"Obama signs $26b state aid bill after House OK; Mass. to get $655m for programs" by Matt Viser, Globe Staff | August 11, 2010
WASHINGTON — House lawmakers scurried back to Capitol Hill yesterday — booking last-minute flights and canceling appearances at town halls — and approved a $26 billion package that will provide aid to states....
The rare one-day session, interrupting a six-week congressional recess, was scheduled after the Senate surprisingly passed the bill last week.
Related: U.S. Senate Trying to Save Own Skins
It's too late for that.
All incumbents out (unless they stand against Israel).
The measure, which President Obama signed two hours after the House passage, will boost Medicaid and education funding and is expected to help prevent states and local governments from laying off hundreds of thousands of teachers, firefighters, and police officers....
By taking food out of the mouths of the hungry.
What, couldn't spare a few billion from the wars?
The $26 billion in federal spending would be offset by several changes. Republicans and businesses have objected to $10 billion that would come through raising taxes on some US-based multinational companies.
Like pulling teeth getting those taxes out of corporations.
Democrats and advocates for the poor are aggravated over a plan to phase out an increase in food stamp payments.
With MORE PEOPLE than EVER going HUNGRY in this country (including yours truly; it's a cup of coffee in the morning and a meal in the afternoon. Maybe that's why I'm not getting much blogging done and am napping too much)!
According to an estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill would reduce the deficit by $1.4 billion over a decade.
Oh, really?
The whole thing will cut the deficit, too!
Is there no lie they won't tell down there?
But hey, it is not like you need food stamps, America.
"Food stamp use hit record 40.8m in May" by Bloomberg News | August 5, 2010
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who are receiving food stamps rose to a record 40.8 million in May as the jobless rate hovered near a 27-year high, the government reported yesterday....
Participation has set records for 18 straight months....
That's all right; the Obama's are eating good.
See: An Entourage Surpassing the Queen's
Are you hungry, taxpayer?
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Related: Michelle Obama's Appetite
Slow Saturday Special: Look Who I Had Lunch With
Yeah, the Obama's are eating good, though!Oh, yeah, and it turns out the $26 billion is nothing but a tear in the ocean:
"More layoffs expected at state and local levels; Federal aid won’t stanch job losses" by Jeannine Aversa, Associated Press | August 9, 2010
WASHINGTON — An injection of $26 billion in federal aid will not be enough to save the jobs of more than a half million people who work for state and local governments or for companies that do business with them.
It's what we call CHUMP CHANGE in the real world.
Economists say state and local budget gaps are so vast that up to 30,000 public jobs will be cut each month at least through year’s end. And private companies that contract with states and localities are likely to cut even more deeply.
All told, 600,000 to 700,000 jobs will probably vanish over the next 12 months at states, localities, private contractors, and other businesses that depend on government business, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington think tank....
When states and localities slash services and jobs, so do companies that contract with those governments to build school buildings or repair bridges.
Yup, but need money for a war?
Congress will get right on it.
Related: Avoid I-93
Also see: Memory Hole: Massachusetts' State Budget
How Massachusetts Balances Its Budget
Mass. State Budget: Screwing Cities and TownsAnd you wonder why your bridges are falling apart?
The cutbacks ripple through the national economy, causing individuals to spend less, too. Full-time state and local government workers earn an average of $82,800 in wages and benefits annually, according to Labor Department data....
As you suffer foreclosure and bankruptcy, taxpayers.
See: Things Are Tough All Over in Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Model: Municipal Health Mess
Towns to Pay Health Tax For Public Servants
Pretty good deals "you" gave them, 'eh, taxpayers?
Unlike the federal government, every state but Vermont requires a balanced budget. That is why the pace of both service cuts and layoffs is expected to persist, even while the struggling economy forces more people to turn to states for health care and other social services....
But the BANKS, CORPORATIONS, and POLITICIANS will still get their tax loot.
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