ECON House plans to fast-track Obama plan

House plans to fast-track Obama plan
By: Mike Allen
January 3, 2009 07:56 PM EST





President-elect Barack Obama’s record-setting stimulus plan — the biggest special spending bill in history — is getting such astonishingly quick treatment from House Democrats that officials say it could go from draft to final passage in one week.

The bill has no text or details yet, but it does have a name: Obama revealed Saturday in his YouTube/radio address that it will be called the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.”

When asked about the title, Frank Luntz, a Republican consultant who wrote a treatise on political linguistics called “Words That Work,” told Politico: “Obama's team are the best linguists I've ever seen. Republicans aren't in his league right now."

“Recovery says putting the country back on track, and reinvestment is the next step up from investment,” Luntz explained.

The 111th Congress begins Tuesday with the swearing-in of new members. The stimulus plan — with a price tag of up to $850 billion — is likely to be ready for a vote the following week, officials said.

No draft or outline or outline was circulating this weekend, but House Democratic officials said they hope to have one by early next week.

“We are hoping for a House vote on Week 2 (week of Jan. 12),” a House official said. “It could slip if we decide to hold regular approps hearings. But I think a vote is likely the week of Jan. 12.”
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=9D809F9C-18FE-70B2-A8BB23E4B43FAF2E
Republicans are suggesting that’s too hasty. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) issued a statement Friday headlined, “Protect the Taxpayer Against the Rush to Spend Their Money.”

“Every dollar needs to be spent wisely and not wasted in the rush to get it spent,” McConnell said.

And House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a statement that he was concerned the legislation would get “little debate or public scrutiny.”

“Congress should have public hearings in the appropriate committees,” Boehner said.

House Ways and Means Committee staff members worked through the holidays to prepare a framework and options. And the president-elect will travel to Capitol Hill on Monday to tell leaders what he wants included in the bill.

Obama aides want a starting point of $675 billion to $775 billion over two years, but say they recognize it could grow to $850 billion as legislators add goodies.

Obama aides want to keep it under $1 trillion, although some lawmakers think the final bill could be nearing that psychological barrier.

Obama aides have said they want to get 80 votes in the Senate to demonstrate bipartisan support and so that Democrats alone cannot be blamed for the breathtaking spending.

In Obama’s address on Saturday, he said the No. 1 goal of his plan “is to create 3 million new jobs, more than 80 percent of them in the private sector."

Theoretically, that could mean 600,000 new government jobs. But aides say that probably a lot more than 80 percent of the new jobs would be in private industry. And a lot of the government jobs would be state and local workers whom the plan saves from layoffs.

In the past, Obama has said his goal was to “save or create” 3 million jobs over two years. Aides say today’s formulation is no change in policy. They just assume everyone understands by now.

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=9D809F9C-18FE-70B2-A8BB23E4B43FAF2E

First Question:

What the hell IS Obama's plan?

You're going to be see a lot of "fast-tracking" with Obama... whether we like it or not... whether we need it or not... whether it will work or not...

So - we have a NAME for this but no written plan, is it going to be centered around SPENDING 1 trillion dollars and writing it as a second thought instead of good analysis work to clearly define the greater problem areas and working to fix things on a steady course ?? I think, which might be what's being left out (the thinking part), that this is going to be MORE like a bailout with some pretty name attached. All I am getting from my senses is a more grandeous WPA program that only serves to front jobs and NOT address many of the real issues.

There is NO argument that the current system of just about everything IS broken and needs fixed. The govs (fed, state, and local) are all running amuck, overheads are just out of control. We unfortunately DO need to look at cutting and streamlining as the first order of business, not just spending because it is a fashionable thing to do. THAT spending stuff is what got us to where we are today.

I would define 'invest' as building something new -

I would define 're-invest' as remodeling -

Having said MY broad definitions, we need to do a bit of both.

Pretty much all of our financial problems stem from deregulation voted in by the dems under the Clinton admin, who are they trying to kid by now wanting to SHARE THE BLAME ??? Brings new meaning to a co-definition of SHARING THE WEALTH, eh??



NP

So what exactly IS the plan? Does anyone know?

Theoretically, that could mean 600,000 new government jobs. But aides say that probably a lot more than 80 percent of the new jobs would be in private industry. And a lot of the government jobs would be state and local workers whom the plan saves from layoffs.

OH my Gosh! That's really rich!

Following in Roosevelt footsteps are we now!

A. If they are government jobs...they aren't private businesses...uh duh!

B. We have a situation like the first depression and like the first depression Roosevelt like Obama wants a government who will provide jobs...where does the govt get the money to pay those people their wages....

From taxes....so govt raises taxes..so people across the board now have higher taxes...which causes every one from across the board including corporate companies to start cutting costs to accomodate this increase in taxes! Average joe q public stops paying cable, phones, gets rid of extra autos, etc etc. The corporate companies let go 25,000 people and these 25,000 go to work government jobs.... they go to work for the government. Now, we've got more people depending on the goverment and less in the corporate jobs! The government who is not suppose to be making money can't in this situation because he's got to pay joe q public. And the only way is through taxes so that which the government makes goes back out to public but now we've got more people working for the government and less for corporate businesses so the government prints even more money and raises even more taxes to accommodate the recent 25,000 new people who are working for the government. So ...... exactly how does this solve our problem?

The answer: It doesn't! It increases the already existing problem! The only way to get out of a depression is to increase corporate/privately owned businesses. Thats how we got out the first depression...Roosevelt went to these private owned factories and said we need more ammunitions, guns, airplanes, etc. This created more work...created more jobs, thus created a working economy!

But I bet the "chocolate messiah" already knows all of this.

But that's a change we can count on!

energy_wave said:

Trickle down doesn't work. It never will.

Click to expand...

No one ever got a job from a poor person.

Perfect formula for destroying freedom via taxation and turning us into a third world country of wealthy in power and the ultra poor pesants ala Mexico.

The 600,000 gov't jobs are probably his brown shirt army.

That money comes from US. Most citizens have already cut back to bare bones financially. When they are taxed out of their homes, Obama can (and will) auction them off to China or Russia for money owed according to plan.

He's working for them, he's totally compromised.

"...Trickle down doesn't work. It never will..."

Heh. Nothing else works. Only the wealthy provide jobs. That is how most of them got wealthy. As noted above, the poor do not provide jobs.

I just love it when the dems start pointing fingers about things they appearantly know nothing about except what the media tells them and that is the true reason this country is falling.Just to keep the record strieght I am niether democrate or republican but rather an American.


And the heard keeps growing.