The "stimulus" plan

The current "stimulus" plan moving its way through Congress strikes me as more pork than actually stimulus. I suppose it shouldn't be much of a surprise that all kinds of things are being attached to this massive level of spending. After all, if we are going to spend nearly 1 trillion dollars, what's a few more billion here and there to a Congressman eager to pass some pet project?

It looks as if the Democrats just plan on spending money left and right on things they favor. Nevermind that many of these things aren't remotely related to stimulating the economy and getting us out of this recession. To their credit, with Bush gone the Republicans in Congress appear to have developed a spine when it comes to resisting foolish and unnecessary spending. They do have a reasonable alternative plan that consist of taxes cuts for individuals and businesses as well as modest cuts in government spending. I'd like something more radical than that, but it's a start.

The problem is that not only are the Republicans in the minority, but after six years (2001-2007) of wasteful spending by a Republican controlled Congress and after eight years (2001-2009) of wasteful spending and a whole host of other bad decisions on President Bush's part, the Republicans simply don't have much credibility. Obama is in his honeymoon phase with the public, so with his high approval rating will get much of what he wants. Unfortunately, that means clowns like Pelosi and Reid will get much of what they want as well.

What does all this mean? It means that people won't start listening to the more reasonable ideas the Republicans are currently floating until a few years later. By that time, we'll likely be in even greater debt than we are now and all that "stimulus" may not have done much of anything to help the economy.

Let's remove "In God We Trust" from our currency

Another new year is upon us again. Unfortunately, it appears that 2009 will be a doosie of a year. The economy is almost sure to get worse before it gets any better. This means that unemployment and foreclosures will rise. That in turn will translate to hard times for millions of Americans who lose their jobs and homes. And it probably won’t be any better in many other parts of the world.

The reasons for our economic problems are quite obvious. Beneath the surface of years of economic prosperity in the recent past lay greed, false expectations, excessive debt, living well beyond means, lack of accountability, and massive fraud. This occurred on all levels, from corporations and large financial institutions, to the government, to ordinary consumers. The chickens finally came home to roost in 2008. As a result, events in 2009 and possibly even 2010 or longer will in essence function as the hangover for years of partying. The sad part is that some people who had little to do with all this excess will suffer, while some at the top who played key roles in what happened will get away with what they did and indeed will remain wealthy.

What is to be done about all this? The American government should start by striking “In God We Trust” from all new currency. It’s pretty clear that many Americans don’t trust in God, or at least not the God that Christians worship. From what has transpired recently, one might conclude that the God of many Americans is Mammon. Instead of “In God We Trust” our currency should feature the phrase “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” It’s not that money and wealth are evil per se. But the Bible is clear about the consequences of greed and of making money ones God. Recent experiences have only confirmed that. If Americans want to avoid another catastrophe such as the one we have on our hands now, they would do well to ponder this truth. It would be fitting if what is written on the very money they handle might cause them to do just that.