I need my DU friends to help me write a rebuttal to Cornyn's column

[w8liftinglady]

I want it to be fact based only.Please help me refute any of his talking points
Thank you,friends.
http://www.thedailylight.com/articles/2009/02/13/opinion/doc4995c3c82b809689202189.txt

Wasteful spending dressed in ‘stimulus’ clothing
Published: Friday, February 13, 2009 1:06 PM CST
John Cornyn
U.S. Senator

For months, Americans across the country have been grappling with the results of our nation’s economic downturn: layoffs, foreclosures, salary cuts, and the tough family budgeting decisions that go hand in hand with a recession. While Texas has fared better than most states — largely due to our pro-business economic policies and the can-do spirit inherent to the Texas culture — we are not immune.

According to Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Paulken, “Our state’s economy has been fairly resilient during these months of economic uncertainty, but the national economic storm has reached Texas.” In January, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs predicted a loss of 111,000 Texas jobs and announced a 10.5 percent drop in tax revenue in this fiscal year. In North Texas, the jobless rate has climbed to 5.6 percent — a significant ascent from one year ago, when the rate was 4.1 percent. The jobless rate for the entire state recently hit 6 percent — nearly two percentage points higher than a year ago.

The housing crunch has taken its toll in Texas as well. In 2008, Texas was listed as one of the top ten states in foreclosure totals. Meritage, one of the nation’s biggest homebuilders with more than 65 percent of its communities located in Texas, reported that its fourth-quarter orders in Texas fell 61 percent. Experts claim that a decrease in prices in some of Texas’ top industries like oil and natural gas is having a negative impact on the state’s housing market.

In the U.S. Senate, I have been working with my colleagues to stop the recession in its tracks and turn the economic tide back in our favor. This has been no easy task. Unfortunately, while the new President has indicated his desire for bipartisanship, Democrat leaders in Congress have taken a different approach, attempting to jam an enormous spending bill totaling more than $1 trillion down the taxpayers’ throats.

Instead of producing a plan aimed at reviving the housing market, providing significant tax relief to hard-working Americans, and creating quality jobs for men and women looking for work — the Democrat plan instead reflects a political slush fund brimming with billion-dollar pet projects that will not have an immediate, tangible effect on our nation’s economic health.

With respect to Texas’ interests in the economic rescue plan, the most simple analogy that comes to mind is “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” In Texas, we have embraced low taxes and pro-growth policies that support our small businesses and middle class families. The Democrats’ plan would take billions in Texas taxpay-er dollars and reward reckless states with pet projects dressed in “stimulus” clothing. Some of the more absurd examples include a request for $600 million to build an “ethnic heritage trail” or a request for $6 million to build three aquatic centers with water slides.

My Republican colleagues and I have sought to improve this inflated bill by offering low-tax, pro-growth amendments. I offered an amendment that would have lowered the 10 percent tax bracket to 5 percent, providing much needed relief to every taxpayer who pays income tax and files their taxes by April 15. Unfortunately, this was blocked by Senate Democrats.

Another important amendment, offered by Sen. John Ensign, would have provided much-needed relief to the struggling housing market by reducing mortgage rates to as low as 4 percent for millions of homeowners. More than 3 million mortgages in Texas could have qualified for refinancing under this measure, and each household would have benefited from $293 in savings on monthly payments. This amendment was also defeated.

Sadly, while the American people were counting on Congress to present a final economic rescue product that reflects bipartisanship and includes true tax relief and tangible economic growth measures, the Democrats’ $1.2 trillion “stimulus” package is no such product.

We need to work together to craft legislation that provides real relief for everyday Texans. It should begin with providing much overdo relief to the struggling housing market. Secondly, the majority of any economic stimulus plan should be tangible tax relief for families and small businesses.

Hard-working Texans deserve to keep more of their own money to spend, save and invest how they see fit. Finally, any proposed new spending must be made fully transparent to ensure Congress is not spending taxpayer dollars on unnecessary or ineffective projects.

If American families are having to tighten their belts and make tough financial decisions, the federal government should follow suit. I will continue to fight for a common-sense plan that incorporates these principles to help Texans weather the economic storm and emerge stronger and more prosperous.



John Cornyn is a Republican Senator representing the state of Texas.

[Zen Democrat]

1. It's all in the definition of "hard working Americans"

For Cornyn that is defined as "Republican campaign contributors." You really have to define all the terms to speak fluent Republican. Their hard-working Americans are the ones working hard to lay off the poor to maximize their share of the pie, to ship as many jobs oversees as possible, and to secure offshore tax shelters for their ill-gotten gains. It's hard work, people.

[jpak]

2. Texas did not benefit from its "pro-biddness atteetood' - it benefited from $147 a barrel oil

now that "earl" is closer to $30 a barrel - the earl biddness and Tejas will be a' hurtin' too.

and in need of "stimulus"

Republics cut Obama's middle incime tax cut from $1000 per family to $800 and from $500 to $400 per individual.

I guess republics hates tax cuts for Texas families.

"Some of the more absurd examples include a request for $600 million to build an “ethnic heritage trail” or a request for $6 million to build three aquatic centers with water slides."

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!11111 and millions for "Pelosi's little mouse" too - not.

What horseshit - show us in the stimulus bill where this is located.

I can guarantee if there were money in there for the Alamo or the "Sam Houston ethic trail" he wouldn't be singing that stupid republic tune.

Cornyn is as dumb as they come.

[treestar]

3. His position is contradicted internally - if Texas has been doing

everything right then why it is affected by the recession at all?

It would also be interesting to find out if it is one of the states that receives more federal funds than it pays in.

Also nothing has been shoved down the taxpayers' throats. They voted for this Congress and the President based on the approach they said they would take. Cornhole doesn't seem to have gotten the memo that the Republics lost the election.

[Zen Democrat]

5. I don't think the Republicans will win the NEXT election.

I think this was their last hurrah. They've now lost both Harris and Dallas counties. I believe that Houston Mayor Bill White will take Hutchison's seat next year. And I think Obama will carry Texas in 2012.

Word is that Cornyn wants to be a VP candidate in 2012. Silly Republican, doesn't he know that Texas may have contributed outstanding, iconic Democrats, such as Ann Richards, Molly Ivins and Jim Hightower, but America will never EVER vote again for a Texas Grand Oil Pervert.

[saltpoint]

4. For the formal greeting, I'd begin with "Dear Shithead:"

No, wait. Senator Cornyn might interpret that as an inflammatory remark.

God knows Cornyn's cognitive limits restrict his understanding of many things.

From reading DU a while, your letters seem to be in need of no one's help. They seem to be sturdy and clear and potent on their own.

The hinge that belies Cornyn's argument for me is that he is almost slobberingly intense in defending the vey forces which created the financial crisis in the first place. He's an Inquisitor en route to a remote hillside village who has already determined that there are witches there and needs only a small group of volunteers to gather wood for the fire.

[izquierdista]

6. Let me get this right....

The solution to people not being able to pay their mortgages......is to pay mortgage companies a bunch of up front fees to refinance them?!? :silly:

[snappyturtle]

7. First off, here's the e-mail from Cornyn that greeted me this morning:

Friday, February 13, 2009
President Obama has stated that we cannot rely on the same strategies that got our economy into this crisis to get us out of it. I agree. I voted against the economic stimulus bill because I believe it represents a missed opportunity to enact a stimulus package that will help small businesses create jobs and grow our economy. So, we must recognize the policies that haven’t worked – and get behind the ones that will.


I believe that the first thing any economic stimulus must do is address the root of the problem, which is the housing market. Homeowners are struggling with high mortgage payments, and our financial system is burdened with bad debt. So I supported a plan to lower mortgage rates to as low as four percent for millions of homeowners. This would quickly cut a huge expense in many family budgets, and reduce the risk of more foreclosures – providing immediate relief to a troubled sector of our financial markets.

Second, we must deliver the kind of broad-based tax relief that works. I offered an amendment to the stimulus bill that would have reduced the 10 percent income tax bracket to 5 percent, and lowered the tax bill for everyone who files a tax return by April 15. Lowering marginal tax rates can be a game-changer for every taxpayer’s budget, and for our economy. This approach worked for John F. Kennedy, it worked for Ronald Reagan, and it can work for us.

Third, we must support additional funding for programs that are delivering results, and for urgent national priorities. One such priority is national defense and border security. The National Guard Bureau reports that many units, after fighting wars and responding to natural disasters, have billions of dollars in unmet equipment needs. We need to give these brave men and women the tools they need to defend our country and our communities, while creating jobs at the same time.

As for Texas, we are promised many benefits in this bill, but we will also pay the costs. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the stimulus bill will actually reduce growth in the long term. Rest assured, though, that I will be fighting to ensure that Texas is treated fairly and gets its fair share of funding for important sectors like border security, defense, transportation, and education.

A better approach to the stimulus bill was available, and remains available. I pledge to work with the Administration to ensure that the accountability and transparency measures promised in the package are effective. I will also continue to build support for alternatives that will create more opportunity for our families and small businesses, and restore our economic strength.

For more information on these and other topics, go directly to my Web site. To view floor speeches, interviews and other video messages from me, please visit my YouTube Channel. To receive additional updates, please select the issues that interest you listed on the right. It’s an honor to serve you in the United States Senate.

Sincerely,

*******************************************************************************************
Maybe this e-mail helps define his issues some more and will therefore help you. You've taken on a huge task because Cornyn is speaking out of both sides of his mouth. On one hand he talks helping small businesses and yet whines about the lowering of natural gas and oil prices which is definitely big business in TX and enjoyed historic profits while doing nothing to promote growth like building more refineries.

Over-all, his statements are hard to debate because he doesn't explain them. Big on the word use of tangible! What in billy blue blazes does "tangible economic growth measures" mean? I think he's talking tax rebates,checks,when he mentions "tangible tax relief".

As I understand it the stimulus package, passed yesterday, wasn't focused on housing other than the first time buyer segment. He's hammering on this package for something that will be addressed next Wednesday.

I guess my biggest argument with him is that he needs to come up with something other than tax relief, quit whining about bi-partisanship,& adopt a wait'n see policy about the effectiveness of the package. His attitude is geared to helping the package fail which I'm sure is what the repukes ultimately want to happen. How he can complain about the costs of this package on one hand and then on the other promote tax relief is beyond me, but that's just me.