[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 15 (Monday, January 26, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           NEW STIMULUS MATH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, they say we have to spend more money 
that we don't have to stimulate more spending by the American people. 
This is supposed to save us all from economic chaos. I think I'm 
missing something here. How does borrowing money just to spend it help 
out the citizens who not only have to come up with the money in the 
first place but also have to pay the interest on the government's 
shopping spree?
  This stimulus package, which filters money to special interest 
groups, will cost $825 billion. But if we add up last year's so-called 
stimulus package that didn't work, and all the bailouts to the special 
interest groups, like the big bank robber barons, the Congressional 
Budget Office says we will have to borrow all the money to pay for it. 
That means a total of an additional $2 trillion in deficit.
  So, Mr. Speaker, how does borrowing money just to spend $825 billion 
make sense? Why don't we just not spend the money in the first place. 
Let all Americans have an across-the-board tax cut, those Americans 
that do pay taxes, and let them decide how to spend their money. Cut 
the corporate income tax, then businesses can stimulate the economy by 
hiring more workers.
  But, Mr. Speaker, that is not going to happen because the mindset in 
the United States now is that the government is smarter than the 
people. So government saves us all from ourselves.
  Thomas Jefferson knew better. He said a long time ago, ``I predict 
future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from 
wasting the money and labors of the people under the pretense of taking 
care of them.'' Oh, I wish we'd have listened to Thomas Jefferson. If 
this prediction is true, then there are going to be a lot more unhappy 
Americans because wise ole Uncle Sam is planning to spend our money in 
the name of stimulating the economy.
  Here are a few examples in the $825 billion stimulus package. I like 
this one. The National Mall is going to get some new grass that will 
cost $200 million. That is about $1.5 million per acre. Mr. Speaker, 
what kind of grass is that? Gold-plated AstroTurf? I'm sure that 
spending this money will help the economy way down there in Dime Box, 
Texas.
  Here's another one: $726 million for after-school snack programs for 
school children. I'm sure our school kids need more snacks at taxpayer 
expense, but does anyone really think that will help the economy? 
Probably not.
  What is $825 billion anyway? Well, since Uncle Sam doesn't have the 
money left in his bank, that means every man, woman, child, and illegal 
in the United States will have to eventually come up with $2,700 apiece 
to pay for Uncle Sam's spending appetite.
  All this stimulus package does is put us more in debt to China, which 
weakens our dollar and our national security. The government needs to 
put the money back where it belongs, in the hands of the people who 
earned it. Let Americans decide how to spend their money. After all, it 
doesn't belong to Uncle Sam.
  And that's just the way it is.

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