As we've learned more about President Obama's American Jobs Act, we see all sorts of desperately needed aid that can give our economy a badly needed boost. Just read the plan yourself and see what's in there.
But you know who isn't even interested in reading the plan? Do I even have to remind you who calls the shots over there?
President Barack Obama’s recently proposed jobs bill puts Gov. Brian Sandoval in a bit of a pickle.
The $447 billion package, which has been likened to a mini-stimulus, includes significant funding for cash-strapped states; much of it is targeted for Nevada’s economic trouble spots: unemployment benefits, construction jobs and education funding.
But Sandoval, a darling of the national Republicans who is expected to dabble in presidential politics this cycle, has generally supported the GOP line of creating jobs through deregulation, not spending.
Perhaps that’s why Sandoval has taken his typically careful path of declining to voice an opinion on the bill that has yet to make an appearance in Congress.
Of course. Brian Sandoval is being "careful" by "declining to voice an opinion" on a bill that would help Nevada's schools stay open and functioning while improving our aging and insufficient infrastructure and providing real jobs for those who need them. How again is that being "careful"?
According to a fact sheet put out by the White House, Nevada could see:
• $258 million to pay for teachers and emergency responders, jobs that have been put at risk by budget shortfalls at the state and local levels.
• $168 million to refurbish old schools and $251 million in infrastructure funding, which could be a significant boost to Nevada’s decimated construction industry.
• Funding to continue emergency unemployment benefits being collected by 44,000 Nevadans who will lose their unemployment checks if Congress doesn’t extend the program.
I'm still missing it. What's so "careful" about denying Nevada these benefits?
And really, what's so "careful" about staying mum on both the American Jobs Act and the G-O-TEA double standard of piling on more federal debt to rebuild Iraq's schools while demanding that we must force ourselves to kill more jobs and harm our own economy before we can rebuild America's schools?
"It's embarrassing," Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said. "The Senate is saying ... in effect why should we rebuild schools in Iraq on the credit card but expect that schools in Joplin, Missouri, at this moment in time have to be paid for in a way that in any of the previous disaster assistance we've put out paid for."
Even Republicans, like Presidential Candidate and Florida P5 Straw Poll winner Herman Cain, are telling their fellow Republicans in Congress to cut the crap and pass a budget with appropriate disaster relief. As usual, House Republicans are holding everything up and threatening government shutdown yet again if they don't get everything they want. I really don't see anything "careful" about this.
This is what irks me. Slick politicians like Brian Sandoval claim to be "careful" by saying nothing about something which could really help our people, but at the same time they're also saying nothing about bad behavior by folks in their own party which may very well harm our people (again). How is this madness reflective of who we are?
“Some of you here may be folks who actually used to be Republicans but are puzzled by what’s happened to that party, are puzzled by what’s happening to that party. I mean, has anybody been watching the debates lately? You’ve got a governor whose state is on fire denying climate change,” [President Obama] said, to applause. “It’s true. You’ve got audiences cheering at the prospect of somebody dying because they don’t have health care and booing a service member in Iraq because they’re gay.” “That’s not reflective of who we are,” he added. “This is a choice about the fundamental direction of our country. 2008 was an important direction. 2012 is a more important election.”
I'm glad Obama is now taking a stand on Republicans' dysfunction junction. Now, it's our turn. We need to make sure Congress actually passes a sensible budget this time... And does something to help our economy for a change.
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