While the Senate added a limited amount of infrastructure to the bill, it also created a great deal of tax cuts that I disagree with. Senator Collins consistent assertion that this was a "Christmas tree upon which virtually all members of Congress have hung their favorite programs" is wrong.
I'll go through the proposed cuts presently one at a time.
Cuts to agriculture include a subsidy for aquaculture losses, upgrades of USDA facilities ("new computers") and Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. At a time when the entire economy is hurting, subsidizing one very specific industry, the aquaculture industry, does not make much sense. Upgrading the USDA facilities will not necessary in this bill, although at a time when the big two computer companies, Microsoft and Apple, are both hurting purchasing technology cannot hurt. The AFRI is something designed to educate and create high paying jobs, so that I do disagree with and believe is stimulative. So I agree with the former two cuts and disagree with the latter.
In science, Collins and Nelson have proposed cuts to NASA, the National Science Foundation and the Bureau of Industry & Security. NASA is a typical Republican target but they only cut half; still building a new shuttle with the original $1.5B will create a lot of jobs and could be used as a tool to shore up the dwindling American pride so crucial to our economy. The NSF is purely for education so I obviously differ with the moderates here. But the BI&S is an organization dealing with national security and technology involved therein so just $20M smells like an ornament to me, so fine cut it.
Collins and Nelson went on to cut 50% of almost every justice portion of the bill. That is probably not stimulative, so that I agree belongs in a different bill.
A lot of green technology was cut that I disagree with strongly. To spend $100M on alternative vehicles for the Department of Defense so long as we buy them from Ford and GM (or Chrysler, but I don't think they'll make it through the recession anyway) will create jobs for a reason that has nothing to do with corporate welfare. They cut under 50% of two titles on energy including DOE renewable energy initiative and a great deal of money from a fund for technology loan guarantees. And millions from a few other programs were cut. Look...we need to create a whole new industry in green technology, it escapes me why Collins and Nelson think these programs ought to be cut.
They cut some unnecessary homeland security measures that belong in other bills. I agree with their idea that we need to get a stimulus bill passed without these snuck in programs, so I agree with this cut. They also cut several Department of Interior programs that I doubt will create jobs...not the CCC or anything, just various funds.
Okay now here is a serious problem with the Nelson-Collins amendment. The entire $40B originally going to states was cut because it will not create jobs. But wait...didn't Governor Rendell (D-PA) just explicitly state that the state might have to start cutting jobs including in education? And wasn't he echoed by others? Not only will this state bailout save jobs it will save lives...we can't start cutting police officer jobs!
Billions to education were cut by half. This is something that can be dealt with later. So I don't agree with cutting those programs forever but to deal with them later is fine.
Now, as for the State Department, this agency is very underfunded as I stated in my article on this a couple days ago. That creates jobs...almost all of the money given to Secy. Clinton would go to salaries for new jobs. This money has to be appropriated later if not right now.
In order to get the Maine Senators on board along with Arlen Specter (although only two of those three were needed) some cuts had to be made. And I think that the group looked at this with an unbiased eye, for example, Senator Collins was willing to cut a lot of money towards aquaculture when such may have benefited "the lobster state" greatly. Ben Nelson implied on the Rachel Maddow Show that many cuts especially those to education were just to get the three Republicans who will allow this bill to pass on board.
Susan Collins has maintained that most of these programs are good programs and she would support them. If she holds to that and helps these pass in the future, this is fine.
To be continued tomorrow...
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