Target Dems Rush Back to Washington to Feed Their Spending Addiction

“But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had other plans for Chaffetz and the rest of the House. On Tuesday, Chaffetz will complete nearly 24 hours of round-trip air travel just to vote no on a $26 billion state aid bill unexpectedly tossed onto the schedule in the middle of the quiet August recess.”

“Several congressional aides say they scrambled over the past few days to book last minute airfare, which is likely to cost the taxpayers extra cash… ‘With voters becoming more concerned about spending, this is not a politically smart move on the Democrats’ part,’ said Americans for Taxpayer Reform government affairs manager Mattie Corrao.’” (Erika Lovley and Marin Coganm, “Cruel Summer: House vacations nixed,” Politico, 8/09/2010)

“Alan Grayson and his Democrat colleagues are back to feed their addiction, once again dismissing an opportunity to rein in runaway government spending and provide the fiscal discipline needed to create jobs,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “The economy has bled 2.5 million jobs since the Democrats passed their failed trillion-dollar stimulus, yet they refuse to read the writing on the wall. After two years of suffering under Grayson’s failed economic policies, middle-class Florida families are still asking: Where are the jobs?”

“We have paid people to buy cars, purchase homes, pay off their mortgages, weatherize their homes and put solar paneling on their roofs. And of course there was the original stimulus package of $862 billion, though some of that remains unspent. None of it has put America back to work…The Obama crowd bet that you could force-feed private investment with government spending and politically directed credit, but the result has been to traumatize business instead.

“The economy is now 2.5 million jobs short of where it would need to be to get back under the 8% unemployment rate we were promised. With the federal government running a $1.4 trillion deficit, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling the House back into session to pass a $26 billion “stimulus” bill to give cash to states, cities and teachers unions.” (“It Isn’t Working,” Wall Street Journal, 8/07/2010)

According to new data from the Commerce Department, personal incomes have taken a hit as consequence of House Democrats’ pro-government, anti-small business agenda:

“Personal income took a hit in most of the U.S. last year with the only gains coming from government support, according to new data from the Commerce Department. Incomes would have fallen further without government support…On average, personal income dropped 1.8% in 2009, following a 2.7% increase in 2007.

“In areas that saw gains, most of the increases came from the government in one way or another. In 77 of the 134 regions that saw incomes increase, the growth came from transfer receipts such as unemployment benefits or Social Security payments. In most of the remaining 57 metro areas, the gains were concentrated in the government sector, the Commerce Department said, including strong growth in military earnings.” (Phil Izzo “U.S. Incomes Tumbled in 2009,” Wall Street Journal, 8/09/2010)

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