Stimulus or Porkulus or Political Game?

President Obama and Co. want to push through Congress an $825 billion (plus) "stimulus" package to be "a quick jolt the economy." This is on top of the nearly $1 trillion "emergency economic recovery" package Congress rammed through in 2008 at the behest of former President Bush.

In 2008 it was absolutely "imperative" that the "emergency economic recovery" package be passed because allegedly the economy was in dire peril. The passage of the package was supposed to "unlock the credit markets" and help us avoid a long, drawn-out recession.

Has anyone noticed that it didn't work?

In fact, barely 1/3 of the appropriated funds have been disbursed, mostly to banks which ended up going on a buying spree to merge with other banks that were in trouble.

Yesterday, over 50,000 layoffs were announced. 50,000 in one day.

Hello, recession!

So now Congress and the president want to spend another $825 billion. But what's this from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

In 2009, the new "stimulus" package will result in total spending of barely $26 billion of the $825 billion. That's about 3.2% of the total "stimulus." How is that supposed to jolt the economy?

In 2010 -- the year of the mid-term elections -- another $110 billion will be spent or 13.3%.

So in two years only 16.5% of the $825 billion will have been spent; that leaves 83.5% of the money left to spend in the last 2 years of Obama's administration.

That's a whopping $688.9 billion to spend right before this administration faces a reelection.

The timing is not a coincidence. It is nothing more than a political ploy.

Worse still is what the CBO reports as the benefits of this "stimulus" package. Consider:

Only $30 billion or 3.6% will be spent on roads and highways.

Only 2% will be spent on development of "clean" energy.

Where is the majority of the money going: federal programs -- to buy new computers and replace federal cars with more energy-efficient ones; to help fund Amtrak and buy new uniforms for the TSA; several million is going to NASA and billions are being poured into federal programs that have yet and may never produce one single job.

What the president and the Democrats in Congress are doing is using FEAR to get Americans to support a political power grab that is sure to entrench the Democrats in power for decades to come.

FEAR -- False Evidence Appearing Real

Don't fall for their ploy. Don't accept their false evidence. Demand accountability. Demand real bipartsianship.