The stimulus bill passed by the House last night contains a controversial provision that would mostly bar foreign steel and iron from the infrastructure projects laid out by the $819 billion economic package.
A Senate version, yet to be acted upon, goes further, requiring, with few exceptions, that all stimulus funded projects use only American-made equipment and goods.
Read the rest: ‘Buy American’ Rider Sparks Trade Debate – washingtonpost.com.
In case you missed my friendfeed entry, make sure you read Takin’ it to the streets! at Femina. It is about the bus ads claiming, “there’s probably no god.”
It brings up a point that is slightly serious. How many modern atheists actually read Nietszche or Voltaire? I have to wonder. Would Nietszche even be that well remembered if Christians did not value him?
The Institute for Health Freedom (IHF) warns that the economic stimulus bill mandates electronic health records for every citizen without providing for opt-out or patient consent provisions. “Without those protections, Americans’ electronic health records could be shared — without their consent — with over 600,000 covered entities through the forthcoming nationally linked electronic health-records network,” says Sue A. Blevins, IHF president.
“President Obama has pledged to advance freedom. Therefore the freedom to choose not to participate in a national electronic health-records system must be upheld,” Blevins says. “Unless people have the right to decide if and when their health information is shared or whether to participate in research studies, they don’t have a true right to privacy.”
IHF calls on Americans who care about health privacy to contact their members of Congress and President Obama to voice their own opinions about the need for opt-out and patient consent provisions, to ensure true patient privacy rights.
God grants glory to us by grace and yet he makes us struggle for glory to glorify us. “Through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God” –Saint Paul “Only through pain can tomorrow come” –The Prisoner.
I’m totally supportive of the President making sure everyone does their part. What I would like to see is evidence that my cynicism is unjustified–that “sharing the pain” is code words for targeting middle- to upper-middle-class tax payers. Here is how things stand now.
Ordinary Taxpayers 100%
Banks 0%
Congress 0%
State Legislatures 0%
Bernanke 0%
Fed Governors 0%
Fannie Mae Bondholders 0%
Freddie Mac Bondholders 0%
FDIC executives 0%
SEC 0%
via Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis: Open Letter To Congress On Sharing The Pain.
So this helps clarify what needs to happen (is “Fed Governors” a misprint for “State Governors”?).