For those of you who want to see it for yourself, here is a copy of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. [pdf] Basically what you are looking at is a litany of pork-barrel and grow-the-government spending projects under their new and improved label, "stimulus." What you are also looking at is a big fat "thank you" from Barack Obama to any and all people who supported him .. he is going to pay off on his campaign promises, and he's goi9ng to do it in the name of "economic stimulus." Rather than waiting four years to work through your proposals, why not just get it all out on the table right from the start and take advantage of this historic economic situation.

By the way, the stimulus includes just $275 billion in tax cuts, which is clearly less than the $300 billion originally proposed.

Here are just some of the examples of what Obama considers "economic stimulus":

$3.836 billion for rural water and waste grant and loan programs

$6.2 billion to help low-income families reduce their energy costs by weatherizing their homes and make our country more energy efficient

$400 million to help state and local governments purchase efficient alternative fuel vehicles to reduce fuel costs and carbon emissions

$6 billion for broadband and wireless services in underserved areas

$650 million to continue the coupon program to enable American households to convert from analog television transmission to digital transmission

$400 million to replace the 30 year old Social Security Administration's National Computer Center to meet growing needs for processing retirement and disability claims and records storage

$3.1 billion for infrastructure projects on federal lands including improvements to visitor facilities, road and trail restoration, preservation of buildings of cultural and historic importance, rehabilitation of abandoned mines and oil fields, and environmental cleanup projects

$400 million for ready-to-go habitat restoration projects

$850 million for hazardous fuels removal and other efforts to prevent wildfires on public lands

$1 billion for 21st century classrooms, including computer and science labs and teacher technology training

$66 million for formula grants to states to provide services to homeless children including meals and transportation when high unemployment and home foreclosures have created an influx of homeless kids

$2 billion to provide child care services for an additional 300,000 children in low-income families while their parents go to work

$30.3 billion to extend health insurance coverage to the unemployed, extending the period of COBRA coverage for older and tenured workers beyond the 18 months provided under current law

$500 million to rehabilitate and improve energy efficiency at some of the over 42,000 housing units maintained by Native American housing programs

$1 billion to help low-income families pay for home heating and cooling at a time of rising energy costs

I hope I'm getting the point across here. Barack Obama and the Democrats made some pretty hefty spending promises during the campaign. Now that they're moving into power they see a wonderful opportunity to implement virtually all of those promises. They just cite the financial crisis and apply the "stimulus" label to their spending plans. Pretty clever ... but then again maybe not so clever when the realize that the media will go along with the scheme.