PoliticalKilling the Economic Development Administration
Congress isnt likely to do much to create jobs anytime soon, so when opportunities arise, ideally lawmakers would take advantage of them. Yesterday in the Senate, for example, members were asked to reauthorize the Economic Development Administration, a successful program that provides federal grants to local projects.
There was at least some hope that Republicans could support this. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), for example, said yesterday of the EDA, I have seen firsthand that it has led to the creation of jobs in my home state and has been a catalyst for private sector investment.
Sounds good, right? Wrong. Collins, a few hours later, voted to kill the Economic Development Administration
The result is the apparent end of a program that even the most far-right members have embraced in the recent. Hell, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), arguably the Senates most right-wing member, held a workshop last year to help South Carolina businesses and organizations take advantage of EDA opportunities. Yesterday, DeMint led the fight to kill the EDA.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said last month that funds from an EDA grant would pave the way for the creation of new jobs and business opportunities, which will strengthen the regions economy. He voted to kill the program, too.
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said just two weeks ago that an EDA grant would bring a much needed boost to the local economy. He voted to kill the program, too.
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) has called EDA projects key to our regions future economic development. He voted to kill the program, too.
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) recently boasted, I have long been a supporter of EDA programs. He voted to kill the program, too.
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Jim Demint's website touting the EDA. HIS OWN WEBSITE:
Workshop to Highlight Competitive Funding Opportunities - Press Releases - News Room - United States Senator Jim DeMint
Recent Press Releases
June 16, 2010
Workshop to Highlight Competitive Funding Opportunities
The office of U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce will provide a workshop Thursday, June 17, 2010 for the Myrtle Beach and Pee Dee areas to highlight competitive funding opportunities available to community businesses and organizations.
The Economic Development Administration, the Federal Highway Administration and Grants.Gov are the presenting agencies that will participate in the workshop.
WHO:
Staff from the office of U.S. Senator Jim DeMint
Representatives from the Economic Development Administration
WHEN:
2:00 PM 4:00 PM
Thursday, June 17, 2010
WHERE:
The Breakers Resort
2006 N. Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
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Another 'Jobs bill' sinks after Senate vote
A bill to fund the Economic Development Administration (EDA), a measure Democrats characterized as a jobs bill, was stopped from advancing in the Senate Tuesday in a 49-51 vote.
Another 'Jobs bill' sinks after Senate vote - The Hill's Floor Action
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Watch right wingers blame it on Democrats because "FOUR" voted with Republicans who blocked this 100%. It wouldn't matter anyway because you need 60 votes.
Can you imagine that many Republicans voting to help the American Middle Class? I couldn't. Seriously, how many years has it been since Republicans did anything to help people that weren't millionaires?
What IS it you people on the left just cannot GRASP? This is not "job creation"! Are you fucking nuts? The salaries paid to REAL jobs don't come out of the taxpayers' pockets but from PRIVATE INVESTMENT. This is putting people on the DOLE -not "job creation"!
Government cannot create JOBS. It can only create conditions conducive for job creation by the REAL job creators. Or it can create conditions that kill it. Or it can put people on the dole increasing the burden on taxpayers who support not only themselves but everyone who gets their paycheck from government in some way. When government takes able-bodied people out of the private sector and gives them a "job", that is actually INCREASING the damage to our economy and increasing the burden of all taxpayers. The more people employed in the private sector, the better for everyone -the more "employed" by government in some way, the more harm it does to our economy. This is just a re-tread of FDR policies flying under a new name but will still produce the same results. NOTHING. This isn't going to benefit our economy and it will arguably harm it even more!
Politicians, both Democrat and Republican, who supported this kind of program in the past saw it as a POLITICAL TOOL -something they could tell their constituents how about they brought home the bacon to their own state with it. But in reality these programs just remove money from one part of the country and put in another area and is NOT "job creation" for anyone. It is pulling the wool over people's eyes, particularly those begging to be deceived by such sleight of hand tactics. But this is now a new era -and bringing home the bacon is not highly valued at the moment by voters though, the majority of whom now see and understand the impending crisis that is looming ever larger. And properly scared shitless about it.
YOU just prove it doesn't matter what ends up being cut in the budget -someone is always going to squeal about it and then insist their own pet project is "vital" (when in fact very little of what government really does is "vital" -to know what is actually vital services go read the Constitution because it lays it out pretty well) and DEMAND they go cut something else instead. Everyone thinks they can make a good case for their own pet project too, don't they? LOL We are coming up fast on financial DISASTER. Seriously -just because politicians started tossing the word "billion" and "trillion" out there in the last few years on a regular basis now as if its chump change, did you know man cannot comprehend what a trillion is? These are words that should actually scare the shit out of voters because we are talking about INCOMPREHENSIBLE LEVELS OF DEBT. If the budget isn't DRASTICALLY cut, in less than 8 years the US will owe more money than all the world's currency combined -becoming the world's largest debtor nation. It may already be too late to prevent that from happening. Think that is a good thing when the US USED to be the world's biggest CREDITOR nation just a couple of decades ago? (Not even going to get into a discussion about the ongoing efforts to insure the US is systematically stripped of both its wealth and power and who benefits from those efforts.)
Our limited brains only know billion and trillion means "a lot" because no one can count that high. No one can realistically count to a billion but theoretically it is possible for someone to do in his lifetime since it "only" takes 32 years to count to a billion. But not true of a trillion. It would take 32,000 years to count to a trillion. What "rich" do you see paying off 14 times that number before the entire house of cards collapses? And what magical fairy dust are you counting on to come out in good shape when it happens? Or will you just wait until caught with your pants down before scrambling?
Oh yeah but hey let's spend money we actually don't have so we can PRETEND black hole programs like this are actually doing a fucking thing besides wasting more money, right? These programs are a poor use of limited taxpayer funds and we need to make sure government has the funds to do its absolutely vital services -and to STOP with these fantasy programs so politicians can encourage more people to believe government can be everything to everyone and it doesn't cost a fucking dime. We can no longer afford to throw away nonexistent money on programs like this! When YOU are facing bankruptcy do you keep your entertainment budget intact and just cut out your food or electricity so you can keep it or what? THESE programs are the equivalent of having Netflix -a waste of money even on a good day since it contributes zero to sustaining your life - but good for a few laughs when the money is flowing.
Government does not create wealth, it is not a "job creator" and government cannot hire people and thereby lower the unemployment rate because those aren't self-sustaining jobs. Government isn't the engine of our economy. Taxpayers aren't paying my salary -the person I work for who owns that business pays it and he gets that money to pay me because my own work generates more income for his business than he would get if I didn't work there. THIS is how wealth is created, this is how the economy grows and notice there is NO burden being placed on taxpayers to foot the bill for my salary in that equation.
But for someone getting a "paycheck" from government its a totally different story. Their "salary" is coming from taxpayers, not the private sector and they don't generate wealth from their work. Those aren't real jobs because those holding real jobs don't receive their income from TAXPAYERS but by those who actually created the job in the belief it will be a self sustaining job -one that pays for itself because the person holding that job will be generating at least as much to cover the cost of that job. Pretending these government funded programs create real jobs and somehow benefit the economy is a FANTASY at best, a deliberate deceit and lie by those who actually know better. These are NOT real jobs, they do NOT benefit the economy and these kinds of programs didn't work for FDR and it doesn't work HERE. In fact economists now agree FDR's programs deepened and lengthened the depression. In other words, it made things WORSE and made it stay worse for a lot longer than it would have without his programs.
I don't care how many POLITICIANS you want to quote on this. Politicians are not among the most trustworthy and certainly not counted among the most intelligent in this country either. I have quotes out the ass from several famous and infamous people waxing on about how wonderful communism is too -does that make it true in your world? And the hell with the fact history has repeatedly proven it to be one of the most inhumane, cold, brutal and mass murdering invention of man in modern history that is only fit for an ant colony? These kinds of programs are BLACK HOLES, history has repeatedly proven that to be true and it doesn't matter what window dressing is put on them or how many name changes they go through. Whatever government touches it adds layer upon layer of inefficiency, corruption, waste and fraud at a level not seen in the private sector -and dollar for dollar, THESE are a pathetic waste and poor investment of taxpayer money that would be better and more efficiently and effectively spent in the private sector in the first place -instead of government siphoning it out of the private sector and then pretending it can do a better job of it!
Obama is THE biggest anti-business President since Jimmy Carter -whose own ant-business hatred decimated our economy too, damage that took far longer to repair than it took him to inflict. Obama hasn't a clue how to create conditions conducive for job creation and every time he opens his mouth he proves it yet again. The man is jam pack full of comments revealing the true depths of his ignorance and incompetence. For which millions are paying dearly. When you elect someone who believes the source of greatness in this country is NOT its people but its GOVERNMENT -then you know you are in a shitload of trouble.
Great post my friend and you hit the nail right on the head.
Anything Govt creates is payed for with taxpayer dollars.
Anyone working for the Govt is payed with taxpayer dollars. The Govt doesn't make money , it spends it. Period.
Govt is a fat bloated bitch that needs to be sliced and diced.
Obama obviously hasn't got a clue on how to fix th eeconomy. Sur ehope we dont' have another 4 years of this loser. Jeeze.
