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What do you think of some of the items which were originally placed in the stimulus bill?

I, for one, can hardly wait to read what will finally make the last cut which, according to President Obama, will be timely, targeted and temporary and will either create and/or save $3-4 million jobs and have no earmarks or pork.



CNN) -- A coalition of Democrats and some Republicans reached a compromise that trimmed billions in spending from an earlier version of the Senate economic stimulus bill.



Senators worked late into the night to trim billions from the original stimulus bill.

CNN obtained, from a Democratic leadership aide, a list of some programs that have been cut, either entirely or partially:

Partially cut:

• $3.5 billion for energy-efficient federal buildings (original bill $7 billion)

• $75 million from Smithsonian (original bill $150 million)

• $200 million from Environmental Protection Agency Superfund (original bill $800 million)

• $100 million from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (original bill $427 million)

• $100 million from law enforcement wireless (original bill $200 million)

• $300 million from federal fleet of hybrid vehicles (original bill $600 million)

• $100 million from FBI construction (original bill $400 million)

Fully eliminated

• $55 million for historic preservation

• $122 million for Coast Guard polar icebreaker/cutters

• $100 million for Farm Service Agency modernization

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• $50 million for Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service

• $65 million for watershed rehabilitation

• $100 million for distance learning

• $98 million for school nutrition

• $50 million for aquaculture

• $2 billion for broadband

• $100 million for National Institute of Standards and Technology

• $50 million for detention trustee

• $25 million for Marshalls Construction

• $300 million for federal prisons

• $300 million for BYRNE Formula grant program

• $140 million for BYRNE Competitive grant program

• $10 million state and local law enforcement

• $50 million for NASA

• $50 million for aeronautics

• $50 million for exploration

• $50 million for Cross Agency Support

• $200 million for National Science Foundation

• $100 million for science

• $1 billion for Energy Loan Guarantees

• $4.5 billion for General Services Administration

• $89 million General Services Administration operations

• $50 million from Department of Homeland Security

• $200 million Transportation Security Administration

• $122 million for Coast Guard Cutters, modifies use

• $25 million for Fish and Wildlife

• $55 million for historic preservation

• $20 million for working capital fund

• $165 million for Forest Service capital improvement

• $90 million for State and Private Wildlife Fire Management

• $1 billion for Head Start/Early Start

• $5.8 billion for Health Prevention Activity

• $2 billion for Health Information Technology Grants

• $600 million for Title I (No Child Left Behind)

• $16 billion for school construction

• $3.5 billion for higher education construction

• $1.25 billion for project based rental

• $2.25 billion for Neighborhood Stabilization



• $1.2 billion for retrofitting Project 8 housing

• $40 billion for state fiscal stabilization (includes $7.5 billion of state incentive grants)

I know they gutted birth control funding because the repubs were in an uproar. Big wusses.

qsducks;1131724 wrote: I know they gutted birth control funding because the repubs were in an uproar. Big wusses.


What in the heck does birth control have to do with stimulating the economy..:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl



Lots of other things maybe, but not the economy..:wah:

flopstock;1131730 wrote: What in the heck does birth control have to do with stimulating the economy..:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl



Lots of other things maybe, but not the economy..:wah:


Being cynical I would make the remark that cutting birth control means more people, probably at the lower end of the socio-economic scale, so plenty more low paid workers to build things in a few years time.

On the other side of it you could argue that there will be more mouths to feed, again probably more poor people, so more welfare money.

I would imagine that its all politically motivated stuff though.

A question does come to mind, if they need 2 trillion to save the banking system, and 825 billion to stimulate the economy, thats nearly 3 trillion dollars, on a rough calculation thats nearly 25 percent of the entire GDP of the USA, which already owes 11 trillion dollars, so....erm....where is all the money coming from?

Scary amounts of money, even by US standards.

I've just been reading that the Markets in New York are once again in serious difficulty as news of the details of the scheme to rescue the US financial system are announced.

I think the realization is perhaps dawning that there simply is no systematic answer to the collapse that is occurring, at least not based on any current orthodoxy.

We may well be looking at the last weeks and months of global Capitalism as its currently constituted, it seems likely that we are entering a period of global economic depression.

Hats on folks, its going to get rough from here on in.

I don't think details have been given, or atleast that's what I heard.

I like Minnick's alternate plan better. It's much cheaper and focuses on stimulus, not stimulus and pet projects.

www.dcexaminer.com >> Opinion

Its interesting that the main reason the "markets" don't like the bank rescue package is that the private sector is not going to be able to pass off all of their toxic debt onto the US taxpayer.

So in other words, they don't like the fact they are going to have pay some of the costs of their own stupidity and greed.

Aw, the poor buggers, what a jip for the have-yachts, no free ride on the back of taxpayers after all.

Altogether now. Boo Hoo.

Galbally;1131749 wrote: Being cynical I would make the remark that cutting birth control means more people, probably at the lower end of the socio-economic scale, so plenty more low paid workers to build things in a few years time.

On the other side of it you could argue that there will be more mouths to feed, again probably more poor people, so more welfare money.

I would imagine that its all politically motivated stuff though.

A question does come to mind, if they need 2 trillion to save the banking system, and 825 billion to stimulate the economy, thats nearly 3 trillion dollars, on a rough calculation thats nearly 25 percent of the entire GDP of the USA, which already owes 11 trillion dollars, so....erm....where is all the money coming from?

Scary amounts of money, even by US standards.


Duh. The US taxpayers will have their taxes raised, and raised, and raised again.

JAB;1132018 wrote: What's a detention trustee and why do we need $50 million for him/her?


Office of the Federal Detention Trustee







The Office of the Federal Detention Trustee (OFDT) is an organization that achieves efficiencies, effectiveness and operational synergies within the detention and incarceration community by fostering interagency cooperation, mutual understanding, accountability and teamwork.

Established and activated in September 2001 by directive of Congress, the Federal Detention Trustee ensures that Federal agencies involved in detention provide for the safe, secure and humane confinement of persons in the custody of the United States while awaiting trial or immigration proceedings.

OFDT's coordination of detention activities includes the effective and efficient expenditure of appropriated funds that are deployed with a consistent approach by federal law enforcement agencies.

Kindle;1132010 wrote: Duh. The US taxpayers will have their taxes raised, and raised, and raised again.


Well them stop blindly worshipping the rich piggies, their self-serving ideologies, and their institutions, and unwittingly following their agenda of ever-increasing wealth for them, and debt and absolute impoverishment for you and your children. They got you into this, let them pay for it. You live in a Republic, start using it's powers in your own interests.

Galbally;1132057 wrote: Well them stop blindly worshipping the rich piggies, their self-serving ideologies, and their institutions, and unwittingly following their agenda of ever-increasing wealth for them, and debt and absolute impoverishment for you and your children. They got you into this, let them pay for it. You live in a Republic, start using it's powers in your own interests.


The last election was, supposely, a mandate for change. Change doesn't come overnight.

Kindle;1132089 wrote: The last election was, supposely, a mandate for change. Change doesn't come overnight.


Agreed.

By the way you're not alone in having these problems, over here we have had the same situation, and our bankers and financial companies are equally culpable in what has happened, if anything our politicans are even more in hock to these scumbags.

On yesterdays CNN news show they were talking about some of the non-connected items in our new "stimulus bill". One of the items (and I tried to find the info on the Net and couldn't) was money being sent to Ireland to help resolve the Protesant/Catholic issue.

Do you know anything about this?

Kindle;1132119 wrote: On yesterdays CNN news show they were talking about some of the non-connected items in our new "stimulus bill". One of the items (and I tried to find the info on the Net and couldn't) was money being sent to Ireland to help resolve the Protesant/Catholic issue.

Do you know anything about this?


I saw that piece Kindle, was interesting.

Sheryl;1132122 wrote: I saw that piece Kindle, was interesting.


Why is it so difficult to find info on this? I've tried phrasing it in many different manners, but I've had no luck.

Kindle;1132119 wrote: On yesterdays CNN news show they were talking about some of the non-connected items in our new "stimulus bill". One of the items (and I tried to find the info on the Net and couldn't) was money being sent to Ireland to help resolve the Protesant/Catholic issue.

Do you know anything about this?


Really? It must be something to do with community stuff up in the North. That would be money you would have to send to the U.K. not the Republic of Ireland, as Northern Ireland is in the U.K.

But what's that got to do with a U.S. Stimulus package?

I haven't heard anything about that at all, we are too busy going bankrupt down in the south at the moment to worry about the North.

If it is something to do with the Northern Peace process then its ridiculous that any funds would be diverted from a U.S. economic stimulus package for the U.S. itself; if thats what it is, then it should be cut out of the bill, its got nothing to do with saving the U.S. economy. Its patent nonsense.

If it was money linked to US companies operating in Ireland (North or South) that need money for some reason that will benefit US taxpayers then maybe, (I'm thinking here about Dell, Intel, HP, Wyeth, Merck etc) but paying into keeping people in the North of Ireland peaceful is not an economic issue for the US.

No wonder you guys are so annoyed with how your legislation gets amended and subverted into these sort of nonsense, pet political projects.

[QUOTE=Galbally;1132176]Really? It must be something to do with community stuff up in the North. That would be money you would have to send to the U.K. not the Republic of Ireland, as Northern Ireland is in the U.K.

But what's that got to do with a U.S. Stimulus package?

I haven't heard anything about that at all, we are too busy going bankrupt down in the south at the moment to worry about the North.

If it is something to do with the Northern Peace process then its ridiculous that any funds would be diverted from a U.S. economic stimulus package for the U.S. itself; if thats what it is, then it should be cut out of the bill, its got nothing to do with saving the U.S. economy. Its patent nonsense.

If it was money linked to US companies operating in Ireland (North or South) that need money for some reason that will benefit US taxpayers then maybe, (I'm thinking here about Dell, Intel, HP, Wyeth, Merck etc) but paying into keeping people in the North of Ireland peaceful is not an economic issue for the US.

No wonder you guys are so annoyed with how your legislation gets amended and subverted into these sort of nonsense, pet political projects.[/QUOTE]



EXACTLY! and this is just one of the many....................

Kindle;1132240 wrote: [QUOTE=Galbally;1132176]Really? It must be something to do with community stuff up in the North. That would be money you would have to send to the U.K. not the Republic of Ireland, as Northern Ireland is in the U.K.

But what's that got to do with a U.S. Stimulus package?

I haven't heard anything about that at all, we are too busy going bankrupt down in the south at the moment to worry about the North.

If it is something to do with the Northern Peace process then its ridiculous that any funds would be diverted from a U.S. economic stimulus package for the U.S. itself; if thats what it is, then it should be cut out of the bill, its got nothing to do with saving the U.S. economy. Its patent nonsense.

If it was money linked to US companies operating in Ireland (North or South) that need money for some reason that will benefit US taxpayers then maybe, (I'm thinking here about Dell, Intel, HP, Wyeth, Merck etc) but paying into keeping people in the North of Ireland peaceful is not an economic issue for the US.

No wonder you guys are so annoyed with how your legislation gets amended and subverted into these sort of nonsense, pet political projects.[/QUOTE]



EXACTLY! and this is just one of the many....................


I can only agree with you. I don't know about the other issues, but certainly you shouldn't be throwing this stuff in with rescuing your own economy.

Your congress must be a very irresponsible bunch, they seem to not get the point that the money train has run out, and this 850 billion is a last-ditch effort at borrowing in order to save the country itself. No wonder you're in so much debt.

Galbally;1132244 wrote: [QUOTE=Kindle;1132240]

I can only agree with you. I don't know about the other issues, but certainly you shouldn't be throwing this stuff in with rescuing your own economy.

Your congress must be a very irresponsible bunch, they seem to not get the point that the money train has run out, and this 850 billion is a last-ditch effort at borrowing in order to save the country itself. No wonder you're in so much debt.


They other biggie that they are 'throwing in' is a healthcare plan for us.

Tom Dasche wrote a book last year that said if you want to pass a healthcare bill, just put it in with a budget bill.............. and that's just what they are doing. No discussions. No debates. Just here it is and live with it!

I've lived more life than I have remaining, but it makes me sick to think of our children and grandchildren having to try and thrive under this type of sloppy governing.

Kindle;1132266 wrote: [QUOTE=Galbally;1132244]

They other biggie that they are 'throwing in' is a healthcare plan for us.

Tom Dasche wrote a book last year that said if you want to pass a healthcare bill, just put it in with a budget bill.............. and that's just what they are doing. No discussions. No debates. Just here it is and live with it!

I've lived more life than I have remaining, but it makes me sick to think of our children and grandchildren having to try and thrive under this type of sloppy governing.


I'd imagine that they intend to spend more on the healthcare bill than on Northern Ireland, because if they were spending the same amount of money on both, I am getting in my car and driving North, I need some peace money as well! :wah: