Stimulus Deja Vu

By: Pamela D. Hart



Here we go again! Obama wants to stimulate the economy and create jobs with…yep you guessed it, STIMULUS! And we know how well THAT worked in 2009! Those Shovel Ready jobs weren’t as shovel ready as they expected, we found out two years later, although, those of us on the Right knew they weren’t, but hey, why listen to us, we only wanted jobs created by the private sector, not TAX dollars.

And that’s what Obama is proposing now…or so the “leaked” info says.

According to the information “leaked” to the press, once President Obama returns to the White House after his vacation, he’s going to propose targeted tax breaks for companies that hire, mortgage relief for struggling homeowners and infrastructure deals…um didn’t we do that in 2009? Wasn’t that part of the almost one trillion in so-called stimulus?

This is déjà vu! And it’s going to be déjà vu all over again with results. We NEED private sector jobs, NOT jobs created by tax dollars. Even Jan Schakowsky’s (D-ILL) plan to create 2.2 million School Improvement, Parks Improvement and Rehab and Weatherize jobs over two years are STILL tax dollars (even if they are millionaire tax dollars) and it’s NOT cheaper, as she claims. It’s cheaper to pay unemployment. Furthermore, her calculation of $227 Billion is most likely under calculated, as we’ve found over the decades, government always UNDER estimates!

Besides, spending money we do NOT have to supposedly stimulate our economy isn’t economically smart. These so-called Shovel Ready or School Improvement Corps jobs are just fancy names for Tax Payer Temporary jobs. When the bridges, parks, schools and homes are fixed, the jobs are DONE and those people will be out of work yet again and back on the unemployment line. We need the private sector to create jobs which will sustain their employees for the long-haul, not just six months or a year. We need long-term permanent jobs and those can be found in the private sector.

Government incentives aren’t the answer, as they end up costing us tax payers. We need growth, as both sides agree, but the conundrum is HOW we get that growth. The Left says the stimulus from 2009 wasn’t big enough. I have to respectfully disagree. Had we spent two trillion dollars and shoveled more money into the system, those Shovel Ready jobs still would’ve ended, thus driving those people back to the unemployment lines, albeit a little later, but there nonetheless.

The only way the private sector is going to hire is if they have sound reason. Right now business owners aren’t feeling secure. They are hoarding trillions of dollars because they don’t trust this administration with things like Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, the threat of higher taxes and more and more regulations being imposed which impedes them and their cost to do business, thus costing them money, hence reducing their bottom line. Let’s face it, there is no company open to be charitable or noble, except charitable associations! Businesses are in it for the bottom line, i.e. PROFIT!

They are the engines of our economy and they need oiled, not demonized and certainly not taxed to the hilt. Besides, our officials should be balancing our budget, not implementing more and more regulations which impede business or drive it off our shores! They should also be going after fraud and abuse within the existing programs and cutting everything that is unnecessary, but they are busy vilifying the other side, STILL pointing fingers and casting blame, and frivolously spending our money. None of which will get us off the edge of the cliff.

I’m sick and tired of politics as usual and really wish we’d get people who would implement some real change. I want to stay optimistic, but quite frankly, I’m beginning to lose faith.


**Cross-posted @ The Oracular Opinion**

Comments

  1. The private sector is growing at about 5% but are not creating jobs. So, your idea is a proven failure.

    What we could do is create the opportunity for more private sector job growth by improving our technological, intermodal, energy, and institutional infrastructure.

    But no, conservatives, libertarians, and Republicans are dead set against developing the country. They only care about their own personal, immediate gains. That's because they're greedy idiots.

    JMJ

    ReplyDelete
  2. The reality is we no longer have a "private economy" but rather a GLOBALIZED economy and until folks realize that what DID create jobs in the good old days, before free markets destroyed our private economy, isn't going to do anything but stimulate the Chinese economy then the reality is nothing is going to happen.

    As far as TARP goes, that basically has allowed banks to finance themselves, equal parts US banks and foreign banks, while foreclosing homes. Right now, thanks to TARP banks get to have their cake and eat it too! The government would have been better off just buying all the foreclosed homes in the US and letting the homeowners pay them down the road when they could.

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-21/wall-street-aristocracy-got-1-2-trillion-in-fed-s-secret-loans.html

    But, that would have been socialism wouldn't it? I guess bailing out the banks isn't.

    Maybe one of the brillant right wing economists could explain the difference to me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm not opposed to stimulus, just so long as it isn't pissing in the desert, wastefully executed, idiotically conceived etc..

    ReplyDelete
  4. JMJ - Your use of terms such as, "because they're greedy idiots", "are dead set against developing the country", and "They only care about their own personal, immediate gains" shows your biased ignorance and adds nothing to your arguments.

    You would do your case better by refraining from the use of them. But hey, each can decide for themselves whether this is so or not..

    ReplyDelete
  5. TAO - Sadly it is true. We have moved from a "private" capitalist based economy to a mixed economy with corporatism drivers, and now on to the a socialist economy. The resulting trend record speaks for itself.

    "But, that would have been socialism wouldn't it? I guess bailing out the banks isn't.

    Maybe one of the brillant right wing economists could explain the difference to me."

    We have many differences on how the nation would be better served. Our philosophies and world view may be different. However...

    with respect to your remarks {enclosed in quotation}above you get no counterpoint from me. The observation is rational and valid.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Les,

    You forgot to quote anything from the first half of my comments.

    I think that is why these poeple stand against domestic developement, because I think they are wrong in their rationalization - even for themselves.

    I think many wealthy people are risk averse while at the same time short-sighted. The rise of the private equity firm is proof enough of that to any reasonable person - and yes, that includes libertarians and Objectivists.

    When you look that big picture, over the long haul, there are elements of socialism that would be wise to employ. There's a time and a place for everything under the sun, Les.

    Of course, no one is calling for outright socialism. No serious person is that stupid. Cons and libers and GOPers like to assume that everyone else is just dumb, but in reality even a "liberal/progressive" guy like me considers himself a reasonably capitalistic, socialistic, small "r" republican, (truly) constituionalist American.


    Here, let me make it plain:

    Developement would create a privare sector vaccuum, just like the old "highway to nowhere" in the end always leads to a big town. If you build it - they will come.

    Get it?

    JMJ

    ReplyDelete
  7. Will - I see your point.

    But well conceived, well executed, and non wasteful government programs rarely are preceded by the three forgoing criteria.

    ReplyDelete
  8. JMJ - No I didn't forget. I intentionally did not quote the preceding remarks.

    It seems obvious, at least to me, you missed my point.

    Not surprising really.

    And for the record, I fully understood your comment.

    ReplyDelete
  9. No, Les, I got your point. And no, LEs, I do not buy the argument. The private sector is not naturally acting in unison as conservatives worried worried about healthcare law and taxes. You have no historical precedent for that assumption, and it just doesn't make sense on the face of it.

    I got that. I was pointing out a different problem in your argument.

    What I'd love to know is if you believe investment in national developement would be a bad idea - and why.

    JMJ

    ReplyDelete
  10. JMJ - SO YOU BELIEVE THE USE OF DEROGATORY AND DEMEANING RHETORIC SERVES A VALID PURPOSE AND ADDS TO YOUR OTHERWISE REASONABLE POINTS. Right dude, you understand little.

    You have read enough of my written stuff to know my positions.

    I will add to the current volume of posts as time allows. Watch the site at your pleasure.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Jersey said: "But no, conservatives, libertarians, and Republicans are dead set against developing the country."

    Flat out wrong. Republicans want to increase infrastructure spending by at least 10% by eliminating the prevailing wage act (which demands massive corruption and waste). The Democrats oppose this.

    If you want to look at "Greedy idiots", why not look at real greed? (Factor out the "idiot" thing, akin to your bashing gay people as "Faggots"). Obama and the Dems want to plunder more of our money and kick the economy in the teeth by repealing the Bush tax cut program for the middle class.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Donald in Bethel, CT says:

    Again, as has been said countless times before, the liberals simply believe that there is no problem so big that we all can't just throw enough money at it to make it go away.

    The only issue is that it's my money being pissed away on their voter base.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dmarks, you are like a broken record that has been allowed to play way too long...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jersey McJones: I’m not sure if you’re cynical, having a bad day or if my post hit the nail on the head, whichever, it matters not, as I’m big enough to disregard the rude part of your comment and say that I do agree we have to invest in our country.

    However, we pay good money for that already, in local, state AND federal taxes. It’s up to OUR politicians to ENSURE that the funds go where they’re needed. It seems they are more interested in their pet projects than energy, heck we’ve been hearing “energy independence” since the Carter Administration and where are we? Purchasing MORE oil off countries that hate us and further in debt! We’re allowing the Environmentalists to dictate where we can, or should I say CAN’T, drill in OUR OWN country! That’s just wrong. We could create jobs right here, plus revenue AND pay down the debt!

    Tao: You are right. We are making China a very wealthy country while we are going down the toilet.

    I do recall saying that if we were going to bail anyone out it should’ve been the homeowners. Why in the world did we ever give the banks blank check with no rules? Because you are 100% correct, they only “stimulated” themselves.

    But I have to say this, I wasn’t labeling anyone a “socialist” or any program “socialism”. All I ever said was I didn’t agree with it. If a business was/is failing, then it should fail.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your post is spot on, Pamela! Personally, I think if we had invested enough money to pay off China instead of the U.S. being indebted to China that would have been a good thing to do. Our government needs to have incentives for businesses so that they will return to America and bring jobs to Americans. Investing in America is good but it needs to be smart investing and the Stimulus was not smart investing. It was a payoff to special interests and supporters of Obama, like unions. Plus, their was wasteful PORK and illogical science experiments in the Stimulus. Democrats have created uncertainty for businesses and that's why businesses aren't hiring.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Tao said:

    "Dmarks, you are like a broken record that has been allowed to play way too long."

    It's still true, and our top national leader doesn't have a clue on this. Why not present a rational argument, instead of mere insult?

    ReplyDelete

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