Notable quotable

Obama talks tough on the need for investment 6

“We can’t embrace the losing formula that says only tax cuts will work for every problem we face; that ignores critical challenges like our addiction to foreign oil, or the soaring cost of health care, or falling schools and crumbling bridges and roads and levees. I don’t care whether you’re driving a hybrid or an SUV—if you’re headed for a cliff, you’ve got to change direction.”

Barack Obama, talking tough on the need for public investments in the stimulus plan at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference on Thursday

Kate Sheppard is Grist’s political reporter.

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  1. Pompey Road Posted 1:52 pm
    06 Feb 2009

    Viva Las Vegas:

    Big Wall Street, Banking and government official meeting in vegas this weekend. I assume the Tarp funds will get distributed between shows on the strip and a little gambling.
    Well the real high rollers have just hit town. So much for lobby reform. 1800 per person just to get in. I think the FDIC head has already cancelled because CNN outed her.
    Your tax dollars at work with the best governmnet money can buy.

    The eons of time and nature was good to us down here. It was not until we become civilized that destroying our habitat become fathomable or fashionable.
  2. Whiskerfish Posted 6:20 pm
    06 Feb 2009

    weatherization cut from stimulusI just read on nyt.com that "$8 billion to refurbish federal buildings and make them more energy efficient" has been cut from the stimulus.
    I can't believe the stupidity of this. I'm struggling even more with the fact that NO ONE in a high-profile place seems to have made a simple, articulate case for keeping that money in there.
    The Republicans have been damning the stimulus because it's going to tax dollars and because a lot of the planned spending is not, apparently, directly going to rev up the economy.
    So they go and cut spending that will directly employ Americans -- and thus stimulate the economy -- and save tax dollars that otherwise would have been spent on energy bills.
    WTFFFFFFF???
    I mean, you can completely trash these two-bit palookas in one soundbite. Why is no-one doing it?
    I'm just an ignorant African, so it's possible I'm missing something. Please tell me I'm missing something!
    Whiskerfish
  3. SMLowry's avatar

    SMLowry Posted 2:52 am
    07 Feb 2009

    WTFFFF? is right!I don't understand it either. It's totally frustrating to me. I just finished writing my column for the local paper on just this topic. And I expect to get all kinds of flack for it. A majority elected Obama and now all I hear is how we have to appease the republicans to look bipartisan. WTF? is right. Did Bush try to appease the democrats? Did he even care what they thought? Absolutely not. The economy is in a shambles, the environment is even worse, the stimulus package is far from perfect, there are things in there I don't agree with. But pleeze . . .
  4. Max8806's avatar

    Max8806 Posted 1:35 pm
    07 Feb 2009

    Re WeatherizationI work (intern) in a Congressman's office who's pretty involved with this, and his head legislative assistant for the stimulus recently said that Dems in Congress are hoping the Senate just manages to pass something. They're planning on having to clean up the mess in the Conference Committee (when differences in House and Senate versions are resolved). So don't despair yet, the plan seems to be appease them a bit now and then just fix it after the fact. Weird how Congress works.

    Max Epstein
  5. Pompey Road Posted 12:51 am
    08 Feb 2009

    Shovel Ready:

    New constuction takes time and more planning. The White House has been revamped many times. A good example for federal and state buildings. The new school construction and others provisions have no place in an economic recovery plan that is designed to get immediate effects of putting people to work.
     With weatherization you will get the immediate effect of putting people back to work plus the added benifit of real energy savings. You save the energy it takes to make and transport the new building materials and may reduce the need for building a new coal fired power plant.
    Weatherization just makes more sense for real, immeadiate employment opportunities. If it is not direst alternative energy producing or energy saving don't put it in this bill if it also does not produce jobs in the near future.

    The eons of time and nature was good to us down here. It was not until we become civilized that destroying our habitat become fathomable or fashionable.
  6. amazingdrx's avatar

    amazingdrx Posted 3:12 am
    08 Feb 2009

    How about 40 billion taken out of state aid?What about that Max, can it be added later?  All those state and local government jobs lost could be retrieved.  State and county employees, teachers, police, firefighters, emrergency personnel, all those people could be rehired.  Many of them probably have found other jobs that would then go to unemployed people.
    I see this as instant em[ployment.  How about peanut butter plant inspectors?  How about all food safety jobs cut in the last industry self (no) regulation administration.
    How about modern computer coordination and random sampling for all heath and safety inspection and enforcement?  There's a big boost in tech jobs.
    Instant jobs is what we need now.  The quickest cheapest easiset jobs avialable to subsidize with tax dollars are these food inspectors, teachers, police, and others hired back.
    Big infrastructure contracts are good job builders too, but a lot slower and fraught with problematic crooked bribery spewing contractors.  Government contracting reform is a whole new area for regulation and enforcement, stop the scamming and honest businesses will get the contracts.
    That way at least 30% of the contract will be payed in economy stimulting wages.  Instead of 99% going into offshore accounts, as with halliburton and its ilk in Iraq.

    http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

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