You can’t win in politics.  With less than 10% of the stimulus money spent, some politicians are claiming that the $800 billion stimulus package is a failure, and some politicians are even asking for more stimulus money.  Yet, when one aspect of the stimulus package actually seems to work — the “Cash for Clunkers” (CFC) program — some politicians are labeling it as a failure because the program ran out of money too quickly.  Like Apple Inc. would claim the iPhone is a complete failure because they are selling so many they can’t keep up with demand.

I would argue that the CFC program is the ONLY part of the stimulus program that has actually worked well.  Whereas most of the TARP simply poured money into the pockets of millionaire bankers, “Cash for Clunkers” pumped a billion dollars straight into the pockets of the middle class and helped our seriously declining auto industry post its first positive month in almost two years.  This is the same industry into which our government has poured over $30 billion, so the CFC also helps protect our investment.  And the program is good for the environment by helping to get some gas guzzlers off the road.

I wish the rest of the stimulus package would work as quickly and effectively as “Cash for Clunkers.”  Check out this funny video with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show discussing the “Master Rebators” and their crazy critics:

From Now I Don’t Want to Get Off on a Rant Here

What, Congress hasn’t plunged us deep enough in debt?  They won’t be happy until our future is completely mortgaged and the Chinese own America?

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he would consider supporting a second economic stimulus bill, but that people need to give the first package more time to work.  There have been many complaints that the $800 billion stimulus bill passed in February (without a single Republican vote) has failed to boost the U.S. economy.

While promoting the stimulus bill, the Obama administration said money would be paid out quickly and would save or create 750,000 jobs by early August.  Without the bill, administration officials argued that unemployment could top 9 percent by 2010.

Well, here we are in July 2009, and less than 10% of the stimulus funds have been allocated thus far, and over 2.3 million jobs have been lost since the bill was passed, resulting in a 9.5% unemployment rate.  Thus, the bill has failed terribly on both counts.  Does that mean the money was wasted?

“Certainly, I don’t think we can make a determination as to whether or not that’s been successful — certainly as successful as we want it to be, certainly not as quickly as we want it to be,” Hoyer said.  But he added that job losses have “substantially decreased” in recent months, and that the stimulus bill has prevented many people from being laid off from their jobs.  “In fact, we believe it is working,” he said.

Where’s the proof?

Story at CNN

Walt Handelsman has produced a catchy musical animation that describes the global recession and government bailouts in a parody of West Side Story.

Wor$t $lide $tory: A Musical Revue