Bush administration again caters to big business
By The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 01/24/2008 09:29:18 PM MST
"Stimulus." You've probably heard that nebulous, scientific-sounding word this week. Every politician suddenly wants economic "stimulus," and wants you to think this "stimulus" is unequivocally good.
But here's the question: Why are we talking about "stimulus" only now? After all, most people have been hurting for quite awhile.
Paychecks have been stagnating, foreclosures have become commonplace, health-care premiums continue double-digit increases — and up until recently, conservatives greeted such hardships with saccharine fantasy.
Following government reports showing a surge in income inequality, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson last year gushed that the economy is "as strong as I have seen it in any time." In the summer, as the housing crisis exploded, President Bush said the economy was "thriving." And with word that there are now 195,000 homeless veterans nationwide, Bill O'Reilly insisted on Fox News that, really, "There's not many
out there." Message: Nothing to see here. The economy is fabulous. Move along.
Lately, though, the rhetoric has switched. Paulson now says there is an "urgent need" for action, and President Bush is demanding a "stimulus" package from Congress. And that gets us back to the critical question: Why the sudden shift?
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_8070025