Capital Games

Party-line vote on stimulus

The $825 billion House package of tax cuts and spending programs called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 passed this evening on a 244-188 vote, with 11 Democrats joining all Republicans in voting "no."  

A detailed description of many things in the bill and what they mean for New Jersey is coming in Thursday's Record, but here's a lengthy list from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Rep. Scott Garrett, R-Wantage, described his displeasure with the bill in an interview on CNBC today. He was looking forward to President Obama coming through on his promise to the GOP caucus yesterday to take some of their ideas about tax cuts into account. But for now, the plan crafted by House Democrats had too much spending:

"This spending plan, if you put it in comparison to what this country's spent, it's all the money we spent on the Vietnam War, the Korean War, the Louisiana Purchase, the Marshall Plan and some of NASA's funding as well added together. ... That's an amazing amount of money, without the oversight, and you will see so much waste, fraud and abuse the public will be outraged."

Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-Paterson, endorsed the bill on the House floor Tuesday:

"Through middle-class tax cuts, direct aid to State and local governments, and reinvestment in renewable energy, Congress is taking an affirmative step to enable economic recovery."

Rep. Rodney Frelinghysen, R-Harding, criticized the bill on the floor Tuesday for making the federal government bail New Jersey out of its budget problems [full text here and here].

"In the last 6 years, New Jersey state spending has increased by $11 billion, and our state's debt has more than doubled to $36 billion. Clearly, this is not a picture of restraint. ... While the federal budget deficit has exploded, federal taxpayers are now supposed to pull some state governments out of a fiscal hole that was partially of their own making."

Rep. Steve Rothman, D-Fair Lawn, said Congress was providing Obama with the tools he'll need to get the economy moving.

"The economic conditions that President Obama has inherited are extremely dire, and it is critical that he has the resources necessary to rebuild confidence and create new jobs in America’s economy. ... We acted today to get America moving again."

Rep. Rush Holt, D-Hopewell Township, said the bill's investment in science was a reason to support it.

"In his Inaugural Address, President Obama said ‘we will restore science to its rightful place.’ This legislation places science at the center of short-term job creation and long-term economic growth.”

Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-Millville, said the bill was "all sizzle and no steak."

"The ailing national economy is undeniably in need of direct, targeted action that will put American workers back to work and restore confidence in our markets. Unfortunately, the legislation presented to the House today is merely a makeover of special programs and non-critical, non-job related projects that unquestionably miss the mark at the expense of helping families and small businesses.

Garrett sees stimulus 'masquerade'

Rep. Scott Garrett thanked President Obama for meeting today with House Republicans to talk about economic stimulus, but Garrett said an $825 billion bill before the House this week includes many major spending projects "that are not at all stimulative."

He specifically ctied $200 million to re-sod the National Mall in Washington, $600 million for federal vehicles and $1.3 billion to upgrade computer systems for state and federal agencies.

"Some of the projects listed in this bill are certainly worthy of government funding, but let's not masquerade these projects as a stimulus," Garrett, R-Wantage, said in a statement released after the meeting. "Stimulus is not an excuse to expand government programs. Stimulus means the economy will grow."

Garrett said the meeting with Obama "centered on many Republican-offered suggestions, such as tax cuts for small businesses. While he did not embrace any of the ideas offered, I look forward to additional opportunities to share our pro-growth ideas."

In a letter he and a colleague sent to Obama today, Garrett urged the president to consider his bill, HR470, which would provide a broad array of tax cuts, including a repeal of the Alternative Minimum Tax, a 5 percent across-the-board reduction in personal income tax rates and a cut in corporate taxes.

Special inaugural blog

Follow the action today on our special inaugural blog.

Throughout the day, a team of Record and Herald News reporters will be sending news about this historic day. You can add your thoughts too if you want by emailing me at jackson@northjersey.com.

Include your name and home town.

Crowds swarm Capitol for tix

Today's coverage is on northjersey.com

This Land is Your Land

The next-to-last number was Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen leading the crowd in Woodie Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," and folks in my section were happy to join in.

Those who didn't know the words could follow along with the jumbo tron.

U2 a highlight

Bono performs "Pride (In the Name of Love)" a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.

Turns out Jennifer Kramer of Hoboken and some old pals from the Trenton State House were in the same neighborhood as I was and she said the crowd near her loved U2 and Stevie Wonder.

"I loved James Taylor and John Legend duet," she said. "Everyone was upset Garth Brooks got three songs when Springsteen got one."

Still, the weather was not as bad as she was expecting.

"Just glad to be there and be a part of it," she said.

'Celebration' dosed with reality

A who's who of movie and musical stars joined President-elect Barack Obama on Sunday for an "opening celebration" of the three-day run-up to Inauguration Day. But along with singing "American Pie" with Garth Brooks, and "Lean on Me," with Mary J. Blige, the hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall also got a heavy dose of the serious issues the nation is confronting, and exhortations to join together to confront them. The opening song by Bruce Springsteen was "The Rising," his ode to the nation after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. James Taylor crooned: "Shower the people you love with love ... Things are going to be just fine if you only will." A video clip showed Franklin D. Roosevelt saying, "This great nation will endure as it has endured. ... This nation is asking for action, and action now." Martin Luther King III introduced a clip showing John F. Kennedy uttering his famous inaugural quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." And actor Tom Hanks, quoting Abraham Lincoln, said: "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present." In a parade of stars, however, Obama was the one people came to see. The crowd erupted each time the TV cameras carrying the program on giant TV screens spread between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument cut away to Obama and his family smiling to the music or bopping back and forth, as he did when Brooks played "Shout."
"It was unbelievable," said Jeff Tittel of Ringwood, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club. "I sang, I danced. I cried when Pete Seeger & Springsteen sang, 'This Land is Your Land , followed by Beyonce singing 'America the Beautiful.' "It was incredibly moving. The Lincoln Memorial, President-elect Obama. Your eyes swelled up," Tittel said. Obama spoke near the end of the program. "Our nation is at war. Our economy is in crisis. Millions of Americans are losing their jobs and their homes," Obama said. "I won't pretend that meeting any one of these challenges will be easy. It will take more than a month or a year, and it will likely take many." But as he did throughout his campaign, he urged the crowd to help him succeed. "You proved once more that people who love this country can change it," he said. "There is no doubt that our road will be long. That our climb will be steep. But never forget that the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfort and ease, but by the right we do when the moment is hard." Other singers in the program, in alphabetical order, were: Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, Bettye LaVette, Jon Bon Jovi, Mstr.Sgt. Caleb Green (US Army), John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Shakira, U2, will.i.am and Stevie Wonder.
Among those reading historical passages were Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah, Denzel Washington, Jack Black, Steve Carell, Rosario Dawson, Tom Hanks, Laura Linney, Ashley Judd, Kal Penn, Forest Whitaker and Tiger Woods.
Obama began Sunday at Arlington National Ceremony, where he and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. Obama has urged Americans to mark the holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday by performing public service, and he and his family are planning to join in.
On Monday evening, there's a "Kids Inaugural: We are the Future Concert" at the Verizon Center downtown hosted by the future first lady, Michelle Obama. Obama will also participate in three "bipartisan dinners" honoring former Gen. Colin Powell, Republican presidential candidate and Arizona Sen. John McCain, and Biden.

Stevie, Usher & Shakira

One of the many combo acts. Singing 'Higher Ground'

The view from here

Act One

Bruce singing The Rising with chorus backup.