Are You Stimulated?

When did the GOP become the great protectors of the American coffers? How was the bottomless spending pit of Iraq/Afghanistan justified and legitimized so vehemently and the stimulus package proposed and passed by Congress demonized? The irony of course is lost upon all factions of the Republican party. The complaint from the Right is that the current stimulus was pushed through and not even Congress had a true chance to read the bill. How does this truly differ from the passing of the Patriot Act, which both parties initially hailed, but Democrats have since called certain provisions into question? It certainly behooves this country to have the minority party keep the majority accountable. It is another for the minority to act like a petulant child. For the GOP to vote as a bloc minus the three bipartisans against the stimulus, primarily because there was too much spending seems a little hypocritical. Didn't the Bush stimulus seek to jump start the economy solely through the disbursement of funds to a majority of families? The same demographic that received funds from Bush are slated for a tax cut from the Obama administration. A convenient piece of information dismissed by many Republicans that lump themselves with those not realizing tax relief. I wholeheartedly agree in supporting a healthy military and providing for the common defense, but that shouldn't be the sole function of our government. How does the GOP reconcile spending hundreds of billions in the middle east with no discernible exit strategy, execution of infrastructure, or stable government to assume command in the void left behind by the United States' absence?

Again, where was this dedication to fiscal responsibility and commitment to smaller government as the Dept. of Homeland Security grew exponentially and our national debt continued to climb? Any attempt by the Democrats to question or remedy either of these things were labeled by the Right as weak foreign policy and an invitation for further terrorist attacks upon American soil. The absence of further attacks was hailed by the GOP as proof that Bush's homeland security agenda was successful. By this standard, Clinton was just as effective at protecting the country after the first Trade Center incident and the country had a budget surplus when he left office.

True Obama's stimulus is not panacea for the ills of this country, merely a single step to returning this nation to its former capability. Keep this in mind. Bush had 8 years to bring us to this point in history and Obama has had less than a month to bring an discernible change to the country. So while there are those praying for him to fail -- which would only tear down their house around them -- there are those willing to begin the greatest effort of their lifetime and leave the nation truly better for subsequent generations. Can this really be done? Certainly not as a lone individual, but together? Yes, we can!