During much of the debate over the stimulus in the Senate, the argument was made that it was simply too large and porky. I failed to see the logic of the stimulus being “too big” when the Senate Appropriations Committee strained at a few smaller points and then inserted big, porky $50 billion of loan guarantees for the nuclear industry.
Then the debate shifted and they started stripping more pieces out of the stimulus, including money for education and school energy efficiency retrofits.
Does that mean that that they robbed schoolchildren and gave the money to Mr. Burns?
You be the judge:
| Stimulus spending on: |
House |
Senate |
| Tax credits for Renewable Energy | $13 billion | $13 billion |
| Nuclear Loan Guarantees | 0 | $50 billion |
| Energy Efficiency upgrades for homeowners | $6.2 billion | $2.9 billion |
| Energy Efficiency and modernization upgrades for schools | $21 billion | 0 |
| Fossil Fuel R&D (clean coal) | 0 | $4.6 billion |
| “Smart Grid” technology | $11 billion | $11 billion |
| Loan subsidies for renewable energy | 0 | $8.5 billion |
| Advanced battery systems research | 0 | $8.5 billion |
Source: AP
