Dumbasses
The GOP have successfully managed to prevent President Obama from enacting any part (so far) of his ambitious $447 Billion jobs bill. The most recent blockage shot down a bill that would have allocated $60Billion to fund improvements to infrastructure–highway, rail, transit, and aviation projects–all badly needed, and all would have represented REAL jobs, in construction, planning, implementation, etc. According to U.S. Department of Transportation estimates, this bill alone would have created roughly 800,000 jobs. Take a look at that number again. 800,000 Jobs. That would have been a HUGE dent in the unemployment ranks. Moreover, it was fully paid for — not a penny would have been added to the deficit — with a 0.7% surtax on millionaires and billionaires, representing just 0.2% of the population.
As Steve Benen so aptly stated in Washington Monthly:
The contrast between the two parties’ approaches couldn’t be more obvious. Dems offered a real policy, including provisions that have traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support, and which polls show the American mainstream backing enthusiastically. Republicans offered a joke.
One party seems to take the jobs crisis seriously, and any media report that says otherwise — be on the lookout for pieces saying the Senate defeated “two jobs bills” today, as if they were roughly equivalent — is misleading the public.
My local paper has several yokels who crowed about the defeat of the Obama Jobs Act, and defended their ire by saying that the GOP had several languishing jobs bills, and where was the outrage over the “forgotten 15?” I, being the research nut that I am, promptly looked them up and almost fell out of my chair at what passes for “jobs bills” among the GOP lawmakers. I’ll include my reply to them in its entirety:
oh REALLY? the forgotten 15 are “jobs” bills??? They look more like assists to special interest groups to me:
1) Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act–billed as a help to farmers and small business, who REALLY benefits from this? Industries who CREATE pesticides, like MONSANTO, DU PONT, BAYER, DOW…and the LARGER Agricultural conglomerates like CON AGRA, ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND, etc..(certainly NOT the small farmer or small business, and you know WHY? There’s NO MONEY IN IT).2) Energy Tax Prevention–this would prohibit the Govt from regulating Greenhouse Gases, the same gases that may be contributing to Global Warming! (and by the way, the Global Warming nay sayers got a real KICK IN THE TEETH when a prominent former skeptic announced he is now a believer HOO HAH!) So, again, who is the obvious benefactor here?
Industries that POLLUTE! How does that create JOBS MIKE????3) Resolution of disapproval re: FCC regulation-allegedly a bill that prevents the Govt from regulating the internet and broadband. Who benefits here??? Why the MEDIA MOGULS of course! AGAIN, I ASK MIKE, HOW DOES THIS HELP CREATE JOBS???
4) 5) 6), & 7) ALL deal with relaxing regulations on offshore drilling. After the Gulf Oil disaster, I am APPALLED that the GOP cant wait to let their cronies in BIG OIL take another crack at ruining entire ecosystems for generations to come!! Again, no real job creation here, certainly not on the scale that Obama tried to do
8 ) Clean Water Cooperative-prevents the Fed from interfering with State water programs once the state meets Fed standards. This begs the question: Why would the Fed Govt interfere with a state program that meets Fed standards? It WOULDNT. It would only interfere if the state FAILED to meet or failed to CONTINUE to meet that standard. Very Shady. Also, I cant see where any jobs are created here.
9) Consumer Financial Protection Safety and Soundness Improvement act–allows a Financial Stability Oversight Council to set aside ‘harmful’ Federal regulations. Why does this sound like an attempt to dismantle Consumer Credit protections already enacted? Who would be on the council? I bet the Fox would be guarding the Hen House again, yep. Also, no jobs created here. So sorry Mike.
10) Wants to fast-track the Keystone pipeline. Again with the Big Oil. Also, apparently no regard for environmentally sensitive and unique (not to mention GEOTHERMICALLY UNSTABLE) area. Gee, maybe they’ll tap into the mega caldera and fast track the next global catastrophe too…
11) Protecting jobs from Govt interference–seeks to guarantee private companies the latitude to locate their business in the state offering best opportunities for growth etc. Um, what’s stopping these companies from doing that now? Is this another imminent domain type of sneak attack? (My magic 8-ball sez YES)
12) Transparency in Regulatory Analysis-establishes an interagency committee to evaluate economic impacts of EPA regulations (SEE #2) Another attack on an environmental protection agency…apparently GOP memories dont go as far back as the Dust Bowl or even the Gulf Oil spill…..what a load of HORSE APPLES. NO JOB CREATION HERE, just more GOP smoke and mirrors.
13) Cement Sector Regulatory Relief act-AGAIN an attack on the EPA!!! from the CEMENT SECTOR of all places! Listen, if you are going to be BUILDING things used by people, where lives are at stake if they fail, MORE regulation is a good thing! Sheesh
14) & 15) yet MORE attacks on the EPA!!
And not a single job created that I can see. Mike argument FAIL. EPIC FAIL.
So, on the one hand, you have a plan that would levy a minute tax on the RICHEST 1% to completely fund desperately needed infrastructure improvements, as well as prevent layoffs of teachers, firefighters, and police…and on the other hand you have attempts to stifle one of the last remaining Federal Agencies governing excesses of big business (pollution, environmental degredation, etc) coupled with the usual attempts to assist big business make a profit no matter what the true cost.
Well, they may have forgotten this fact, but those who dont learn from History are doomed to repeat it. The revolution was only a little over 200 years ago, not quite long enough to feel safe from a redux, Im thinking…
Its ALL Blarney!! 