When Bob Dylan sang, quite assertively, that "the answer was blowin' in the wind," I knew it was not. The only thing blowin' in the wind was wind, dirt, leaves and miscellaneous crap light enough to become temporarily airborne. Not that I could share this with anyone. It was not for me to question the voice of my generation. But privately I always thought it would have been a better song if he simply told us what the 'answer' was. ("How many roads must a man walk down, before they could call him a man?" Nine. Six if he jogs.)Exactly. How much more simple could it be? This is why I don't know the words to so many songs of my youth. They just don't make any sense. But they have nice rhythms and guitar solos.
Royce Opposes Democrats Unstimulating Stimulus
Washington, Feb 13 -
Today, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) opposed the Democrat Leadership's unstimulating stimulus package. The $789 billion legislation, loaded with wasteful spending, passed the House 246 to 183.
"In February 2008, the House Democrat Leadership enacted a $168 billion economic stimulus package, in June a $260 billion emergency supplemental, then in July, a $300 billion housing bill, in October, a $700 billion bailout, and now, it wants to spend another $800 billion," said Royce.
Less than 20 percent of the tax relief in this bill can be considered stimulative. Most of the spending in this legislation is social spending, which is of questionable benefit to our economy. This plan now allows for stimulus money to be spent on stadiums, parks, museums, theaters, art centers, and highway beautification projects.
"All nice things but how is borrowing money to pay for this going to help those who are at risk of loosing their jobs or their homes? It appears real economic growth took a back seat to pork-barrel spending," said Royce.
The following are highlights of the 1,000 page bill made available at midnight last night:
• $5.5 billion for federal buildings
• $200 million for Americorps and other volunteer programs
• $8 billion for high speed passenger rail
• $1.3 billion for Amtrak• $50 million for the National Endowment of the Arts
• $2 billion for neighborhood stabilization fund, providing funds to organizations such as ACORN, which has been accused of practicing unlawful voter registration in recent elections
"I am concerned with the long term implications of this bill and what it will mean for our national debt. This stimulus package will be met by an increase in our $10 trillion government debt (primarily through borrowing) and an increase in future taxes. The American people deserve much more," said Royce.