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Monday, January 05, 2009
Obama address: The American recovery and reinvestment plan
U.S. president-elect Barack Obama is calling a new job-creation and economic stimulus plan the "American recovery and reinvestment plan," according to his weekly address on YouTube.
Part of the plan includes making "tough choices" on fiscal matters, providing tax relief to 95 per cent of "working families," and a promise to reduce the deficit as the economy improves. That sounds good, but Obama doesn't mention exactly what choices he will make that will, in fact, be tough (from a politician's perspective). No specific talk of cutting departments, or their budgets. No talk of budget cuts at all, in fact.
Instead, there are plenty of new things on the table, and new promises. All of which cost money. Building 21st century classrooms in the U.S. sounds a lot like giving schools more money. Doubling renewable energy production and updating infrastructure sounds to me like spending more money. Updating and computerizing health care sounds like spending more money on health care.
Then there's the real story buried in language meant to obfuscate: Create 3,000,000 new jobs "more than 80 per cent of them in the private sector." If you change the focus a bit, you'll see that Obama plans to hire almost 600,000 new government employees. 600,000 new civil servants and bureaucrats. 600,000 more work-for-welfare recipients.
Tough choices? Sounds to me like a lot of the same old government largesse and expenditure to me. Sounds a lot like the brutal big government Bush administration policies that have bloated the size and scope of the state at the expense of individual liberty.
Watch the address for yourself:
h/t Political Punch
Posted by P.M. Jaworski on January 5, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
I'm reminded of the Glen Clark (NPD) term in BC when questioned about his spending largess, he confessed: "we're shovelling money out of the back of a dump truck"!
Posted by: John Chittick | 2009-01-05 11:42:45 AM
Translation: We've screwed up royally and really put all of you in the soup. So! We're going to play the part of the heroic saviour and make the tough decisions that need to be make regarding just how badly we're going to further screw you.
It isn't going to be easy but we'e going to expand government to serve you better. We're going to make a lot of promises that will sound good to you today and allow us to keep screwing you, and you will like it. Not only will you like it, but you will come out and vote again next election because "you're vote can make a difference".
Bullshit!
Posted by: JC | 2009-01-05 11:42:50 AM
LOL. Sounds like the same rhetoric used to create Fannie Mae. Oh, politicians love "plans", don't they - making Stalin the ultimate politician.
Welcome to the New New Deal. Wonder which Republicans will turn out to be Benedict Arnolds and join Obama on his plan?
Posted by: Faramir | 2009-01-06 3:53:19 PM
It is somewhat understandable that the Kenyan-born Obama would harbour "Howdy Doody" economic ideologies. He wasn't around when the original series ran on TV (or is that because there were STILL no TVs in kenya the fifth time the series was rerun? Hmm...)
Posted by: Pesky Pundit | 2009-01-08 5:11:13 AM
I' d sugggest two factors for the stimulus project delay; FIRST, the current RECESSION fuel price hinders the progressive investments for Energy Independency / Job Creation. SECONDLY, these progressive investments impede long-lasting earmarks, I guess. But without the job creations and world-wide coordinated efforts, the whole economy can not be activated, I suppose. Now might be the time to recue mainstreet, after the wall street sandbagging,I guess. After the third wave of IT REVOLUTION followed by the immense infrastructure and investments, the fourth wave of ET REVOLUTION awaits a BOLD ACTION for CHANGE, I think. The new govt is on the basis of THE POLICY OF ENERGY INDEPENDENCY adopted by a Democratic Procedure. Americans have chosen CHANGE, and NOTHING ADVENTURED, NOTHING GAINED ! Energy Independency is the unavoidable task ULTIMATELY, and it can also bring down the fuel costs in the long run as a by-product, which might be enormous enough to cover the upgrade investments. And all the brilliant brains get together in the U.S. for the better life and future. Lastly, without jobs, the economic activity can't be activated, and the working class is broke due to the imported fuel costs, therefore the stimulus project by the govt may be in dire need. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION !
Posted by: hsr0601 | 2009-01-08 11:16:56 AM
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