House Working on Second Economic Recovery Package House Democratic leadership has announced they are developing a second stimulus package to respond to the worsening economy. The legislation is expected to include a range of relief for working families, communities and cash-strapped states. AFSCME has been a leading voice in calling for Congress to quickly pass a second stimulus that includes relief to states struggling to maintain vital public services as revenues decline. Along with other advocates, AFSCME organized a letter from 470 national, state and local organizations calling for Congress to provide states with fiscal relief through additional federal support to respond to rising Medicaid costs. Such an action would be effective economic stimulus, help stabilize state budgets and protect the health of millions of Americans. AFSCME is also lobbying for restoration of federal funding for states’ child support enforcement pro grams and extension of unemployment insurance payments to be included in a stimulus bill.
Urge Congress to Pass a Second Stimulus Please call the Capitol Switchboard at 1-888-460-0813 and ask to speak to your Senators and Representative. Tell them they must act to help working families and communities that are hurting because of the worsening economy. Urge Congress to pass a second stimulus - before adjourning - that will maintain needed public services and help working families. Urge your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 5628 and your Senators to cosponsor S. 2819. (Linda Bennett- lbennett@afscme.org)
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
25 comments:
I don't think I'll be doing anything of the sort. We have to be careful. It's easy to become dependent on these types of handouts. Want to make a real difference? Cut personal income taxes further. Let people keep more of what they earn rather than taking it from them and then giving it back as if it's some sort of gift. On top of that, some of the people who get a "stimulus check" we be those who never paid taxes anyway. It is nothing less than re-distribution of wealth. Afterward each political party will scurry around trying to take credit for it. It's like buying votes.
"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."
Thomas Jefferson
I will be calling my Representative for sure, But it won't be to ask for checks to be mailed to people that don't pay taxes. It will be to demand that congress get off it's dead a@@ AND VOTE FOR DRILLING FOR OIL IN THIS COUNTRY.
Why do you think the economy is hurting to begin with? HIGH PRICES AT THE PUMP AND HIGH HEATING COSTS!
9:38 & 9:52, I second your comments Couldn't have written it any better better myself.
How much waste is there by collecting money and then giving it back. Poor people will buy video games. Old people will give it to their kids, who will buy video games. Very few will actually use the money to pay bills. Lets cut the taxes to begin with.
Anon 9:52.....
I agree with you. this is my opinion. Lowering the interest rates is an effective way to stimulate the economy - IF some other market force isn't taking that savings right back out of your pockets. Fuel is something upon which we've become dependent as a nation. Not just businesses, not just govt., and not just citizens. ALL of us. Think about it.
Interest rates go up but everything else stays the same it slows the economy.
Taxes go up but everything else stays the same it slows the economy.
Fuel prices go up but everything else stays the same it slows the economy.
There are many more variables but to keep it simple those are the ones I'm mentioning to make my point.
The one over which the govt. has control that will yield the fastest result is the interest rate. So if the economy should slow a little and the govt wants to make a change, it lowers the interest rate a little. If they lower it too much for too long they run the risk of runaway inflation (just look at what happened to housing prices after 9/11).
BUT if they lower the interest rates and we have an unexpected increase in a commodity on which we depend for day to day operations, such as fuel, it will have little effect on stimulating our economy because the bottom line is the same. Whether we run a business or a household, what we save in interest payments, we pay out in fuels costs. This leaves little improvement, and in most cases has a negative impact, on our bottom line. In light of that, many businesses have downsized to adjust for the aforementioned negative impact. The market will not bear an increase in price to the consumer in most cases to make up for the hit businesses are taking which is keeping inflation fueled by greed at a minimum. Most inflation we see today is due to increased fuel costs.
In a free market the govt. shouldn't try to fix pricing. They can loosen up on regulations relating to alternate energy sources and let oil companies drill in ANWR. They should lower personal and business taxes and shrink the size of govt. to reduce overhead. Stop sending billions overseas. Raise and lower interest rates as necessary in small increments and wait to see real world results. Monitor them closely.
This thing can be turned around.
i believe the most important thing to do first is to stablize the home values. homes are the cornerstone of the american middle class finances. most of the economic groth we all enjoyed came from re-financing of our homes. i am so tired of the propoganda the media spurts out about sub prime loans, yes they did not help but are hardly at the root of this problem. the eastern shore has suffered great manufacturing job losses over the last decade because of national exporting of jobs, but local governing bodies have done everything possible to push the businesses that wanted to stay here out of the area with their foolish fees, taxes and regulations. take the houses out of the loop and here we are. it seems to me that the little work that is left is being lost to illegal alliens to some extent as well,(just go to any building going up and look forself). we must stablize the housing market and values as soon as possible. as with the first stimulous package the second will be as equaly irrelavent. the answer to me is simple,(create work for the middle class by any means availiable).
Ridiculous... more handouts for people who don't pay Income taxes... we might as well be Communist Russia
What everyone is forgetting is that tax revenue of any kind is usually based on a percentage. Therefore, if the prices go up, the amount generated from that price increase will go up. That's how government raises revenue. That's how they pay for yesterdays costs with tommorrows revenue. If this is unchecked, we have rapid inflation. It's just simple math.
Now if we want to raise govt revenue without creating inflation, we lower taxes, giving more to the business and everyday family, to buy more items and thus create more revenue. Not by increasing prices, but by creating more transactions. this keeps inflation in check.
Joe:
How you can support Dr. Harris for Congress and post socialist stuff like this and the South Caroline gas nonsense is beyond any rational analysis. Are you now supporting Kratovil and Obama as well as their liberal policy that government should dictate a "solution" for all ills?
We, the U.S. are currently exporting 1.8 million barrels of oil a day. At that current export rate, by the time the first barrel of oil could be produced from increased offshore drilling, America would have already exported the equivalent of nearly 40% of the oil that is projected to lie beneath protected areas offshore.
I’m all for drilling in protected areas for OUR benefit. But I’ll be darned if I’m willing to give up those areas to further fatten the pockets of the Oil industry only.
We, the U.S. are currently exporting 1.8 million barrels of oil a day. At that current export rate, by the time the first barrel of oil could be produced from increased offshore drilling, America would have already exported the equivalent of nearly 40% of the oil that is projected to lie beneath protected areas offshore.
I’m all for drilling in protected areas for OUR benefit. But I’ll be darned if I’m willing to give up those areas to further fatten the pockets of the Oil industry only.
I've already emailed them - and demanded the Fair Tax. They wouldn't agree, it will reduce their power and their ability to "buy" votes with handouts such as these.
This "stimulus" package is a horrible idea. Giving money to states that have expanded welfare programs like Medicaid when they had no money, which it would do, is rewarding irresponsible legislators. The Maryland General Assembly expanded its Medicaid program in the face of a deficit. Now it wants the feds to bail them out. Ridiculous.
States like Maryland that are facing budget problems should do the right thing and cut spending. They expanded spending greatly during the past five years and now it's time to pay the piper. Of course, they don't want to do that. They'd prefer to get federal money. Since the feds are already running a deficit, this is beyond irresponsible.
The same thing happened to states during the 2001 recession. They failed to learn their lesson then. Let them live with their bad policy choices. Call your Representatives, sure, but demand that they be good fiscal stewards and reject this "stimulus" package.
I agree with all these comments! I sure would also like to put an end to the "Earned Income Credit" that is nothing more than a redistribution of wealth. Politicians just love to play "Robin Hood". When I grew up I was taught that Robin Hood was a thief.
"Stimulus" package or a quick passage for more hidden pork and earmarks before the gravy train comes to a holt.
Oh the governement is so generous... Please don't make me puke. They want to help, let them cut taxes, ease regulations & get the heck off our backs.
I will not be calling my representative either.
Giving away other peoples money is not the way to stimulate the economy.
Weren't you the one outraged a couple of weeks ago about farm subsidies?
I know I was!
Subsidies of all sorts need to stop!
People choose what they want to do in their life and we shouldn't be paid assistance to do it.
A workman is worthy of his wages, not worthy of subsidies paid by people he is not working for.
Eliminate the taxes everything except sales tax and let the states figure out how to deal with what they get with that.
We are paying the machine every 1/4 or on 4-15 of every year that is literally sucking the life blood out of us.
If we don't pay them they won't be able to function.
They are taking away our rights and liberties with our money and we are just sitting back allowing it.
The only answer to all of this is a free market and let the chips fall where they may. Then the people who are in need will be helped because the average good hearted person won't have a problem sharing when they don't have it stolen out of their pocket.
It seem that the point was missed here. The restoration of some of the federal programs' child support enforcement, medicaid,unemployment payments etc. Without that money the states cannot continue to help those in honest to goodness need.The "stimulus" package, I agree we do not need 600 dollars to stimulate anything... we have plenty of that (stimulus) from the idiots running for public office.Talk about putting your money under the matress...msybe your firearm too.
To 4:27 -- what "restoration" of those programs are you talking about? The "stimulus" package isn't restoring anything -- it is proving new money to states that went out and expanded these programs without the money to pay for them. State legislators decided to be irresponsible and now they want the federal government to bail them out. If they think these programs are such a great idea then they should have the political courage to find the money themselves, either through cutting spending or raising state taxes (cutting spending would be my preferred option). Instead they want to have the feds take care of the problem they created. All that means is that the federal deficit will increase. It's a horrible idea.
I don't think that the point has been missed at all! The first thing I noticed was that this request was spearheaded by a labor union -- a government workers labor union.
AFSCME isn't interested in helping out states' budgets as much as they are interested in keeping the status quo for a bloated bureaucracy populated by a bunch of union-dues-paying workers.
Just keep those tax dollars flowing so we can keep all those shovel-leaners gainfully employed!
My father said it best years ago when he was employed by one of the many federal bureaus in Washington, DC when asked this question in a survey:
What is the principle product or service provided by your employer?
His answer: Waste Paper
Daddio!
That's PRICELESS!
I'm calling...I want some money!
Well Joseph, I guess by now you know the majority of your readers are VERY politcally conserative.
We do not appreciate the Washington crowd giving our hard earned money to those who choose to live on government handouts.
Hank William Jr, said it best "A Country Boy can Survive."
This is a horrible idea. The federal government needs to stop spending money that it doesn't have. States and people do, too.
The answer is very simple, but politicians don't have the courage to make the change: Less taxes and smaller government.
I agree with Grandad-if you want to help working families,reduce their tax liability with the $$$ otherwise wasted on more social programs.We are being squeezed and it gets worse every year.It irks me that the same people who get all the entitlement freebies will get fatter tax refund checks than my husband and I,due to EIC.The state taxes are the worst for us.
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