My Economic Stimulus Package

While I'm not going to criticize Democrats or the President on the stimulus until the stimulus is passed by both houses and signed, I will say what I believe should be done and what I've written to all four of my Senators (the benefit of being a college student) asking for.  

The first thing I told them (including Sen. Kerry who echoed it) was that we cannot let House Republicans decide what goes into this package.  These men and women are from the most conservative districts and do not have to worry about re-election any more than than President Obama does in 2010.  Thus, they are clearly putting on a show because they know that if this stimulus fails, then 2010=1994.  Sen. Kerry said, and I agree, that "if Republicans aren't prepared to vote for it, I don't think we should be giving things up, where I think the money can be spent more effectively"...a quote directed at the partisan House Republicans.

I told Sens. Kerry, Kennedy, Lautenberg and Menendez that I believe we should be doing the following:

• Reverse Bush tax cuts in 2010
  
• Nix plans for tax cuts...instead hand out rebate checks in the early summer (when people want to vacation) and late November (for Black Friday)
• Spend money on green technology that would benefit Americans instead of Arabs
• Spend billions more on Mass Transit as budget crises compromise commuters' safety in cities across America (and where jobs have halted due to money and can be restarted immediately)
• Tax stock trading about 1% which does not hurt long term traders, only the speculators who are causing this unhealthy up-and-down market (brings in big revenue too)
• Tax inheritance past $10,000
• Upgrade every school in America to a specific standard decided by the federal government...that way poor students can be on a more level playing field with rich students
• Launch government healthcare to save businesses money who are forced to compete with businesses who need not pay for healthcare in countries with universal healthcare
• Spend billions more on other infrastructure projects that will end tragedy like the Minnesota bridge collapse...I never support paying people to dig holes and then filling them back in, but these are real projects with real positive benefits.
• Let's get some more people like Gov. Jon Corzine who declined his $175,000 salary amid NJ's state budget crisis in 2006 and Gov. Sarah Palin who declined a raise from her unusually low salary as Alaska governor recently

I think that one of the important things nobody in Washington seems to understand is that we don't need to worry about what we're doing in 2010 right now.  Pass a 2009 stimulus plan NOW and then worry about 2010.