Speaking Frankly

Is there some requirement that those in Congress cannot speak the truth directly? It certainly seems that way. Yesterday, Congressman Barney Frank was on the Sunday morning shows and his sound bite response to Republican criticism of the stimulus package was to say that tax cuts never built a bridge or repaired a road. Bravo! Way to go Barney! The only problem with what you say is that is does not address the point. Instead it tries the old method of setting up a straw man and then knocking it down.

Republicans certainly want more tax cuts in the package, but that is not the principal objection to the plan. They do not oppose infrastructure improvments, but they want those improvements to be built now -- not in 2011 or later. Only by spending now will the economy be helped. The bill as written does not acomplish this. Republicans also want money spent on stimulus to actually stimulate the economy -- pet Democrat projects like treating STD's or money for ACORN do not do anything for the economy. There are hundreds of billions of dollars of these non-stimulating spending plans in the bill. Indeed, less than a quarter of the total spending will have any positive effect on the economy. The rest is just Barney Frank and friends trying to get through Congress plans that could not pass if they were debated on their own merits.