Spending = Stimulus?

The House Democrats descended upon Williamsburg, Virginia this past week to drink, eat, sleep, carp, and sharpen their partisan swords. They called it a "retreat". Have no doubt that they directed barbs and invective toward companies that received bail-out monies that, in turn, had the verve and bad taste to, well, arrange for corporate meetings, or retreats. Apparently, the taxpayer money that the Democrats used came from taxpayers that reside in a different country or even a different planet. The hypocrisy is fascinating when it recedes from being repugnant.

When the Republicans held their retreat, they had the good sense to not invade taxpayer wallets. Lobbyists paid for their retreat. The Democrats criticized this as well. Apparently, it is far nobler to fleece the taxpayer.

Barack Obama joined the Dems on Thursday night, tossing out chunks of red meat to the pitchforked retreaters. Centerpiece to what was a disjointed speech by Mr Obama was a wrongheaded and jeering pronouncement that: "spending is stimulus." Really? Then why offer a $850 Billion stimulus bill and not, say, $10 Trillion? Spending is stimulus, so let's really stimulate the heck out of this economy. If spending is stimulus, then why criticize the Las Vegas trips by TARP-receiving companies. They are spending and that is stimulus.

While we're at it, do you think that the Dems believe that spending is stimulus only when it is government that is doing the spending (with our money)? An immediate 50% reduction in payroll taxes and a temporary vacation of the capital gains taxes would certainly jump-start spending. 

Democrats would argue that citizens would decide to do something evil like save if they had an opportunity to keep more of their money. Therefore, we should not be allowed to keep our money. Big Brother will handle that for us, thank you. 

On Meet the Press yesterday, David Gregory commented that a payroll tax cut would be "quite expensive". Okay, Mr Gregory, quite expensive to who? I have never heard a taxpayer complain that the tax cut they received was expensive. It is a founding tenet of the United States that the government is supposed to work for its citizens, not the other way around.

Come to think of it, it may make sense to leave spending to the political class. They are the nonpareil spenders -- world-class.