It appears that our friend Michelle Malkin coined a nickname for the "stimulus plan" that is beginning to sweep the nation: The Generational Theft Act of 2009.
Such was the title of a column she wrote on January 7.
Since then, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) used the term in a February 3 piece posted at his website, and during a number of interviews on major and minor television networks.
Last Sunday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) referred to the phrase on CBS's "Face the Nation" (video embedded below the fold):
BOB SCHIEFFER, HOST: Well, you have emerged as the main opponent, I think, of the Senate--of the president's economic recovery plan, at least the version that came up in the Senate. You offered another plan about half the size of this one. It was defeated on a straight party line vote. But I want to ask you, now that you have made your point, do you intend to support this plan? Because I think economists on all sides of this say something has got to be done here.
SENATOR JOHN McCAIN: Well, I can't, Bob. And I can't because I think it's the greatest transfer of not only spending, but authority and responsibility to government. I think it's massive, it's much larger than any measure that was taken during the Great Depression. I think it has policy changes in it which are fundamentally bad for America. For example, their "buy America" provisions. That's protectionism. It didn't work at any time in our history. But most of all, because I think this can only be described as generational theft. What we are doing is amassing multitrillions of dollars, if you look at what's going to be announced Monday or Tuesday, a new TARP. We've already spent 700 billion; another how many, half a trillion or more.
"Generational Theft Act" already generates almost 40,000 results in a Google search.
Most delicious, the term is beginning to anger the extreme left.
What do you think of this nickname? Does it accurately express what President Obama is about to sign into law on Tuesday?
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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Whoa! Let's stop this rollercoaster right now mister!
February 15, 2009 - 20:40 ET by JWFI thought Republicans were taking their marching orders from Rush Limbaugh.
Now I find out it is Michelle?
Ok. I am fine with that. Just wanted to clarify. That's all.
Carry on.
Sincerely,
a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.
Unlike the left, we have no
February 15, 2009 - 21:27 ET by ThisnThatUnlike the left, we have no talking points. Everyone is encouraged to speak their own minds; search for good solutions; present facts in a logical, coherent manner. And unlike the left, we don't attack someone for expressing their viewpoint.
It really is different, left and right. Right is better.
___________________________________
The challenge is to follow a consistent plan despite inconsistent prices - Sarah Palin, State of the State of Alaska speech
This bill is far more
February 15, 2009 - 21:12 ET by R D HelmThis bill is far more egregious than just generational theft. It essentially finalizes the takeover of this nation the socialist left has been working toward for decades, with no small amount of help from the GOP.
It should have been called the American Freedom Destruction Act of 2009, as I now believe that will be its ultimate result.
The only hope this country now has is that every congress critter who voted for this hideous bill has to be removed from office, or at least get enough people in there willing to vote to repeal this imminent national disaster-prior to the 2010 mid-term election.
Simply waiting around until 2010 to vote them out isn't going to work.
In other words, we are screwed.
EDIT:
Just thought I'd throw this little gem in here, too, for those who still haven't figured out that the GOP is up to their necks for this almost as much as the dems are:
http://hotair.com/ar...
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
Dave... I enjoyed those
February 15, 2009 - 21:22 ET by bigtimerDave...
I enjoyed those comments by the posters...nice to know we aren't alone.
I heard part of this early this morning...caught enough about this specific reference to Graham and the banks, I quickly clicked it...he did so well on the Senate floor this week...for once...didn't want to listen to anymore of this BS today...can't take it.
bt,
February 15, 2009 - 22:11 ET by R D HelmYeah, my HotAir friends are almost as sharp as my NB friends. :-^)
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
Holy Cow. Did you ever
February 15, 2009 - 21:27 ET by motherbeltHoly Cow.
Did you ever think you would see a couple of Democrats and a Republican talking about nationalizing banks, as if it were nothing more than financing a new car????
Waters (paraphrasing) "Nationalization" scares the heck out of people. So we have to be careful to get them used to the term first, and do it slowly.
And did you see Schumer smiling and nodding when she said "we may get to that point"???
Oh, yeah, this is what they want, all right. They have the frog in the pot; now it's just a matter of turning up the heat little by little. And the fact that they are confident enough to talk about this openly is just jaw-dropping. It shows how confident they are.
Peter King.....well I just don't even know what to say. Of course, an "even" Republican is about the only kind of Republican who could ever get elected in NY!
I repeat, I never thought I would see the day when they would talk about this openly, and admit that it's only a matter of time, and getting people used to the idea.
I agree with you.....
We are so screwed!
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
mb,
February 15, 2009 - 22:15 ET by R D Helm"...as if it were nothing more than financing a new car????"
That was exactly what I was thinking as I was watching it. Not a little neauseating, actually.
Yeah, Obama and the dems may be steering us right over the cliff, but the republicans are the ones with their foot on the go pedal.
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
It's the CRAP Act
February 15, 2009 - 20:53 ET by kch50428Congressional Re-election and Protection Act.
Much has been made of the
February 15, 2009 - 20:58 ET by MidAmericaMuch has been made of the publics feelings that the next generation will have a lower standard of living than the present one. Now we know why this will be . We just stole their money. Yes we did!
The Name
February 15, 2009 - 21:00 ET by Two DogsPersonally, I like the Welfare for Welfare Bill. When the Moron President signs it, it should be called, "The Obama Welfare for Welfare Act."
And even when he signs it,
February 15, 2009 - 22:12 ET by celatorAnd even when he signs it, you can be assured he will have read very little of it, and will not have a realistic clue about the bill's unintended consequences.
One of those consequences is that when the truth comes out about the bill, and people start getting really, really angry about it, Obama will get the brunt of the anger. He will have nowhere to hide. All the democrats will be hiding under their desks. Get ready to watch him go into meltdown mode when he starts justifying the bill. Unless there is a teleprompter in front of him.
Pelosi and (I am told) Dodd actually wrote the bulk of the bill. These two creeps will hide and run, saying "Hey! The President signed it, it's HIS bill. Talk to him about it." Obama is going to learn a thing or two about tough politics very soon.
Obama let Pelosi write the bill, did PR for the bill, and, hey, it now IS his bill. He signed it He owns it.
For many years now we have
preached “the gospel,” in opposition to the philosophy of so-called
liberalism which was, in truth, a call to collectivism. Ronald Reagan--1976
celator
February 15, 2009 - 22:45 ET by R D Helm"...and will not have a realistic clue about the bill's unintended consequences."
I am not so sure those consequences are all that unintended. I think this bill, in some form or other, has been gathering dust in the office of some democrat in DC ever since they lost control of congress back in 1994. All Pelosi and Dodd did was massage the numbers and add is a few more goodies.
I doubt Obama had any input in that hideous bill whatsoever, and given his public pronouncements about it to date, I don't think he knows anything about what is actually even in it.
Yeah, obama is in for a rude surprise, and I'm not sure even a teleprompter is going to help him much. :-)
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
Dave..."I think this bill,
February 15, 2009 - 22:50 ET by celatorDave..."I think this bill, in some form or other, has been gathering dust..."
Could very well be. It's easy to imagine a huge bin in democrat offices with a sign on the outside "Throw pork bills in here until a Democrat is president"
From the looks of it, the bin must have been overflowing! ;+}
It is truly a disgrace The bill jeapordizes the US economically and politically. Little wonder the mantra was "don't read it, just approve it."
My hope is that there will be a rally of citizens who stand up against it, make so much noise and demand accountability such that the will to push this thing off the cliff, even after passed, will be insurmountable.
But I doubt this will be the case. In fact I believe it will move the country into a Depression, a state we may not be far away from, even now.
For many years now we have
preached “the gospel,” in opposition to the philosophy of so-called
liberalism which was, in truth, a call to collectivism. Ronald Reagan--1976
celator,
February 15, 2009 - 23:16 ET by R D Helm"In fact I believe it will move the country into a Depression, a state we may not be far away from, even now."
I agree. It looked to me early last week that the economy was showing signs of bottoming out. I think this bill is going to lower that bottom quite a bit now.
It seems the government is making exactly the same mistakes that were made in the 1930's that eventually drove this country into a full-blown depression.
The only difference is, this time we may very well be flat broke as a nation when we get there:
http://www.worldnetd...
"'Monetizing the debt' is a term used to signify that the Federal Reserve will be required simply to print cash to meet the Treasury debt obligations, acting in this capacity only because the Treasury cannot sell the huge of amount debt elsewhere."
(((((shudder)))))
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
Anyone who doesn't think
February 15, 2009 - 21:19 ET by R D HelmAnyone who doesn't think this bill represents the end of freedom as we know it needs to read this:
http://www.heritage....
"It greatly shifts the responsibility and power over health care delivery and decision making from individuals to government. Among other things, it would create a new federal health board to decide which medical services are "effective" in America, paving the way for government effectively to overrule the clinical decisions of private physicians."
-After Tuesday, any resemblance this nation still has to a "free" country will be purely coincidental.
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
Nuts...
February 15, 2009 - 21:26 ET by AgentAmericanNo way I will acknowledge defeat. They may have gotten this thing to Obama's desk, but the battle is only beginning.
They'll never take my freedom!
Albu gu braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
2010: A GOP Hill
"It greatly shifts the
February 15, 2009 - 21:35 ET by motherbelt"It greatly shifts the responsibility and power over health care
delivery and decision making from individuals to government. Among
other things, it would create a new federal health board to decide
which medical services are "effective" in America, paving the way for
government effectively to overrule the clinical decisions of private
physicians."
oh, no....Keith Olbermann says it only says "will HELP guide decisions....so that's OK.
We all know what happens when the government "helps to guide" decisions, don't we? If Keith Olbermann thinks it means the government will just make "suggestions" he's even a bigger moron than I thought.
This is definitely the camel's nose in the tent.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
I'm with you
February 15, 2009 - 21:37 ET by Dan DiegoWhat wasteful and/or redundant government programs have been eliminated? The only thing that will be axed are tax cuts, all other programs are essential to elderly, kids, poor, (insert your favorite victim group here), etc, etc...
The new HMO
February 15, 2009 - 23:18 ET by KC MulvilleI can only go by my experience, and my experience is a story.
My oldest son was born via Caesarian surgery, after my wife (God bless her) went through almost 24 hours trying to pass the child vaginally. Afterwards, the delivering team decided that my wife’s pelvis simply wasn’t big enough, and that any subsequent children would have to be delivered by Caesarian also. Two years later, my wife was pregnant again, and the doctors scheduled the surgery.
The day before the surgery, our doctor received a letter from the HMO, which said that they wouldn’t pay for the surgery. (The HMO had been notified of our doctor’s plan for months, but they replied with one day to spare.) Statistically, vaginal birth was safer, so they wanted my wife to try for a vaginal birth. Knowing the facts, our doctor contacted the HMO, and argued that my wife’s pelvis hadn’t grown since the last time, and that trying for a vaginal birth was pointless. The doctor at the HMO insisted on a vaginal birth. Our doctor hung up, and told us that she was going ahead with the delivery as scheduled. If necessary, she would declare a fetal emergency. And that’s what happened.
Thank God she did, because as it turned out, the cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck. Had my wife pushed for any amount of time, we'd have lost our Patrick.
I was in the operating room (of course) and we were chatting with the anaesthesiologist, and told him the story. He told us that our story wasn’t all that rare, he’d seen it before. We asked, how does this happen? He said that the HMO routinely hires doctors who can’t cut it anymore in the field, because they’re often the ones who are available and willing to work cheap. Then he said a line I vividly remember: only in medicine does the second-string talent get to restrict how the first string plays the game.
My friends, they just passed a bill that makes that irony our new standard procedure. In the old days, it was the HMO dictating medical treatment. Today, it’ll be the government. They’ll tell you that they wouldn’t possibly interfere with your doctor’s decision, and that they’re only “helping” the decision process. But ask yourselves whether it’s likely that they’re going to spend billions creating a medical system that can be ignored if the doctor disagrees. Who spends billions to be ignored? Nah, it doesn’t work that way, does it? My Patrick is alive, but I fear we're headed for a future filled with dead Patricks.
KC,
February 16, 2009 - 00:34 ET by R D Helm"They’ll tell you that they wouldn’t possibly interfere with your
doctor’s decision, and that they’re only “helping” the decision
process."
Government "help" is one of the scariest phrases around.
Glad your doc told the HMO doc to go pound sand.
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
Yeah, we're glad too
February 16, 2009 - 02:18 ET by KC MulvilleAnd I think that's the real waste. Once any system proves itself a joke, or a disaster, people just work around it anyway. Same here, except we'll have spent billions in the process.
You know, originally, doctors wrote treatment notes simply to keep track for themselves, or to cover things in case another doctor takes over. They wrote notes simply to allow themselves to go on vacation. But soon, the lawyers used the notes to implicate the doctors. And then the lawyers required notes, to prevent doctors from not taking notes.
Now they're going to have a database of possible treatments. What does that tell the doctor? It tells him how he can avoid a lawsuit. And that's where the insurance companies come in. Doctors already pay a fortune in malpractice insurance. Maybe the government won't force them to follow the federal guidelines, but the insurance companies will. The politicians will claim that they're just helping, but the insurance companies will mandate it.
Goodbye to medicine as an art. Sooner or later, somebody will figure out that if the treatment is already mandated, why do we need doctors? Clinics will pop up, giving assembly line treatment. Instead of "helping" doctors, they'll have legalized away any thinking or innovation. They kill what they intend to "help."
Bias of Omission
February 15, 2009 - 21:17 ET by slickwillie2001I see bias of omission in the many articles lately on UAV missile strikes in Pakistan. The old media is simply giving us lines like '20 militants killed' with no detail. It is inconceivable that there were not collateral deaths like women and children and non-hostile civilians. Obammy was ragging on during the campaign about 'air-raiding villages and killing civilians' and now he is doing it!
Or have US missiles suddenly become more discriminating under the guidance of The One?
Well, I guess it sounds better........
February 15, 2009 - 21:24 ET by NC Cop...then the Generational Ass Raping of 2009.
Generational Serfdom Act is
February 15, 2009 - 21:28 ET by SterlingGenerational Serfdom Act is an apt name to this legislation. Think about the Government controlling every aspect of your life, from education, to healthcare, to what type of work the government chooses for you. Think about the government being the highest employer in the economy as well as having a monopoly of coercive power; it seems that this generation will be the last to know what it means to be a freeborn man.
Sterling... We in this
February 15, 2009 - 21:33 ET by bigtimerSterling...
We in this home see it the same way you summed up.
Sadly....very sad.
Neal Boortz was prescient
February 15, 2009 - 21:46 ET by motherbeltNot that it needed a crystal ball, but he he hit the nail on the head back in January.
Stimulus Bill: Yeah, Right
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
I think generational theft act
February 15, 2009 - 22:10 ET by MANstreammediais a great name. While I'd prefer something a little stronger, I think this one is not only a great discription of the horrible truth, but not so shocking as to make people ignore it.
Once socialism is voted in it stays, it clings like ice to the
February 15, 2009 - 22:24 ET by upcountrywaterwings of captialism. We will be fine, just hang on til 2010...I can see the runway it's just ahead....
V
ism's trump FREEDOM
(D)
Once Socialism truly gains
February 15, 2009 - 22:32 ET by NL207Once Socialism truly gains power it is only ejected by force. This is the lesson of history.
Generational theft? Without a doubt!
February 15, 2009 - 22:29 ET by jefflebowskiThe Dims either mis-read the election thinking that Americans wanted them to spend our money like...well...Democrats. Or they could have thought that while they have all the power what the heck? Do it while they can.
I truly believe that they will pay the consequences in the next two election cycles. Like I have been saying around here for months...every 30 or so years America needs Jimmy Carter. Change can go BOTH ways!
Angry White Dude
www.angrywhitedude.c...
The next big job for the
February 15, 2009 - 22:33 ET by MidAmericaThe next big job for the media after the signing of the Theft Act will be to start finding 'success stories' because of this bill. Obama and all his minions will HAVE to change from their gloom and doom act to one of endless optimism so that they can bamboozle the public into believing they have saved the whole world.
MA,
February 15, 2009 - 22:43 ET by R D HelmAnd while the MSM is busy doing that, the socialists will be quietly going about finalizing the total government take over of this nation's health care system.
Once the socialists have accomplished that...
-Dave
Our clueless political leaders are about to drive us all over a cliff. The time to HITM is now-before we go over.
On top of that O is going
February 15, 2009 - 22:54 ET by bigtimerOn top of that O is going on a constant two-four year campaign trail selling job nationwide with 24/7 constant msm coverage for all they want passed, to cram down and sell down all the lemmings throats, whether they like it or not.
This is the strategy from what I heard the last week or so, even today Axlerod was saying this...he's on the Road Again...
Hey it is okay for O to do this...but now if this had been Pres. Bush....the msm would be relentless for this type of tactic...in oh so many ways the criticism would be fast and furious.
Alternate title...
February 15, 2009 - 23:15 ET by SasquatchThe SOWS Act (Same Old Wasteful Spending)
Just a thought...it's in keeping with the 'pork' theme.
DC is starting to look like the Land of Oz. We've got the Man Behind the Curtain, a wicked witch, a few people who are lost, a few more with no heart, even more with no courage, and a h*** of a lot of Scarecrows.
I Like CRAP better
February 16, 2009 - 00:32 ET by The SquigglerHuckabee first introduced it on his program.
Congressional Relief Act Program or CRAP for short.
But if you want to call it the Multi-generation Theft Act, make it the Multi-generational Rape Act. Republicans are so wishy-washy. We've got to get on message people and not be afraid to get your hands dirty.
Generational Theft Act of 2009
February 16, 2009 - 07:02 ET by desertdwellerAnd it will likely be only the first of many.
You can be sure there are cronies who are put off they're left out of the current bill.
Was Burris rushed through to
February 16, 2009 - 08:15 ET by billbWas Burris rushed through to vote FOR the Stimulus Package? Was Ted Stevens tied up in court on a bogus charge to keep him from voting AGAINST the Stimulus Package?
This is merely the cherry on top
February 16, 2009 - 11:12 ET by Prester JohnThe Great Society of LBJ and the Democrats really got the budget deficit training going and no one ever really got in the way for over 40 years.
Oh sure, Reagan tried but he got steamrolled, and the Republicans in 95-96 tried but they got steamrolled also.
The fact is we've reached the point where 50% of the people are being supported by the other 50% one way or another.
Does it really matter if we're $11 trillion in debt vs $10 trillion?
www.campaignforliberty.com
"Truth is treason in the empire of lies."