The Next Stimulus Package?

The President-Elect is talking up another Trillion Dollar stimulus package. Unlike the UAW Bailout Bill and the CEO Bailout bill supported by Rep. Gordon, the next bill, even if huge and 1/3rd of annual tax collections may actually have some positive parts to it.

It will add 10% to the National debt, a debt that has taken us 200 years to accumulate, but it may actually have spending that positively effects the economy, the citizens, and is in the purview of the government, even if it is mostly in the state or local realm of government.

The President-Elect is talking about tax cuts (which he campaigned against) and spending on infrastructure. In the former, it appears that it was simply rhetoric, campaign promises he knew he would break, or was too naive to know that it wouldn't work. At any rate, tax cuts are generally a positive thing. The more of your money you get to keep the better.

Unfortunately, I expect more out-of-control spending, rather than the correct and necessary spending cuts to go along with the tax cuts that are needed.

As to the 2nd part, infrastructure spending; this may be beneficial, though the amount he's talking about is worrisome. Already California and New York are lining up their pork projects and bailout bids. Though the TVA flooded my ancestral lands, burying them under lakes, the fact remains that it put Americans to work.

If, and that's a big if, this package is done right, it can have a significant effect on the economy and employment, beginning with the construction trades. It may just be the package needed. I'll withhold judgement until we see it.

The problem remains that in a 12 month period over two calender years, Congress, including our Representative have added 20% to the National Debt, not including the Annual Budget and first 10% was squandered on nationalizing banks and bailing out the very organization that strangled the American Car companies.

The problem is we have the same credit cards in the same college kids hands in this Congress as we did the last. They are following the dictates of Speaker Pelosi en masse. Corrupt Chicago Politicians, NY Elitists, and California Idealists continue to attain the rubber stamp of The Party, including our Blue Dog Democrat. Representative Gordon, you must break from the dictates of the far left. Please demonstrate that you are a free thinker and a true Representative of the Common Sense Citizens of Tennessee, not a lackey of Pelosi, Reid, and Obama, not a lackey of New York CEO's and Washington lobbyists.

Tennessee Taylor©2009, TNT, all rights reserved

Party Affiliation

The 6th District has a strong affiliation with the Democratic Party. While I could declare membership therein and would have the strongest potential for success or I could declare membership in the Republican Party and be nearly assured a place on the ballot in November 2010, neither would be fair to the Citizens of the 6th District.

For too long, our politicians have been beholden to their parties. Our Next Representative must place the people of this district ahead of the likes of Senator Harry Reid, Representive Nancy Pelosi, Representative Barney Frank as well as their sponsors such as Hollywood's Sean Penn and New York's George Soros.

Our Representatives should not feel that the letter behind their name assures them of their retention of power. Representative Bart Gordon ran an ad in the 2008 campaign season claiming his support from Republicans, Democrats, & Independents. I would hope that he will demonstrate his support for Common Sense and a true Representative of the District through an endorsement of this Independent.

I run as an Independent, because both parties have some positive and some negative positions on their platform. Neither party can fully represent my positions nor the Citizens of Our District.

The Representative of Woodbury should not feel compelled to vote for CEO bailouts of big NYC banks. The Representative of McMinnville should not be forced to support Barney Frank's call to cut the Military. The Representative of Murfreesboro should not sell us the partisanship of legislation because the party presented one while the opposition presented another. The Representative of Cookeville should be afforded the opportunity to truthfully tell us that each bill has positive and negative points and find a compromise between the parties that best serves Our Veterans and Our Troops.

When the Representative of Auburntown addresses the issues, he should be free from partisanship, explaining the reasons he opposed or supported legislation.

Does that make the campaign for office more difficult? Yes, many of our citizens have come to trust a particular party. It is easy to vote simply along the lines of a party rather than research the positions and the character of the candidates.

In the purest form of Democracy, every citizen would vote on every piece of legislation. In Our Democracy, a Republic, we choose Representatives to know, to research, to read and to understand the legislation which they are making into laws. Whether we realize it or not, we are placing a tremendous amount of trust in the man (or woman) we send to Washington.

That trust has been betrayed. Our Politicians have become more interested in retention of power and hence the attainment of campaign war chests and therefore the pandering to special interests, corporations, and Washington lobbyists.

As one family member told me, we haven't had true Representatives in Washington of our Citizens in Decades. Let's change that.