The $825 billion "economic stimulus package" that the Democrats are trying to
rush through includes what many might deem a fair share of pork, despite Obama’s campaign promise to put an end to earmarks.
Here are just a few tantalizing tidbits from the legislation: $50 million for the National Endowment of the Arts (for starving
artists who aren’t good enough to earn a living at what they do), $650 million in coupons to help people switch from
analog to digital televisions (even though televisions are better and cheaper than they’ve ever been), $2.4 billion
for “carbon capture” products (diapers for flatulent cows?), $4.19 billion for ACORN and other leftist “community
organizing” groups, $79 billion to bail out state schools with funding deficits (to give them the immediate opportunity
to rack up additional new deficits), $400 million for global warming research (when simply waiting to see what happens would
cost nothing).
Because 1.8 million tourists left behind 110 tons of trash on Inauguration Day
and were none too gentle in their milling about while listening to racist prayers, insipid poems, and sophomoric speeches,
we need to shell out $21 million in tax dollars to replace the sod at the National Mall.
Toss in $335 million for sexually transmitted disease education (are STDs Bush’s
fault too?) and it may be difficult for some to see much stimulus in the stimulus package. But wait! There will be a generous
$41 million in tax breaks for small businesses!
During the campaign, John McCain talked about how Obama's planned tax increases
would hurt the 23 million owners of small businesses. There was a lot of criticism that McCain's number was inflated, because
he included in the 23 million count businesses where the sole employee is the business owner. To some people, running a small
business from your home apparently doesn't count for much. (Why don’t they just go on welfare, and stop trying to get
ahead?)
To give the critics the benefit of the doubt (and to make the math easy), let's
assume there are only 20.5 million small businesses in the United States. If they equally share
in that $41 million in of tax breaks, each business will save a whopping $2.00 per year. Because few people are willing to
work for an annual salary of $2.00, it would be wise not to expect too many new jobs coming from the ranks of the owners of
small businesses.
Meanwhile, that new sod will be installed by "undocumented workers."
Hope and change.
Is it 2010 yet?
Don Fredrick
January 28, 2009
Copyright 2009, Don Fredrick
