Don't pay attention to the man behind the curtain.

In an op-ed column in yesterday's Washington Post, President Obama pleaded the readers for immediate action. He said that "(t)his plan is more than a prescription for short-term spending--it's a strategy for America's long-term growth". Apparently, without it's passage, we are doomed. Which begs the question; what is actually in this bill so important that we must swallow it whole?

As mentioned in a previous post, the bulk of the package is dedicated to government spending: Some short-term, shovel-ready pork, coupled with a slew of new long-term government programs. Another small percentage outlines tax cuts, mostly for the individuals that already pay no taxes (see: Welfare). A column in the Wall Street Journal says that less than 10% of the package can actually be considered stimulus. The rest is wasteful spending that will not provide long-term jobs and impart permanent spending that will grow government.

Taking advantage of a crisis, it is time for the Democrats to repay all of the organizations and lobbyists that helped to get them elected. What better way to reward these people than an all-encompassing bill, forged out of fear, and signed off on before anyone could properly digest the content. Fortunately, red flags were raised last week in the House and more and more citizens are paying attention (most likely due to his recent Cabinet appointments). Unfortunately for PBHO, citizens will not be so quick to rush into undebated passage of a bill as we did in October when we were frightened into the TARP package by W., along with his failed tax rebate stimulus from last spring.

This past fall, we were led to believe that things were so dire that any inaction would prove devastating. Now that a little time has passed, banks are still holding onto money, freezing the credit markets, making it more difficult to get a loan for business, housing, or automobiles. What part of this new package will change any of that?

Government spending will not lead us out of the economic troubles we are in. The job prospects included in it are anything but long term. The true way to stimulate the economy is to let the American people decide who survives and who fails. When government decides for us, they favor certain businesses based on how much they contribute to their Party or campaign. What if government actually put the recovery back into the hands of the people that control it: American citizens? Think of what it would be like to keep all of the money that you earn.

Most Americans are oblivious to what they actually earn because it has been ingrained into our heads that the government gets their money first. What if every working American were able to keep all that they earn? Not just the federal withholding and social security, but the employers portion as well. See, most Americans do not realize that their bosses also have to contribute to the government on their behalf. Aside from the 20-25% of income that comes from the average individual, business owners are required to pay the government matching contributions in the form of FICA, unemployment, and worker's compensation to the tune of 25-30% of that employees gross wage. What about the corporate tax rate? American corporations currently pay the second highest tax rate in the world. And people wonder why businesses are making the move overseas, taking the jobs with them. If the President and his Democrat-controlled Congress wanted to truly stimulate our economy, he would enact a tax holiday for everyone and every entity. Of course, they would not agree to that. It takes away their power. Another drawback to a tax holiday would be the number of people upset around April next year for not getting any money from the government in the form of a tax refund. They don't realize that the check they get from the U.S. Treasury every spring was their money to begin with.

I am fearful for the days to come, as Congress banters back and forth over the bill's content. This bloated bill should at least be split up to separate short-term spending and long-term so that we do not commit our futures and our children's futures to wasteful and unneeded government-run programs. Why is PBHO so intent on rushing everything through all at once? Why can't it be debated line by line? Why can't some government programs be put on the chopping block, as he promised during the campaign, to make up for some of the money? Inflation, fear-mongering, fascism, intrusive-government, and the creation of debt for generations to come, all for the sake of 'Change we can believe in'.