Remember the political posturing against the Obama stimulus proposals?
Last evening, The Rachel Maddow Show (a) aired a segment that recommended the approval, according to Steve Bennen (b), of Republican requests for stimulus funds for their home districts, many of which specifically identified the number of jobs that would be created.
This action would create the jobs, tie the Republicans to the stimulus and the economy AND make it hard for them to argue persuasively against another sorely need stimulus package!
The real legwork was done by The Huffington Post (c), which reports: "A Freedom of Information Act request filed by The Huffington Post with three separate federal agencies reveals that on at least 16 separate occasions, (Rep. Michele) Bachmann petitioned the federal government for direct financial help or aid. A large chunk of those requests were for funds set aside through President Obama's stimulus program, which Bachmann once labeled "fantasy economics." Bachmann made two more of those requests to the Environmental Protection Agency, an institution that she has suggested she would eliminate if she were in the White House."
According to Maddow, Congressperson Bachmann wasn't the only Republican seeking a place at the trough. She listed a number of those seeking support for pet projects and supposedly aired a segment on the requests last year.
Maybe the way to get the Republicans to "buy into" a stimulus plan would be to "buy them off". Sadly, they'd be able to return to their home districts with the bacon (or pork) with increased changes of being re-elected, but that's the risk we'd have to accept to get the economy growing again. Of course, there's no guarantee that the Republicans would buy into another stimulus after the debt limit debacle.
Studies have shown that our bridge and highway system is woefully in need of repair. Schools are also in need of repair. Bricks and mortar, concrete and steel, people working (sadly, much of the steel would be imported - "In May 2011, the steel trade deficit widened to -1.65 million metric tons, 20% more than the deficit in April 2011."(d)). What better a time to REBUILD AMERICA??
Links:
(a) The Rachel Maddow Show "Don't ask don't tell" (aka "The secret Republican stimulus jobs plan") http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/
(b) The Washington Monthly - "How about a Bachmann-inspired stimulus" http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_08/how_about_a_bachmanninspired_s031432.php#
(c) The Huffington Post "Michele Bachmann Repeatedly Sought Stimulus, EPA, Other Government Funds." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/10/michele-bachmann-stimulus_n_922851.html
(d) US Department of Commerce International Trade Administration "Steel Industry Executive Summary: July 2011" http://hq-web03.ita.doc.gov/License/Surge.nsf/webfiles/SteelMillDevelopments/$file/exec%20summ.pdf?openelement
Pete Stenson
Pete, this post shows how politics has become a game of charades acted out by politicians who are funded by vested interests and working with hidden agendas. I can't help the feeling that the national Republican party wants the country to fail so they can unseat Obama. Karl Rove reinvented American politics by showing how you can use wedge issues - gay marriage, immigration, creationism (faux Christianity) - to divide the electorate in half and then by focusing on the undecided you can take power. This is why Fox News routinely introduces him as "The Architect." Of course, this also created a politics that almost never focuses on the most important issues like job creation and ending unnecessary wars.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that the Rove approach is responsible for the heightened lack of civility in our political discourse. Right now, President Obama is drowning in his own decency. It seems as if he doesn't understand that members of Congress simply don't have the best interests of the American people as their first priority. In fairness, this is true of many Democrats as well as Republicans. Unfortunately this is a hard problem to solve since the Supreme Court ruled that corporations have the same rights as individuals and are free to contribute to (control?) political campaigns in pretty much any way they see fit.
Thus we have politicians funded by insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, oil companies and the like. Their campaigns are fully funded and they are guaranteed seats on corporate boards when they leave office so of course they are going to do corporate bidding and call it public service. A Works Progress Administration would be a great idea to get people back to work and repair our aging (and increasingly dangerous) infrastructure. But the corporate henchmen working on the Rove model will call that 'socialism.' As someone with a doctorate in political and social theory I can assure you that I haven't heard a single Republican commentator use this word correctly. Obama is not a socialist, not even close, but if he goes after rich people, Fox News trots out the hot button phrase 'class warfare' because it conjures up socialism and the spectre of Karl Marx (whom they have never read). It's time for class warfare in this country, the ever-shrinking middle class, the working class and the poverty-stricken underclass against the 2% of Americans who are currently stealing everything that isn't nailed down.
Okay, I'll put the soapbox away now.
Jack,
ReplyDeleteYou're always welcome to climb onto your soapbox here.
Why not mention the Unions? They outspend (political contributions) the corps everytime! And that does not even take into account all of the unreported in-kind (non-cash) contrinutions they provide to their candidates. Ohh, it's inconvenient.
ReplyDeleteObama is a socialist - it's ok to admit it.
To anonymous 8:42 this is exactly the equation I'm talking about: on the one hand you have corporations reaping huge profits for a select group of shareholders while paying multi-million dollar bonuses to CEOs whether they are successful or not, and on the other hand you have unions, representing the collective bargaining interests of working people, being decertified, squeezed and legislated against so that wages and benefits can be slashed to support the aforementioned obscene profits. Unions representing police, teachers, clerical workers, truck drivers, local, state and federal employees and the like versus corporations representing millionaires and billionaires who drive up oil prices, drug prices and health insurance costs for working people while taking away the only protection they have - their labor unions. Net result: the rich get much richer and the rest of us slide inexorably backwards.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, Barack Obama is not even left-leaning. He is a centrist and a moderate. He is an ardent devotee of capitalism and has never advocated a socialist position in his political career. Before you point to Obamacare, the right's single most ignorant charge of socialism, understand that the Obama health plan represents the single largest transfer of public wealth to the PRIVATE SECTOR in the history of the United States of America! Socialism? Calling anything to the left of Ronald Reagan 'socialism' doesn't make it so. Words have meanings and this is one word whose meaning you don't know. But its a pithy slogan that allows people to denigrate the man without having to admit their real problem with him.
It's very sad that the once most powerful country in the world and wealthiest is at this point. I shudder to think how things will be someday when my grandchildren are older and on their own. I'm not sure how I feel about Obama quite frankly although I did vote for him. I know he inherited a huge mess. It also can't all be blamed on the President. Senate & Congress have much control. Any incumbent on that level is going to have to work really hard to get my vote. I'm sick of all of them. And people say our town is mismanaged. Read the paper and see how we're not that messed up after all!
ReplyDeleteDear Jack and Pete:
ReplyDeleteHow about your insightful analysis and comments about the finanacial perfomance of our CFO and Supervisor Rick McCabe and our Town Board? How do you analyze their fiscal wisdom and financial leadership? How do you assess the McCabe junk bond rating response: "We're hoping the economy turns around".
Can you share with all of us citizens a written copy of the town's CFO/ Supervisor and Town Board's plan to recover from our deficit spending and junk bond rating?
Tip O'Neil famously said: "All politics is local". Please apply your thoughful comments to the financial leadership of Supervisor McCabe and this Town Board.
How about applying your analytical skills to the work and more especially to the accomplishments of the CFAC? How about a side by side comparison of the work and accomplishments of the CFAC to the Finance Committee disbanded by the current Town Board?
How about finding and sharing with all of us where that nefarious $3.2 to $3.5 million owed us by Rensselaer is, was or went?
How about your research and talents applied to our town's contining expenditures on overtime?
We would all appreciate such a, hopefully, non partisan analysis.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I can't believe your bringing up overtime again ! The Ann Taylor battle cry ! Do we really need to go down this road again? Do you honestly think that Cristo and Taylor would have been able to curb overtime? Puhleez...its time to stop the politicking and realize that the Towns troubles start at the National level, passed down thru the State and County levels.
ReplyDeleteFor Jack and Pete - its a "loaded" question by Ray Mooney, Don Johnson or one of their stooges....they have zero credibility and only look to incite an argument because NO ONE agrees with their point of view.
I'd be willing to bet that the posting of a 16 year old TU article and these above loaded questions are the latest from the almost defunct reform movement/tea party extremists leftovers from this past November - who are still seathingly mad that they threw around so much mud and crap and they still got beat - by a woman who announced her candidacy just 45 days prior to the election !! Kinda tells ya how the voters feel in EGB - Huh?!?!
In response to Cristo Taylors latest post. Who cares what happened 15 years ago, what about what happened on Friday when your receiver of taxes candidate was fired because she manhandled a special needs child . Funny it was never mentioned. Now that's something that needs to be out there for this campaign!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDear 11:51 AM:
ReplyDeleteIt was Ginny O'Brien herself, at the Town Board meeting where the three new police officers were appointed and sworn in, who said that their hiring would reduce overtime. Doesn't that make it a legitimate question?
Reviewing and managing overtime is a serious management practice in every business everywhere. Why is the question illegimate in a town government employment setting?
Is it unrealistic to expect every department head in our town to manage and control overtime?
Thank you.
Just want to say "thanks" to Ann for latest post. I really needed a chuckle. That is just so ridiculous to post something that old and expect to be taken seriously in any way, shape or form.
ReplyDelete217- foil the numbers yourself! Why are you constantly looking for someone else to give you an answer you can obtain yourself? The numbers for OT are a matter of public record.
ReplyDeleteTroopers pay rate is absolutely outlandish:
ReplyDeleteA number of state officials and union leaders declined comment on the statistics, which were initially developed by the Poughkeepsie Journal.
After 26 weeks of paid academy training at 50-thousand dollars a year, a trooper starting in the field jumps to almost 67-thousand dollars a year.
After 5 years the rate is almost 85 thousand, with additional pay for downstate postings.
Even factoring out the highly paid state police command officers, the average state trooper pay of 101-thousand dollars per year is about 67 per cent higher than the average paid police and sheriff's deputies statewide. Information on other police pay comes from the State Labor Department.
Robert Ward follows state spending closely for the Rockefeller Institute.
"Certainly we want to attract good people in to the work force," Ward said. "We want to pay a decent salary but we need to ask the question what is the level that we need to pay for a given position in order to attract well qualified people and a good number of them?"
And lest we forget, the NYS Police Admin gave raises of more than $20,000 to 28 top officers last December. Thankfully, Cuomo took the raises back!
ReplyDeleteAndrew Cuomo has been a good governor. He has shown a willingness to confront and deal effectively with our state's problems. He is moving our state is a good direction. He has achieved a great deal in his term to date. He has confronted state employee unions, taken on the always slow to move legislative branch and communicated his agenda and plans with great skill.
ReplyDeleteSooner or later he will need to deal with property taxes and their impact on business growth in our state. Sooner or later he will need to deal with the teacher's union and their lobby. It remains to be seen if his moves with the public employee's pension fund will be sufficient to control the super escalating costs of those benefits. But he inspires confidence because he is bold and communicates effectively.
He is a Democrat who is acting remarkably like a Republican. He is reining in spending, taking on unions - actions more usually expected of Republicans. Interesting.