The Stimulus Represents Everything Wrong with the Democratic Party

The Michigan Partisan

By Page W. H. Brousseau IV

President Obama has expressed affinity for President Lincoln, but in practice he seems to be filling FDR’s fifth term. President Roosevelt took office after a very unpopular Republican president who acted as a Democrat in his last years in office. President Hoover raised taxes and increased federal spending in many forms, from infrastructure to aid to the unemployed, the federal budget rose as fast as the number of unemployed increased. Starting in 1933, FDR began his New Deal and American population, desperate for anything that may work, gave the federal government plenty of leeway. In 2009 another Democratic president, following an unpopular Republican president who acted very un-Republican like in his last years in office, is intent on taking America back down the road of the 1930s.

The first major piece of legislation of the president’s term, the Economic Recovery Act, which has been dubbed the “Stimulus Plan” is rife with the same mistakes FDR made during his New Deal. The Democratic Party has offered the plan in terms of “something must be done now” however, in this case, “something” is a very expensive mistake. Thus far, the stimulus bill is close to $900 billion or $900,000,000,000 if you prefer. Within it is a Democratic payoff to every known liberal interest group, and some hitherto unknown. President Obama vowed to “get America working again,” but his plan offers $400 million for the study of climate change, $335 million for STD prevention, $650 million for DTV converter boxes (which the government previously authorized $1.3 billion back in 2005). Weather Channel employees, condom makers, and couch potatoes rejoice! One should ask if the federal government cannot handle digital TV conversion within budget, what else will they screw-up? House Speaker Pelosi actually defended more money spent on abortions would actually help the economy. That certainly is change. The White House has signaled that they’d be interested in increasing money to the Troubled Asset Relief Program which would add to the $700 billion spent last year. (Which had all the effectiveness of the Lions’ defensive line.) Then again, what is money when you can tax and print more?

More issues arise when one sees the bulk of the infrastructure spending is projected to be spent years from now. I’m a Republican, not Libertarian, so I believe the federal government has a role in keeping bridges, roads etc. in a proper state of repair, however, that is far from a “stimulus” that will get Americans working today. At least call it what it is.

During the New Deal, the government pressured business through the National Recovery Act to submit to price controls, wage increases, and government manipulation of their business practices. The result was unemployment over 10% seven years after FDR became president. From executive pay to corporate jets, this president and Congress have used their influence to take over the day-to-day running of those businesses that came hat-in-hand to Washington looking for help. Vice President Biden has uttered he’d like to see high paid CEOs “in the brig.” That’s the nature of the beast, I suppose. Ask the government to save you and you are asking for Carl Levin to be Chairman of your Board. Now we can put Circuit City on the same list of failed businesses as Enron, WorldCom, and Studebaker, and here in the Flint area, Peerless Mattress as well. This stimulus won’t hire any of the 400,000 newly unemployed since President Obama was sworn into office to a full time job, but it will give them an extra $25 a week in unemployment benefits. The projected number of jobs created with the stimulus comes to a price around $217,000 per job. Given the government’s track record, it’ll be a safe bet to say it’ll cost more and create fewer than projected jobs.

There is another way. There is a way that embraces freedom that won’t leave our grandchildren paying for this new New Deal, which if history tells us will only exacerbate our problems. The people who have money spend money, and the government doesn’t need a jobs program because businesses provide that service. If the government would spend less in political hand outs to partisan special interests, then there would be less of a need to raise the money or print more. Every dollar spent by the Congress and President is a dollar that comes from somewhere or someone. President Obama has unified the Republicans in Congress to act like Republicans in a way President Bush couldn’t. The GOP is again the party of fiscal responsibility and the Democrats are acting like big government tax and spenders.

Meanwhile, the Postmaster General is considering cutting a day off postal delivery and every failing state and city government is hoping for a piece from the stimulus to avoid needed cuts within their own budgets. And by the way, unlike the 1930s, we are fighting a war, just in case you forgot.