Hopefully this makes a dent in things - The stimulus bill was just passed

[john dough]

Not a political discussion, but hopefully a good infusion of cash into the economy to get things humming again.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/congress_stimulus

[AlphaDog]

Nope, not quite yet passed, but they're moving in that direction.

[Grumpyguy]

wonder if the $198 billion for Philippine soldiers from WWII is still in there?

Oh, and there is an agreement for a compromise. The bill is far from passed.

Without being political, you really need to read this thing. I've read the first 200 pages and it is mostly just a spending bill that fixes government buildings.

Just oversight on the spending alone is pegged at over $100 million. A hundred million to spend a trillion!

[Seacrest]

Yes, more "money" is what the economy needs.
Fire up them presses!

(not a political post)

[Paul F.]

Oh, it'll make a dent in things all right... just not in the things you think it will...

[Grumpyguy]

Here's some of your economy saving stimulus, taken directly from the Senate version of the bill. Hey, if you read this, you've done more than most of your representatives. And keep in mind, this is only from a few pages:

- $300 million for the modernization of the Department of Agriculture’s many facilities.
- $5 million more for oversight of the spending of this money.
-$100 million for grants to be doled out by the Agricultural Department in the form of educational grants.
-$171 million for “Farm Service Agency” salaries and expenses.
- $400 million for the Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program account.
- $275 million for “Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations”.
- $120 million for the “Watershed Rehabilitation Program”.
- $110 million for “Rural Development” salary and expenses.
- $11 billion for the “rural housing insurance program account.” These are government guaranteed housing loans. Isn’t this a bad business to be getting into right now?
- $127 million for the “Rural Community Facilities Program Account”
-* $150 million for the “Rural Business Cooperative Service Account”. This looks to be for rural business loans. Is this our first glimpse of something that is akin to stimulus?
- *$200 million “Biorefinery Assistance”. Looks to be for loans to ethanol plants and ethanol research. We’ll put this under stimulus, but considering that ethanol was diverting our food crops, I’m not sure of the wisdom of spending money on this.
-$50 million in loans and grants for agricultural research.
-$1.375 billion in loans and grants for rural water, waste water, waster disposal, and solid waste management programs. Isn’t this a local matter?
-$200 million for online learning in rural areas.
- $198 million for “National School Lunch” assistance.
- $500 million for WIC.
- $150 million to buy “commodities” to be given away during emergencies (free food)
-$150 million more for free food programs. This comes under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008.
-$228 million in subsidies for farmers.
-$100 million for assistance for “aquacultural” producers due to high feed costs in 2008. Fish farms?

Title 11
-$20 million for operating funds for the Department of Commerce.
-*$150 million for Public Works.
-$100 million for the Census. I’ve got an idea, everyone just call Uncle Sam and say “present.”
- $9 billion to buy computers and broadband access for schools, libraries, colleges.
-$650 million for the digital to analog converter box program. Buy your own damn tv!
- $218 million for “Scientific and Technical Research and Services”
-$357 million for construction of research facilities.
-$1.2 billion for NOAA.
-$200 million for wireless internet access for federal law officers.
-$50 million salaries for Federal Marshals. What is this doing in a stimulus package?
-$125 million for construction. Not very specific here, are they?
-$75 million for salaries at the FBI. Once again, what is this doing in a stimulus program?
-$400 million for construction. I’m guessing for the FBI. Once again, not very specific, are they?
-$1 billion for upkeep and construction for the Federal Prison system. Nice, but does it belong in this stimulus bill?
-$300 million for “Violence Against Women Prevention and Prosecution Programs.” Once again, what is this doing here?
-$1.5 billion for assistance to state and local law enforcement. This has no place in a stimulus bill.
-$440 million in additional grants to local law enforcement agencies.
-$100 million to combat drug trafficking along our southern border. I’m all for it, but it doesn’t belong here.
-$300 million for Indian tribe law enforcement agencies.
-$100 million for victims of crimes.
-$150 million for rural law enforcement agencies.
-$50 million for “Internet Crimes Against Children”.
-$1 billion for community oriented policing.
-$1.25 billion for NASA.
-$250 million for “Cross Agency support.” You tell me.
-$1.2 billion for the National Science foundation.
-$150 million for equipment and facilities construction for the NSF.
-$50 million for “Education and Human Resources.”
-$1.17 for the Army. What is this doing in a stimulus bill?
-$571 million for the Navy. What is this doing here?
-$112 million for the Marine Corps.
-$927 million for the Air Force.
-$80 million for the Army Reserves.
-$44 million for the Navy Reserves.
-$32 million for the Marine Reserves.
-$10 million for the Air Force Reserves.
-$21 million for the Air National Guard.
-$100 million for “Defense Production Act Purchases.”
-$200 million for DOD research.
-$250 million for DOD health care. All well and fine, but what does any of this have to do with our original stimulus bill?
-$25 million for the Army Corps of Engineers.
-*$2 billion for the construction of river and harbor, flood and storm damage reduction….
-*$2.4 billion for flood reduction programs along the nation’s rivers.
-$100 million to clean up nuclear power sites.
-$50 million more for flood control and coastal emergencies.
-$1.4 billion to the Department of the Interior for land reclamation.
-$14.4 billion for “Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy” at the Energy Department. Looking at the stipulations of this clause, there is a lot of green wishful thinking, rather than say money going for a specific, tangible energy source of the future.
-$390 million for “uranium enrichment decontamination and decommissioning fund.”
-$430 million just labeled “Science.” Assuming it is energy related. Maybe a car that will run on good wishes.
-$1 billion for nuclear weapons. Great, but what is it doing here?
-$5.5 billion for the “Defense Environmental Cleanup.”
-*$10 billion for renewable energy systems and electrical power transmissions systems. If I’m reading this right, some of this might actually go to improving our electrical grid. But if you have no nuclear or coal plants to produce energy….
-$250 million for native Americans for community banking.
-*$125 million to Washington, D.C., to fix its sewers.
-$9 billion to upgrade Federal buildings throughout America.
-$600 million to buy “green” cars for the Federal auto fleet, including golf carts.
-$84 million to pay for salaries at the SBA.
-$248 million to update the Homeland Security Administration building.
-$198 million to improve border and port security.
-$200 million for the southern border.
-$800 million to build or remodel U.S. Customs and Border facilities.
-$27 million for ICE for phones and radios.
-$1.2 billion for aviation security.
-$572 million for Coast Guard infrastructure.
-*$240 million for the alteration or removal of obstructive bridges.
-$100 million for transportation security other than aviation.
-$250 million for upgrading or constructing emergency operations centers.
-$500 million to upgrade “critical infrastructure”.
-$500 million to upgrade or build local fire stations. Should the federal government be building our local firehouse?
-$100 million to carry out the emergency food and shelter program.

[Grumpyguy]

Here's some more spending from the bill. Seems like the only people benefiting are government workers and contractors.

- $20 million dollars for the working capital fund. I don’t know what that is. You don’t know what that is. That means it isn’t going to help you.

- $800 million for the “hazardous substance superfund.” Fine and dandy, but how is that going to stimulate the economy?

-$200 million for the “leaking underground storage tank trust fund.” And this stimulates the economy how?

-$6.4 billion for the “state and tribal assistance grants” fund. Now get this, this money goes to the Clean Water Revolving Fund. Clean water is nice, but once again, it stimulates the economy how?

-$650 million for capital improvement and maintenance at the Forest Service. That’ll put city folks back to work.

-$650 million for wildland fire management. Really, doesn’t this just burn you up, just a little?

-$135 million for Indian health services.

-$420 million for Indian health facilities. Good day to be a Native American.

-$150 million to update the Smithsonian. I guess we need to employ all those historians?

-$3 billion for the employment and training administration. No real jobs, just training.

-$120 million for community service employment for older Americans.

-$400 million for State unemployment insurance and employment service operations.

-$160 million for the Office of Job Corps. But this isn’t really for jobs, just fixing buildings.

-$1 billion for HHS for construction, renovation, and equipment. A billion dollars for an office remodel. And we thought Wall Street was bad.

-$412 million for CDC to buy property, equipment, and to build. Be nice if some money actually went to real science!

-$300 million to the NIH for equipment.

-$1.35 billion for actual research at the NIH.

-$500 million to repair buildings at the NIH’s facilities at Bethesda Maryland.

-$400 million to the NIH to be used under the Medicare Prescription Drug Act for comparative clinical effectiveness research.

-$2 billion for “Child Care and Development Block Grant” 2 billion for babysitting?!

-$400 million for unemployment benefits.

-$1 billion for Child and Family Services programs.

-$100 million for Aging Services Programs such as “meals on wheels.”

-$5 billion for the Office of the “National Coordinator for Health Information Technology”. Who, what? From reading it, it looks like a huge IT program. What does this stimulate?

-$5.8 billion for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. Here is what it is for. “To fund projects and activities to reduce the incidence or severity of preventable disabilities, diseases and conditions and to invest in health workforce training. Public health is great, but is this going to get us out of a recession? $870 million of this is to prepare us for an influenza pandemic.

[Grumpyguy]

Here's some more, including almost $200 million for Philippine veterans from WWII. Good to see we are stimulating former colonial possessions as well.

Once again, this is straight from the "latest" version of the senate bill.

You know what would be better? How about no federal income taxes on the first $40,000 each person makes for the next two years?

-$13 billion for elementary and secondary education.

-$17 billion for “school improvement programs.” And get this, if local districts make up numbers of how many “homeless students” they have, they get money!

-$13.5 billion for special education students.

-$650 million for Rehabilitation Services and Disability Research.

-$13.8 billion for student loans.

-$3.5 billion for higher education facilities.

-$160 million for national and community service. Who knew volunteering cost so much!

-$40 million goes to the National Service Trust.

-$890 million so Social Security can get new computers.

-$20 million for wages at the GAO.

-$637 million for military construction (Army) of which $84 million would be used for day care centers.

-$990 million in construction for the Navy and Marines, of which $172 million will be spent on child care centers!

-$871 million for military construction (Air Force) of which $80 million is set aside for child care centers.

-$118 million for energy conservation investment program for the DOD.

-$150 million for military construction (Army National Guard).

-$110 million construction for the Air National Guard.

-$410 million for the homeowners assistance fund.

-$1.37 billion to upgrade medical facilities at regional VA hospitals, of which $323 million must be spent for engergy efficiency initiatives.

-$65 million for the National Cemetery Administration.

-$195 million for IT upgrades at the VA.

-$1.105 billion for construction the VA and National Cemeteries. This one involves a FIVE YEAR PLAN!

-$940 million for “minor construction projects” at the VA.

-$258 billion for VA nursing homes.

-$198 million for Philippine Veterans of World War Two. Isn’t this supposed to stimulate America?

-$60 million for construction at Arlington National Cemetery.

[$tevie]

It does seem inappropriate to be in the stimulus bill, but it's an interesting story that I knew nothing about. These are just snippets from the article I linked to:

A $198-million provision of the proposed Senate stimulus bill would authorize one-time payments of $15,000 to Filipino veterans who are U.S. citizens -- many of whom live in California -- and $9,000 for noncitizens, including those in the Philippines.

The veterans, many of whom are in their 80s and 90s, have fought hard for the benefits: In 1997 in Los Angeles' MacArthur Park -- named after Gen. Douglas MacArthur -- a group of protesters chained themselves to a statue of their former commander.

The payments were added to the legislation by Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), chairman of the appropriations committee and one of three remaining World War II veterans in the Senate.

"It's a matter of honor and the good name of the United States," Inouye said outside the Senate chamber Tuesday. He noted that in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised the benefits, but Congress reneged on the pledge in 1946.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/...7769.story

[Black]

Considering the filipino veterans were supposed to get 198 billion when this thread started, and now are only getting 200 million, I would declare this thread at least a partial success.

Now, did I see a few billion in there for an overhead projector? There's work to be done!