Our nation guarantees its citizens many rights. That includes dissenting and disagreeing with its leaders. Thanks to U.S. President Barack Obama's stimulus package, congressional Republicans have exercised that right profusely. However, those legislators and their Right-Wing allies seem to go beyond opposition. Take U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-AL, for example. Sharing observations that the package has flaws was insufficient.
Speaking to constituents in Cullman County, Shelby cast doubt about Obama's U.S. citizenship. He was addressing a resident's concern about rumors that arose during the presidential campaign, according to the Cullman Times' Patrick McCreless.
“Well his father was Kenyan and they said he was born in Hawaii, but I haven’t seen any birth certificate,” Shelby said. “You have to be born in America to be president.”
The country faces one of its most trying economic times. But, no matter, Shelby still decides to mire himself in a genealogical debate. For the record, the Associated Press located a birth certificate. And a birth announcement was printed in a Honolulu newspaper. It's the economy, not citizenship, stupid—a Bush administration-decimated economy. When another citizen pointed that out, Shelby chose not to speak to that point.
For all the talk about tax-and-spend liberals, Bush and his cronies got the act of spending down. They have poured billions into the Iraq War. The National Priorities Project pegged the current cost at nearly $600 billion, as of Sunday, Feb. 22. (http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home) So, Republicans and other stimulus opponents need to do more than just oppose the package. Here's a novel idea: Offer some solutions.
OK, the GOP has been squawking about tax cuts. Here's a news flash, people receiving them save or invest the money. They don't spend. I'm not Alan Greenspan or Charles Schwab, but the idea that spending stimulates the economy isn't a foreign concept. That is why food stamps are more of stimulant than tax cuts, Mark Zandi said. Zandi, Moody's Economy.com chief economist, testified before the U.S. House Small Business Committee on July 24, 2008.
“Extending food stamps is the most effective way to prime the economy's pump. A $1 inscrease in food stamps payments boosts GDP by $1.73. People who receive these benefits are very hard-pressed and will spend any financial aid they receive within a few weeks," he said.
I'm hearing voices. And those voices belong to conservatives. God forbid we increase food stamps. They say that encourages people to stay on the dole. Where's the research? But there's no denying public assistance is a great way to prime the economic pump. Many Republicans need to put up or shut up.
While disagreeing -- about anything and everything -- is the GOP's right, they need to learn to multitask. Try disagreeing, while developing some viable solutions.
