it looked like Obamacare actually decreased the deficit, House Republicans have decided to take mass transit funding and pay for it out of the general fund of taxpayer dollars instead of paying for it out of the Highway Trust Fund. So it makes it look like the Highway Trust Fund won’t go bankrupt!
Accounting gimmicks — they’re not just for socializing the American healthcare industry any more.
This is the key. As noted in the rebuttal to my original claims, “the gas tax does not generate enough revenue to meet all the infrastructure needs in America.” But rewind the clock to just last July when Congressman John Mica (R-FL HAFA Score 66%) passed a highway spending bill out of his committee that spent no more than what the gas tax raised. In other words, House Republicans have taken us from being able to spend as much as the gas tax raised to bankrupting the Highway Trust Fund and requiring domestic energy production fees to offset the spending binge.
This is what smaller government looks like to House Republicans.
Even worse, in the rebuttal we learn “Currently, only about two-thirds of federal highway dollars go back to the states for them to control. Under this bill, it will be 93%. What’s more, for the first time in three decades, ALL of the gas tax revenue – the user fee paid by every motorist on the highways – will go to core highway programs.”
The first question is if we can get to 93%, why not 100% and get Congress out of the business of dictating local and state highway projects? But more so, note that all of the gas tax revenue will go to core highway programs. All of it. And Congress will keep spending beyond all the gas tax revenue.
This is madness. This is Barack Obama style stimuli and Barack Obama style accounting. It reminds me of the unemployment chart showing where unemployment would be with and without Barack Obama’s stimulus plan. After the plan passed, unemployment was even higher than Obama said it would get without his stimulus plan.
The House Republicans are relying on five year estimates of revenues generated from energy production to hide just how bankrupt they will leave the Highway Trust Fund with this spending binge. And in five years, none of us will be surprised when reality comes in less than the estimates.
Romney- firmly against it until general election, where he’ll reveal he was firmly in favor of it all along.
Santorum-favors it as long as all workers used have only been married once and have never used condoms.
Newt-against it because he’s not an insincere, big gov’t hack.
“Call your Congressman today at 202-224-3121 and tell him to oppose H.R. 7, the American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act.”
WTF is going on with Boehner?
Does someone from the DNC have audio and video of him in a closet wearing only his socks or something?
All of these dolts think government spending is good for the economy.
Fools, the lot of them
Boner is a nicotine crazed, crying idiot!
I just finished contacting my congressman and asked him not to support the Highway to Hell bill.
They may have a photo of him french-kissing a poodle.
More like the nerds trying to ingratiate themselves with the bullies
Strong the nerd force is with the GOP leadership
Fire every single one of them...
We are not going to be able to pull out of this nose dive...
Boehner is doing a perfectly suckey-suck-suck job at blocking the expansionist policies of the Left.
This bill needs to be opposed not compromised on.
Pete Olsen’s office called, told them their re-election depends upon what they do on this bill...
Same went for my Dad’s congressman Jeb Hensarling...
I suggest a we binge call these idgits and let them have both barrels...
No need to be nice or cordule anymore...This is getting rediculous...
And to think they thought we were not going to notice!!!???!!!
I thought this damn thing was still stuck in committee for at least another week or so...
And,......since it is an election year,.......Obama is bowed to again. Although, it is possible that the public rage from out side may make them think twice.
This is no small matter for investors. This will not only raise everybody’s taxes, it will raise annual taxes on stock dividends from the 20% Obama raised them to this year, to 40%.......That's correct, 40%! (This “budget” is THE largest tax increase in history, even bigger than the one Clinton passed.)
Boehner needs to go, he’s ineffective and as useless as teats on a boar hog.
I am disgusted with the man. He needs to retire to something he is good at—golf.
More likely is that deep down, they really do have the same political philosophy as their democrat counterparts.
That is why “R” is just a letter. Political philosophy counts.
STOP THE SPENDING. CUT AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS!
We need to double down on 2012 and have an even LARGER TEA PARTY in November of 2012!
God help we the people wake up and do this. Turn all of these Vipers (DNC) and suck ups (RINOS) out and replace them with common sense, patriotic Americans. Send people to DC who are American statesmen and not self-ingratiating pols!
...and enact term limits, a balanced budget, secure borders, lower corporate taxes, a flat tax at low levels for citizens, domestic drilling and energy self-sufficiency, strong national defense, no socialized health care, no abortion funding, end Roe v Wade (with good Judegs appointments), revamping social security and medicare, get rid of the BATF and the onerous gun laws which infringe on citizen's 2nd amendment rights, etc., etc.
Good analogy. I have always looked at it as the Republicans are just playing the same game of tic-tac-toe with the Democrats that they always have. It is just a friendly little game where everyone knows the rules and no one really cares who wins. Ultimately it is just a wash, anyway.
The Democrats, however, started playing another game entirely — high stakes poker. The Republicans are still busy with their little x’s and o’s. The Democrats, meanwhile, have gone all in and are drawing to a full house.
Fear.
They are afraid that, if they cut spending, that the mob will hang them from lampposts.
I'm afraid they may be right.
We may well be past the point that the whole voting thingy can work.
They are afraid if they oppose anything, the Democrats will balk and a TAX INCREASE will cause the People to Vote Democratic.
A Tax Increase in two weeks would change the entire game.
Jeff, do you still believe that the actually-existing American electorate is capable of electing 218 Members of Congress, 60 Senators, and a President who would do those things and take the heat?
I don't believe that anymore.
I don't know where that takes us (except that it's a bad destination), but I do not see what is necessary happening without divine intervention, or a forcible change in our political system.
Obama Seeks New Taxes on Rich A1
Front page of WSJ today.
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