Opposing the Stimulus - It's About the Next Election

You wondering why Republicans are so against the proposed stimulus package to get our economy back on track?

You think it's some philosophical disagreement on the size of government? Perhaps "fiscal responsibility?" No. Those pretexts are just too non-credible to the point of laughing out loud coming from today's Republican party. They're the main culprits on those issues.

My growing opinion is that it's something much more shallow, much more self-centered and much more insidious. Simply put, I'm beginning to think the leadership of the opposition being put up by key leaders in the Republican party is significantly about the next election cycle (2010), how the economy will be doing by then and how that may favor or not favor them in those elections. If they can draw down the stimulus, perhaps it's not as effective. Perhaps the economy continues to flounder with high unemployment, job losses, etc. into 2010. And perhaps all that helps their cause because they could then say, "see, stimulus by Democrats didn't work...vote for us for an alternative."

Now that is more in-line with what we expect out of Republicans in the era of George W. Bush, Carl Rove, Michael Steele, John McCain, Limbaugh, and their ilk.

Former Secretary of Labor and current professor at Cal Berkley Robert Reich has an explanation on his blog here that outlines this situation clearly.

Food for thought.

Your "stimulus package" check and big oil

Bush and Cheney are oil men. Oil men have financed their campaigns during their entire careers. This has paid off big time for oil companies again and again.

While gasoline prices have skyrocketed during the Bush presidency, oil companies have enjoyed spectacular and record breaking profits …and remember, some of these oil companies have been around for 100 years or more. These same oil companies get huge tax relief despite the windfall profits.

Also, our nation is at war in the Middle East over oil (yeah sure, go ahead and try to convince me Iraq is all about "fighting terrorists over there so we don’t have to fight them over here”).

Former oil company executives hold positions of power in the government and government leaders often go on to positions of power at oil companies. Oil companies held sway over their buddies George and Dick in terms of the environment too...resulting in the U.S. bailing out of the Kyoto treaty.

So, is it any surprise that recently the oil-man-in-chief…aka, “The Decider”…recommended that Americans can spend their “economic stimulus” checks (ours hasn’t arrived yet) on gasoline? You know, to offset the bite we’re all feeling because of high prices.

Putting aside for a moment how asinine, pandering and ineffective the stimulus check idea is, this really pisses me off.

Our money pays taxes that support the government. The government is run by oil men and women and beholden to the oil industry. At the very moment when maximum profit for big oil coinsides with big time pain at the pump for everyday people, these oil men suggest you put that money right back in the hands of…you guessed it, the oil companies?

Is our government a wholly owned subsidiary of big oil? Has our government – 100% led by Republicans in six of the last seven years – simply created a massive funnel to shift tax dollars to oil companies? And, has all of this radically diverted time, money and effort to the things our country should really be focusing on?

Yes is my answer.

What are we going to do about it? What are you going to do about it?