Here's an example of just how STUPID and IRRESPONSIBLE this spending bill is. My state, Texas, is getting several BILLIONS for Medicaid. But in order to get it, they must place more people in it, by raising income caps, and including the unemployed. So, in two years when this extra federal money goes away, who do you think will be left with taking care of the people who've gotten used to it? The State of Texas will be. Either that, or they'll have to boot people back off of it...and you know how popular that will be. Entitlement programs rarely get stopped once they've been started.
"The state could also qualify for part of an additional $8.6 billion if it extended Medicaid to unemployed workers. The program is currently "almost useless" for jobless Texans because income caps are "extremely low," according to a recent analysis by Anne Dunkelberg of the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin.
But Republican state lawmakers appear unready to extend Medicaid to the unemployed, fearing the need to kick workers off the rolls once the extra funds disappear in 2011.
State Rep. Dan Gattis, the state House's chief health and welfare budget writer, recently called it "classic bait and switch."
Then there is the problem of it all having to be done fast:
"The nation is in a weird policy position," said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments. "We don't know if there is legislation, and we don't know what's going to be in it. But we have to move fast, so we are doing a lot of things in parallel."
Some officials say the tight deadlines mean they may have to reduce their ambitions for the money, choosing many smaller projects rather than investments that solve problems, such as traffic congestion.
"We'll do more pothole filling and lane striping, and less work on actual construction projects," said Chris Lippincott, spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation. "You have to acknowledge this is economic policy, not transportation policy."
So.....line up for your pothole filling and lane striping jobs!!! I guess it's just too bad for all those financial analysts, mid-level financial industry jobs that have been lost. I don't see any jobs being created for the bulk of people who have lost jobs and/or will be losing jobs.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...s.407038f.html