Many observers don’t think the proposed economic stimulus plan will do much to avert a recession. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman calls the plan “a lemon,†arguing that the bulk of the tax cuts go to well-off people and that “sending checks to people in good financial shape does little or nothing to increase overall spending.†Why? Because more affluent people won’t spend the extra money, he argues. “They’ll just put it in the bank.â€
He blames Democrats for caving on more effective provisions targeted at the poor — such as a boost in unemployment benefits and food stamps — that would have put money into the hands of needy people ready to spend it.
At any rate, if the checks come in mid-May, as expected, they won’t do much to slow a recession that many economists believe already has started.
“Why, as a New York-based paper, are we not backing Rudolph Giuliani?,†a New York Times editorial asked. “Why not choose the man we endorsed for re-election in 1997 after a first term in which he showed that a dirty, dangerous, supposedly ungovernable city could become clean, safe and orderly? What about the man who stood fast on Sept. 11, when others, including President Bush, went AWOL?
“That man is not running for president.
“The real Mr. Giuliani, whom many New Yorkers came to know and mistrust, is a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man who saw no need to limit police power. Racial polarization was as much a legacy of his tenure as the rebirth of Times Square.â€
The editorial board’s pick: John McCain, calling him “the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe.â€
The Times preferred Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, saying she is the most qualified to “start immediately on challenges that will require concrete solutions, resolve, and the ability to make government work.â€
Something for Ralph Nader and Michael Bloomberg to consider as they weigh third-party presidential bids: Most voters say they’re pleased with the choices this year, according to a new Gallup poll. About 6 in 10 voters say the candidates have good ideas for solving the country’s problems — that’s twice as many satisfied voters as in 1992, when independent Ross Perot jumped into the race.
Despite the calls for “change,†say the pollsters, Americans are “quite positive about the candidates running for president so far, and believe they have suggested good solutions to the nation’s problems, marking a sharp contrast with what these same measures showed in early 1992. Thus, while dissatisfaction in general is high, the American public does not appear to believe it is important or necessary for an independent candidate outside of the traditional two major parties to step into the race in order to save the nation.â€
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is waiting to declare a preference for president, but 24 other governors have found their man or woman. Hillary Clinton leads the Democrats with 10 gubernatorial endorsements, compared with Barack Obama’s five. On the GOP side, John McCain has lined up four governors and Mitt Romney three. The big fish playing hard to get include California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger and Florida’s Charlie Crist, both Republicans.
But McCain’s biggest endorsement of the week might be from aging action film star Sylvester Stallone, whose latest “Rambo†movie opens today. When told of the endorsement, McCain joked that Mike Huckabee’s celebrity endorser, Chuck Norris, had better look out. “Chuck, you can run, but you can’t hide,†McCain warned.
Setting aside all the viral e-mails claiming that Barack Obama is a radical Muslim, some people do have questions about his Christian faith. For those interested, here is a Q&A he did with Christianity Today that discusses his faith, abortion, etc.
Not everyone in Reno County has supported spending public dollars to lower airfares at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, a state-supported program that helped the airport attract a record 1.6 million passengers last year. Fortunately, one who has is Dave Kerr, the former Kansas Senate president and current president of the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce. “You can’t recruit, nor can you retain, businesses if they don’t have good access to air services,†Kerr told a Hutchinson business crowd last week. “It is vitally important that the Wichita airport continue to progress. I place enormous importance on quality air service at a reasonable price.â€
