StimulusBill.org

by Peyton Vantrease, Nashville Nonpartisan Examiner

Tonight President Obama goes on T.V. to sell his stimulus package to the public. You would think that giving away over 700 billion would be an easy sell, but up until now it has not been. Just as this bill went thru the House and Senate to get approved with divided support for or against, we see the same divided support of this bill though out America. We see Governors on T.V. hear them on the radio, and read about their concerns in the papers. President Obama has invited Mayors to the White House, he has invited Governors to the White House, and now he is going to the American public to sell this bill to America.

President Obama must change from his gloom and doom forecast of the economy to a more positive approach. Wall Street will either be his downfall because of continuing stock price declines, or Wall Street will be a factor in the Presidents success by regaining investors and stabilizing the market and supporting this bill. Former President Bill Clinton has asked President Obama to change his economic forecast to a bit more positive. Everyday Americans are receiving bad news about the future of our economic future. This stimulus package is not a be-all, save-all, for everyone, and parts of this bill is not for every state, the Governments of each state will figure this out. President Obama has to let this process go forward to each state, and then let each state use the available funds as determined by the Governor and state legislators.

Because this bill had such divided support, or non-support in the House and Senate, you can only assume that the same divisions will be at the state level. In my state of Tennessee there are already debates on who’s going to get the money and how much. With over 500 million earmarked in this stimulus package for roads etc. and over 800 million asked for by groups and Tennessee legislators, the debate (fight) has just begun. This debate (fight) will not be exclusive to Tennessee, our neighbor Governor Barber is on T.V. everyday telling his state and America that his state cannot use the unemployment part of this bill without raising taxes to his employers.

Just as President Obama told the group of Governors at the White House, you can agree with 90% of this bill, but don’t ruin it because of the 10% you don’t agree with, President Obama must also concede to the states that if they can only use 90% let the states take what parts are beneficial for their state and let Washington take back the unused portion of the monies not used. No questions asked!

Whether you agree with this stimulus bill as passed or not, you’ve got it. Now that we’ve got it, we have to use it to our best advantage. Local and state governments have a better grasp of things needed out of this package than Washington does in most cases. This stimulus package is like a rope from Washington, states will either use this rope to pull themselves out of the ditch, or hang ourselves. Only the future will tell.