Rep. Hinchey rides into D.C. to save the day… for whom?
Written by Michael Vass
Right now Representative Maurice Hinchey is in Washington D.C., voting with Democrat House members to pass $26 billion in funding for teachers, firefighters, and nurses. Some $2.2 billion of that money will be coming to New York State and roughly $607 million will reach Broome County. Overall, Democrats believe this will save 161,000 teaching jobs.
The question that should be asked is, for how long?
While most in the media don’t want to ask the question it is important. It’s a question that Rep. Hinchey and Democrats don’t want to discuss. Especially as the mid-term elections are approaching. Rather the focus is the benefit they will be providing, the jobs that are being “saved”. It makes for a great political re-election ad.
What won’t be in the ads, nor mentioned in all the speeches about the vote, is the fact that this is just the latest Government funding for the same problem. Just last year the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Obama Stimulus) spent $100 billion to “create or save” 300,000 education-related jobs. It also allowed States (like New York and California) to continue to survive the massive budget deficits they have been accumulating.
In just 1 year, the money has been spent and nothing has improved. In fact things have gotten worse. State budget deficts have gotten no smaller. Over a hundred thousand jobs are set to be removed from the rosters. And Congress, especially Rep. Maurice Hinchey (who has advocated this emergency funding since April), have decided the best solution is to pour in more money. Borrowed money. Increasing the natinal debt, to be paid off by tax increases.
Therefore we are left with a few common sense questions that the media will not ask, and elected politicians seeking re-election will not voluntarily answer.
Representative Maurice Hinchey is happy to state
It sounds great for an official that needs teachers (and the union) to get re-elected. Once past the election though, what will be the answer to the other constituents that will pay higher taxes with fewer jobs, or even those same teachers that will face layoffs again next year and the year after that? What solution is Rep. Hinchey, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats really offering other than pouring more money that they don’t have - that constituents don’t have - down the same ever-growing hole?
Other than making a great soundbite for a re-election ad, what long-term benefit are the people of New York getting from the $26 billion being spent by Congress? Rep. Hinchey, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Democrats are not telling. The major media is not asking. They all are counting on the fact you the voter will not worry about it, at least until after the November mid-term elections. But don’t constituents deserve an answer?
