Stimulate the Economy not Government

$800,000,000,000 is what our elected officials want to use to "Stimulate our Economy"
Here is a list of how they want to spend the money. Most of the items below are great things to be addressed at a later date. REMEMBER though this is an ECONOMIC STIMULUS bill.

If the goal is to stimulate the economy then do it. If the goal is to push your political agenda or grow government then just say it and call it that. Don't lie to us and disguise a bill for increase your political power from the Pork!

Some of these items may help the economy but they won't even take effect for many months if not years waiting for government grants to be approved and all the red tape.
Another point to make is Government does not produce, it consumes. So creating more government jobs will give people work but it won't help the economy. Government jobs don't put money into the economy like a private business or corporation would. Helping to create jobs in the private sector is what we need, not more government jobs. Most of these items below will also take time for plans to be developed and executed. It is not a quick fix like the economy needs.

This is my favorite:
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.

Hybrid cars are more expensive than a comparable non-hybrid vehicle. Obama says why wouldn't we spend the money now to burn cleaner fuel and use less gas which would save the people money. The savings in gas over the life of the vehicle would never come close to adding up to the expense of buying an expensive brand new hybrid. Hybrids don't save enough gas to monetarily make them a worthy purchase because of the upfront expense.

A stimulus bill is supposed to help the economy TODAY!

• $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.
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.
• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.
• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
• $850 million for Amtrak.
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.

Here is a plan I heard from Dave Ramsey that would Stimulate the economy NOW!
I have 1 addition at position #1

1. My Addition is make the Bush tax cuts permament. At least rewrite the tax cuts, keep the same and call it the Obama tax cuts. He can take credit as long as I don't have to pay more.
2. Obama wants 3,000,000 people to have jobs.
Give a tax credit of $20,000 to any employer who hires and keeps on payroll in 2009, for 12 months in surplus to the current employers. Meaning they cannot layoff employees to hire new ones.
3. Give a $20,000 tax credit to anyone who buys a home in 2009 regardless if 1st time buyer or not.
This would give more than 3,000,000 people jobs because the housing industry would be jumpstarted again.
The cost of this only $120,000,000,000!!! This is 87% savings and the government would see more money coming in for taxes to help supplement this cost. It will partially pay for itself.
This would never happen though because there is no way to pass a bill like this without our elected officials throwing in some pork for their state or for their political interests. They need to have the pork to turn to us and say.... "Look what I did for you guys. I helped you by buying furniture for Homeland Security Headquarters and gave money to Hollywood Producers! Now relect me so I can waste more of your hard earned money."
This is bogus guys!!! Why did we vote these fools in office!! (I can proudly say I did not)

FIRE THEM!!!!

We need to elect