Britt Combs: Shuler showed better leadership than Obama

As another bloated and schizophrenic spending bill makes its way through Congress, and Americans wait in a state of near-panic, desperate for Washington to "do something, even if it's wrong," we in North Carolina's 11th Congressional District can be proud of the high-minded, sober stance taken by Rep. Heath Shuler, who bucked his party and voted against the House's version of the thing.
Shuler said the bill "contained too much additional spending in areas that will not offer immediate economic stimulus. … I cannot in good conscience borrow and spend $825 billion, further burdening future generations of Americans."
That right there, ladies and gentlemen, is a "new kind of Democrat," championing "change we need." That's the kind of attitude we need in the White House; one that places our common economic well-being ahead of partisan one-upsmanship.
Unfortunately, President Obama appears to be treading the well-beaten path of "my party, right or wrong" politics. In stark contrast to his campaign stance of seeking solutions to the recession, he favors taking on massive new debt and calls it "stimulus."
What's more, he can't resist taking every opportunity to use the bully pulpit to remind Americans that the Republicans are the devil. Any objection to his plan, in fine point or in theory, he dismisses as "the failed policies of the past eight years that got us into this mess." The president conveniently forgets that Washington has been spending money like the Rapture is coming tomorrow since the early 19th century, and that Democrats have played pretty much an equal part in it.
What's so terribly wrong with the stimulus bill? In the latest version, according to The Associated Press, it borrows $2 billion for a "clean coal power plant," (the private sector's responsibility); $2 billion for hybrid car batteries (ditto); $255 million to buy the Coast Guard a nifty ice breaker, no doubt to facilitate that huge backlog of shipping traffic to the North Pole.
Those don't frost you? Try these nuggets excavated from the House's version by The Wall Street Journal: $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts; $400 million for global warming research; an additional $650 million for digital TV box coupons.
Here's one that irks me no end, and ought to bother the hell out of every tax paying Southerner or any rural person: $6 trillion for "mass transit," including $1 billion for Amtrak. We've been paying taxes for decades so Yankees can ride the train at low cost or for free while we still depend entirely on our cars. Unless you happen to live between Washington, New York, Boston and Chicago you can forget the free ride; better get those new tires and pray to God the gasoline keeps flowing, because the train don't stop here folks, and as long as Washington gets its way, it never will.
One would be hard-pressed indeed to say that any of this "creates jobs" or stimulates anything other than the political fortunes of Washington insiders. Many of these things may be worthy goals, but they are irresponsible spending when trying to stave off depression.
Yes, when your house is drafty you want to re-insulate it and upgrade the windows, but when you're fixing to get foreclosed on, maybe you had better just stuff the cracks with newspaper and focus on paying down your debt. That's one of the practical lessons of poverty the president and most of Washington seem to have forgotten.
At his press conference Monday, the president gnashed his teeth about a school in South Carolina that had been built, he claimed, "in the 1850s." He wants to spend $6 billion on school construction because the children can't learn there.
First of all, that is doubtful, since the U.S. Army demonstrated their "malice towards none and charity to all" by burning every school, church, hospital or home they could find. But the bigger point is, "So what?" Where did he get the notion that old buildings hinder learning? Is he insane? Or stupid? Or lying?
The great universities of Europe were founded about 1,000 years ago, largely outdoors or in barns. They trained the minds that led to the Renaissance. Don't tell me gifted teachers and motivated students can't do their business unless they have a shiny new building.
Pork is pork, Mr. President, and pigs is pigs. Saying a pork-laden bill contains "no pork," and "not a single pet project," does not make it so. It does not justify a shopping spree when fiscal restraint and paying down debt are called for.
Yes, the Republicans did a horrible job in the last eight years. But the Democrats did a horrible job before that. They take turns, because both have been governed by a wrong-headed and damn-near treasonous attitude towards spending.
"Change" means "change," Mr. President. As in "not doing the same thing over and over." "Leadership" means vetoing this bill. I told you the Pelosis and Reids would try to corral you. Turns out I was right.