US House approves stimulus plan

Link to Story

Just like that, nearly $800 billion is taken away from the American people and redistributed by a small group of people that know nothing more than you or me; they probably know a good deal less than you or me.  Much to the celebration of most media outlets and seemingly most Americans, the United States took another giant leap in the direction of socialism with the passing of this bill.  $800 billion would be enough to give each working American nearly $5,500.  Those of you that gain $5,500 from this action please notify me.  $800 billion to stimulate the growth or saving of four million jobs equates to $200,000 per job.  Anyone willing to offer me $200,000 can have my job immediately.  All arrogance aside, it will be a good investment because I am paid more than the men and women they will hire to lay pavement on new interstates or sod on new Frisbee fields.

As if this $800 billion stimulus plan after a $700 billion bailout plan is not enough, the U.S. government announced this week that the first $1.5 trillion they want to spend is not enough.  No, they want to double it.

US unveils new $1.5 trillion plan

Link to Story

$1.5 trillion more dollars.  $1,500,000,000,000.  Thirteen figures.  This IN ADDITON TO the $1.5 trillion they have already allotted for a grand total of $3 trillion.  This doesn’t even include the annual budget of around $3 trillion.  With this bailout/stimulus/whatever else money that they intend to spend, the government could issue each working American over $20,500.  For the 4 million jobs that have been lost they could simply pay each of those people $750,000 each, or $150,000 per year for the next five years!  The money to be allocated in 2009, bailouts, stimuli, and the budget will top $6 trillion.  To keep beating a dead horse, that means the government could give out over $41,000 per working person!  The median income for American workers is well below $30,000!

Unfortunately this money is not simply given back to the American people; it is spent in completely wasteful ways.  Even worse, we must reverse the figures to see what is really going on.  This money does not appear out of thin air, Americans pay for this.  You pay for this.  I pay for this.  You may say, “My taxes haven’t gone up, so I’m not paying for it.”  Your taxes will go up, rest assured.  If they don’t go up then you will be taxed via inflation.  You will pay for this.  “Tax the rich,” you say.  The entirety of the United States only creates a GDP (essentially income) of $13 trillion per year.  $6 trillion of that will be spent on our lovely government.  Obama says he wants to tax everyone that makes more than about $200,000 and give everyone else a tax break.  Less than 1% of Americans make more than $200,000 per year.  For these 1% to pay for this $6 trillion, each working rich person making over $200,000 per year would have to average paying about $2 million in taxes per year.  That does not add up.  Even if the top 1% of American income earners gave their entire incomes to taxes in 2009 we would still fall well short!  We are all paying for this, not just the wealthy people of America.

Furthermore, this spending does not even include state and municipal spending, which has shot through the roof.  California has said that it may have to issue IOUs on tax refunds to its citizens because they have no more money and nobody is willing to lend them anymore money.  Many states are billions of dollars in debt, including my home state of Arizona.  Arizona recently spent $1.2 billion on a light rail that goes in a straight line and stops at red lights.  A 25 minute drive will now take you 50 minutes on the light rail, go ride it!  Furthermore, Arizona has no way of collecting payment from riders.  It is essentially an honor system.  There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but I know that most people won’t turn down a free ride.

We are facing a serious foe.  I am not necessarily a republican, but I am more republican than democrat and not one republican in the house voted for this stimulus plan and presumably not one will vote for the extra $1.5 trillion for the Fed to disperse.  Democrat has come to mean socialist and they are making our nation into a socialist one.  Freedom and capitalism are dying before our eyes.  It is time to debate, it is time to educate, and it is time to encourage our friends, family, and neighbors to open their eyes to what is happening in our world.  We cannot stand by and watch as we are stripped of our freedom and thrown into serfdom (thank you Hayek).