It’s nice to see that not all Democrats are so enthralled with the Messiah that their sole goal will be to pass what he wants. Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC) is rightly concerned that the stimulus is just going to be one big pet projectpalooza.
Shuler, who twice voted against the $700 billion bank rescue and the bailout of the Big Three automakers, said he could support a stimulus package only with certain assurances.
“This can’t be a Christmas tree,” Shuler said. “It can’t be the pet projects of the House and Senate.”
Shuler said the money must go toward infrastructure construction and the expansion of broadband Internet access throughout the country. The bill should focus on job creation, he added.
“We want people to work,” he said. “We need to be building bridges. We need to be laying infrastructure.”
But Shuler said the price tag of the stimulus package is high, and he is concerned about returning fiscal responsibility to Washington. He is a member of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Caucus and was recently elected whip of the group.
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) is more direct in his misgivings. He doubts the effectiveness that even such a large price tag will have on the economy:
Senator Kent Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat, said his committee projects the plan will reduce the unemployment rate by “maybe” 1 percent, or about half of the 3 million jobs Obama has said the plan would generate.
Blue Dogs will be an important ally for us on many-an-issue in the next two to four years.
by Stephan Tawney on Tue, Jan 20, 2009