Stimulus bill Archives - Page 2 of 5 Voice For Liberty

May

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Tuesday May 31, 2011

Pachyderm to feature DA Foulston. This Friday (June 3) the Wichita Pachyderm Club features Nola Tedesco Foulston, District Attorney for the Eighteenth Judicial District of Kansas, whose boundaries are coincident with Sedgwick County. Foulston's topic will be "An office overview and current events at the Eighteenth Judicial District of Kansas District Attorney’s office." Foulston, a Democrat, was elected to her office in 1988 and has served continuously since then. ... Appearances by speakers other than Republicans at Pachyderm often generate controversy, and this week is no exception. Pachyderm is a Republican club, and the mission statement of the national organization…

Dec

By Bob Weeks

Obama’s spending stimulus failed

The school of thinking known as Keynesian economics holds that government should actively and aggressively manage the economy, most importantly by stepping up spending when demand is low. Through this deficit spending, it is said that government action can increase employment. This government spending purportedly accomplishes this through a multiplier effect, as dollars are spent again and again. The value of the spending multiplier -- is it big or small? -- is an important question. Also, the multiplier effect may be different for government spending versus private spending. Now, we're starting to understand why Keynesian economics doesn't work. Writing in…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Myth of Obama tax cuts

As the nation's attention is focused on whether Congress will extend the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, some are calling attention to the Obama tax cuts and calling for their extension. These tax "cuts" -- and I use quotes deliberately -- are part of the stimulus bill passed in February 2009. Polls show that very people know of these tax cuts. So what are the Obama tax cuts? There was one program that qualified -- sort of -- as a "cut," and several tax credit programs. More information about these programs from the Obama Administration is at Recovery.gov,…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Wednesday November 17, 2010

Kansas Senator Lee to tax court. State of the State KS reports that Kansas Senator Janis Lee has been appointed by Governor Mark Parkinson to the Kansas State Court of Tax Appeals. Lee is a Democrat from Kensington in northwest Kansas. This action opens another position in the senate -- another three pending vacancies need to be filled due to senators who won election to other offices -- and others are likely to follow as incoming governor Sam Brownback fills his cabinet. Lee scored 13 percent on the Kansas Economic Freedom Index for this year, which is a voting record…

Aug

By Bob Weeks

Wasteful government spending must stop

As part of its campaign against wasteful government spending, Americans for Prosperity Foundation has started a television advertising campaign and companion website to help Americans learn more about the harmful effects of the stimulus plan promoted by President Barack Obama, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. In just a handful of years, AFPF has grown to become "America’s leading conservative grassroots organization," according to a recent article penned by Richard Viguerie. The recent attacks on AFPF by President Obama are evidence of this. According to AFPF President Tim Phillips, "This first ad called 'Hollywood'…

Aug

By Bob Weeks

Stimulus Pushers

If we needed more evidence of President Barack Obama's inclination to shower public treasure on public sector unions, here it is. The Wall Street Journal details some of the ways that last week's mini-stimulus bill is a gift to public sector unions at the cost of everyone else. For example, the portion of the spending dedicated to public schools comes with the requirement that the funds be used to increase school spending. The funds can't be used by states to replace their own spending. The claim that teacher jobs will be lost is false, too. The editorial notes the rapid…

Mar

By Bob Weeks

The stimulus evidence one year on

Last week the Wall Street Journal reported a piece that analyzes whether the Obama stimulus plan, after one year's time, can be judged a success. (See The Stimulus Evidence One Year On) Robert J. Barro, who is professor of economics at Harvard University and a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, writes that the stimulus may be a good deal in the short run -- if the government spends on things that are truly worthwhile. As we've seen, that is not always the case. But Barro says, correctly, that this spending, paid for with borrowed money as it is,…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Articles of interest

Education, health care, Kansas school funding, unintended consequences. Charter schools: Two studies, two conclusions This Washington Post article looks at two recent studies of charter schools to try and determine whether they perform better or worse than regular public schools. Kansas, in effect, has no charter schools. They're allowed by state law, but local boards of education must approve them. Few are approved, as the education establishment, including the teachers union, is firmly opposed to charter schools. Most charter schools operate on a much lower budget than regular public schools. As Kansas tries to work its way out of a…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Fake stimulus exposed by Watchdog group

There's a new dog in town, and doing a great job already. In New Mexico, the New Mexico Watchdog reported the story More Than 4,800 New Jobs Created in New Mexico in Less than a Month from Stimulus, According to Obama Administration Data, which is apparently the first news story to notice the glaring errors -- some say fraud -- in stimulus data provided by the government website Recovery.gov. The national Watchdog site then reported $6.4 Billion Stimulus Goes to Phantom Districts. Watchdog.org is a project of the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity. There are state-level watchdogs in…

Aug

By Bob Weeks

Stop spending our future

It's hard to comprehend the spending by the federal government over the last year. The numbers are so large, the spending programs announced so quickly, one after another, that sometimes we need to step back and take a look at the big picture. When we do, it's quite terrifying, especially when we realize that the Obama administration and Congress have several more large programs to pass. A video that places these programs and spending in context is available from StopSpendingOurFuture.org. It's short and to the point. The companion website, a joint effort of The Heritage Foundation and Americans for Prosperity…