September 8th, 2010, Fairfax, VA—Another proposal by the White House to spend $50 billion for so-called infrastructure projects today drew sharp criticism from Americans for Limited Government (ALG) President Bill Wilson.
“This is just the gang that couldn’t shoot straight,” Wilson said. “Of the original $814 billion ‘stimulus,’ $55 billion was dedicated to transportation. About $36.5 billion in infrastructure spending remains unspent, and its impact on the economy has been negligible with growth slowing and unemployment rising. Now Obama wants to add another $50 billion to the national debt for one more dose of the same ineffective medicine.”
Speaking in Ohio today, Obama outlined his plans for $30 billion temporary tax credits to businesses and $50 billion for infrastructure spending Wilson said would be diverted to construction unions.
“At the top of their lungs, the American people are shouting, ‘stop spending,’ and yet that’s the only prescription Obama has for our ailing economy,” Wilson noted. “This is a misallocation of resources away from other productive areas of the economy into yet more public debt. The people are saying enough is enough.”
“This goes beyond tone-deafness or a casual disregard of the best wishes of the American people. He is knowingly proposing to spend money we don’t have on things we don’t even urgently need,” Wilson added, saying, “If it were urgent, the Administration would have already spent the last ‘stimulus’ that didn’t work.”
The original “stimulus” included $53.6 billion that went to states to balance their ailing budgets, $45 billion of which boosted education spending, $50 billion in green energy subsidies and tax credits, $87 billion for Medicaid, and $55 billion for transportation projects.
Since then, Congress has passed another $16.1 billion for state Medicaid spending and $10 billion for state education spending.
Wilson said all of the money was “nothing more than a pay out to public sector unions, who in the case of the infrastructure spending are once again being subsidized with funds we just don’t have.”
“With the 2010 midterm elections less than two months away, congressional Democrats are increasingly growing desperate to put a positive spin on an ailing economy. This new $50 billion ‘stimulus’ is just yet another handout for public sector unions who they expect to vote for them,” Wilson concluded.
Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview withALG President Bill Wilson.
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