What Congress thinks qualifies for emergency funding

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell highlights some of the lowlights of the "stimulus" bill. Apparently, things like these are so critical to our economy's survival that, as President Obama assures us, "we don't have a moment to spare" in rushing this bill into law.

Taxpayers Take Home “$8 A Week” While They Pay Billions For Golf Cart Tax Breaks, New Cars For Government Bureaucrats, ACORN-Eligible Block Grants, Fish Hatcheries, An Arts Endowment, And The Census

*** Due to the unfinished nature of the product currently available for review on the House Rules Committee website, page numbers are likely to change.

• Tax Benefits For Golf Carts, Electric Motorcycles and ATVs: (Pg. 60 of the Tax Division of Conference Report, lines 9-16, “(2) SPECIFIED VEHICLE.—The term ‘specified vehicle’ means any vehicle which—‘‘(A) is a low speed vehicle within the meaning of section 571.3 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of the enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009), or ‘‘(B) has 2 or 3 wheels.”)

• $300 Million For Federal Employee Company Cars: (Pg. 90 of the Appropriations Division of the Conference Report, lines 7-13, “For capital expenditures and necessary expenses of acquiring motor vehicles with higher fuel economy, including: hybrid vehicles; electric vehicles; and commercially-available, plug-in hybrid vehicles, $300,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2011”)

• $1 Billion For ACORN-Eligible Block Grants: (Pg. 261 of the Appropriations Division of the Conference Report, lines 11-18, “For an additional amount for “Community Development Fund” $1,000,000,000 to remain available until September 30, 2010 to carry out the community development block grant program under title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.)”)

• $50 Million For An Arts Endowment: (Pg. 143 of the Appropriations Division of the Conference Report, lines 11-25, and lines 1-3 of Pg. 144, “For an additional amount for “Grants and Administration”, $50,000,000, to be distributed in direct grants to fund arts projects and activities which preserve jobs in the non-profits arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn: Provided, That 40 percent of such funds shall be distributed to State arts agencies and regional arts organizations in manner similar to the agency’s current practice and 60 percent of such funds shall be for competitively selected arts projects and activities according to sections 2 and 5(c) of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 951, 954(c)): Provided further, That matching requirements under section 5(e) of such Act shall be waived.”)

• $165 Million For Fish Hatcheries: (Pg. 133 of the Appropriations Division of the Conference Report, lines 21-25, and lines 1-2 of Pg. 134, For an additional amount for “Resource Management”, for deferred maintenance, construction, and capital improvement projects on national wildlife refuges and national fish hatcheries and for high priority habitat restoration projects, $165,000,000.”)

• $1 Billion For The Census: (Pg. 36 of the Appropriations Division of the Conference Report, lines 1-4, Bureau of the Census, Periodic Censuses and Programs. For an additional amount for “Periodic Censuses and Programs,” $1,000,000,000.”)

TAXPAYERS LEFT WITH “ABOUT $8 A WEEK”

ASSOCIATED PRESS: “Next year, the measure could yield workers about $8 a week.” (“Economic stimulus package on track for final votes,” Associated Press, 02/12/09)

(Via Red State)