The same GOP that brought you the Bridge to Nowhere; massive, exploding budget deficits; unprecedented levels of congressional pork; Duke Cunningham; the Abramoff scandal; billions of dollars disappearing into the black hole of Iraq, and a no-strings attached giveaway of $700 billion dollars to banks, CEOs and corporations for use funding corporate retreats, office redesigns, bonus for execs who lost billions, and new foreign-made corporate jets; and tax giveaways to the richest 1% of Americans now brings us a list of "waste" in the Democratic stimulus package designed to get our economy out of the ditch they drove it into.
Perhaps the GOP felt the need to respond to Josh Marshall, who astutely pointed out that all the "waste" they had been decrying in the stimulus package added up to maybe 2-3% of the total. Or perhaps they realized that they were getting nowhere with the public withJim DeMint-like complaints that "this isn't a stimulus package, it's a spending package," since anyone with an IQ in triple digits knows that stimulus packages are, by definition, spending packages. Or perhaps they're panicking at the fact that despite their hysterical, coordinated media assault, campaign of lies, and all-around temper-tantrum, two-thirds of Americans think Obama has it "just right" on the stimulus package and that only about one in five Americans agrees with them.
How else to explain the list of "wasteful" spending that the GOP has just released. Among the highlights:
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.
• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
• $850 million for Amtrak.
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.
There may be a few items of merit on the list, or ones that people can disagree about. But on the whole, it's as padded as Sarah Palin's resumé. How is turning Federal Buildings into Green buildings wasteful spending? It creates the new kind of "green jobs" Obama talks about, saves energy (cutting costs in the long run), and is good for the environment. I guess Republicans are for wasting energy, destroying jobs & ruining the environment (actually, we knew that already). And what about this 'war on terror" we keep hearing about? The GOP wants to stiff our FBI agents on the front lines of this war? And deprive DHS of the resources it needs? I guess we should just keep shoveling the money hand-over-fist to KBR and Halliburton as we've been doing. And we certainly don't want summer jobs programs for kids in these tough economic times. Better they be out on the streets. And new hybrid & alternative energy cars? They would save money, reduce dependence on foreign oil, support a domestic car industry in the tank, and help the environment. Can't have that.
The list goes on. Most of these items will help stimulate demand for products, improve infrastructure, and plug critical gaps in our social and medical systems. But I suppose improving CDC facilities is less important than giving millionaires more tax breaks. And of course we wouldn't want a census that counts all the people. Especially those poor people and the brown and black ones (we know how THEY vote).
Oh, and Democrats tried to delay the forced conversion to digital TV, only to be blocked by the GOP. Now the Republicans are complaining about efforts to make sure everyone gets the converter coupons they're entitled to. Classy. Very classy.
My favorites, though, are their criticisms of funds to reduce the risks of lead-based paint, their opposition of funds for fire/police stations, and flood reduction on the Mississippi. I think we need to take the lead from their hysteria over condoms. Time for the administration and congressional Democrats to whack the Republicans over the head with a 2 x 4. Are congressional Republicans against the health of our children? (well, we know that one, too). Don't they want police and fire-fighters to be ready in case of another terrorist attack? Or are first-responders just props to be used in campaign photos (wait, we know that one, too)? And if we have another flood in the midwest, as seems likely, we need to make sure everyone knows that the GOP thought preventing the damage and destruction to American homes, farms, cities and towns was "wasteful" spending.
Investment, Prevention, Employment. Taking the long-term view instead of the quick fix. Americans want these things. Republicans don't.
After all, that money could be used to build a lot of bridges in Alaska.
UPDATE - Perhaps they should stop listening to their new senior economic plumber, er adviser.