- Released funding for pregnancy services that counsel about abortion
- Stem-cell research for spinal injuries
- Stressing diplomacy when appointing emissaries
- Plans to close Gitmo
Those were easy fixes, but go so far in improving our country and our country's reputation worldwide. A much more daunting problem is the economy. The $825 billion stimulus package features loan guarantees and other support to open up credit for renewable-energy investors, provides health insurance coverage to almost 8.5 million people who’ve lost jobs, enhances security at 90 ports, and fund construction of a much needed national energy grid.
The two-year stimulus package will need Obama at his best to sell the package to Congress. House Minority Leader John Boehner: “We believe spending nearly $1 trillion is more than we ought to be putting on the backs of our kids and their kids.” I have a question for Mister Boehner: Where have you been the last 8 years? You've put far more on our kids and grandkids' backs -- borrowing to fund a meaningless war to the tune of close to $600 billion. Where does that money go? To contractors with no oversight on whether they deliver or not, weapons manufacturers, constant construction of places we destroyed, and corporate executives of the above. Mister Boehner, as the late great Ann Richards said: That dog won't hunt.
To go along with the new stimulus package, Obama is putting some much needed restrictions on the remainder of the previous $750 billion bailout of the banks. Now that Mister Boehner's party is not in power, gone are the days of taking our tax money to fund remodeling of corporate offices, bonuses for the top executives and acquisitions of other strong corporations. Instead, the rest of that money will be used to free up credit and loans to individuals and small business.
What has irked me most is such spending our tax dollars on the elite executives while at the same time cutting employees at the banks and not loaning any money. These two thing are what is what is really hurting the economy. The banks have gone from one extreme to the other: From loaning way more than many could afford (which greatly inflated housing prices) to not loaning anything to anyone with even a minor problem on credit history. There has to be a happy medium.
How our world is changing... BTW, you need to read David's post today on his Freedom Writing blog: Starry Night. It is a beautifully written piece about where our national priorities need to be. You'll be better for reading it.
