For those of you who are following the "stimulus" package passed by the House and now on the way to the Senate, you might be interested in a few facts.
1. The stimulus package is a 647 page bill. Yes, 647 pages! If you want to read it or print off a copy, go here.
2. Despite what all the major news networks say, the majority of this package does nothing to create new jobs. Rather it contains many (and I mean many) pet projects of politicians. In other words, it is the largest spending bill every proposed in the history of our nation.
3. Our economy is weak right now and folks are losing their jobs. But comparing our current economic state to that of a Great Depression is a farce. Our situation is no where near as dire as it was then. Such language is used in an effort to get this package passed as soon as possible, even though the package will do little to help our economy.
When Franklin D. Roosevelt became President in 1933 at the height of the Great Depression, the unemployment rate nationwide was 24.9% (1 in 4 were without a job). At the end of 2008, the unemployment rate in the United States was 7.2%. Michigan and Rhode Island, at 10.6% and 10% respectively, were the largest. We are far from the situation of the Great Depression. Let's not over react but let's take time to analyze the situation and make good choices.
4. Furthermore, it has frequently been touted that Roosevelt's "New Deal" is what brought us out of the Great Depression. In his first 100 days, FDR rammed through Congress several new government programs with more over the next several years (including Social Security). We are told these great government programs conceived by FDR's "brain trust" pulled us out of the depression. Therefore, we need the government implementing similar programs today to save us.
Unfortunately, this is not true. In 2004, two UCLA economists released the results of a study which showed FDR's government programs actually prolonged the depression. Several articles have now revealed that World War II, NOT government programs, led to our nation's recovery. As Michael Fumento has written, "The grotesque reality is that it wasn’t an American aristocrat who led us out of the Great Depression but a monstrous Austrian corporal".
So, let's not put too much hope into our government to bail us out of this crisis. The more they get involved, the worse it will get for us and our children. Read over this bill and tell your Senators what you think of it. Point out to them the items in the bill you feel are of no value when it comes to creating jobs. Don't just shake your head and say, "Well, the President is for it so it must be good". That was the attitude of some back in the 30s.
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3 comments:
In addition to contacting your Congressman (in this case, your Senators), I should have noted a few other things we can do.
1. Save your money.
2. Do not buy things you can't afford. In other words, do not add to your debt.
3. Pay off what debt you presently have as quickly as you can, especially credit card debt.
4. Do not leave your current job unless you are certain you have another job in hand. In other words, no matter how much you may hate your job, hang in there until you find something else. Now is not the time to simply up and quit because you don't like what you are doing.
5. If you lose your job, pick yourself up and find a new one. Now is not the time to moan, groan, and mope. Get up and get going.
6. Last, though it is actually first, seek the Lord on what He would have you do to help you through the current economic situation and to prepare you for what may be even worse in the near future.
More stuff in the "stimulus" package: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D960U4HG0&show_article=1
Rush Limbaugh has a great idea: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123318906638926749.html
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