Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues The Obama Administration Stimulus package

I'm not happy about it.

Take for instance the $8b for high speed rail between Las Vegas and Disneyland and the high speed rail between San Francisco and Los Angeles. That $8b is only for engineering studies!

I thought President Obama promised "shovel ready" projects?

Then, there's Nancy Pelosi's promise to put the bill online for 48hrs for public review before any voting took place. Didn't happen.

Why? Speaker Nancy had to catch a 6pm flight tonight and she has a meeting with the Pope.

For Pete sake, the Pope comes before the American people? What happened to the transparency that President Obama promised? I'm not seeing it.

I'm not happy that the Republicans cutting a lot of school refurbishing out of the bill. I thought that's what this stimulus package was partly about? Fixing/repairing schools and creating jobs to do so?

Why are we spending $8b for engineering studies for projects way down the road? Why aren't we spending $8b on repairing schools, roads, bridges?

...it's just same old political games in Washington DC - just a different party running the show.

I'm disappointed.

If you were hoping for immediate sweeping change then you set yourself up for disappointment. I just hope that in two years we aren't seeing continued sweeping same. Obama has come out of the gate slow, he's staying with the pack and getting a feel for the track. It's still way to early to call the race though.

Having a vote on a bill no one has had the chance to read speaks volumes in an of itself. I have no idea how long it would take me to read, let alone understand such a monstrosity. I've seen video of a bunch of staff members going over the bill with piles of paper in front of them. They sit there complaining about how these things are usually in .pdf form, lending the ability to keyword search the document and maybe have a hope of QUICKLY compiling what is going where. I wish I could remember which Senator's staff it was, and what the name of the Representive who has another video I've seen. In that video he shows the copy he's received and numerous changes and notes IN HANDWRITING!!! Who's handwriting I wonder? Oh wait... found it!! This page has it.

Other video I had seen on Fox News. Been flipping between CNN and Fox since I came home today.

Utterly disgraceful.

How would you grade your Representative's work, or even his/her ability to do the work so that person can duly represent you? I really can't believe this!!

Deal me in Rick. It's a load of doodie from the same people who promised you everything but. Heard it before? Yep. Trust the bastards? I don't. America must trust them, they keep voting for the sumbitches. They don't demand changes. Soon enough it will be everyman/woman for themselves. Then, suddenly Americans - way, way, way, way too late - will discover they've been lied to, used and abused. It will be far too late.

Congress voted for a war without reading the documentation of "evidence". What happened? Congress voted for the Patriot Act without reading about it? What happened? Congress rushed through a vote for the first stimulus package, didn't read it. What happened? Congress votes to pass the second stimulus package without reading it. What do you think is going to happen? I'll tell you what Congress thinks will happen - they think it won't matter and they'll get re-elected. I think Congress is right.

Hahahahaha... enjoy...

I just thought, with the largest bill in history that they would at least try. Another check in the "let down" column.

I'm of the mind our blissful ignorance will be our downfall. It's because of this that we have these people running things... for sure. It really hurts those of us who really care for more then ourselves. It's like watching that goldfish you really loved being flushed down the toilet and wanting to stop it once it's already going down the pipe.

I can't seem to get anywhere with anyone around where I live. It's all "what can you do for me?" anymore it seems.

I don't know.

What kind of jobs will be needed for the engineering studies, will these be saved or created? What level of jobs are they? When will the money actually be paid? How long will the engineering studies take? What percentage of the cost goes to actual work, how much goes to profit margin?

I do find the $8b amount to be so high that I wonder how much of that will go to actual jobs and not profit margin, and how much will be earned/paid in the first year; but until you know the answers to those questions, you cannot really determine how 'stimulative' such engineering studies may or may not be.

Incidentally, for literally 'shovel-ready' projects, it would be good to know how much is labor, how much is domestic product and how much is foreign product. I understand that there is basically no existing steel industry in the U.S. now... if a project required using a lot of steel (bridgework, for instance), where does it come from? Japan?

Congress: We are from the government. We are here to help. Tighten your belts, America.

America: Please send belts.

...at least President Obama can put two cogent sentences together - a refreshing change for the Chief Executive of the United States.

Having said that...

This "stimulus" package reminds me of the time, many years ago, when I took my cat to the Vet. The Vet wanted to take the cat's temperature, so the Vet lifts the kitty's tail, and as he's inserting the thermometer into the cat's rectum, he's saying: Here kitty, kitty, kitty...


I feel like that cat must have felt right about now - and without the hugs and the kisses normally associated with a good screwing...

I don't think this stimulus package is what President Obama wanted, he wanted the one close to the House's version, what we're getting is the Senate's version.

The Senate has basically said: Take it or leave it.

Why the rush? Why does it have to be passed now? Oh yes...

...Congress is on "vacation" next week, and Ms. Pelosi might lose her Rome hotel room deposit if she stayed and fought for what President Obama wanted.

Good grief !