October 17, 2003
MAKEWORK, NOT WAR:
Dean Renews Pledge to Repeal Bush Tax Cuts (WILL LESTER, 10/17/03, Associated Press)
Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean offered several new proposals to help the economy during a speech at Georgetown University but it was his renewed pledge to repeal all of President Bush's tax cuts that grabbed the most attention. [...]Dean on Thursday called for the creation of a $100 billion fund to assist states and local governments in creating jobs and offered a plan to close tax loopholes. During the speech, he tied together elements of economic proposals he has made on the campaign. The job creation fund and the goal of closing down $100 billion of tax loopholes were among the new proposals. [...]
Dean promised that his job creation fund would add at least a million jobs to the economy - focused on health care, education and homeland security.
So he can find $100 billion to create one million boondoggle government jobs for Americans but opposes $87 billion to try and give the 25 million people of a country we've been at war with for thirteen years some hope for their future? Man, they say conservatives are heartless isolationists... Posted by Orrin Judd at October 17, 2003 3:33 PM
So his plan is to create 1 job for each $100,000 spent?
Posted by: David Cohen at October 17, 2003 4:56 PMGood work if you can get it.
Posted by: oj at October 17, 2003 5:03 PMHey, here's a good name for his program: CETA II.
For those unfamiliar, do a google search of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (ca. 1978).
What a boondoogle that was.
SMG
Posted by: SteveMG at October 17, 2003 5:45 PMHey, here's a good name for his program: CETA II.
For those unfamiliar, do a google search of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (ca. 1978).
What a boondoggle that was.
SMG
Posted by: SteveMG at October 17, 2003 5:45 PMMore accurately, of the $87bn, $67bn are earmarked to fund jobs for American soldiers and their contractors. It is only $20bn (and probably not all of it) that may actually not directly hit the pockerboot of an American...Oh yeah, and there are still the issues oj mentions.
Posted by: MG at October 17, 2003 6:52 PMMy girlfriend in those days worked in the Cincinnati Art Museum. One day after lunch they couldn't find any of their CETA employees (at least 6 or so, as I recall). A search discovered they were all in a women's room, with the lights out, drunk and sleeping it off.
Posted by: PapayaSF at October 17, 2003 7:22 PMGov't intervention to "create" or save jobs is usually incredibly expensive, whether it's tarriffs on foreign goods, or tax incentives of one kind or another. In some cases, each job saved cost American consumers up to $750,000 each, so, based on those numbers, $100,000 per job is a bargain.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at October 18, 2003 9:24 AMHow did retiring senator Zell Miller describe Howie? Something about the pond in Vermont not being very deep, I believe?
Posted by: Tom C., Stamford,Ct. at October 18, 2003 10:31 AMThey sent me the book this week--the Dean comments'll be in a post later today...
Posted by: oj at October 18, 2003 10:43 AM"Who has the paddle and how did we get here?"
Ted Kennedy in the summer of 2004.
If I knew how to paddle, I'd be President
-Ted Kennedy
"If only Teddy had driven a Volkswagen..."
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at October 18, 2003 4:17 PM