Stimulus 101

My West Point friend sent this one to me. I am was so amused that I had to post it.

Subject: Stimulus Package Explained

Sometime this year, taxpayers will receive an Economic Stimulus Payment.
This is a very exciting new program that I will explain using the Q and A format:

"Q. What is an Economic Stimulus Payment?
"A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

"Q. Where will the government get this money?
"A. From taxpayers.

"Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?
"A. No, they are borrowing it from China. Your children are expected to repay the Chinese.

"Q. What is the purpose of this payment?
"A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

"Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China ?
"A. Shut up."


Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the US economy by spending your stimulus check wisely:

If you spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China.

If you spend it on gasoline it will go to Hugo Chavez, the Arabs and Al Queda

If you purchase a computer it will go to Taiwan .

If you purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala (unless you buy organic).

If you buy a car it will go to Japan and Korea .

If you purchase prescription drugs it will go to India

If you purchase heroin it will go to the Taliban in Afghanistan

If you give it to a charitable cause, it will go to Nigeria .

And none of it will help the American economy.

We need to keep that money here in America . You can keep the money in America by spending it at yard sales, going to a baseball game, drinking beer (domestic ONLY), or getting tattoos, since those are the only businesses still in the US.

Pork

While I sit here waiting for my bills to come out of legal, I am reminded of the earmark bs that seems to permeate state and federal government. Both McCain and Pres. Obama campaigned for "change" in government processes. Clean it up, make it fairer, get back to basics. Getting rid of earmarks was at the top of both of their lists. That federal "pork" adds up to HUGE tax dollars that could go elsewhere (like balancing the budget or getting rid of debt), and it adds a slimy film to state and federal politics in general.

So here we are again, wrangling over what "pork" actually means. Semantics. Let's hold their feet to the fire on this one.

GOP weapon: Obama earmarks pledge
By LISA LERER & CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN | 1/26/09 8:57 PM EST
Politico

As Barack Obama meets with Republicans Tuesday, some in the GOP have enlisted an unlikely ally to derail his $825 billion stimulus plan – Barack Obama.

They’re using Obama’s pledge to keep earmarks out of the massive bill to criticize Democrats in Congress – saying projects like family-planning funding and arts spending in the House version are exactly the kind of pork-barrel spending Obama promised he’d fight.

“Many conservatives are just getting upset that Barack Obama comes into office talking about change and his first big initiative is a massive $800 billion dollar pork barrel project,” said Brian Darling, director of U.S. Senate Relations at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “If he wants to cut wasteful spending the first the thing he should do is veto his own stimulus bill.”

At issue is a list of programs that Republicans say will do little to stimulate economic recovery, including $21 million to sod the National Mall, $50 million to fund the National Endowment of the Arts and $650 million for digital TV coupons. Republicans also have seized on millions that would be spent under the bill to expand family-planning services in the states.

The projects are a fraction of the massive spending bill – and Democrats dispute that they’re pork. But the items have given Republicans a hook to rally opposition to the bill, on conservative talk-radio and elsewhere.

And they’ve put Obama in an uncomfortable spot. He swept into Washington promising to find a new way of doing business in the Capitol, one that would be more focused on bipartisan compromise and less on wasteful special interest earmarks.

The Republican objections also erased any hope Obama had for quick passage of the bill, requiring a heavy lobbying effort on Capitol Hill that is bringing Obama himself to meet with Republicans in both chambers Tuesday.

Obama’s team also recognizes they won’t be able to approve of every aspect of the final bill – what he hopes will be the signature achievement of the first 100 days.

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"There is a role for the (Congress) to play and we won't agree with everything," said one administration official. "It means there will be things in there we don't necessarily agree with."

The Senate version of the bill dropped some of the most controversial projects including the money for the National Mall and arts funding. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she has “no apologies” for the family-planning funds, which will take the burden off those programs in fiscally strapped states.

Still, Obama has stepped up his efforts to sell the bill, highlighting not just job creation but other goals like helping students go to college, lowering energy bills, and preserving health insurance for workers.

“This is not just a short-term program to boost employment,” said Obama in his weekly radio address. “It’s one that will invest in our most important priorities like energy and education, health care and a new infrastructure that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century.”

Obama hoped to have a stimulus bill waiting for his signature on his first day in office. The administration now hopes the bill is done by mid-February – a deadline Republicans seem to doubt will happen.

Republican lawmakers argue that the spending is too targeted on special interest programs and focuses on issues traditionally backed by more liberal members and their key constituencies. They believe the money would be better used to fund tax cuts, rather than more spending.

Democrats say the projects are legitimate ways to save jobs and help struggling families. For example, one administration official argued that spending $200 million to rehabilitate the National Mall would generate hundreds of jobs.

“There is more bang for the buck,” said Pelosi on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, “by investing in food stamps and in unemployment insurance than in any tax cut.”

The administration put out this counterargument to Republicans who are pulling out projects in an attempt to cast the bill as weighted down with pork: "The cost of doing nothing is dramatically higher."

Chattanooga Mayor's Race

I headed over to the big city today to the Pachyderm Club's weekly meeting at the Southside Grill. Today's program - Chattanooga's Mayoral Candidates. As I came in, I saw Robin Smith so I knew I was in the right place. The media was there too.

There were four candidates including Mayor Littlefield. I knew Joe Lance from his blogging, but I did not know the other two candidates so I was wide open in opinion forming from the get go. And since whatever happens in Chattanooga affects us here in the woods, I thought I would pay extra attention to this line-up.

1st up Joe Lance...

Joe Lance is most well known for his blogging. Joe was earnest and open in his delivery. You could tell he was passionate about his topics and his reason for entering the race. He was not polished by any means, but his desire for getting people involved in the process made up for his lack of training. His main target was Public Safety with an Environmental underpinning. I think this will be a great learning experience for Joe and I absolutely commend him for getting out of the armchair quarterback position and into the game.

Mayor Ron Littlefield...

Ron Littlefield was graceful and commanding in stature. He held his power easily and he spoke very fluidly and knowledgably. You can tell he has spent a career in government. I zoned out during most of the speech because it was what it was. A good speech speckled with political sound bites, numbers and past accomplishments. Nothing new here but sometimes that says alot when the town is doing pretty good in the whole scheme of things. I like Ron Littlefield because I think highly of the people who know and speak highly of him.

Rob Healy...

I didn't know Rob Healy before this speech. I had to ask the reporter next to me who he was afterwards. He did something out of the box right from the beginning, he left the podium and came in front of the audience to speak. Interesting. He had a false start, took a deep breath, looked outside for a moment to collect his thoughts and then turned around and started the speech over again. That was a gutsy, unusual save. But it got my attention. The rest of the speech was dead-on. Focus on business creation and business retention, streamline government operations, redistribute funding for Safety/Police Department and train our kids for the jobs of the future. I would bet my last dollar that the guy is a Republican. I liked his style and his focus.

The other guy...

I did not catch his name at the introduction and the fellow didn't repeat his name anywhere in the speech. Major faux pas in speech giving for any political candidate!
Y'all are going to call me a rascist capitalist no matter what I say about this guy but the whole speech was about improving the ghettos in Chattanooga and calling for everyone to "reach into their hearts" and give to the poor people in Chattanooga because we have it to give, especially Ron Littlefield because he is a rich man. I can't make this stuff up. On a Christian note, I totally agree with the guy, we should all be giving to help others. But I will never agree with that concept in government. Our tax dollars need to go to the fundamentals and not wealth redistribution. But the guy gave a rousing sermon anyway. Good for him.

Tennessee Democrats

Everyone reevalutates strategy after a defeat. Nationally, the Repubs are doing it, and in Tennessee the Dems are doing it. It is smart and necessary.

The state Dems just elected a new chairman that is going to rock everyone's world. He is an Obama follower for sure. Which means that the old school Dems like Lincoln Davis are not going to be happy. Why? Because Lincoln Davis is a conservative and his constituent base is conservative. He won our county by the biggest margin ever this past election. My people LOVE Lincoln Davis. And you know what, I kinda like the guy myself except for the Nancy Pelosi factor (he has to vote with that liberal lunatic).

So in my world, I am pretty darn happy with the state Dem chairman choice.

Forrester Calls Out Republicans for 'Racist Smear Tactics'
By Jeff Woods in Politics, WoodsMonday, Jan. 26 2009 @ 5:45AM

Demoralized and in disarray, Tennessee Democrats met at the Capitol over the weekend to elect a new chairman and proceeded to make their party's future even shakier by giving the finger to their entire senior leadership. Charles Robert Bone, son of a long-time party money guy, enjoyed the backing of Gov. Phil Bredesen, and Congressmen Jim Cooper, Lincoln Davis, Bart Gordon and John Tanner, plus Harold Ford Jr. and a bunch of former party chairs--Doug Horne, Bob Thomas, Dick Lodge, Randy Button, and Gray Sasser. (Did we leave anyone out?) So who did the party's executive committee elect? Chip Forrester.

And it wasn't even close. Forrester, the party treasurer, won by a vote of 42-25 and--surprise!--he immediately called for unity. "There's much more than unites us today as Democrats than separates us," he said, hopefully.

Insiders say the establishment now might wash its hands of the party, refusing to raise money or helping only half-heartedly. As Forrester was elected Saturday, aides to Davis and Gordon hustled out of the House chamber without talking to reporters. Party leaders favored Bone for his fund-raising prowess. They see Forrester as a flaky troublemaker. He wears bow ties and wire-rim spectacles, for chrissakes, and he had the audacity in 1992 to challenge Democratic incumbent Rep. Bob Clement in a primary.

Forrester won because of his long association with the executive committee--he has belonged himself since 1988--but also because of something else: He's the new champion of the party's liberal activists. He filled the House gallery with sign-waving supporters. Barack Obama's victory stirred them up. Over the years, they have watched in frustration as Democrats have put conservatives on the ballot election after election. Bredesen, Davis, Gordon, Cooper and Tanner all act like Republicans most of the time. The elected leaders say that's what it takes to win in Tennessee, although the Republican Lite strategy hasn't been working out so well for the party lately. Liberals have this crazy idea that Democrats can excite a mass following in this state, just like Obama did nationally, if they will only stay true to their core beliefs and stop pretending to be Republicans.

One of their biggest grievances has been the failure of the Tennessee party and its leaders to vigorously counter Republican attacks. In last year's losing campaigns in particular, state Democratic leaders outraged liberals by keeping a conspicuous silence as the Tennessee GOP smeared Obama and some Democratic legislative candidates. In his acceptance speech, Forrester brought the House chamber cheering to its feet by vowing to fight back against "racist smear tactics."

"I want to put the Republican Party on notice. The Democratic Party will no longer sit quietly while the Republicans run racist, demagogic falsehoods against our values, our principles and our candidates as they did this year against President Barack Obama, Representative Nathan Vaughn and other legislative candidates. When you lie about our candidates, our office holders, we're going to call you out as liars. There is no place in politics for such conduct. Robin Smith, Jason Mumpower, Bill Hobbs and Chip Saltsman, I tell you now you are put on notice. As chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party, I will not stand by and see this happen without a full-frontal attack on the racist smear tactics that you have used in this past campaign. Decent men and women in Tennessee are demeaned by your racist, bigoted attacks, and I will not stand for it and neither will the Tennessee Democratic Party. Be ready, I'm putting you on notice now, Republicans in Tennessee and those of you who support those tactics."

Also in his speech, Forrester pledged to run "95-county campaign" for governor in 2010. "We're going to make this thing happen," he said. "We're going to make the changes we know we need to make."


"First and Foremost I want to renew my pledge to you that I made to you during my campaign that we're going to open this party up to everyone, everyone who believes in the ideals of the Democratic Party, the party of hope and change. We're going to make this the most inclusive political party in the state of Tennessee which will enable us to build the grassroots organization necessary to elect a new Democratic governor, regain the majority in the House and Senate seats in 2010."
The new chairman said he would hold a summit of Democratic leaders "to look at what we did wrong and what we did right [in the 2008 campaign] and begin to incorporate what we learn into a comprehensive strategy for 2009 and 2010. From this summit, we will emerge with a program of fundraising, new technologies, grassroots organizing to truly build this party from the precinct level up. We need to stop talking about organizing and actually begin doing it."

With the party's leaders sulking on the sidelines, it's not clear at this point who might join Forrester at his meetin

Cheerful Persistance

I had to lead a discussion today in our adult sunday school class on the chapters of Jeremiah that went over the time when Jeruselem finally fell to the Babylonians. 605-606 BC. Now we had been studying this Jeremiah fellow for 35 chapters already. He was doom and gloom, no wonder no one wanted to listen to him. The other "prophets" were just telling everyone what they wanted to hear, so they were welcomed and heralded by the people. Everyone was sinning all over the place, unrepentent, and God was pretty dang mad. Jeremiah stayed true to the message that he was sent to deliver, and he suffered greatly for it. And eventually, so did everyone else, because they refused to change their ways laid out in God's message to them.

But sometimes in history, there comes along a man who gives us hope and instead of telling us what we want to hear, he tells us that things will get better if we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and start making decisions that have moral and ethical underpinnings. Sound eerily familiar?

But of course, we are talking about religion, aren't we?

Cheerful Persistence
Jackie Gingrich Cushman
Sunday, January 25, 2009

I rarely quote my dad, Newt Gingrich, but I do find his 1994 reflection published in “The Weekly Standard” regarding Ronald Reagan’s persona to be pertinent today. “Cheerfulness can get almost anything done. One of President Reagan's great strengths was his commitment to big ideas and his willingness to remain cheerful no matter what the difficulties were. It made him likable and approachable and easy to support. Despite being the son of an alcoholic father, entering the job market in the Great Depression, and watching his career in movies fade out, Reagan remained a steadfast optimist. That disposition was a tremendous, politically potent change from the angry pessimism of traditional conservatism.”

In many ways the Republicans have returned to the angry pessimism that Dad was referring to. This is neither helpful or smart.

History was made last week when Barack Obama was inaugurated president. Sixty percent of Americans watched it live. And according to Gallup, the inauguration made 62 percent of them more hopeful about the next four years. For those who believe in policies different from those of Obama, his current overwhelming popularity--an 83 percent approval rating in the transition is a fact, not a problem.

After Obama’s historic victory--winning on the theme of hope and change, rather than accomplishments, voting record or experience there are a few takeaways that should be learned. Language matters – hope and inspiration win over fear and desperation – especially in the long run. People want to be inspired to be better, to work together, to leave the world a better place due to their efforts. Inspiration drives positive activity and effort.

Again, Obama’s high approval rating is a fact not a problem. If you agree with him, either his public statements or his policy proposals, then agree with him publicly and loudly. It’s not anti-Republican or anti-conservative to agree with someone else regarding a proposed solution. Nor is it anti-conservative to be upbeat even about policy disagreements.

The Congress, on the other hand, is in a position different from that of Obama. Recent polls show that Congress has a 23 percent approval and 68 percent disapproval rating. What does this mean? The conservative focus should be on the Congress, the state and local political levels where the next races will be run. This year, local races; in two years, the U.S. House of Representatives and a third of the U.S. Senate will be involved in races.

Dad began to use the phrase “Cheerful Persistence” in an ongoing manner while building a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in the early 1980’s.

“We coined the phrase, when we were first building a majority in the House in the 1980s, and we were very obedient. Remember,” Dad wrote in The Weekly Standard Article “ I thought we could be a majority. The Democrats didn't want us to be a majority, and most of the Republicans didn't want us to be a majority. We had a whole bunch of Republicans that said, ‘Hey, we're going along. We're getting along. I like my chairman. We go golfing together. We're good friends.’”

Republicans should not be confused by Obama’s high approval ratings, and should not try once again to “get along,” but instead they should keep in mind the nation’s view of the Congress – that it just isn’t working.

More than simple opposition is required. Solutions are needed. Big, bold, clearly articulated solutions that reflect the core values of the Republican Party: hard work, free enterprise, fiscal conservatism, personal responsibility and free speech.

As Dad mentioned this past week in a conference call, Republican’s have the opportunity to play Sam Rayburn and Lyndon Johnson—constructive congressional opposition-- to Obama’s Dwight Eisenhower.

The building process worked before, when the Republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. Maybe it is time to begin again working on cheerful persistence.

In Retrospect

I am sooooo over the Bush bashing. In fact, I get pretty darn irritated when I hear it still going on. Move on people. You have elected someone who is going to save you from EVERYTHING. Dance in the streets, cry at his every blessed word, surrender to the man who will save the world. I am truly happy for you! I just hope y'all don't start whining, when you don't get EVERYTHING you have been promised. Whiners irriate the dickens out me too.

Here is a great Bush recap from Karl Rove. History should be kinder to President Bush than the people who spit at his name today. No human being deserves the hell this man has gone thru for his country.


Wall Street Journal - Opinion
Bush Was Right When It Mattered Most
By KARL ROVE

Its call sign has always been Air Force One. But on Tuesday, it was Special Air Mission 28000, as former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura returned home to Texas on a plane full of family, friends, former staff and memories of eight years in the White House.

The former president and his wife thanked each passenger, showing the thoughtfulness and grace so characteristic of this wonderful American family. A video tribute produced warm laughter and inevitable tears. There was no bitterness, but rather a sense of gratitude -- gratitude for the opportunity to serve, for able and loyal colleagues, and above all for our country and its people.

Yet, as Mr. Bush left Washington, in a last angry frenzy his critics again distorted his record, maligned his character and repeated untruths about his years in the Oval Office. Nothing they wrote or said changes the essential facts.
To start with, Mr. Bush was right about Iraq. The world is safer without Saddam Hussein in power. And the former president was right to change strategy and surge more U.S. troops.

A legion of critics (including President Barack Obama) claimed it couldn't work. They were wrong. Iraq is now on the mend, the war is on the path to victory, al Qaeda has been dealt a humiliating defeat, and a democracy in the heart of the Arab world is emerging. The success of Mr. Bush's surge made it possible for President Obama to warn terrorists on Tuesday "you cannot outlast us."

Mr. Bush was right to establish a doctrine that holds those who harbor, train and support terrorists as responsible as the terrorists themselves. He was right to take the war on terror abroad instead of waiting until dangers fully materialize here at home. He was right to strengthen the military and intelligence and to create the new tools to monitor the communications of terrorists, freeze their assets, foil their plots, and kill and capture their operators.

These tough decisions -- which became unpopular in certain quarters only when memories of 9/11 began to fade -- kept America safe for seven years and made it possible for Mr. Obama to tell the terrorists on Tuesday "we will defeat you."
Mr. Bush was right to be a unilateralist when it came to combating AIDS in Africa. While world leaders dithered, his President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief initiative brought lifesaving antiretroviral drugs to millions of Africans.
At home, Mr. Bush cut income taxes for every American who pays taxes. He also cut taxes on capital, investment and savings. The result was 52 months of growth and the strongest economy of any developed country.

Mr. Bush was right to match tax cuts with spending restraint. This is a source of dispute, especially among conservatives, but the record is there to see. Bill Clinton's last budget increased domestic nonsecurity discretionary spending by 16%. Mr. Bush cut that to 6.2% growth in his first budget, 5.5% in his second, 4.3% in his third, 2.2% in his fourth, and then below inflation, on average, since. That isn't the sum total of the fiscal record, of course -- but it's a key part of it.
He was right to have modernized Medicare with prescription drug benefits provided through competition, not delivered by government. The program is costing 40% less than projected because market forces dominate and people -- not government -- are making the decisions.

Mr. Bush was right to pass No Child Left Behind (NCLB), requiring states to set up tough accountability systems that measure every child's progress at school. As a result, reading and math scores have risen more in the last five years since NCLB than in the prior 28 years.

He was right to stand for a culture of life. And he was right to appoint conservative judges who strictly interpret the Constitution. And Mr. Bush, a man of core decency and integrity, was right not to reply in kind when Democratic leaders called him a liar and a loser. The price of trying to change the tone in Washington was to be often pummeled by lesser men.

Few presidents had as many challenges arise during their eight years, had as many tough calls to make in such a partisan-charged environment, or had to act in the face of such hostile media and elite opinion.

On board Special Air Mission 28000, I remembered the picture I carried in my pocket on my first Air Force One flight eight years ago. It was an old black-and-white snapshot with scalloped edges. It showed Lyndon Johnson in the Cabinet Room, head in hand, weeping over a Vietnam casualty report. George Christian, LBJ's press secretary, gave it to me as a reminder that the job could break anyone, no matter how big and tough.

But despite facing challenges and crises few others have, the job did not break George W. Bush. Though older and grayer, his brows more furrowed, he is the same man he was, a person of integrity who did what he believed was right. And he exits knowing he summoned all of his energy and talents to defend America and advance its ideals at home and abroad. He didn't get everything right -- no president does -- but he got the most important things right. And that is enough.

Mr. Rove is the former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush.

Pay it Forward

I love it when a plan comes together, especially when the hand of God is so very apparent.

Last week I got a phone call from our city councilwoman Marilyn Campbell Nixon, who had gotten a call from the Appalachian Women's Guild who had gotten a call from Hampton's Tax Service about a young, newly homeless couple needing help (I love living in a small county). It seems this couple walked from Monteagle to Tracy City in the freezing temps to see if they could get a Rapid Refund to pay for their bus tickets back to Oklahoma where they had jobs waiting for them.

I put them on the bus this morning, one week later, but the story behind the story is worth telling.

Dean Owenby takes charge. Dean was the person the couple happened to see last Wednesday at Hampton's (also called Jackson Hewitt). Who knows why or how the good Lord operates, but this couple's story touched something in Dean and put her into action. The rest of story just miraculously unfolded from there. Dean, Dean's officemate April Fults and customers Carrie Castro and family all pitched in to get the couple someplace warm for the night and food in their belly. Somehow thru all of Dean's phone calls, the situation became known to Stephanie Gibbs who jumped into action as well. With the help of her church, Lords House of Faith in Altamont, they came up with the funds to house the couple at Regency Inn until their bus left the following week and funds could be raised to purchase the tickets.

Marilyn problem solves the bus ticket situation. A sign of a good leader is someone who assesses a situation and finds the means to get it solved. Monteagle doesn't have a budget line item or a "community chest" set up for situations like the one this couple was in. Her next line of thinking was dead-on, find someone who is involved with a local church. That is where my phone call came in. Because we are both results-oriented people, she knew this kind of project was right up my alley. She was right. I contacted my church elders (Morton Memorial UMC) who jumped right in without question, JoAnn Sargent (who works at City Hall and whom I love dearly) contacted her church (Cumberland Bible Church) and they jumped in without question as well. Then a surreal Facebook moment happened when Chip Ramsey from the Saturday Independent gave me a name of an organization who helped Middle Tennesseans like the couple in question and they immediately agreed to round out the final funds needed to purchase the tickets. It really, truly was an amazing series of events. Things clicked.

Fishes and loaves. What made this story even more compelling was the other missing pieces of the puzzle that came together like fishes and loaves. Monteagle Church of Christ helped feed the couple this past week, New Hope Community Church and Ed & Nola Fults donated funds to help house and feed them too. My Kiwanis/Chamber friend and all around great gal Sue Herrick donated funds for their food during the trip to Oklahoma. Our needs were so fulfilled that I even had to turn away an offer from my Republican compadre and Christ Church elder Matt Pilcher. Now that is a rare moment indeed!

Pay it forward. As I paid for the tickets with the raised funds and handed the couple a card with food money enclosed, I echoed the request that came from the lips of all who helped: "Please pay it forward. Your time to help others will come, so make good choices along the way and be ready. You will never know how, or when or why, but the good Lord works thru all of us at different times and different capacities. You just have to open up your heart and listen."

Safe journeys Patricia and Michael!