Reason Foundation

The proposed stimulus plan from Democrats yesterday is $825 billion will about a $100 bill less in tax cuts then originally thought. The GOP is claiming it wasn't consulted and is "nothing like" the Obama proposal. FreedomWorks says the plan is unconstitutional. Best of all, the stimulus authors have the gall to claim the package comes with "no earmarks". While that may be technically true in the way the bill was constructed, but what are these things:

• $600 million for new cars for the federal government
• $1 billion "to minimize undercounting of minority groups" in the 2010 census
• $400 million for NASA for global warming
• $400 million for "National Treasures"
• $6 billion for colleges/universities, many of which have massive billion dollar endowments
• $650 million more for digital television conversation coupons

I'll support this stimulus spending plan when someone can convince me that digital television is going to turn around our economy. This is frustratingly ridiculous and a slap in the face to the American people. President-elect Obama has promised no earmarks. So has his VP. Implicit in their commitments was a promise for no wasteful spending. And while there may be debate over whether investing in a road is actually wasteful, it doesn't matter whether buying new goodies for the national archives is "technically" an earmark. It should be shot down. And fast.