Do You Feel More Prosperous Today?
02/12/09
This week Obama and his traveling minstrels have been holding tent revivals across the eastern states. As savior of the world, he has made women swoon and young men shout to the heavens praising his name. In his camp meetings Obama has made clear that his plan for us will create jobs, save homes, and put money in our pockets. He promised everything to his children like any good messiah would. Right?
While he was bringing his message of salvation, his closest disciples were cramped together chiseling out the final details of his commandments. As they descended from the mountain we find enscribed on the tablets: $46 billion highway, bridge and mass transit construction. (If you are an equipment operator or a ditch digger, this is good news. I’m college educated, I wonder if I could be a ‘digger of ditches’). Also bestowed upon us is a 60 percent subsidy to help the unemployed pay for COBRA. (I’m still trying to find out if that is retroactive for those thousands of people whose grace period for applying for COBRA has expired). The provision for helping prospective home buyers is all but cut. The $15,000 tax credit for anybody buying a home over the next year was dropped; instead, first-time homebuyers can claim an $8,000 credit; but you have to act fast! It only lasts until the end of August. (Since the banks aren’t loaning money, good luck with that one folks). Out of the $790 billion dollars being spent for this stimulus and the $2 plus TRILLION dollars Geithner wants to spend and the more than $2 trillion already spent to get us out of this “crisis,” Obama’s loyal minions can expect to receive, on average, $13 per week from late spring until January. Then it gets scaled back to $8 per week. Last week our savior told the world that with his plan his sheep “will be able to get that car repaired, pay bills, buy groceries.” He later told us, not to go to Las Vegas. I don’t know about you but I am taking my $13 and investing it. Thirteen lotto tickets.
