A Few Questions About the “Stimulus”
I’ll admit that I really only half listened to Obama’s speech this afternoon prior to his signing of the stimulus bill. I really had very little desire to hear him proclaim once again that the largest spending bill in history was the solution to all of our problems.
I did however hear him complain that he inherited a trillion dollar deficit. How many times is he going to pull that little gem out while trying to justify the need for this heinous act of theft from my generation and those to follow? You may have inherited a deficit, but the answer is NOT to double it in the first month of your administration.
And also, he claims he’s committed to making college more affordable for all students. Really? How? I want specifics here.
As a student, this is actually a big question for me. Especially since they just raised tuition here in Georgia. Again. How is that making it more affordable for me? And how are these scholarships and grants to students from low income households and specific ethnic backgrounds helping me, a white, middle class student? College is still approaching the point of being unaffordable due to the credit crunch, which is leading to difficulties getting loans for me to pay for school. And with this economy, even if I DO get the loan, there’s no guarantee that I’m going to be able to pay it back since this economy is so far in the toilet that I’ll probably have a hard time getting a job once I graduate.
I’m still failing to see how this stimulus bill is going to help me. Supporters of this bill (all 38% of them) claim that this bill is going to create jobs and stimulate the economy. I’ve yet to see one actually explain how it does that. Especially since most of the money won’t even be used for another two years.
Beyond this point, this post really just dissolves into a long rambling list of questions that I can’t answer
What jobs are being created? What industries are you helping (other than government) to grow? Who will benefit from this bill? (I guess we already know that white males won’t.)
What are we doing to work towards energy independence? Wouldn’t drilling for our own oil create jobs? Why are we opposed to that, especially at this juncture?
If this bill was really about stimulus, why did it need to be filled with pork and dangerous provisions such as this health care atrocity? Why is it the government’s job to tell me what medical treatment I’m entitled to receive?
Why did we bailout the car companies with plans that forced them to cut more jobs in order to be eligible? How is THAT stimulating the economy?
And just what in the hell does “shovel ready” mean? Are you gonna clear driveways? If you are, I suggest heading to Kentucky first, seeing as Obama has thus far largely ignored the storms there. Is it too politically incorrect to say Barack Obama doesn’t care about white people? Where’s Kanye? I wanna see him.
And last, but not least, did anyone else see my allotment in the stimulus bill?? How freakin cool is that?
Edit: Why’d he have to use so many pens?
In Which Our Main Character Escapes to Her Hidey-Hole
I’m not the only one trying to find a tiny little corner of the world where I can easily hide from Obama’s ubiquitous presence, am I? Thus far I have found these things that I can no longer do without being bombarded with our soon-to-be President: grocery shop, listen to talk radio, listen to normal radio, watch the news (duh,) watch the Disney channel, watch Nickelodeon, watch MTV or VH1, watch ESPN (!) or any of the affiliates, visit twitter, facebook, myspace, or any number of social media sites, read gossip magazines, read sports magazines, read any blog at all.
I’m sick of it. Tomorrow I will be sleeping late, watching dvds all day and participating in the SGP Ball (which starts at 9, details at http://smartgirlpolitics.ning.com,) my only inauguration-related activity.
I actually made the mistake of voicing my irritation in front of my liberal friend while at Wal-Mart the other day. Her response was “that’s not his fault, don’t be mad at him for that.” Uh, I’m mad at a whole bunch of people for that. And I’m fairly certain that his “open letter to his daughters” was his doing. Granted, not every instance is generated by Obama himself, but he has a hell of a PR campaign going on right now. It’s actually pretty impressive from a marketing standpoint.
There is not a single place I can go without seeing his face. I feel like I’m living the book 1984. I’m not lying when I tell you that there is a mural of Obama’s face painted on a wall down the street from me. It makes me ill.
Also, can anyone else remember a time in which the yet-to-be-sworn-in POTUS was as omnipresent as Obama seems to be? I realize that I’m only 22, but I can’t recall a single occurrence. It certainly wasn’t the case four or eight years ago when George W. Bush was inaugurated.
And what happened to the outrage over the frivolous use of funds during a time of war? Didn’t we hear all about how Bush’s $40 million inauguration was disrespectful, and how there were better ways to spend that money? It’s interesting that Obama gets a pass on his $150 million blowout bash during not just a time of war, but the worst recession this country has seen in decades. The double standards are glaring. Well, they are to some of us.
I’m unplugging for now. I have got to get away from the Obamania, it’s driving me insane. Here’s to hoping it wears off, preferably soon.
