Porkulus Bill

Today, is a sad day for Capitalism and America. I urge you to contact your House and Senate members and ask them to vote NO on the porkulus bill. You can contact your member by visiting the following websites - www.house.gov or www.senate.gov.

Congress will show us today just how irresponsible they are by voting on a bill that 99% of them have NOT read. Why you ask?? Because the leadership doesn't want them to, especially the GOP, who they say will be voting against it so why bother. The Dems and the President are so eager to push this bill down your throat because they know it won't work. Each passing day, more and more Americans become weary of what this is supposed to do and the large amount of pork thrown in it. I do believe I saw the President's nose grow Monday night when he starred straight into the camera and said "there was no pork in this bill". Oh really, here's just a few "stimulus" items:

• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film
• $650 million for the digital television (DTV) converter box coupon program
• $248 million for furniture at the new Dept. of Homeland Security headquarters (go to IKEA or even Crate and Barrel and save)
• $400 million for the CDC to screen and prevent STD’s (this one really gets me, here's the solution don't sleep around, problem solved and $400 million saved)
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into “green” buildings
• $1.2 billion for “youth activities,” including youth summer job programs (up to age 24, I thought youth was up to age 18?)
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service
• $160 million for “paid volunteers” at the Corporation for National and Community Service (definition of volunteer - unpaid or without payment)
• State Medicaid Bailout: $87.7 billion Through 3 different mechanisms, the bill would provide additional federal funds to state Medicaid programs over the next 3 years. This is nearly $70 billion more than the governors asked President Obama for in December, and should be a loan to be repaid by the states.

For a complete list, I urge to to click on this link to Senator Tom Coburn's web site -http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=RightNow.Home&ContentRecord_id=3db704c6-802a-23ad-406c-a424db591389

You know the only reason the President wants bipartisanship is because this bill won't work and by bringing in Republicans he can say "we all voted for it". But the GOP in the House knew better and kudos to Rep. Eric Cantor (Minority Whip) for bringing the GOP together and standing firm against the pork. I wish we could say the same thing for the Senate. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that Senators Arlene Spector, Susan Collins, and Olympia Snowe would abandon ship and vote with the Dems. I think come next election cycle they should be challenged by true Conservatives who believe in three small principles - limited spending, small government and Capitalism.