Thread: Help! The Government is Trying to 'Do Something'

Help! The Government is Trying to 'Do Something'

Posted by Bobby Eberle
January 28, 2009 at 7:32 am

Despite the rhetoric of Barack Obama, not everyone in this country believes that government is the solution. Some actually believe that government is the problem, not the cure. In an open letter to President Obama, hundreds of economists wrote that they do NOT believe "more government spending is a way to improve economic performance."

In addition to the economists, which include "Nobel laureates and other prominent scholars, more and more House Republicans are stepping up to oppose Obama's massive stimulus plan. Get ready... Obama, Congressional Democrats, and the media will all label these GOP members as "obstructionists." They will say that these conservatives are standing in the way of "getting things done." However, you and I both know that when it comes to government, "getting things done" is a recipe for disaster.

On January 9, then President-elect Obama said, "There is no disagreement that we need action by our government, a recovery plan that will help to jumpstart the economy." HELLO! Of course there is disagreement. Not everyone in this country is a socialist. I'll take a healthy dose of "inaction" by the government any day of the week.

Addressing Obama's comment, the Cato Institute has organized a full-page ad in the form of an open letter.

The full letter can be viewed by clicking here. http://www.cato.org/special/stimulus09/ ... imulus.pdf

The economists note:
Notwithstanding reports that all economists are now Keynesians and that we all support a big increase in the burden of government, we do not believe that more government spending is a way to improve economic performance. More government spending by Hoover and Roosevelt did not pull the United States economy out of the Great Depression in the 1930s. More government spending did not solve Japan's "lost decade" in the 1990s. As such, it is a triumph of hope over experience to believe that more government spending will help the U.S. today. To improve the economy, policy makers should focus on reforms that remove impediments to work, saving, investment and production. Lower tax rates and a reduction in the burden of government are the best ways of using fiscal policy to boost growth.

As noted yesterday, Republican House members are trying their best to let the American people know that the so-called stimulus is nothing more that more liberal spending and pork barrel earmarks. In a press release issued on Tuesday, Rep. Mike Pence wrote:

PENCE DENOUNCES DEMOCRAT STIMULUS BILL: "WON'T STIMULATE ANYTHING BUT MORE GOVERNMENT AND MORE DEBT"

Will Urge President Obama Today To Deliver on Promise of Bi-Partisan Solution

WASHINGTON -- In response to the filing of the Democrat version of a stimulus bill, Congressman Mike Pence, chairman of the House Republican Conference, issued the following statement today:

"Our nation is facing a serious economic crisis but the Democrats in Congress have offered a purely partisan bill that does not incorporate bipartisan recommendations.

"The American people deserve to know that the President’s call for a compromise has been completely ignored by House Democrats who would use a time of national economic crisis to fund their big government priorities under the guise of stimulating the economy.

"House Republicans take President Obama at his word and will urge him to make good on his pledge to set aside partisan differences and bring the best ideas from both parties to bear on this economic crisis.

"The Democrat promises of change and bipartisanship ring hollow in the face of a stimulus bill that does little more than fund a wish list of longstanding liberal spending priorities.

"What does $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, $200 million to plant sod on the National Mall, $400 million for climate change research, and $200 million for contraception have to do with creating jobs?

"The Democrat bill won't stimulate anything but more government and more debt. The slow and wasteful spending in the House Democrat bill is a disservice to millions of Americans who want to see this Congress take immediate action to get this economy moving again.

"House Republicans have a better solution. By enacting the Republican plan for fast-acting tax relief for working families and small businesses the American people will see immediate results that will put our nation on the road to recovery."

In a column by House Republican Leader John Boehner, the congressman notes that "investing a trillion dollars in government spending isn't going to get our economy back on track." Boehner points to a Congressional Budget Office analysis which "casts doubt on whether the congressional Democrats' spending plan will actually have an immediate impact, which is the true test of any economic recovery proposal."

The vote on the massive spending plan may come today. Please contact your elected officials and urge them to vote NO on the bill. It's time for Washington to let the economy work.

http://www.gopusa.com/theloft/?p=859

Our leaders are too far out of touch with reality to do whats right anymore.