Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Thursday, August 05, 2010

Senate OKs Vote On Cash To States For Teachers, Healthcare

Congress is poised to extend a taxpayer-funded lifeline to cash-strapped states after the Senate on Wednesday advanced another round of $26 billion in stimulus spending for teachers and health care, and House Democrats said they will break their six-week summer vacation to return to Washington to vote on it next week.

Facing pressure from public employee labor unions and state budget officials, Democrats are rushing to get the money in the pipeline before the school year begins, and have painted the new stimulus spending as a key ingredient to fight unemployment.

"Today, the United States Senate did its job. We saved people's jobs," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, said minutes after fellow Democrats, joined by two Republicans, broke a GOP-led filibuster of the bill. The Senate will take a final vote Thursday, then send the bill to the House, which will reconvene next week and vote on the bill Tuesday.

President Obama has indicated that he will sign the measure if it reaches his desk.

Republicans argue that sending more aid to states only makes an eventual budget reckoning tougher, and blasted the idea of reconvening to pass the bill.

"The American people don't want more Washington 'stimulus' spending - especially in the form of a payoff to union bosses and liberal special interests," said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican. "This stunning display of tone-deafness comes at the expense of American workers."

More here

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

By all means if it is for teachers or health care then we should print some more money and debase our currency further.

Then, while we are at it, we can pay the Federal Reserve Masters back for printing the money for us. We can also pay them some interest too - for their trouble.

Printing money is something only the Federal Reserve can do. It is difficult. It is time consuming. It deserves to be rewarded with interest / usury.

Thank you America

Anonymous said...

The article failed to mention that the bill also reduced the deficit by over $1 billion over 10 years.

How the Republican party can vote against the interests of teachers and law enforcement, WHILE decreasing the deficit is beyond me...

Anonymous said...

how can handing over more money we don't have to states that cannot afford to pay the bill reduce the deficit. get real 10:20. this is about putting more money in the hands of unions prior to the election. it is called political payback. if you think the nea is about teachers then you need to read the results from the nea convention earlier this year. it is not about the kids it is about a "progressive agenda" wake up America

Anonymous said...

Another Union pay off with tax payers money !

Anonymous said...

So if the money would have went to corporations instead of those protecting you and teaching your children, it would have been considered good policy.

Anonymous said...

10:50 The corporations don't need government subsidies if the government would just get the hell out of the way and let Capitalism do it's thing . Our whole economical fall is due to government meddling in the private sector !

Anonymous said...

10:50 no the money should not go to corporations. we don't have the money and it should not go to anyone. federal, state and local governments need to stop spending money which we don't have period.

Anonymous said...

Teachers are too rich already and hardly work at all - holidays off, summers off, out of work by 3:00. I wish I had half the money that we waste on these teachers. Now where did I leave my hammer ...

Anonymous said...

1258 maybe at the your jobsite....oh thats right. You chose construction as your career...haha.....you win some you loose some.

Anonymous said...

But by all means keep the tax cuts that reduce the tax bill of the top income people. Why keep favoring policies that don't do anything for the average person?

Anonymous said...

2:15 It's the top income people who employ the majority of Americans . The top 10 % pay 90 % of taxes it's a wonder they can even stay in business . When you rob Peter to pay Paul you can always count on Paul's support !

Anonymous said...

"The top 10% pay 90% of taxes it's a wonder they can even stay in business"

Well extremely few small businesses make enough to be in the top 10%, so 97% of small business should be ok even in the face of increases. For the other 3%, their incomes are astronomically higher than yours partner. Most of them aren't hurting for funds. And even with more income, as you have seen over the last decade, they don't necessarily pay you more or provide more benefits. The wealth simply gets further concentrated at the top while they forced out more long term hardworking folks for cheap part time labor. All so they can make another fist full of dollars.

Anonymous said...

3:17 Well partner I really don't care what the people at the to make as long as I have a job and feel I'm making a fair wage . The people who make the most have taken the most risk and therefore have more to lose . If you stop comparing your situation to other peoples you be happier .