Posted by Donny Ferguson at LP.org. Reposted to IPR by Paulie.
Syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin is staying busy these days keeping track of some of the more wasteful items included in President Obama’s government spending plan. Pitched as a plan to create jobs, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office now estimates its final cost will top $1 trillion, and most of the spending has little to do with creating jobs.
The package passed the House yesterday, but with bi-partisan opposition. As more wasteful spending is uncovered, the White House is now urging the Senate to pass the plan as soon as possible, with little review of the new and increased spending.
Among the items highlighted by Malkin:
* $572 million to the Coast Guard for “Acquisition, Construction, & Improvements." The Coast Guard defends the plan, claiming it will create1,235 new jobs. That comes out to over $460,000.00 per job supposedly created.
* $1.5 billion for a "carbon capturing contest."
And The Wall Street Journal uncovers:
* $600 million to buy new cars for government employees.
* $150 million for The Smithsonian museum system.
* $83 billion in income tax relief for people who don’t pay income taxes.
The Journal and Reason magazine also point to another possible proposal in the plan — artificially increasing the price of milk. According to the Journal, "dairy and beef cattle producers butted heads over talk that the government might buy up dairy cattle for slaughter to drive up depressed milk prices." There was no explanation from the Obama administration as to how forcing mothers and childen to pay more for milk in a sluggish economy qualifies as job creation.
The only people that seem to not be getting anything from Obama’s economic stimulus plan are the millions of employers who need tax and regulatory relief in order to give Americans jobs.
You may contact your two senators at 202-224-3121.
“Michelle, while not totally libertarian, is certainly a “libertarian-conservative.” Even Far Left Libertarian T0m Knapp agrees with that assessment of her.”
LOL! Michelle Malkin is NOT a libertarian.
“Umm, the website Michelle founded a few years ago, is now the Number 2 explicitly libertarian website on the entire Internet – HotAir.com. (Breitbart’s Big Hollywood being #1).”
Falsehood. LewRockwell is the number 1 in terms of traffic and general popularity.
My Hugs describes her as a “raving neocon”. She’s definitely not libertarian. Medical marijuana isn’t enough to make a conservative into a libertarian.
Her husband Jesse *is*, however, and I think it’s Jesse’s influence you see. I believe he does her website, some of the writing.
We got to know them fairly well . . . Jesse was West King Co. Chair of the LP. Michelle was writer at the Seattle Times. I was LPWA Activist of the Year. We saw a lot of each other for a while.
Umm, the website Michelle founded a few years ago, is now the Number 2 explicitly libertarian website on the entire Internet – HotAir.com. (Breitbart’s Big Hollywood being #1).
Michelle, while not totally libertarian, is certainly a “libertarian-conservative.” Even Far Left Libertarian T0m Knapp agrees with that assessment of her.
One of the expenses cites was “* $572 million to the Coast Guard for “Acquisition, Construction, & Improvements.” The Coast Guard defends the plan, claiming it will create1,235 new jobs. That comes out to over $460,000.00 per job supposedly created.”
That cost per job maybe high, but what is being bought? While we expect the Coast Guard to defend the shores of the country they have been doing so for years with some of the oldest ship afloat and some in poor condition. Some of the cutters are fourty years old, or more. They definately need better equipment.
Some people need to take a harder look at what they are criticizing.
Doing away with the Coast Guard is one thing. Expecting them to do the job they are asked to, which is often dangerous, with poor equipment is irresponsible.
Gotta agree with Brian. Malkin is not who we should be mentioning period. The woman is from the planet Fargone!
Brian,
I think you are easily capable of doing more to counteract any such trends than leaving negative blog comments.
You could easily put together the kinds of press releases you would like to see from the national LP office, and issue them from a state party (PA? Delaware? Mass.?), county party, Liberty for America, or some new group or caucus you form – the possibilities are many – and send them to:
[email protected]
Take a look at google news for “libertarian” and “libertarian party” to see why you may want to do that.
http://news.google.com/
And the National LP office continues its headlong rush to the farthest, most marginal edges of the extreme right, by citing Michelle Malkin with commentary suggesting she’s a balanced observer and not a screeching right-wing nut.
As for “wasteful spending,” it’s a bit too late to be using such charming 1990s Republican language, children.
If you didn’t notice, the economy is collapsing, and it’s not due to a few hundred million dollars in digital TV coupons.
There were plenty of people in the LP who wanted it to take a stand on the Big Picture issue of the economy, bank bailouts, fiscal policy, etc., but you alienated all of them in order to hop into bed with Rich Viguerie, Bob Barr and Dick Armey.
Now look at you. You’re putting out press releases that read like something from a 1996 Rush Limbaugh newsletter.
How sad. I remember when the LP National Office actually had interesting things to say.