Comments on: More on Shuler and the Stimulus http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2009/02/05/more-on-shuler-and-the-stimulus/ If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen. — Samuel Adams Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:18:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Tom Buckner http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2009/02/05/more-on-shuler-and-the-stimulus/comment-page-1/#comment-28701 Tom Buckner Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:23:38 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=7085#comment-28701 It's more like getting vegetables to stop eating babies. It’s more like getting vegetables to stop eating babies.

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]]> By: Tom Sullivan http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2009/02/05/more-on-shuler-and-the-stimulus/comment-page-1/#comment-28698 Tom Sullivan Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:18:31 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=7085#comment-28698 A bit like getting babies to eat their vegetables, isn't it? A bit like getting babies to eat their vegetables, isn’t it?

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]]> By: Doug Gibson http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2009/02/05/more-on-shuler-and-the-stimulus/comment-page-1/#comment-28697 Doug Gibson Fri, 06 Feb 2009 03:52:09 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=7085#comment-28697 Another point that gets missed in this debate is how the government - or at least the Federal Reserve - has intervened repeatedly to rescue the economy, either by raising interest rates to avoid bubbles (though they seem to have missed the boat for the past several years) or by lowering rates to avoid slowdowns. Right now, though, as Paul Krugman has said again and again, the Federal Reserve can't cut rates any further. We can't rely on <i>that</i> kind of government intervention. So we've got to spend money. Maybe it isn't everybody's favorite way of stimulating the economy, but it's all we've got. Another point that gets missed in this debate is how the government – or at least the Federal Reserve – has intervened repeatedly to rescue the economy, either by raising interest rates to avoid bubbles (though they seem to have missed the boat for the past several years) or by lowering rates to avoid slowdowns.

Right now, though, as Paul Krugman has said again and again, the Federal Reserve can’t cut rates any further. We can’t rely on that kind of government intervention. So we’ve got to spend money. Maybe it isn’t everybody’s favorite way of stimulating the economy, but it’s all we’ve got.

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]]> By: Tom Sullivan http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2009/02/05/more-on-shuler-and-the-stimulus/comment-page-1/#comment-28696 Tom Sullivan Fri, 06 Feb 2009 02:19:08 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=7085#comment-28696 $19 billion? The Bush administration lost almost that much <i>in cash</i> during the early days of the Iraq occupation with hardly anyone noticing, much less calling the administration on the carpet for it. One thing you'll notice in this debate is that many critics want to see more capital spending in the mix (infrastructure,etc.), but none of them offer a shopping list. Why not? If there were more solid, "shovel ready" projects out there, I suspect they'd already be in the bill. Put more non-shovel-ready projects in the package and critics will complain that they are "not stimulative" because they take too long to get money into the economy. Congress may have put in as many "good" projects as it could find and then padded it out with a grab bag of other items to ensure the spending was immediate enough and large enough to jump start the economy. Yes, the bill isn't anywhere near perfect. Things this size never are. But the critics won't be appeased whatever Congress passes. Anything that's not a tax cut, is pork to Republicans. Where's their alternative? I mean, to more tax cuts? Where's their project list? $19 billion? The Bush administration lost almost that much in cash during the early days of the Iraq occupation with hardly anyone noticing, much less calling the administration on the carpet for it.

One thing you’ll notice in this debate is that many critics want to see more capital spending in the mix (infrastructure,etc.), but none of them offer a shopping list. Why not?

If there were more solid, “shovel ready” projects out there, I suspect they’d already be in the bill.

Put more non-shovel-ready projects in the package and critics will complain that they are “not stimulative” because they take too long to get money into the economy. Congress may have put in as many “good” projects as it could find and then padded it out with a grab bag of other items to ensure the spending was immediate enough and large enough to jump start the economy.

Yes, the bill isn’t anywhere near perfect. Things this size never are. But the critics won’t be appeased whatever Congress passes. Anything that’s not a tax cut, is pork to Republicans. Where’s their alternative? I mean, to more tax cuts? Where’s their project list?

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]]> By: Jenny Bowen http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2009/02/05/more-on-shuler-and-the-stimulus/comment-page-1/#comment-28692 Jenny Bowen Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:42:42 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=7085#comment-28692 Despite his leanings, he still gets to introduce Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast: http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/feb/05/shuler-introducing-obama-prayer-breakfast/news/ Despite his leanings, he still gets to introduce Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast:

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/feb/05/shuler-introducing-obama-prayer-breakfast/news/

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]]> By: Kai Schwandes http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2009/02/05/more-on-shuler-and-the-stimulus/comment-page-1/#comment-28690 Kai Schwandes Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:21:11 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=7085#comment-28690 already called a couple of days ago ..... not sure it actually makes a difference, does it? already called a couple of days ago ….. not sure it actually makes a difference, does it?

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]]> By: Gordon Smith http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2009/02/05/more-on-shuler-and-the-stimulus/comment-page-1/#comment-28685 Gordon Smith Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:48:38 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=7085#comment-28685 <blockquote>Given that progressives in your district vote for you out of a sense that we shouldn’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good, why can’t you vote for this bill?</blockquote> Well said. Great post. Very informative. Calling now.

Given that progressives in your district vote for you out of a sense that we shouldn’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good, why can’t you vote for this bill?

Well said. Great post. Very informative.

Calling now.

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]]> By: Kai Schwandes http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2009/02/05/more-on-shuler-and-the-stimulus/comment-page-1/#comment-28684 Kai Schwandes Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:34:28 +0000 http://scrutinyhooligans.us/?p=7085#comment-28684 <blockquote>However, we now know that the “too much . . . not immediate” argument is baloney.</blockquote> baloney ..... yammy goodness made from pork ;-)

However, we now know that the “too much . . . not immediate” argument is baloney.

baloney ….. yammy goodness made from pork ;-)

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