Obama Asks for $50B in Local Aid

[Valin]

The Daily Beast:

6/13/10

A year after passing a gigantic economic stimulus package, President Obama has requested a $50 billion injection of funds to help state and local governments. If Congress does not act quickly, he said in an open letter, there will have to be "massive layoffs of teachers, police, and firefighters.” But Congress may not be so quick to cooperate. Obama knows that even Democrats on Capitol Hill will prove difficult to convince in an election year in which government spending is a particularly divisive issue. "I think there is spending fatigue," House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) said recently. "It's tough in both houses to get votes." Just last month, Obama saw a provision for $24 billion in state aid excised from a bill that would extend emergency benefits for unemployed workers. But Obama insists more spending is necessary before things can get better. "It is essential that we continue to explore additional measures to spur job creation and build momentum toward recovery, even as we establish a path to long-term fiscal discipline," he wrote.

Read it at The Washington Post

[Pepper]

Valin!

 

The States never cut their own bloated budgets.

 

The individual teachers, police, and others that were hired with ARRA money certainly benefited. And one would hope cities and schools.

 

Understandably, these workers will want to continue to work, regardless of fund source.

 

Don't know if the States hired them with a clause saying it was a one year contract or not.

 

Now, nationwide, like the cocaine dealer getting someone started with a sample, the State bought into it.

 

The States are fully on drugs now.

[Argyle58]

I believe it was Rush who pointed out that laying off of police, fire department, and education personnel is the first threat that state and municiple governments use to push a tax increase.....we are seeing it on a national level now.

 

We saw under the Clinton administration that temporary grants for hiring emergency service employees does not work. Under his COPS grants, approximately 100K police officers got jobs.......for one year. When the grants dried up, so did the jobs.

[clearvision]

This is just another transfer of money from people in states which limit (somewhat) their spending to states that don't adjust based on conditions.

[Casino67]

I guess it is just a coincidence that the money would go to help UNION members.

[Pepper]

Young man, that smart remark will ensure you are permanently on the White House fishy watch list.

 

 

I guess it is just a coincidence that the money would go to help UNION members.

[Casino67]

Young man, that smart remark will ensure you are permanently on the White House fishy watch list.

 

 

I guess it is just a coincidence that the money would go to help UNION members.

 

 

An honor I will cherish.