GOP senators draft stimulus alternative

[blueclown]

Source: CNN

A group of Republican senators drafted an alternative stimulus measure that narrows government spending to infrastructure programs and helping unemployed Americans, addresses the housing crisis and relies mostly on tax cuts.

The $713 billion plan was put together by Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, who has been working with a handful of other GOP senators.

The proposal includes $430 billion in tax cuts, $114 billion for infrastructure projects, $138 billion for extending unemployment insurance, food stamps and other provisions to help those in need and $31 billion to address the housing crisis.

The draft Martinez put together is a broader approach than what some GOP leaders have suggested.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans appear to want to limit the stimulus to tax cuts and addressing the housing crisis.

But the draft is more narrow than the Democrats plan because it eliminates spending on government programs that Republicans and some Democrats say shouldn't be in the bill because they don't create jobs.

Martinez has just started showing the plan to his colleagues, and it is too early to tell how much traction this idea will get among other lawmakers.



Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/02/stimulus/index.html

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Morons! How to tax cuts help people who are out of jobs?

[Captain Hilts]

1. Nice. They need a hobby. nt

[tavalon]

2. Aren't they cute!

Pretending to play well with others!

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

3. I'll be sure to put that up on the 'fridge right next to Vitter's crayon drawings

[Deep13]

10. .

:rofl:

[Autumn]

4. How sweet. They are just

too precious. I wish they were in a zoo where I could see them behind bars.

[Ian David]

5. Let's just give tax cuts to the people in Kentucky who don't have power! n/t

[mr1956]

6. Again with the tax cuts!!

Continuing that failed policy is plain stupid. The Repbulicants have jumped on the infrastructure bandwagon and are now trying to hijack it as if it was their idea in the first place.

I hope the Democrats and President Obama fine tune their stimulus package and get it out with or without these idiot's support.

[Doctor_J]

7. A tiny minority of the minority wants to overrule the people

Like Hartmann said today, the Dems should do what they did during 2001-2007, not even let their motions be heard on the floor. These people hate Americans and rely on their propaganda arm to sell the stinkiest bullshit imaginable as pumpkin pie. Time for them to fuck off.

[HopeHoops]

8. "Um yeah, that's cute. Now we'll get back to the ACTUAL bill we're working on."

[Deep13]

9. Are they going to draft election result alternatives too?

41 =/= legislation.

Ironically, this is what I suggested D. members of Congress do after Bush became "president" in 2001.

[liberal N proud]

11. Figures - All they want is TAX CUTS!

"Republicans appear to want to limit the stimulus to tax cuts" They will cut taxes for the rich while continuing to collect taxes on unemployment.


After 8 years of a fail policy they want to throw more tax cuts at a crumbled economy.


How in the hell is a tax cut going to help the people who are out of work and not paying taxes?

[The Brethren]

22. I say let's not discriminate, and offer tax cuts to all

Americans - it's only fair. If you're going to offer tax cuts to some, then you should offer them to all. And while they're at it, lets just get rid of taxes altogether. And the feds can cover all expenses from the money fairy. :-)

[county worker]

12. Tax cuts for who?

[tclambert]

16. Whom. Oh, welcome to DU.

Tax cuts for them, of course. But if at all possible, not for you or me. I did see a mention of NASA, which would mean more money for Florida. I like NASA. And those would be good jobs. Martinez would no doubt aim any tax cuts at corporations and rich people, because he thinks trickle down economics is sure to work this time.

[santamargarita]

13. Put these GOP assholes in the Capital basement broom closet...

..and keep them there!

[bluestateguy]

14. Thank you very much for your imput

Now:

?size=572&uid=%7BDD7166BD-B64A-4DE6-AA8A-70833B8D88EC%7D

[damntexdem]

15. Would that be a sleepiness bill?

Or just a moribund bill?

[Windy]

17. I've had it with them and with the MSM. I hope that all of you get out to the house meetings

this weekend sponsored by Organizing for America so we can mobilize to put these idiots in their place!!!!!!!

[Still Sensible]

18. It burns me up, but goddammit what McCain said about this is right

He said you should be asking two things: Does it take effect in the next year or so? And does it create jobs?

McCain shouldn't have been the one to say that! We should have been saying that. But no, the damn house had to let their herd of cats fill the bill with unnecessary items that have only served to give the GOP some legitimate talking points.

We are the majority now. We can pass everyone's pet project individually after the Recovery Act is passed.

The ONLY thing the republicans said (as quoted by the CNN story) that I agree with, other than McCain's quote, is they should have the $71 billion in there to fix the AMT. Otherwise their ideas are bullshit and are almost all base on tax cuts as they practice them.

That said, I don't believe the anti-smoking, STDs, Hollywood movies, or furniture for DHS should be in the Recovery Act.

I believe the money for the hybrid vehicles, the census and the DTV program measures should be passed separately. JMHO.

[geek tragedy]

23. Do you not understand that this is our opportunity

to get funding for all of those things passed, and that after the stimulus is passed there will be no money left for other projects?

Do you not get that we are looking at a 3-year recovery and will need to generate jobs throughout that time period?

[Still Sensible]

25. Gimme a break

Don't you get it? We are in with a solid majority now. We can pass anything we want. They're not going to run out of money--this is all borrowed anyway. I just object to giving the republicans any credibility.

We've spent three decades fighting back the Reagan meme that government is too big, bloated and wasteful... so the first chance we get we slide pet projects into this important legislation and leave ourselves open to credible attacks about being bloated and wasteful. It was unnecessary IMO.

[geek tragedy]

26. If we can get anything we want passed, why is the stimulus

being watered down and made into a Republican-lite bill?

[Still Sensible]

27. It's not

The administration has not caved in any way on anything in the Recovery Act that is important, including the ratio of infrastructure spending to tax relief. The President made it very clear that changing the basics of this package is not negotiable.

The tax relief in this package is NOT tax cuts as have been practiced by the GOP under GWB. This is payroll tax breaks (so that even the poor that don't make enough to pay taxes at the end of the year still get more in their paychecks every week). The small business tax relief in the package should help by slowing down layoffs or actually encouraging hiring.

I don't know why you believe that the bill is getting watered down? The house bill had a list of things that simply should not have been there anyway. I blame Pelosi for not being able to herd the cats any better.

If this legislation somehow morphs into "republican-lite" by the time it's passed, I'll be as mad as anybody.

[BootinUp]

19. Ok, so who wants a plan a little more like a Bush plan? Raise your hand.

:thumbsdown:

[jwirr]

20. Let me guess - more money for the rich so they can continue the help

the USA?

[droidamus2]

21. Goes to show you

This is what the Republicans see as bipartisan, that is, the Democrats present their stimulus plan and then the Republicans submit theirs and they fight over who's bill will get passed. So no cooperation, no commingling of good ideas just their way or no way. It's all political positioning for them for example, bring in their package at just slightly less than the Democrats so they can label the Democrats 'big spenders'. Emphasize tax cuts because of course the Republicans have never seen a tax cut they didn't like (their whole political philosophy hinges on tax cuts). Throw in a little infrastructure money so they can claim to be doing something for main street. In the end it is the same old same old from them 'tax cuts/trickle down will solve everything.

What the Democrats need to do is be careful about what's in the bill as far as spending. I realize it is tempting for them to put in a lot of stuff that is not stimulus oriented because there may not be money for it later, but at this point that just gives the Republicans PR weapons. Stick to infrastructure, greening of American, education, power grid to projects. If they want to drop money from some of the questionable uses just move it over to one of the salable projects instead. They also need to be able to explain the why the projects they do want make sense as stimulus.

[BlueIdaho]

24. When oh when...

Will we learn to ACT like the majority party? I don't give two shits what the republicans think.

[indypaul]

28. Plain and simple.

We have been down this road twice now in the past
30 years with tax cuts and they did NOT work under
Reagan and under Bush. Why do you want to try it
again? Each time the deficit exploded and about
70% of the population found themselves worse off
than before. Doing the same thing over again and
expecting different results is INSANITY. Further,
where did this attitude produce cooperation in the House?
The leadership caved into some of the proposals of
the minority who then kicked them in the teeth and
voted lock-step against passage. Why repeat this
in the Senate? The GOP is trying to repeat 1992
with a takeover of Congress by destroying the efforts
of the current administration to resolve some of these
financial problems and not one Republican vote will be
on these measures. Do NOT let them repeat history.