[StBernard] Happy Stimulus Anniversary Taxpayers!

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friend, 

	

One year ago, over my strong opposition, President Obama and liberals in
Congress passed the $1.1 trillion "stimulus" for our economy.  At the time
unemployment was at 7.7 percent, and a year later it has unfortunately
increased to 9.7 percent. 

	

The stimulus was packed full of wasteful pork barrel spending that has
nothing to do with stimulating our economy.  

	

Here are just a few small examples of egregious waste that our money was
spent on: 

	

	1.	$250 stimulus checks went to thousands of convicted felons
while still being held in prison. 
	2.	$390,000 to study people who consume malt liquor and
marijuana went to The State University Of New York At Buffalo. 
	3.	$1 million to renovate Sunset Boulevard, or "the Sunset
Strip" was given to the City of West Hollywood Council. 
	4.	$54 million went to the Napa Valley wine train. 

	

These projects are hardly the type of stimulus we were promised and are
typical of the waste and government growth we've seen this past year.  That
is why I offered an amendment to the stimulus to cut $40 billion in waste
like this and why I joined a majority of our Congressional delegation
<http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll046.xml>  in voting against the
stimulus
<http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cf
m?congress=111&session=1&vote=00061#position> . 

	

We need to change the focus away from bloated federal spending and away from
borrowing or issuing new debt for which the next generation is responsible. 

	

I've introduced the No Cost Stimulus
<http://www.vitter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=IssuesLegislation.
NoCostStimulusAct>  with the specific goal of stimulating the economy by
creating jobs, freeing up domestic resources for U.S. citizens, and
streamlining regulatory review processes that have choked U.S. business and
development.  My bill would increase our oil and gas production and create
two million long-term, sustainable and well paying jobs. 

	

I'll keep fighting for commonsense proposals like this and to turn the
corner to control exploding federal spending and debt. 

  

Sincerely,
David Vitter
U.S. Senator