Is stimulus plan “theft”?
From CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It was on. Then it was off. Now it's on again. The stimulus plan at this moment is a done deal.
Meanwhile, as top Democrats and a select few Republicans worked on that compromise, other lawmakers are saying that the stimulus package amounts to little more than "theft."
Does the stimulus plan amount to theft?
Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan points out this is more money than has "ever been contemplated in the history of our country." He's proposing that the government come up with a system to show how every penny is spent, adding the real scandal is not knowing how the money is being managed. Said Dorgan, "Letting the banks be run like casinos on their own account, is that theft? You're damn right it is."
Then there's Republican Senator John "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" McCain who is calling the bailout "generational theft." He says we're robbing future generations by laying such astronomical debt on their shoulders.
These critics are right that the numbers are staggering. The president's package is more than $800 billion. That's on top of the $700 billion Bush bailout plan. Then tack on trillions of dollars the government has promised in loans and potential spending to loosen up credit markets.
But here's the catch: many of the brightest economic minds suggest that the risk of doing nothing is more costly than this mind-boggling price tag.
Here’s my question to you: Do you agree with lawmakers who say the stimulus plan is "theft"?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Should obese people pay more for health insurance?
From CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Want to save money on your health insurance? Try the salad bar. In South Carolina obese people may soon have to start paying more for their monthly premiums.
South Carolina is considering a proposal that would charge obese state employees extra for health insurance.
A bill in the state Senate would charge fat public workers an extra 25 bucks a month, tying the fee to employees' body mass index, which is a measurement of weight and height.
But a subcommittee delayed its vote when the author of the proposal said he'd be willing to rewrite it. They may turn the surcharge into an incentive instead of a punishment, meaning the state would increase everyone's premiums and then give a discount for fit workers. Either way it sounds like a win-win. It's no secret that fat people tend to eventually require more healthcare than skinny people. Diabetes, heart attacks and strokes tend to occur more frequently in the overweight population.
And South Carolina has a lot of them. The state ranks fifth nationwide when it comes to adult obesity and diabetes. 30% of residents are considered obese and one in 10 has diabetes. The state has already approved a proposal to charge smokers $25 more a month for health insurance.
Critics say the fee would be too difficult to administer and enforce. One senator calls it an intrusion into people's lives and another says it wouldn't be fair to those who have weight problems for health reasons and not because they just eat too much and don't exercise.
Last summer Alabama became the first state to approve charging fat workers more if they don't shed some pounds.
Here’s my question to you: Should obese people pay more for health insurance?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Will economy shorten Pres. Obama’s honeymoon?
A Financial Times columnist wonders if Barack Obama's presidency has already failed. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
From CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Getting the stimulus bill passed is one thing, but before we break out the champagne we might want to see if it works. And nobody is offering a guarantee on that. In fact, there are folks out there who are suggesting that if the economy doesn’t show some signs of life pretty soon, the American public might begin to sour on the euphoria surrounding the man from Illinois.
For example, here’s a headline: "Has Barack Obama's presidency already failed?” That's a rather startling question posed in the Financial Times by columnist Martin Wolf. He writes how in normal times, this would be a ludicrous statement. But because we're living in times of "great danger”, it's worth taking a look.
He says that right now a lot of the blame is still being heaped on the previous administration. But if the Obama administration doesn't act swiftly and strongly enough, it will inherit the blame. He says "doing too little is now far riskier than doing too much" and suggests that if the president can't fix the economic meltdown, the rest of his presidency is pretty much over.
According to Wolf's column, both the stimulus package and Tim Geithner's banking plan seem to be hoping for the best, when what they really need to do is expect the worst. Wolf says he's surprised that the new president let Congress pretty much write the stimulus package, and he sees the new banking proposal as too indecisive and optimistic.
Meanwhile, a CNN-Opinion Research Corporation poll out this week shows an American public looking very favorably on the new president, with an approval rating of 76%. That includes a whopping 97% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans.
But people aren't nearly as fond of the president's stimulus package, with only 54% supporting the Senate bill. If more and more Americans continue to lose their jobs, it's unclear how long Mr. Obama can keep those numbers up.
Here’s my question to you: If the economy doesn't start to improve, how long does President Obama have before the public turns on him?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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