Feb 08 2009
No Stimulus Package for Aquaculture or Beekeepers
It probably comes as no surprise to anyone in the agricultural arena that there will be no stimulus package for individuals who have aquaculture businesses or those in the beekeeping biz. The plight of the bees isn’t something that is largely recognized, nor is the raising of fish for restaurants top on anyone’s priority list. Few jobs would be created by funding these enterprises and the public is itching to ditch any extraneous funding to projects that wouldn’t produce immediate results.
As a farmer, I am always disappointed when agriculture is left by the wayside. It is more important to fix roads and bridges (you won’t get me to argue much about bridges, since they always seem to be falling down!), than to worry why plants aren’t being pollinated. Agriculture issues won’t be noticed until something drastic happens, but those issues will be resolved when more pressing issues, like birth control, are resolved.
A few other projects that, in my opinion, shouldn’t have money wasted on them include:
- $246 million tax break for movie producers to buy film (try not paying actors so much- they aren’t brain surgeons for crying out loud!)
- $600 million for hybrid cars for federal employees (if they aren’t made in the USA, why buy them anyway?)
- $75 million for smoking cessation activities (hey, what happened to all of those tobacco company lawsuits- wasn’t part of that money supposed to go toward educating the public about smoking? Talk about double dipping!)
- $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction (Stating the obvious: aren’t they sovereign nations? Why are we, another nation, funding this through a U.S. stimulus package?)
- $6 billion (yes, billion), to turn current federal buildings into “green” buildings. (Why are we re-creating the wheel? There are schools that are more deserving of this money, and they are falling down! These buildings aren’t even in need of repairs yet!)
- $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead based paint (this isn’t even manufactured anymore, why are we still spending money on this? Infants have mandatory testing done on them when they are infants for lead poisoning. If you say you don’t have lead paint in your house, these tests shouldn’t be done. It is a waste of taxpayer money!)
Read more about what is being cut, and what your money is being spent on at: CNN.com
You just proved what my father keeps saying: it isn’t a stimulus package, it’s a SPENDING package. How, for instance, is reducing the amount of smokers good for the economy? I’m serious. Smoking might be bad for your health, but it’s darn good for those who make money off of it, like convenience stores (who sell cigarettes), farmers (who grow tobacco), and those in the medical field (who treat smoking related ailments). This bill needs to be nipped in the bud, period. It’s just a bunch of pork barrel projects, and frankly, that’s not where I want my tax money to go.
Thanks for the comment! As for the farmers- they’re still growing tobacco, but I think Pelosi would cut her arm off before she gave money to them in a stimulus bill. Ugh- the spending, I mean, “stimulus” bill just passed - came across on the news. I think I’m going to be sick.
Am I supposed to apply to work on a construction crew now? So much for that college degree.