As Senate Takes Up Stimulus Debate, How Many Billions Are Enough?

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We need to aggressively get the illegals transported and simply dumped across the Mexican border. We need to immediately suspend the free medical, education, housing, and food these people have been receiving via the USA taxpayer. The bailout money would be better spent to facilitate this process as this would result in actual cost savings and job creation (for Americans!) instead of the phony programs proposed by the banksters. Immigration law needs to be aggressively enforced!
Sorry but the USA is bankrupt and does not have the money for these people illegally in our country. I like one idea recently proposed we fine mexico one barrell of oil for every illegal we dump back on them.
America needs to focus on Borders (securing and enforcing our borders), Language (our language is English), and the preservation of American Culture.

Derek2100 of TX 7:10PM February 09, 2009

SteveB,
How can you blame all this on any party? Nobody forced people to live on credit. Nobody forced people to live beyond their means. Nobody forced people to buy homes they could not afford. You cant even claim ignorance on this subject. How can anyone go under contract for $250k + and not have a clue about what is going on? A home is the biggest purchase most people make and most treated it as a car lease. "Oh well, in three years I will just trade it in for a bigger model."
This is a moral issue, this is an integrity issue. This is what happens when millions of Americans fail a basic math class. If your monthly expenses exceed your monthly income STOP SPENDING!
You cant blame any more of this on the Republicans then you can on the democrats. It just so happens it all crashed while a republican was in power. The democrats have proven they are just as bad, Michigan, Mass, NJ, PA, NY, CA all states having trouble balancing their budgets. Al states that have some of the poorest cities in the country all run by democrats.
Was there lack of oversight? Maybe, but what good is the oversight when they are paid to look the other way. Bernie Madoff was investigated by the SEC 9 times. 9 TIMES! Yet they found nothing. A perfect example of corrupt oversight. Bottom line, oversight means nothing when morality and integrity is in short supply.

Pete of PA 4:29PM February 03, 2009

You have it right John.
Republican's, save your party.
Don't let your far right wacko's tell you what to think and do. The "Liberal media" rants
are just the koolaid talking...
The Dems cleaned out their far left wacko's in the mid 80's, now its your turn.
The new RNC guy looks like a step in the right direction. Good luck to him.
Come back to the reasoned debate about how we fix this. Then as Americans, work to make
whatever the majority decides succeed. If you can't do that, you know you are a Bush Jr
Republican. Senior was a good guy...

SteveB of WA 12:28AM February 03, 2009

John,
Are you serious? You can wrap up our current economic situation as caused by Bush and Republicans? Maybe you should actually do some research of your own instead of wasting your time getting brain washed by the liberal media.
We are in this problem because of greed on all levels. Most notably at "Main Street" level. Far too people have lived lifestyles way over their income levels. Remember those commercials "I am in debt up to my eyeballs."? That sums up most families in this country. We ran up huge debts and rolled them into our home loans. Then, with freshly paid off credit cards, they continued to spend.
The America economy is based on spending. Once we maxed out all forms of credit we are now facing the inevitable crash. It has nothing to do with mortgage backed securities etc... Because it worked as long as people were able to pay their loans. Once they could no longer afford to pay everything crashed. We can only live on credit for so long. We are not faced with an economic crisis, we are faced with people who have grown used to living beyond their menas who are no longer able to do so.

Peter of PA 2:55PM February 02, 2009

That the Republicans are now so concerned about spending and debt would be laughable if it weren't so absolutely pathetic ,it is evident these guys have no shame . Bush and the Republicans in eight years made us the biggest debtor nation in the history of the world and I don't believe that was an accident . Even now according to the Republicans and right wing talking heads the solution is cut more taxes for corporations and business and give more bail out money to the Banks and to Wallstreet , what is the definition of insanity ?Like Limbaugh the Republican poster boy said , I want Obama to fail , what does that tell you ? There is only one way to salvage this economy and that is from the bottom / middle up not from the top down , it's common sense but it seems this is unthinkable to the politicians and to the "experts" ( political hacks ) but especially to the Republicans , God forbid !

John Kooms of WA 2:15PM February 02, 2009

It appears that rational, pragmatic thinking is not a trate our legislative branch. What I see is a lot of extremest political dogma couched in a legislative instrument that ultimately may not accomplish its objective which is to put people back to work and to restart a flagging economy.
From a Democrat perspective, I see a bill that provides too much support for schools and medicaid resulting from the downturn in state revenue caused by resession. This represents nothing more than throwing a life preserver to people on a sinking ship while forgetting to stop the leak in the ship causing the sinking. It may prevent some further job loss, but is doesn't address the cause which is credit access and housing or providing support to the unemployed through job creation.
Republican party on the other hand continues to beat its conservative drum of tax cuts and no government intervention in a free market economy. We have seen how well that works on Wall Street. If given their durthers, you would see a plan that reduces or eliminates capital gains tax to protect the growth in investment value by our well heeled elete. This would certainly be needed during a time of unemplyment and stagnation.
What this plan must do is either provide direct assistance to mortgage borrowers that want to say in their homes, and could do so if given access to mortgages that affordable. This can only be accomplished by retaining the original mortgage value, lowering the interest rate, and extending the repayment term so that the borrower can get hang on until the value of the property recovers while giving the bank has some chance of recovering its loan. People in "upside down" loans may not be able to sell them, but at least they will be able to live in them.
Finally public infrastructure that has been sorely under maintained such and transportation and public utility facilities can be renewed using a the laid off construction work force.

Joe Farrell of FL 1:27PM February 02, 2009

Does anyone every look at the commitments made by one administration and passed along to the succeeding one? for example, how much did the Clinton administration commit to ongoing programs that were only funded for a couple of years, the balance to be picked up by the Bush adminstration, becoming a possible deficit or a tax increase.

Don of NH 1:23PM February 02, 2009

Please read the related article titled "Welcome to the U.S.S.A posted at http://www.cliffyworld.com

cliffyworld of NJ 1:13PM February 02, 2009

rich republicans saw that their favorite tax cuts would be gone when the dems regained the power in washington. and so they left the economy in a huge mess that they suggested could only be solved with the very tax cuts they otherwise would loose.too bad president bush signed a law raising taxes in the 10th year but to reward the rich for their bad behavior would be playing into their hands.it's not a conspiracy, just manipulation.

bob shoemaker of TX 1:07PM February 02, 2009

Why is it that rampant, out of control spending only becomes an issue when the GOP isn't in power? When the GOP was fully in charge of DC, deficits soared and the national debt doubled. Now we find ourselves once again picking up after a two-term Republican President, wondering where it all went wrong. It's beyond me how anyone can take this party seriously anymore. How much further can "more tax cuts, less government" be flogged as a respectable philosophy in the 21st century? How much longer must we endure the same answer to every issue dogging us - "let the free market work it out"? I'm all for bipartisanship and I applaud Obama for being open to new ideas. It's too bad the GOP has nothing new to offer.

Tim B of TX 12:26PM February 02, 2009