Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Republicans' odd definition of "waste"

Apparently Republicans think helping our environment is a waste:

(buidling zero-emissions coal plant that, while cost ineffective now, could be much more viable in the future)
(tax credit for hybrid purchases)
(funding for green technologies domestically and for our military)


...and they think programs to help Americans' get healthy is wasteful:
(money for smoke cessation programs)
(money for CDC and STD prevention programs)
(money for alcohol and drug cessation programs)

...
I mean I could just go on and on here! Their argument against the current stimulus is ridiculous. I'm not saying that every single spending item is closed for debate - it's not. But it seems the Republican leadership is completely unwilling to work with the arm-extending Obama administration and they are grasping at straw to convince folks that the stimulus needs to be redrawn - and wasting valuable time in doing so. Frankly, they are succeeding in this stall tactic to some degree - but that just cements in my mind just how completely ideologically and how completely un-pragmatic the Republican leadership is. And it is to everyone's detriment.

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