Calling another Stimulus a ‘Jobs Bill’ Won’t Make it Work any Better than Last Year’s Fiscal Flop

This new video from the Center for Freedom and Prosperity explains how last year’s so-called stimulus was a flop – and also reveals why politicians are pushing for another big-government spending bill.

Interestingly, since last year’s stimulus was such a disaster, the redistributionists in Washington are calling their new proposal a “jobs bill.” But as I say in the video, this is akin to putting perfume on a hog.

(more…)

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Tags: Big Government, bureaucracy, bureaucrats, Earmarks, Economic Stimulus
Posted Jan 25th 2010 at 9:37 am in Congress, Earmarks, Economics, News, Obama, Politics, Tea Party, federal spending | 6488265 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/dmitchell/2010/01/25/calling-another-stimulus-a-jobs-bill-wont-make-it-work-any-better-than-last-years-fiscal-flop/Calling+another+Stimulus+a+%27Jobs+Bill%27+Won%27t+Make+it+Work+any+Better+than+Last+Year%27s+Fiscal+Flop2010-01-25+17%3A37%3A21Dan+Mitchell

DeMint Proposes Constitutional Amendment Targeting Career Politicians

From the Washington Times:

Charles Rangel (D-NY) was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1970.

Sen. Jim DeMint says Washington politicians are like fruit on the vine: the longer they hang around, the more rotten they get.

The South Carolina Republican – hearkening back to the days of the party’s “Contract with America” – on Tuesday offered a fix to the corrupting influence of “permanent politicians,” introducing an amendment to the Constitution that would limit Senate members to three six-year terms and House members to three two-year terms.

“As long as members have the chance to spend their lives in Washington, their interests will always skew toward spending taxpayer dollars to buy off special interests, covering over corruption in the bureaucracy, fundraising, relationship building among lobbyists, and trading favors for pork – in short, amassing their own power,” said Mr. DeMint, who is running for a second term next year. (more…)

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Tags: Charlie Rangel, Constitution, Contract with America, Jim DeMint, lobbyists
Posted Nov 11th 2009 at 12:07 pm in Congress | 2910696 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/publius/2009/11/11/demint-proposes-constitutional-amendment-targeting-career-politicians/DeMint+Proposes+Constitutional+Amendment+Targeting+Career+Politicians2009-11-11+19%3A07%3A13Publius

Pork Report October 20, 2009: Are Political Scientists Relevant?

Today’s edition identifies at least $333 million in wasteful Washington spending.

-$300 million stimulus program to promote energy efficiency may not be energy efficient after all, audit finds

-Quid Pro Pork: Department of Justice investigates link between the exchange of congressional earmarks and campaign donations

-Washington, DC, city government steered $4.5 million in federal funds to an AIDS housing group that never filed federal tax returns and has been plagued with service and cost complaints

-DC mayor launches investigation of groups that misspent more than $25 million of public AIDS assistance

-Political scientists debate the relevancy of the research they conduct with federal funds; “We’re kidding ourselves if we think this research typically has the obvious public benefit we claim for it.”

-National Science Foundation funds political science study of online town hall meetings held by Members of Congress (more…)

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Tags: AIDS, AIDS assistance, beaches, Department of Justice, doj
Posted Oct 20th 2009 at 5:19 pm in Congress, Politics, Pork Report | 1840625 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/porkreport/2009/10/20/pork-report-october-20-2009-are-political-scientists-relevant/Pork+Report+October+20%2C+2009%3A+Are+Political+Scientists+Relevant%3F2009-10-21+00%3A19%3A52The+Pork+Report

Coburn: Senate Votes to Prioritize Pork Over National Defense

October 6, 2009

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) today released the following statement after the Senate rejected Coburn amendments that would have forced Congress to shift earmark funds back toward vital operations and maintenance. By a vote of 25 to 73, the Senate rejected an amendment offered by Dr. Coburn that would have restored to the troops $165 million earmarked within the Defense appropriations bill’s maintenance and operations accounts for congressional earmarks.

“In a time of war it is unconscionable for members of Congress to divert funds from vital operations to less-than-vital parochial pork projects. I regret the Senate voted today to protect their pet projects at the expense of our troops,” Dr. Coburn said.

The Pentagon has also expressed concern over the excessive amount of earmarks Congress has requested:

“Every dollar that we are forced to spend on things which we do not need requires us to take money from things which we do need. And the people who lose in that trade-off are our troops and the taxpayers,” said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon spokesman. (more…)

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Tags: Armed Forces, Congress, Defense, Geoff Morrell, O&M
Posted Oct 6th 2009 at 5:36 pm in Congress, Defense, Economics, Politics, Tax Reform | 1374677 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/publius/2009/10/06/coburn-senate-votes-to-prioritize-pork-over-national-defense/Coburn%3A+Senate+Votes+to+Prioritize+Pork+Over+National+Defense2009-10-07+00%3A36%3A58Publius