January 25, 2008

The Stimulus Swindle (Commentary)

The Stimulus Swindle (Commentary): "President Bush is undoubtedly pleased. He said he wanted 'stimulus' built primarily on tax cuts and no new public investment--more proof of his desire to win the Most Out of Touch President title from Herbert Hoover (at least Hoover proposed new infrastructure with the tax cuts he claimed would prevent the Great Depression).

Let's be clear: There's nothing inherently bad about Washington interacting with Big Business, and nothing wrong with 'stimulus' as a concept. But as this recession intensifies, there's a big problem with politicians catering exclusively to Big Business and an even bigger problem with converting 'stimulus' into yet another code word for 'swindle.'"
What is more, I suspect that the GOP especially believes that the American people are so easy to buy off that a 300 dollar rebate will suffice. No matter that 700 billion for the war is being ignored. No matter that there is no investment in something for the social good. No matter.

2 comments:

Bootleg Blogger said...

Gracchus: "I think he knows what Rome is. Rome is the mob. Conjure magic for them and they'll be distracted. Take away their freedom and still they'll roar."
The movie Gladiator

leighton said...

Juvenal:

Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man,

the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time

handed out military command, high civil office, legions - everything, now

restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things:

bread and circuses


Except I don't quite agree with his emphasis; I think people without power probably always behaved in seemingly shortsighted ways that people who had a little power found appalling, and people who had a lot of power found reassuringly gratifying. Don't see that changing much in the future, either.

Though to be fair, Rome didn't have nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them anywhere in the world within 18 hours. Kind of sucks how technology changes faster than human nature.