DanG 1 #1 February 3, 2009 Below is an article from CNN purporting to quote the GOP's list of wasteful provisions in the proposed stimulus package. After each item, I've inserted by own categorization in bold. Keeping in mind that the purpose of the package is to stimulate the economy and create jobs, I've divided everything into two categories: jobs and bullshit. I'm not saying that the programs listed under jobs are necessarily great ideas, but I believe they will actually create jobs, mostly in the construction sector. I'm also not saying that the programs listed as bullshit are necessarily bad programs, just that they appear to have little to do with economic stimulus. Adding everything up, I come to the following tabulation: Jobs: $15.8345 billion (82.9%) Bullshit: $2.406 billion (12.6%) Unknown: $0.85 billion (0.44%) I'm curious as to how others here would characterize these specific programs, and why. Quote (CNN) -- On Monday, House Republican leaders put out a list of what they call wasteful provisions in the Senate version of the nearly $900 billion stimulus bill that is being debated: • $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient. Jobs. • A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film. Bulllshit. • $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program. Bullshit. • $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship). Jobs. • $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters. Jobs. • $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters. Jobs. • $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees. Bullshit. • $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's. Bullshit. • $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs. Jobs. • $125 million for the Washington sewer system. Jobs. • $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities. Jobs. • $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion. Jobs. • $75 million for "smoking cessation activities." Bullshit. • $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges. Jobs. • $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI. Jobs. • $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction. Bullshit. • $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River. Jobs. • $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas. Jobs. • $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings. Jobs. • $500 million for state and local fire stations. Jobs. • $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands. Jobs. • $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs. Jobs. • $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service. Jobs. • $412 million for CDC buildings and property. Jobs. • $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland. Jobs. • $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service. Jobs. • $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration. Jobs. • $850 million for Amtrak. Unknown, too vague. • $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint. Bullshit. • $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies. Jobs. • $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems. Bullshit. • $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations. Bullshit. - Dan G Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #2 February 3, 2009 Quote • $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program. Bullshit. Issue is that the bandwidth spectrum really needs released for lots of commercial applications but at this point its been indicated that the FCC might just stall on this until all the convertor box requests that are outstanding are fulfilled. IE no time line at all and with over 4 million requests for coupons still pending and only a few hundred thousand unused coupons expiring each week it might be years until this is complete despite Congress giving the FCC a February 12th deadline and then voting to extend it already. Its stupid the government needs to fund this but I'd rather pay it off now and let the bandwidth get used by other applications and leasing it out to get those lease payments into the government. Quote • $75 million for "smoking cessation activities." Bullshit. $75 Million is a drop in the bucket compared to the annual medical costs of those smokers as they hit Medicare and Medicaid. This one I look at as deferring the costs from another program that takes more funds. Quote • $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges. Jobs. This one is Bullshit to me. There will be FAR more cost in hardware then there will ever be in jobs created for this one. If the demand is strong enough at a given local community to have computer access then the school should implement it on its own out of its own pockets. Quote • $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters. Jobs. • $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters. Jobs. Most the furniture has a really good chance of being imported so its not going to help US jobs. The DHS needs dissolved, any money spent on it is a waste that could go elsewhere and be much better spent. Quote • $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient. Jobs. I'm split on this one, it would be nice to see 0 emission coal plants but I'd need to see way the DOE said it was inefficient. DOE usually is pretty good at calling these things from what I've followed along with so if they pulled the plug it would really need to be good to get funded again.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nerdgirl 0 #3 February 3, 2009 Quote $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's. I want to know more about this one before categorizing. Is that to pay for the folks at State public health depts around the country to pursue preventative public health measures? (Jobs) /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanG 1 #4 February 3, 2009 The converter box program may be necessary, but I don't see how it can be related to economic stimulation without a lot of other dependancies. I also think smoking cessation is a great goal, but again can't see it related to economic stimulation. The money going to create new computer centers at community colleges will both create jobs for computer techs and instructors, as well as jobs at Intel and Dell, for example. I agree that DHS needs to go, but spending $448 million on a new building will create lots of construction jobs both locally and with material suppliers. Finally, I agree that if the FutureGen plant is shitty it shouldn't be funded, but looking at it solely through the lens of job creation, you'll have to admit that this program will create jobs, many of them well paying. Thanks for the input. - Dan G Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanG 1 #5 February 3, 2009 QuoteI want to know more about this one before categorizing. Is that to pay for the folks at State public health depts around the country to pursue preventative public health measures? (Jobs) This is all I could find with a quick Google, but it looks like the money will indeed go to state screening programs. http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jan/29/national-republican-congressional-committee/std-spending-economic-stimulus-plan/ - Dan G Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #6 February 3, 2009 It seemed that MANY of the things the GOP were calling BULLSHIT... are actually related to health care.. the big bad boogeyman that the GOP is afraid of. I wonder how many of the conservative morons out there that have health benefits from their jobs and THINK they are covered.... will realize that if they ever try to use any of their health insurance.. just how bad it REALLLY is. I never did till I tried to USE mine. Sorry but the way the health insurance industry is being run right now.. even a near fatal injury the insurance company will fight you for it.. as a PRE EXISTING CONDITION. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nerdgirl 0 #7 February 4, 2009 Quote Below is an article from CNN purporting to quote the GOP's list of wasteful provisions in the proposed stimulus package. After each item, I've inserted by own categorization in bold. Keeping in mind that the purpose of the package is to stimulate the economy and create jobs, I've divided everything into two categories: jobs and bullshit. I'm not saying that the programs listed under jobs are necessarily great ideas, but I believe they will actually create jobs, mostly in the construction sector. I'm also not saying that the programs listed as bullshit are necessarily bad programs, just that they appear to have little to do with economic stimulus. Adding everything up, I come to the following tabulation: Jobs: $15.8345 billion (82.9%) Bullshit: $2.406 billion (12.6%) Unknown: $0.85 billion (0.44%) Your post inspires a thought-experiment : Take the Missile Defense Agency portion of the 2009 PBR and list just the Program names with recipient of funds, e.g., Lockheed-Martin, Northrop-Grumman, Raytheon, TRW + a whole lot of mid- & small-sized companies from every State of the Union. Every State is not a coincidence. There’s $9.3B in RDT&E alone (i.e., that doesn't included procurement, which is more $) – would folks consider that jobs or bullshit ? By comparison, -- all DARPA: $3.3B -- all of the Joint Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP): $1.1B -- DTRA WMD Defeat Technologies (i.e., all WMD-defeat related RDT&E that's not CBDP, DARPA, or MDA): $456M /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
