Greasing it up with pork fat.

Tuesday evening during his address to Congress, the President alluded, with just a hint of a whine, that he had inherited a deficit from the previous administration. This is true, he did. I am trying to imagine what modern president has not inherited a deficit from his predecessor. They all have. But in response to this shortfall, the President and Congress propose, in concert, to create a deficit many, many times larger for which my grandchildren will be obligated to pay.

My friends in power always feel like a healthy spending of government funds is the best response regardless of the condition of the economy. Recession? Spend and raise taxes. Prosperity? Spend, and raise taxes. War? Spend and raise taxes. Peace? Let's spend some money and consider a tax increase.

It seems to me we have left the fat kid guarding the pie.

The speed and mock fear with which the Stimulus Package was rammed through Congress strikes me that it is full of nothing but pure pork. There was a healthy lack of debate. There was a complete lack of GOP input (not that they would have reined in the stampede), it having been drafted by Governess Pelosi herself. There was an utter lack of anyone who had actually read the bill. You can bet anything clearing Congressional hurdles that fast is something that none of the Democrats or the President himself care to have reviewed by the Little Ranger or any of his friends.

"Oh no," they say. "No pork in this bill. Not at all."

Oink. Money for community development is not a stimulation of the economy. It is a repayment of political debt to an interest group, but the powers not only won't defend a decision like that--they make no comment on it at all, as if it is non-existent. Oink. There is money for a fleet of new cars for the government, which may make the Big Three happy but once the money is spent it won't continue to grow the economy. At least the people working in the Health and Human Services offices will have nicer rides.. Oink. There are infrastructure, road and bridge projects, but again, one-time bursts of prosperity. Once the project is complete and the funds are expended, the stimulation ripple stops. The economic pond will once again be smooth as glass. Oink. This is merely what has leaked out so far. Oink, oink, oink.

Strangely Kansas City does not stand to benefit from much of this spending. Word on the street is that maybe one road improvement project may be undertaken as a result. I say 'strangely' because the Mayor was completely in the tank for Obama from the git-go. Maybe the Obama camp figures Funk and Squit are an embarrassment and are thus counseling the Governor to steer the money away from this end of the state. If the Missouri money is spent closer to St. Louis, would the citizens of Illinois be more likely realize a benefit to themselves? Oink. (Don't tell me you don't get the Illinois connection.) I'm just sayin'.

The President and his minions have littered their communications with "crisis" and "dire" and "depression" and "emergency." They continue to paint this recession as the worst of times since the 1930's (ignoring the fun times back between 1777 and 1981, but Jimmy Carter was in charge then, and, again: embarrassing.) It is indeed bad times for those unemployed, and for their families. But we aren't getting much positive from Washington. I think they want us to be miserable and fearful, perhaps supposing we all will lift our woeful eyes to the politicians there pleading for salvation.

Hell, they are the same people that caused this recession, kicking it off with loose lending policies over at Fannie and Freddie. It will have to run its course, as it always does, before we come back. And we will come back. I just feel bad for the people who truly have been hurt by losing their jobs. I feel much less bad for the people making $80,000 a year who bought $400,000 homes just because they could get a loan. And much less bad for the bank that loaned to them.

Suggestion: Go to church for salvation. And find a skinny kid to protect the desserts.