Oh for a high quality candidate to toss this asshat out of Congress - grrrr.
Here's the response from my Congressman (and I use the term with oh so much regret and loathing), Jim Gerlach (PA-06), to whichever of the numerous e-mails I've sent to him (and Casey and Specter both of whom I called earlier today) of late about the stimulus bill:
Dear Mr. [me]:
Thank you for contacting me about H.R. 1, the proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. I appreciate the opportunity to share my views with you.
As you may know, the House of Representatives recently debated H.R. 1, the House Democrat Majority's legislation aimed at stimulating the economy. While the legislation passed the House on January 28th by a vote of 244 - 188, it was opposed by all Republicans and 11 Democrats.
continued after the fold...
In reviewing the bill, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that it would result in $819 billion in spending and tax cuts, with a third of the total ($275 billion) in tax cuts for individuals and businesses. What is most troubling about CBO's estimate, and what I believe caused many Members to oppose the bill, is its estimation that less than half of the bill's expenditures would be used in the next year - the precise time period an economic stimulus is crucially needed. Further, CBO estimated that H.R. 1 would have a total impact of $1.1 trillion on our federal debt since we would have to pay approximately $300 billion in interest to pay off the indebtedness we'd be incurring to finance this legislation.
There is no doubt that Congress has a role to play in helping revitalize our stagnant economy and ensure that businesses can grow and create jobs. However, we have a responsibility to families, business owners and future generations to make prudent choices in how we spend taxpayer dollars so that we can positively impact the economy rather than simply engaging in reckless spending. I voted against this $819 billion spending plan because it is long on promises and rhetoric, but woefully short on meaningful, immediate remedies for creating and securing jobs, nurturing small businesses and investing wisely in our roads, bridges and mass transit systems.
Despite differences over spending, many of my Republican colleagues can find common ground with Democrats on investing in shovel-ready, long-term infrastructure projects for roads, bridges and mass transit to get our economy moving immediately. Yet, less than 5 percent of this bill is dedicated to highway construction projects and public transportation upgrades, and only 7 percent of that funding can be spent this year according to transportation officials.
I believe Congress should instead be looking at a $50 billion investment in critically-needed road and bridge construction and as much as another $10 billion to turn abandoned industrial sites into productive commercial uses. Additionally, we should allow business owners and families to keep more of their hard-earned money. One idea is to give small businesses with fewer than 500 employees a 20 percent reduction in their taxes, a move that will free up more money to hire new employees and put America back to work. Furthermore, for those who are out of work and doing their best to find a job, the federal government should stop taxing their unemployment compensation benefits. This would provide immediate fiscal relief for our citizens at a time when they need it most.
Our vote on January 28th is not the end of this process of working to find ways to get our economy back on track. The Senate is working on its own version of a stimulus package, and President Obama has stated that he wants the stimulus package to have bipartisan support. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the President on an economic stimulus package that contains targeted investments and spending that will put Americans back to work.
Again, thank you for contacting me about this important subject. I appreciate the opportunity to respond. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you or your family in the future.
With kind regards, I am [not a typo - that's where it ended]
There is so much absolute complete bullshit in that e-mail that I can't begin to respond intelligently to all of it, but, I did the best I could (being at work and all), as I was completely unable to let it sit until later.
Here's what I shouted responded back with teeth tightly gritted:(via the House website):
Congressman Gerlach,
I find the statistics you cite in your recent e-mail response regarding your voting against HB 1 to be disingenuous. While it would be good if there were more spending in the bill for mass transit, it is rather curious that despite this deficiency the great majority of Democratic and Republican governors are lining up behind the bill.
There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that business tax breaks/incentives would be wholly ineffective; I had my own business for over a decade and rest assured that the only thing that would have had me hiring more workers would have been more sales. The only thing that will get consumers spending again is the promise of employment.
Infrastructure spending will no doubt create jobs, but we not only need to create new jobs but also stop the layoffs. There are a host of measures in the existing bill that will spend real money on real goods and services, even if they are not transportation infrastructure.
The bill is certainly not perfect, but to imply that spending of well less than $100 billion would be even remotely sufficient to deal with the current crises is either completely naive or purposefully deceitful. As Nobelaureate Paul Krugman has clearly pointed out on the Sunday talk circuit, if there is any risk, it is that the President's bill is too small.
Moreover, as tax cuts are not going to do me or anyone like me any good. I'm not going to go out and spend it. Not unless and until I know my job is secure. If you want to improve the bill, eliminate the tax cuts for anyone making over $100,000 and entirely for businesses. When businesses see things turning around they'll start filling open positions, not before.
Finally, it is beyond insensitive to force the stripping of provisions in the bill that would have helped unemployed people maintain health insurance, especially those over 55 who will have an especially hard time getting a new job at anything approaching their former salaries, as the Republican caucus has done. Congress should be working to extend the social safety net before, not after we sink into a depression.
I am very disappointed that you have chosen to toe the Republican Party line rather than walk the independent thinker talk you have consistently campaigned on. I hope that moving forward you will work towards a very substantial stimulus bill with at least $800 billion in Federal Government spending. Better if more of the spending is on renewable energy, energy efficiency (another high-ROI item that does create jobs being bad-mouthed by your Republican colleagues), mass transit, the power-grid, high-speed internet infrastructure, healthcare and education, but still absolutely necessary even if the spending is on sod for the Capital Mall.
Sincerely,