KamranatUCLA (29.73)

The Best Joke of 2009!

December 13, 2009 – Comments (10) | RELATED TICKERS: BLTI , ACI , GTE

WOW. Our government saved the best joke for the last.

Highlight of 1.1 Trillion Spending Bill. If you can't laugh at this, you have no funny bone:

Highlights of a $1.1 trillion spending bill before the Senate funding government agencies:

_$519 billion in routine payments for Medicare and Medicaid.

_$3.9 billion for more than 5,000 "earmarks," or home-state projects sought by lawmakers.

_A pay raise for federal employees averaging 2 percent.

_Establishes an appeals process for automobile dealers closed by General Motors and Chrysler.

_Permits the District of Columbia government to provide abortions with locally raised revenue, permits needle exchange programs in the city and allows implementation of a medical marijuana referendum.

_Eases restrictions on federal funding of needle exchange programs nationwide to combat the spread of disease by drug users.

_Allows Amtrak passengers to transport firearms in checked luggage.

_$68.2 billion for the Education Department.

_$109.6 billion for veterans programs, a 15 percent increase, including $45.1 billion for health care.

_$7.3 billion for the 2010 census.

_$18.7 billion for NASA, a 5 percent increase.

_$7.9 billion for the FBI, a 7 percent increase.

_$3.7 billion for grants to state and local law enforcement.

_$5.1 billion for heating subsidies for the poor, almost 40 percent more than requested.

_$41 billion for highway construction, a slight increase.

_$1.6 billion to subsidize Amtrak.

No Money for small businesses, no tax break for middle class, no easing of tax codes, no flat tax, no real money for job creators, no serious money for alternative fuels, or exports....just more of the worst things. The only thing I really liked: weapons on Amtrak

HO HO HO!