Friday, January 30, 2009

Hogwash and a Bellyfull of Pork

The Obama stimulus plan has so much pork that I'm surprised PETA has not launched aggressive ads to decry it.

The supply-side of the plan is anemic. Taxes are not being cut for those who paid taxes. A cut in payroll taxes by 2-3% combined with a reduction in corporate taxes from 35% to 25% and a two-year suspension of capital gains taxes would truly be stimulus and quickly revive the struggling economy. However, it would upset the left wing of Obama's political base so it won't happen. 

Democrats want government to do the spending for strictly political reasons -- they get to dole out money to their liberal constituencies and political base. They buy votes with our money. That's why they would rather keep our tax money in Washington than give it back to us. 

Even the Keynesian side of the plan is feeble. Most "shovel ready" infrastructure spending is at least 18 months away. Other spending is just typical of political pandering to the Democrats' interest groups. It would have been far more honest to include the spending in a Democratic budget than to disguise it as "stimulus". What a fraud! Hogwash.

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