The Government Sucks; Or, Stimulus Is Just Another Word for Pork-Barrel Spending

Cody: Nail right on the head

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard that there is a mass shortage of skilled welders, machinists, etc in this country. Many skilled trades people would be needed for the infrastructure proposal. Does that mean we would end up bringing in skilled workers from other countries? I heard that Canada had to do that when starting their tar sands infrastructure projects. They tried to recruit from the US, but there were no workers with the skills they needed, so they brought people in from Scandinavia.

The crisis is government's golden opportunity to explore hitherto unplumbed depths of corruption as they dole out these unprecedented amounts of your money. Better hope you're well-connected, so you can be one of the winners over the next few years, rather than one of those who will foot the bill. Bill Bonner, one of the enlightened pundits who predicted our current situation some time ago, made reference yesterday to "the NEXT big bubble – the LAST big bubble of the whole Bubble Epoque – a bubble in public debt." We can only hope it's the last.

Cody, Love your candor and fresh perspective in comparison to the rest of the talking heads! I work out of a home office and have had FBN on the TV daily since that first 300 point drop in October. Your perspective resonates out here in the trenches and I really appreciate you echoing our frustration and anger with the mess in Washington DC. I stumbled onto Happy Hour and really enjoy the way you get fired up about the things we care about. Keep up the good work! Thomas Jefferson had it right when he wrote James Madison in 1787..."I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical...It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."

Cody, Right on! The use of force to redistribute wealth...uh, let me see....yeah, that would be stealing.

Agree and it is quite evident that nobody read the TARP plan as written by Paulson, if they did, they would not have been surprised when he did what he did. I read it when it was first published on the Foxbusiness website and guess what, there were no controls. Now the Big Three companies are lobbying against terms of the bailout and the $25 Million threshold saying it won’t work! Since when do companies that are going broke get to dictate policy and where are they getting the money to hire lobbyists? GM says they are broke and going to be out of business in a few weeks. Where do they get the audacity to hire lobbyists and dictate policy to Congress and the President? It sounds like politicians are listening to them. Well, if they want to dictate policy, let them figure out another way to borrow money. Unbelievable, simply unbelievable, Don't let GM pull the wool over our eyes. Let them go bankrupt and get rid of the unions or borrow the money with strong controls and on our terms. You know that when they get the money they are going to cut employment like we have not yet seen. Wagoner is an over educated idiot, don't leave him and his yes people in control--he bankrupted the company--he was captain of the ship (why did the President of the company and the board let him sink the ship?). They only have experience in making big mistakes and not listening---they don't know how to run a business, they are a cancer--get rid of the cancer.

Cody, as long as we have professional Representatives and Senators every bill that comes out of Congress is pork. We need to make the house terms longer and the senate longer and put term limits in place. Since the President is Two four year terms, how about we do the same with the House and Senate. Congress persons won't have to spend the entire term pandering and raising money for re-election and we won't get stuck with old giesers like Byrd, Kennedy, Lautenberg, McCain, Biden, and etc.. There would be true public servants in place not out of touch professional who never held a private sector job.