Politics, The Stimulus, and our Future!

A letter form my friend Don Lee.

Friends,

I'm sure you've noticed the debate about the nearly Trillion dollar
"Stimulus" legislation making its way through the Federal
legislature. (a.k.a. Economic Recovery Package.)

I am very concerned about this legislation, enough that I am willing to
do this mass mailing. It's important, and I think your input to lawmakers
will make a difference.

The Stimulus Package will cost $800 billion plus interest. That's
more than the entire Iraq war. It's bigger than the whole economy of
India. The Stimulus money will be spent without a penny of taxation
to cover it. It is pure debt, approximately $2500 of debt for every
one of us - man, woman and child.

This debt will be added on top of the $700 billion bailout enacted
during the final months of 2008, and on top of the one Trillion
dollar deficit projected for 2009 and on top of the $10 trillion
national debt we owe from previous years. This debt is real. It will
either be repaid honestly through higher taxation, or dishonestly by
corrupting our currency through inflation. Add this to the looming
social security insolvency, and the bottom line is that we are lying
to ourselves and our children by making promises we can't keep.
It is a total abandonment of any pretense of fiscal discipline.

If we think our economy is in a "crisis" now, we will lack words to
describe the catastrophe when this bill comes due and we can't or
won't pay it. The results will not be numbers on paper. Our economy
will unravel as "the full faith and credit of the U.S. government"
becomes worthless.

This Stimulus Package is not going to pull our economy out of its
current slump. Rather than being a carefully targeted economic
program, it is a hopeless hodgepodge containing everything from the
rebirth of "the bridge to nowhere" to "stealth" legislation on
network neutrality and socialized medicine. If you don't believe me,
take a look at what the bill actually says. You can see the House
version (600-plus pages) at

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.1:

Also available at: (from jan 24th)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/24/house-stimulus-bill-full_n_160569.html

The House and Senate versions are being reconciled in conference
committee right now and a final vote will be taken in the next few
days.

This is terrible legislation. We cannot allow our politicians to ram
massive, unscrutinized legislation with enormous cost and dubious
benefits through the legislative process because "the sky is falling".

Please read about this "stimulus". It is Bad News for us and our children.
If you agree with me, please contact your senator(s) and representatives.
Pass this letter on to anyone and everyone.

If you disagree, please convince me that I am wrong, because I think this
legislation is a watershed event that we will seriously regret.

-Don Lee


Links: rep contact:

http://www.house.gov/
http://www.senate.gov/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/


Links: the legislation:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.1:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:7:./temp/~c111gY1vuJ:: (today's version)
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.350:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/~c111MwCl1U:e257646: (medical privacy)


links: analysis:

http://cboblog.cbo.gov/?p=199
http://www.politico.com/static/PPM116_obamadoc.html (best case - from Obama office)
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare/wm2287.cfm
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Economy/wm2283.cfm