Happy Birthday Porkulus! Sorry I Couldn’t Afford a Gift
More Broken Promises, No New Jobs
I smell Bacon!
(TTfD) Today marks what history books — as approved by the Teachers Union — that Barack Obama can claim his first and so far only victory. The $787 million (actually $862 billion, shshsh) stimulus is now one year old, and therefore America has recovered. Or has it?
According to Reuters:
“Our work is far from over but we have rescued this economy from the worst of this crisis,” he [Obama]said.
Truth be told, even Obama’s own team was not really that interested in “Recovery.”
Looking back, were there any warning signs? There were, but not from the mainstream media whose job it is to watch the government. They came from concerned Americans. This one happens to have a talk show:
It is a fact that that any pundit can offer their take on the issues of the day. As the Obama Administration constantly claims, they knew what they were getting into by “inheriting” a financial crisis. To present a more clear picture, how did Obama promise he would handle the finances of the American people?
According to Politifact:
Allow five days of public comment before signing bills
Obama promised he “will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.”
One could argue that nothing was more urgent than passing the Stimulus bill in order to stabilize the country’s financial assets. Yet, a year later, only a bit over a third of the actual stimulus has been spent, indicating that the Administration never really did see this as an emergency.
What is somewhat true is that 95% of Americans could receive a tax cut. For married people filing jointly making $50k, they could potentially save $32 dollars. Maybe Americans are being ungrateful for this Obama-promised windfall; it is almost enough to put a tank of gas in a new Cash for Clunkers car. Actually, it can be argued that if one did buy a Chrysler or GM vehicle, they lost a great deal more as they are already paying them to produce cars.
End income tax for seniors making less than $50,000
This was great campaign rhetoric, and it probably would have helped many people, but it never did come to fruition. This measure never did make it in the Stimulus bill, but is included here to illustrate the bait and switch of politicians who would do or say anything to gain the power of office.
Tougher rules against revolving door for lobbyists and former officials
Obama likely never intended to keep this promise at all. As the American Bar Association was one of his biggest supporters, how could he actually regulate an industry predominantly made up of lawyers? From day one he not only let the lobbyists in, he also hired a bunch of them to write policy for him.
Had this promise been kept, Obama’s Presidency would have been truly historic. As it stands, it is about what was expected. The idea, however, of keeping special interests out of Washington is flawed logic, anyhow. Who else would want to work there? But if a man can not keep a simple promise, how could he be expected to actually live up to the promised he made in regards to the stimulus? He can not.
Reduce earmarks to 1994 levels
Obama failed, both professionally and personally with reigning in the pork. This was truly a test of his leadership with a Democrat majority, and he failed to lead those of his own party any closer to trustworthiness. He has been all too happy to sign pork-laden spending bills, too.
Had he been able to put controls on the Pork of fellow Democrats, his “home” state of Illinois probably would not have gotten a disproportionate number of stimulus-funded works projects.
The truth is a year has gone by in the Presidency, for the Porkulus and for our empty wallets. Unemployment is out of control, and the nation is a joke to all countries foreign. The Stimulus did nothing but line the vaults of banks and political cronies.
To be fair, Obama is a genius. He must be; he went to Harvard — I hear. The Stimulus may not have been a real smart move, but picking Joe Biden as his running mate has really worked out for him. Sometime between now and next election, he can blame Joe.
So, Happy Birthday Porkulus, I am sorry I did not get you anything this year. I simply could not afford it, and now I think you understand why. You will never be just one more broken Obama promise to us; you will always be one of his most expensive ones. I hope.
-30-
TTfD on twitter
