Sen. Nelson, Where do I Start!

A response from Senator Bill Nelson to my phone call and email urging him to vote no. ( I know, a waste of time, but it's my duty.)

Dear (Capm):

Thank you for contacting me about the economic stimulus package. I appreciate hearing your views.The American people are hurting. They are losing their homes, their jobs, their businesses and their life savings. Economists across the political spectrum agree that the government needs to take bold and immediate action to stimulate the economy and curb the risk of a protracted economic recession. I believe that the government has to do something to get us out of this economic tailspin – and doing nothing isn’t an option.

I voted for the economic stimulus package because I believe it is narrowly targeted to spend and invest in ways that will get the economy moving again. It invests in our infrastructure, creating badly needed jobs, and provides critical tax relief to businesses and middle-class Americans. It also shores up unemployment benefits and food stamps, provides aid to seniors and disabled veterans, and invests in our children through 21st Century education. The bill improves access to health care, and promotes energy independence.

I've read the entire stimulus bill and I believe it will preserve and create millions of good-paying jobs, help States like Florida manage budget shortfalls, and advance our infrastructure to meet modern demands. Congress passed the bill on February 13, and President Obama has now signed it into law.

Unfortunately, there has been a lot of misinformation and inaccurate reporting on this legislation. The stimulus bill does nothing to "socialize" medicine. In fact, it does three things that really help people. First, it lowers the cost of insurance for people who lose their jobs. Second, it gives more money to States to cover medical care for low-income Americans and the uninsured through the Medicaid program. And third, it provides federal funding for the development and use of electronic health records to help doctors and hospitals be more efficient.

Based on what I hear from folks across Florida, it’s clear that we need to fix the problems caused by this economic crisis. But we must take care with taxpayer money. Last year I voted against spending $700 billion to bail out Wall Street because the bill lacked meaningful relief for homeowners facing foreclosure and didn't include adequate protections for American taxpayers. I remain committed to reducing wasteful spending and improving transparency in Federal funding. And once we have returned to prosperity, I remain equally committed to tackling our burgeoning Federal deficit.

I appreciate your comments as they help me serve you better in the Senate, and I look forward to hearing from you should you have any future concerns.

My response to his response;

Dear Senator Nelson;

You said that economists across the spectrum agreed that something had to be done, and doing nothing wasn't an option. Well, the economists in the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) stated that this will hurt the economy in the long run, more than if we did nothing. Don't those economists, the ones that work for you sir, count in the "economists across the spectrum" in your book? Doing nothing was an option!

You said that you voted for this because it "narrowly targeted" things that would get the economy moving again. You mentioned infrastructure as one of the narrow targets. Some people would say that if we can create stimulus through building infrastructure then why not spend it all there, everyone says it creates jobs that are badly needed. And it can, but the vast majority of those jobs will be created after the 2 to 5 years of environmental studies are done, and road way and bed ways have been bought, so if your definition of stimulus is creating jobs over 5 years down road, then your spot on, but that's not my definition. Stimulating the economy in a meaningful, quick way is only done through one instrument....personal tax reductions, immediate reductions. Putting more money in tax payer's pockets and letting them spend it on what they need, we don't "need" a bullet train from LA to Vegas! Suspending the payroll taxes for 4 to 6 months would have increased spending power and given real incentive for the workers to produce more by keeping what they earn. Cutting the corporate taxes, TO ZERO, would help as well. Corporations sir, you know this, only pass on their tax costs to us, the consumer. It's basically a value-added-tax, that we pay for. Doing this would spur on capital improvements in companies, bring back overseas capital and encourage business to expand and hire all those folks out of work.

Okay, you read the stimulus bill.....when? Unless you can speed read like a greyhound no one read this before it was passed. You may have know most of what was in it, not like your GOP counter parts that were shut out of the process. But no one got to read the whole thing before it was passed.

The mis-information you refer to, the "socialization of health care" is occurring with or with out this bill. But putting health care in this bill was shameful. H/C is a totally different subject, one that should have never been a part of this or any "stimulus" bill. Because it effects people at such a personal level, it dissevered discussion and debate on its own merits. Shoving it down our throats in this time of panic, that is scandalous.

Thank you for voting "No" on the TARP bill, I couldn't agree more that it was a waste of money, but this stumulus bill was pushed ahead with the same urgency and fervor. I'm sure you heard this from your mom or grandmother, "hast makes waste", well no words could say more about the way this bill was passed. You said you are committed to reduce wasteful spending and improving transparency in Federal funding. If that is so, then you did one of two things here sir, you either just lied to me now, or you lied to yourself as you raised your hand to vote for this bill. You can not be committed to what you said and justify what you did. I know that I could not have and no one I know could have or would have.

Sunshine is the best disinfectant.......promised by Pres. Obama during the campaign. I see no light, only the dark, back rooms of Washington as usual. Change......What Change?