Rush To Stimulus

When you're a teenager you live in search of instant stimulus. You rush to find it as quickly and as often as possible. But as President, shouldn't you take a little time in thoughtful consideration? Instead of healthy bipartisan discussion, the Obama administration has rushed ahead with their economic stimulus plan, stifling debate and demonstrating all of the self-control and preparation of a math club member who stumbles across a willing cheerleader.

Perhaps the administration was thinking, "Why have a healthy debate about this stimulus package. I mean, we're only talking about a cost to the American taxpayers that's estimated to exceed the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined." Oh, wait . . . haven't they been complaining about that for years? Anyway, what's the big deal? They decided to shut down Gitmo within a year without having a plan of what to do with the detainees, and those are terrorists and killers. This is just money. And best of all, it's not even their money.

Today's House vote went about as expected with Democrats lining up in support and every Republican voting against the $819 billion stimulus package that contains more pork than my mother's Ham & Soggy Greenbean recipe. The dissent was perhaps best voiced by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland:

"Mr. President, I think our obsessive borrowing has fully mortgaged my kids and my grandkids," Bartlett told Obama, according to statement from Bartlett's office. "Now we're working on mortgaging my two great-grandkids.

"Mr. President, I think it's more than a little bit selfish to try to solve our economic problems which we created by burdening future generations yet to be born," he added.

Of course, given Obama's earlier executive order to federally fund international groups that promote or perform abortions, that little problem of burdening "future generations yet to be born" may just take care of itself.

My complaint here is twofold.

1) When you're about to spend loads of loot like this you should at least spend a month or so looking over the situation.

B) When you claim that you are coming to Washington to build bridges and unity you may want to at least pretend to listen to the opposition.

Of course, if you believe our fledgling President, there is no need to listen to the opposition because nobody disagrees with him . . . I guess he's hoping that nobody tells the American people about the army of economists identified by the Cato Institute who think he's nuts.