The Big Government Shell Game
Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA) woke up a few weeks ago and discovered the roads in Pennsylvania were a mess. Vowing to solve this mess in his last six months in office (never mind that his first seven and a half years created the mess) Philadelphia Eddie gave the State Legislature an offer that no politician could refuse, especially during an election year. He'll sign 'any tax increase they pass.'
Gee, how generous. This is the annual saga in PA. Mass transit squanders all their money and continues to inefficiently operate with bloated budgets, fat union contracts, and even fatter administrator (read Democrat hacks) salaries. As a result, they run a deficit. Fast Eddie and the Dems (sounds like a bad 60's cover band) ride to their rescue, diverting Federal highway funds to prop up the inefficiencies (and pay back their union benefactors), and, alas, no money can be found to save the children from crumbling roads and bridges.
It is an old song, but a standard of the Dems, and is replayed in PA and other states most every year. Mass transit, benefiting only urban areas and its union employees versus highways. Cutting spending versus raising taxes.
But never fear, the new sheriff in town President Obama can save the day with the 'shovel ready' stimulus, right? Mmmmmm, not so much.
When passed in 2009, the Dems and Mr. Obama sang the praises of all the 'Shovel Ready' projects throughout the land that would immediately crank up. Images of FDR and the Public Works Administration, thousands of unemployed would pick up shovels and start fixing our crumbling roads and bridges, bringing down unemployment (at least keeping it below 8% we were promised), and giving our children a safe utopia of gleaming new bridges and smooth new roads. Indeed, signs began popping up all over America touting American Recovery and Reinvestment Act jobs.
But a year and a half later, where are the shovel ready jobs? It turns out the only thing 'shovel ready' was the bull crap Mr. Obama and the Democrats in Congress were shoveling about the Stimulus.
Follow the money. Most of the stimulus funds were used to plug holes in state and local budgets, to prop up teachers and public worker unions (AFSME and SEIU), and bail out Democrats in 'Blue States.'
That money is gone now, and Congress this month returned from their summer vacations to pass another stimulus, a $28 billion slush fund for Teachers Unions and other Democrat special interests. By my count this is now the eighth stimulus passed under Mr. Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush.
And what have we gotten? For all the Democrat shoveling, unemployment is now 9.5% (real unemployment / underemployment is closer to 19%), and the roads and bridges are still 'crumbling,' according to Mr. Rendell, one of Mr. Obama's biggest supporters. Oh, and record debt and deficits that our children's grand children will be dealing with years from now.
Next time Government officials claim some program is 'shovel ready,' make sure you are wearing your boots.
Copyright 2010 Reprint permitted with the following citation:
TJPaine
Un^Common Sense - Dedicated to the Advancement of Americanism
http://uncommonsense-tpaine.blogspot.com/
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