Letter: Disagrees with stimulus

Dear Editor,

When Congressman Ron Kind states in his letter to constituents, “The President has pledged a new era of honesty and responsibility,” I’m left to ascertain that the new era must be starting today, as opposed to when he took office.

I assert that no God-fearing politician who voted for the recent “Stimulus” bill would put their hand on a Bible and swear that the bill was essentially without “pork.” This economic situation has proven that there are no bounds to the rationalization of Ron Kind and his colleagues for spending suggesting that it will stimulate the economy. The spending of the American consumer defines the health of the economy and this bill has almost completely ignored that fact.

The arrogance of man is such that sometimes he thinks he can fundamentally alter the forces which govern economies. The markets must clear and the valuation of all things will find their “right” level.

To throw money after most of these endeavors is akin to spending large sums of public money to rebuild and fortify the levies which surround a recently destroyed city that lies below sea level, assuring the citizens that the levies will hold next time. When the new levies are completed, the city will still lie in ruins. Moreover, when the right storm hits again, no man-made structures can be built to withstand the power of these natural forces.

So now I hear the next step might be to save those who over-extended and were otherwise irresponsible, foolish or lured by the government-backed quest to give every American the pride of home ownership. This is like using government money to rebuild homes along a river destroyed when a flood came through. It ignores the fact that there’s a reason it’s called a “flood plain” and represents the ultimate in both waste and futility. It perpetuates and encourages foolish behavior.

It’s in fashion now to blame the banks for creating this mess (they deserve their share), but recognize that they took the lead in the 1990’s from Robert Rubin and his boss…Washington set the tone and they raised the bet.

So, if politicians must print and dispense more federal money, give it to consumers. And don’t raise corporate taxes — it will simply drive these employers out of the U.S. and into new foreign headquarter locations.

Tags: opinion, hudson, letter, stimulus, bill, trent, blinkman