About That Stimulus Bill

“As it stands, there are no new jobs in this bill, no new ideas, just new spending.”

So says my U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

Let’s compare that to reality:

The White House released figures Wednesday saying the package would boost employment in every state, including saving or creating 75,000 jobs in Tennessee over two years.

But you don’t trust the government, do you? Bunch of liberals.

David Penn, a Middle Tennessee State University economist, said the Obama administration's projection seems achievable.

But you don’t trust economists, do you? Bunch of liberals.

Gregory Brown, who teaches economics at Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tenn., considers the White House estimate of jobs a conservative one. He expects the stimulus to save at least 100,000 jobs over the two-year period and create another 25,000 to 30,000 positions.

But you don’t trust academics, do you? Bunch of liberals.

Still, a number of business and industry leaders in Tennessee laud Obama's stimulus concept as a way to create jobs and head off an even deeper economic crisis, reports the Tennessean.

But you don’t trust the media, do you? Bunch of liberals.

Well, damn, I guess the only people left to trust is Marsha Blackburn herself. So lets see what she says just two sentences later in the same press release:

Included in the new spending; is $600 million to buy new cars for government workers, $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, and $335 million for STD education and prevention.

Um, Congressman? Who’s gonna make those cars? Who’s gonna sell those cars? Who’s gonna ship them to Washington? What about the artists and art supply stores and art supply manufacturers and museum owners, etc.? What about the doctors and the pharmaceutical companies and printing companies that get to print out all those clymedia brochures?

Yeah, that money doesn’t just vanish, Congressman -- IT GOES INTO THE ECONOMY!! And even if your whining made any sense, which it doesn’t, you’re only talking about 0.118% of the bill. Is that really the best you’ve got?

(Why the heck is there a semi-colon in that last Marsha Blackburn snippet? But who cares what grammar teachers say anyway. Bunch of liberals.)