Recalling a Great Achievement
The famous profile was only illuminated from the lights of LA far below. We were flying back to Santa Monica after a long, successful trip. For someone known around the world by his first name, Arnold rarely talked about his inner feelings. But it was late, the pace that day had been hectic and his […]
Has Anybody seen our $862,000,000,000?
When one
of my sons was three, we were driving down the street. I realized I had passed our destination and merely
turned the car back in the direction
of our home. From the back seat I heard
this cheery voice, "What’s the matter Dad, you forget your wallet again?" My tendency to lose my wallet is something my
kids remind me of to this day. A recent
Father’s Day card is to the right. (Note my close physical
resemblance to Indy and that my kids notice it too.)
So when it comes to fiscal responsibility, I may not be the best messenger. But $862,000,000,000??? That is how much the administration spent on
the last stimulus plan. A new report explains
why the administration has given the word "stimulus" such a bad name and why it
would be a huge mistake to allow them to now produce "Stimulus II, More Lost
Treasure". Report
by John Cogan and John Taylor
The administration attempted to stimulate increase
economic activity by (1) direct payments to state and local governments, (2) creating
and executing "shovel ready" projects and (3) direct payments to individuals. However, with respect to direct payments to
government entities, Cogan and Taylor conclusively show the funds were not used
to create jobs but to (a) increase payments to health and welfare programs and (b)
provide an alternative funding source for existing projects. For example, instead of issuing a bond to pay
for a project they already planned to undertake, they just used stimulus funds.
The Mask is starting to slip
Public
employee unions portray themselves as representatives of public servants, whose
only goal is to insure their members are treated like all other Americans. Teachers’ unions especially portray
themselves as having the best interests of students and parents at heart.
The mask is starting to slip.
Last
week a 19 page power point presentation prepared by the American Federation of
Teachers showed how the AFT derailed a Connecticut grass roots movement of mostly
working class moms fighting for a better education future for their
children. As the Wall Street Journal reported, the goal was to insure
parents thought the union was on their side while all the while:
- Making
sure the parents were shut out of any and all negotiations - Trick
parents into signing onto proposals that pretended to give parents power
but in reality did not
Brown’s leaky bucket tax increase
The
other morning I read an article by a major columnist that said the goals of
those who oppose tax increases – or at least the result of such opposition was (1)
the privatization of public schools, (2) driving students of limited means out
of the universities and (3) eliminating tax-funded health care and social
services for the poor. The same day another major columnist claimed people
who opposed Brown’s tax increase were disingenuously denying responsibility for
soaring tuitions and the shredding of grandma’s safety net. He asserted if such policies were followed to
their logical conclusion there would be "no other
honest choice but to starve college students" and "poor grandma".
First of all, let me say something some apparently may find controversial: I like grandmothers and do not want them to starve. Second, the problem with their rhetoric is
that it distorts the problem we face. Who
pays how much in taxes is a real issue. However,
to say those of us who opposed the tax increase without other reforms (and a vast
majority of Californians did so), will oppose imposing taxes even if it means
people will starve is hateful, disingenuous and arrogant – not to mention
inaccurate.
The Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Solution
Before the champagne turns flat, while the legislators’
backs are still red from all the back slapping and before the newspaper
headlines declaring success are placed in the bottom of bird cages, where they
more appropriately belong, let’s take a hard look at what actually happened the
last two weeks:
Nothing.