Senate Democrats Adding to Economic Stimulus Package: Defiance of Bush administration admonitions

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: NYT/AP

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 28, 2008


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Democrats will move to add to a $150 billion economic stimulus package rebates for senior citizens living off Social Security and an extension of unemployment benefits, setting up a clash with the White House and House leaders who are pushing a narrower package.

As the House planned a vote Tuesday on a plan that would speed rebates of up to $600 to most income earners -- more for couples and families with children -- the Senate was planning to draft its own measure with the add-ons, said senior Senate aides in both parties, speaking on condition of anonymity because the package is not yet final.

The move was in defiance of admonitions from the Bush administration not to risk derailing the deal with changes, and it threatened to slow what was shaping up as an extraordinarily rapid trip through Congress for the stimulus measure.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Economy-Stimulus....

[Fresh_Start]

1. food stamps too, please

its obscene that food stamps are excluded and raising the non-conforming limit is included

[OffWithTheirHeads]

3. I simply can not understand why, when the top 2% own

80% of everything on earth, and ALL of the rest of us have to scramble to compete for the remaining 20%, people continue to beat the shit out of the poorest among us. People on welfare, poor immigrants, etc, who use an infinitesimal amount of total resources rather than addressing the real question of the HUGE disparity in the overall distribution of wealth.

[Fresh_Start]

7. think about the 'win mentality' of Americans

we thrive on competition even the fake competition of beauty pageants and sandcastle building and dog racing
thats why we are so easily 'divide and conquered'
because we love taking sides

the poor are losers
Americans don't like to align themselves with losers

its true in other cultures as well
though I think some are less likely to eat their own as much as Americans do

[babylonsister]

2. Is that a bit of bone I'm seeing in their backs?

[DeepModem Mom]

4. I guess I'm adopting a wait-and-see attitude. nt

[babylonsister]

5. Sigh. I know. I won't be jumping the gun either. nt

[Javaman]

9. Wake me up if it actually happens, until then do not disturb until

1/20/2009

[ladywnch]

10. exactly. we've seen this before. dems say they'll defy jr and

then when jr raises his voice and vetoes the dems all go scurrying like little mice crying, 'we're sorry, we're sorry, please don't holler at us, we'll be good and do what you tell us to do'.

I expect we'll see the same here. sadly.

[DavidDvorkin]

6. "Defiance"

The press commonly refers to such disagreements as Congress defying Bush, thus depicting him as the superior, the commander, the one with the natural right to declare the direction things must go in and Congress as the disobedient underling.

[bemildred]

8. Indeed, Congress making law, what courage, what bravery. nt

[StatGirl]

14. You are so right, DavidD!

I've noticed that too, and it irritates the hell out of me. We have to stomp out that meme.

[jfkraus]

11. Aid to China

Since sooo much of the stuff sold in the US is made in China, isn't this an economic stimulus plan for China?

Buy "Made in the USA"

[JustDavid]

12. YEP

If I had the means I would invest in WalMart because they are about to be swamped with the masses buying trinkets. I suspect these rebates to last 48 hours in the hands of people before WalMart claims 90% of it.

I wanna open a trinket store right about the time these checks come out and get me some of that action. These checks are gonna burn holes in folk's pockets.

Like they say.....If the rich give their money to the poor, they need to wait just a little while and they will have it all right back.

[DeepModem Mom]

13. Great post, JustDavid -- welcome to DU!!!

[mother earth]

15. Let's see this get passed. How dare they give more Bush tax cuts

instead of first handling extending unemployment benefits. We need jobs, not rebates. Even MSM agrees that Bush's plan will do little, maybe a little blip here and there on stocks, but in the end this is going to worsten unless they get a real stimulus package together.

[Dave From Canada]

16. Question. Doesn't this "stimulus" package just add $150 billion to this years deficit?

[halobeam]

17. Yes.

According to the gentleman on WSJ this morning (sorry don't remember his name), he said the only deduction (from the 150 addition to the deficit) would be about 20% from taxes (I'm guessing that's what they get back from us).

[moose65]

18. Sure does

And that's what I find so hypocritical about this. Aren't Republicans the ones who think that the government shouldn't give "handouts" to people? Don't they believe that government shouldn't be in the business of trying to "solve problems"?? This is an election year gimmick, IMO. Conservative ideology is so contradictory; no wonder they never accomplish anything!