This bill will be President Obama's first major piece of legislation since he became president just 15 days ago. Yes Obama has already dealt with several other major issues such as Guantanamo, but for all intensive purposes this is the first bill that is going to have real effects on the country, whether they be good or bad. President Obama was hopeful that the bill would be laying on his desk in mid-february ready to be signed into law. It does not look like his deadline, which is less than two weeks away, is going to be met. Obama would like this thing to become law as quickly as possible because he says that every day and every week that it is not passed, the economy continues to fall and thousands upon hundred of thousands of hard working Americans are losing their jobs. Frankly, if $819 billion is going to be pumped into this country, I would feel much better if Congress took their time and made sure that all 600+ odd pages of the bill were carefully looked over. After all, this is something that will have profound effects on our country that will effect our grand children and great grand children, and future generations beyond that.
If you would care to peruse through the lengthy bill that was passed in the House last week, take a look here.. I would recommend just picking one random section from the table of contents, and skimming through it to see how the Obama Administration and the Democrats would like to spend our tax dollars to stimulate our economy and create jobs. For example, I looked over how $5.5 billion would be used towards education in title 9 which can be found on page 157 of the bill.
Below is a list of questionable things that the Republicans took out from the bill, and would like to see either eradicated or changed. I must admit, there are several items in the bill that appear to be wasting our tax dollars. For example, why should Hollywood movie producers get a $246 million tax cut to buy motion picture film? Take a look at the list, I think you will find it quite interesting where some of this $819 billion may be spent.
• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.
• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.
• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
• $850 million for Amtrak.
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.
