11 Democrats

The US House of Representatives passed House Resolution 1 (HR 1), Making supplemental appropriations for job preservation and creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization, for fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes. aka The Stimulus Package. The $819 billion stimulus bill passed the House 244 to 188.

Not one single Republican voted for it. The Republicans in the US House of Representatives stood strong and unified in the face of the Liberal opposition and voted in a block against HR 1. They chose to resist Obama’s will and the Democrats’ plan for the largest increase in government bureaucracy in American history.

To paraphrase King Leonidas of Sparta in 300 when he was told that his nation must submit, “This is America!”

There was no pass to defend, no cliffs, no burning sands, no crashing surf below as there had been at Thermopylae in August, 480 BCE; no one would lay dead and torn at the end of the day. Yet, even so, there was the same doomed courage and love of honor, duty and country as House Republican Leader, John Boehner led his 177 Republicans into Hall of the House Of Representatives to make their stand.

Like Leonidas and his 300 Spartans, Rep. John Boehner and his 177 were not alone when they made their stand;  a contingent Thespian and Theban volunteers stood beside the Spartans at the end in 480 BCE, and 11 Democrats crossed party lines to stand with the Republicans in January, 2009 CE.

Those Thespians and Thebans who stood beside the Spartans have gotten little notice from history. Let us not repeat that dishonorable mistake; let us honor these heroes for what they have done.

  1. Bobby Bright – Alabama’s 2nd district
  2. Parker Griffith – Alabama’s 5th district
  3. Allen Boyd – Florida’s 2nd district
  4. Walt Minnick – Idaho’s 1st district
  5. Brad Ellsworth – Indiana’s 8th district
  6. Frank Kratovil – Maryland’s 1st district
  7. Collin Peterson – Minnesota’s 7th district
  8. Gene Taylor – Mississippi’s 4th district
  9. Heath Shuler – North Carolina’s 11th district
  10. Paul Kanjorski – Pennsylvania’s 11th district
  11. Jim Cooper – Tennessee’s 5th district

These 11 Democrats crossed party lines in open defiance of the Democratic leadership in order to defend America against the ill-thought plans of Obama and the Liberals. Honor them as you would those those 177 Republicans who put their careers on the lines for all of our sakes.

Tags: | | | | | | |

10 Responses to “11 Democrats”

  1. Obama's Hog Callin' | Reflections From a Murky Pond Says:

    […] populace on the Democrats’ Stimulus Package. I think he’s a little worried about what happened in the US House of Representatives repeating itself in the US Senate – where it could actually make a […]

  2. Bob Says:

    “…supplemental appropriations for job preservation and creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization” sounds pretty good to me.

    So what’s your alternate plan to stimulate the economy, Jonolan?

  3. jonolan Says:

    Yes, Bob; the Stimulus had a very pleasant sounding title. If its content had matched it instead being a Liberal Wish List with little hope of doing anything but bankrupting America, it would have received more support from people with actual expertise in economics.

    “So what’s your alternate plan to stimulate the economy, Jonolan?”

    If it’d been my choice, I would have lowered taxes on businesses and on individuals as the core of a Stimulus. I also would have extended unemployment benefits, as had been done successfully in the past.

    Other measure might have been taken as well, but those would need to be reviewed based upon their capability of providing jobs to workers at particular risk from the recession.

    BTW: Did you even skim over the Stimulus Bill? Or is your attitude based more on partisanship and Liberal ideology than on facts?

  4. Phil Says:

    jonolan

    A couple of points:

    1. I’ve written on the subject of tax cuts vs federal spending extensively on my blog. I don’t know if you commented on it before, but the jist of it is that several economists, many of them conservative have found that federal spending is a more effective way of stimulating the economy.

    Additionaly, tax cuts have the added effect of running the risk of back fire since they’re equally likely to be saved as much as spent.

    http://thechairman66.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/government-spending-vs-tax-cuts-part-two/

    http://thechairman66.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/spending-vs-tax-cuts-which-provides-the-best-stimulus/

    2. Obama’s stimulus bill created one of the largest tax cuts in American history. What more are you looking for in a tax cut? (This isn’t a rhetorical question, I’m generally curious, because its easy to say cut taxes, but what tax cuts are you advocating?

  5. jonolan Says:

    Phil,

    No, I’d commented on those posts of yours. I’ll stop by later – probably over the weekend and read them.

    As for the economists saying that federal spending is a more effective way of stimulating the economy than tax cuts, that’s a subject upon which economists are divided upon. I could easily find others to refute them. Of course, we could both find “highly respected” economists who agree with just about any economic position that we could name.

    There also the issue of “what is is;” i.e. is it a tax cut, tax break, or tax credit. Each have different effects on things, as does the nature of who gets them.

    As for the stimulus bill created one of the largest tax cuts in American history, it really didn’t. It provided many tax credits and tax breaks, but didn’t effect the actual tax tables. This has a lesser stimulating effect on the economy – especially when paired with the – unrelated to the stimulus – desire by Obama to increase both capital gains taxes and 4th & 5th quintile income taxes from what they are now.

    I would have advocated for actual tax cuts on businesses, a reduction of the capital gains taxes, and a reduction of the tax rates for individuals in the upper 2nd, 3rd & lower 4th quintiles.

    There’s the “risk” of them saving rather than spending, but each dollar saved is a dollar in a bank to add to its liquidity and available funds for credit.

    Yeah, not a perfect plan by any means, but better – IMHO – than the Stimulus was. Not but what many of the thing in the stimulus were and are fine things; they just don’t stimulate the economy.

  6. Phil Says:

    Jonolan

    Most of your last post was a simple case of you saying “nu uh”. I’d be curious to see some of the actual support for what you have to say. Of course, I chalk this up to you being too busy to actually respond in full.

    I could easily find others to refute them. Of course, we could both find “highly respected” economists who agree with just about any economic position that we could name.

    I’d like to see these economist and information about the studies they’ve done or the research they’ve produced.

    As for the stimulus bill created one of the largest tax cuts in American history, it really didn’t.

    Not true.

    Obama’s tax cut, which is a two year cut, is the largest in history, when compared to tax cuts of any similar time period. This is according to US News, which uses the Wall Street Journal’s numbers.

    http://www.usnews.com/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2009/02/12/is-obama-stimulus-plan-also-the-biggest-tax-cut-ever.html

    There’s the “risk” of them saving rather than spending, but each dollar saved is a dollar in a bank to add to its liquidity and available funds for credit.

    This statement is flat out wrong. Its not even “well this is just my opinion” wrong, its “mathematically incorrect” wrong.

    Let me give you some perspective:

    The total amount of Obama’s tax cut is $282 billion over two years. The amount of credit defaults that AIG alone had was $440 billion. And thats just one bank.

    $282 billion in tax cuts is nothing. This would be like someone saying water levels are low in the Pacific ocean and you suggesting we dump a bottle of Aquafina in it. Hell, if the solution were that simple, the treasury department would’ve just infused banks with the $300 billion.

    More importantly, with our sagging economy, there’s little incentive for banks to extend credit lines, when borrowers are probably going to be unable to pay. When MGM-Mirage, one of the largest casino’s in the world is defaulting on its loan, what does that tell you about economy?

  7. jonolan Says:

    Actually the Liberals’ tax cut is only the largest in a 2 year period. It’s also aimed – IMHO – at the wrong end of the economic spectrum. Giving a small boost to the consumers isn’t going to do much to stimulate the economy; that’s a Keynesian fantasy. Making these cuts “refundable” would just be welfare in disguise.

    Cuts to business taxes would help because it’s the businesses that the help. Consumers are still spending, but businesses aren’t making it.

    Trust me, I don’t dispute that the economy is hosed. I just think that the Stimulus will not fail to help, but will do great harm. And of course the Congressional Budget Office pretty much agrees with me…

    BTW: Why argue about this? Sadly for our future, your side won and the stimulus was passed – with all of its unconscionable and useless pork. This is old news and an old post.

  8. Phil Says:

    Why argue about this? Sadly for our future, your side won and the stimulus was passed – with all of its unconscionable and useless pork. This is old news and an old post.

    Hehe, true. We did win, hehe.

    Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Though your mischaracteriation of the stimulus bill and the reused conservative talking points need to be squished at some point. Talking points are fine, but they still need to be factually correct.

    Not that I’m blaming you per se, just the republican party as a whole. As someone who’s worked for a top republican senator and a stop republican messaging firm, I feel uniquely qualified to say that the conservative apparatus is performing pretty poorly, in terms of politics not policy.

    but I’ll leave it at that.

  9. jonolan Says:

    “I feel uniquely qualified to say that the conservative apparatus is performing pretty poorly, in terms of politics not policy.”

    On that we agree! I’ll that as that as well though; it’s too long of a topic.

  10. Support The Arts (NSFW) | Reflections From a Murky Pond Says:

    […] 11 Democrats Philon 11 Democrats Susanneon Vick Raids Pension jonolanon 11 Democrats Philon 11 Democrats jonolanon 11 Democrats Philon 11 […]

Leave a Reply