Unnecessary Burden
Feb 16, 2009
"[A]t a time when millions are struggling to hold onto their homes and jobs, Democrats, in the name of stimulus, want taxpayers to cover the cost of:
· Golf carts, electric motorcycles, and ATVs
· $300 million for new government cars
· $1 billion for ACORN-eligible block grants
· $50 million for out of work artists
· $165 million to maintain and build fish hatcheries -- $165 million for fish hatcheries.
· $1 billion for the Census
I defy anyone to explain to me how $1 billion for the Census will stimulate the U.S. economy.
So a stimulus bill that was supposed to be timely, targeted, and temporary is none of the above.
And this means Congress is about to approve a stimulus that’s unlikely to have much stimulative effect.
That’s why an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office actually predicted a potential sustained economic decline as a direct result of this bill.
And that’s why I can’t support it.
This is one of the most expensive pieces of legislation Congress has ever approved. Including interest, as I’ve said, it’s expected to cost $1.1 trillion. To put that figure in perspective, consider this: if you spent $1 million a day, every day since Jesus was born, you still wouldn’t have spent $1 trillion. This is an extraordinary sum of money. It deserves an extraordinary level of scrutiny."
-Senator Mitch McConnell, KY (R), A Three-Point Test
