Not All Jobs Are Created Equal

At a Time When Americans Call for Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, it's tempting for the Democrats to give us what we want. The form of those jobs seems hardly to matter, and considerations of the expense—when it all comes out of money that we no longer have—seem irrelevant.

That's the Sticking Point for Republicans, who believe that the only legitimate means to create jobs is to cut taxes. Lower and lower and lower. Regardless of whether any corporations are earning enough money to pay taxes in the first place. Regardless of whether jobless American citizens have payroll taxes to pay, either.

It's Time for American Capital Investment.

"Capital Investment" Means Building for the Future, using whatever resources you have available today. We have a tremendous jobs shortfall right now, with an abundance of labor, and we need to get that labor employed—so that people can earn income—and pay taxes—and businesses can sell them things. Let the cars fly off the lots! Let the homes get mortgaged! Let the flat-panel TVs get sold!

But First: There's an economically sound way to do this.

Let's Build the Roads.

Let's Build the Bridges.

So That Once America Is Back to Work, we will have invested our money—and our debt—in something tangible that we can ride on.

The Audacity of Speaker Pelosi

As a Representative in Congress, Nancy Pelosi has a California congressional district as her constituency. But as Speaker of the House, she represents the entire United States. In that regard, she owes it to the overall population to show some consideration for what we, the people, want.

The Stimulus America Wants

The American People Want a Stimulus Bill that looks like a stimulus bill:

Build up the Nation’s Roads and Bridges.

Fund Prizes for Green Energy Initiatives, such as solar power and high-mileage vehicles.

Commuter-Rail Projects, prohibitively expensive in the near-term, look like the only control on the cancer-like spread of the automobile. What better opportunity to get these projects underway than at a time when our need for jobs temporarily overshadows our desire to balance the national budget?

These Are Stimulus Programs That Put People to Work, and which will pay off unarguably over the decades ahead.

Why Then Did the Democratic-led Congress put forth a package filled with the kind of things that brought on the Republican revolution in the first place, back in the day?

Speaker Pelosi, Then

In Seeking an Answer to the Partisan Nature of the House’s Stimulus Package, we need look no further than to Nancy Pelosi's behavior during last summer’s wrangling over the TARP bailout plan. Anyone who remembers Speaker Pelosi’s impassioned, anti-Bush Administration speech just before the vote will remember the sense of anger and dismay that her speech created.

There, at a Time When Congress Struggled to set politics aside and unite in a rescue plan for the Nation’s economy, Speaker Pelosi rubbed Republican faces in it. By her speech, she enmeshed a vote for the rescue bill with a vote against the sitting Republican President.

Nancy Pelosi’s Speech Said, in effect, that a vote for the bill was a vote against the President. Small wonder then that the Republicans turned about-face and voted against the bill.

One Would Hope That Speaker Pelosi Would Have Learned Something from That. That maybe her political “tin ear” would have gotten the message.

Speaker Pelosi, Now

But Apparently It Did Not. Speaker Pelosi’s ear remains as tin-filled now as it was back then. For here we are, at the dawn of a new era in American politics, one in which the needs of the American nation are to be served, rather than the needs of the politicians in Washington.

The Bill That the House Just Passed Without a Single Republican Vote has only a small percentage of its costs going to the kind of programs that Americans of both Left and Right can agree on as appropriate to the role government plays in securing our national infrastructure.

Too Many Liberal Programs

But Too Many of the Programs, which stand out in media reports, concern dubious and even controversial programs:

A Program to Assist in Family Planning, including contraception.

A Program to Re-Sod the Capitol Mall, following 1.8 million pairs of feet trod over it for the recent inauguration.

A Program to Fund the National Endowment for the Arts.

What America Needs from Its Government—

People Across America Are Frightened for Their Jobs. Americans are frightened that they may well lose their homes. We are united in a desire to put the resources of government to work at getting us working again.

The American People Are United in a desire to see the new, bi-partisan, post-ideological era of strong government lead us forward into the twenty-first century—

—versus What the House of Representatives Wants

But the United States House of Representatives, under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wants to rekindle the fires of bipartisan government and Liberal ideology, and lead us back into the swamp again. Both sides of the aisle seem determined to continue the "business as usual" that continually disappoints the potential of the American system of government.

Last Week We Took Aim at the House Republicans, whose blind-siding of the American people displayed a disheartening “Audacity of Disdain” for the wishes of the American people.

Today We Take Aim at the House Democrats, whose attempted hijacking of the anti-Conservative mandate delivered in the last election have now displayed, for all to see, the audacity of the Democrats.

The Audacity of Nancy Pelosi.

The Free-Ride Republicans Are No Longer a Laughing Matter:

The Republican Party and the Wrecking of the American Economy

How Are We Going to Pay for It All? Think about this:

Have You Heard John McCain Talk Even Once about how he plans to pay for things? Have you ever heard any Republican talk about how to pay for things? Even Ronald Reagan? Even George Bush?

The Republican Party Never Talks about Paying for Anything. They just “spend and spend,” and then draw on the Treasury to bail them out.

Maybe That’s Why So Many Americans Do the Same: We spend and spend, using all the credit cards the banks will send us, and all of the home-equity lines of credit that they’ll give us.

“Heck, It Works for the Republican Government! Why won’t it work for me?” That’s the Republican-voting American taxpayer.

If the Republican Free Ride Make Good Sense, How Come the Nation Is Suddenly So Broke?

“Lower taxes!” the Republicans say.

“Spend More!” they say.

“Credit Cards?” They Say. “Use ’Em If You Got ’Em. Go out and spend. If you need more cards, why, just ask. We’ll send more!”

The Republican Big-Spending Example Works with Regular Guys like Joe, the Plumber. The regular American guy can’t cover all his bills. He can’t pay his child support. He can’t pay his Red-state income taxes. He can’t put his kids in the good schools. But he would rather vote for the Republican presidential candidate than for a Democrat. Because, after all, the “Spend and Spend” Republicans won’t raise your taxes. No, they leave the dirty work to someone else.

It Is Nonsense to Spend More Than You Make. It's irresponsible. We all know that. But look at the consistent Republican message. Think about if you have ever heard any Republican candidate talk about how to pay for anything.

No Wonder America Is a Nation of Over-Spenders. A nation in debt. The Republicans and the Republican wannabes use credit cards and home-equity lines of credit—and now the U.S. Treasury—as if there is no tomorrow:

With the Republican Party in Charge, pretty soon there won’t be much of a tomorrow.

What Happens When an Entire Nation Declares Bankruptcy?

Stay Tuned to the Republican Party and we’ll get to see.....

What Are Pelosi and the Revolting Republicans Thinking?

In this Seemingly Endless Epoch of the Republican Meltdown, it is constructive to glimpse how Democratics and Republicans both make a share of the mess, and contribute to the ongoing fiasco of American politics:

What the Heck Was Nancy Pelosi Thinking when she made that highly partisan, anti-Republican speech before the vote was taken on the bailout proposal yesterday? She may have merely been overtired from the long hours, but still she might have shown better restraint.

What Were Those Republican Representatives in Revolt thinking when they bailed on the bail-out? They embarrassed their peers in the House and Senate, they embarrassed their President, and they tipped the financial markets into a freefall.

And What Was Senator John McCain Doing, swooping in and out and around, and postponing the debate without skipping it, and suspending his campaign without suspending it, and then claiming a victory which was thrust into the jaws of defeat? And blaming the whole thing on Barack Obama somehow?


Over the Past Weeks, We Have Witnessed Some Stunning Non-Partisan Displays:

Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire gave an exemplary presentation of the Senate bill, explaining the crux of the matter, and complimenting everyone involved on both sides of the aisle, including by name those Democrats who had played substantial roles.

Senator Chris Dodd and Representative Barney Frank have spoken repeatedly to task, without invoking partisan rancor.

President George W. Bush has called on both parties equally to help defend this crisis. Even in the special meeting President Bush called to help move a bailout forward, he flanked himself with Democratic Congresswoman Pelosi and Democratic Nevada Senator Harry Reid.

Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke made their appeal to our government, and singled out no side for blame.

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama offered up supportive words for those hard at work to rescue the economy. And he did this from an appropriate distance, as one not directly involved in the challenging negotiations across party lines.


Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures. The current fiasco has shown numerous members of our government—and in particular, members of the United States Congress—rising to put national service before partisan obstacles.

This Is the Kind of Leadership the American People Want to See. We want a government that works for each and every one of us, regardless of political party. Once a politician is in office, that person’s previous party affiliation must fall away for the duration. This is what we want to see.


It Is Up to Congress to Explain What’s Going On. Congress must convey, in clear and honest communication, what is at stake here, and what must be done. No more partisan politics, the continued politicization of a crisis caused by failed regulation.

No Bill of Goods May Be Sold to the American People by a government that knows not what it does. We depend on the wisdom of such honest congressional leaders as Judd Gregg and Barney Frank to see us through.


But as for Nancy Pelosi and the Revolting House Republicans, and others who would put party above constituents, there is not much more for us to say. Other than:

What the Heck Are You Thinking?