During the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, we have seen the American economy stall. Our country faces a challenge. However, over the past month there has been excessive fear-mongering in Washington. President Barack Obama, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid are trying to force the new stimulus package down Americans’ throats under the guise of ‘stimulating the economy.’ Liberals and their lap-dog media have clamored that, if the new stimulus is not passed, the economy will cease to exist.

Obama says lack of action would be ‘catastrophic.’ This kind of fear-mongering is detrimental to the American public. Liberals are taking advantageous of public fears. They are using the new stimulus as a disguise for pushing through liberals’ favorite spending programs and other non-stimulating pork projects.

Does spending $25 million on an ATV trail stimulate the economy? Does $150 million for the Smithsonian Institution create jobs? How does almost $900 million allotted to the Center for Disease Control to fund programs such as STD prevention help our economy?’ Is $1 billion set aside for the Bureau of the Census a method of stimulating the economy? What about the $650 million for the analog-to-digital converter box program? Or the $150 million for honey bee insurance? This stimulus package smells porkier than a certain Looney Tunes character.

This unproductive spending is irresponsible and reckless. Pelosi screams that this stimulus should be passed because it will immediately provide infrastructure spending. Of the $819 billion, only $90 billion has been set aside for infrastructure. U.S. News and World Report writer James Pethokoukis has stated that, according to the Congressional Budget Office, less than 7 percent of the money for infrastructure will be available this fall. This doesn’t mesh with liberals’ insistence that the economy will be saved from immediate doom. These partial truths are deceitful.’ ‘

Americans should be wary of the new stimulus bill. Our last $700 billion stimulus, intended to cure our banking crisis, has not worked, with CEOs and executives getting millions in bonuses. Yet, banks are still not lending. If we had not been rushed on the $700 billion, Congress could have attached strings to the unbelievable amount of money given to banks. Where are we getting the money for this new stimulus? China? Are we just going to print more money now that Democrats have the keys to the printing presses? Can you say ‘inflation’?

The American public needs to shout back to Washington, ‘Whoa! Pump the brakes.’ If this money will not make its way into citizens’ pockets instantly, we need to make sure our tax dollars are spent only on stimulus, not ‘porkulus.’ Instead of fearfully throwing money at the problem, like we did with the first $700 billion, we need a thought-out plan devoid of haste and misinformation.

I recognize the desire for Democrats to push their agenda. But playing on the fears of the public is not the way to go about things. These illogical expenditures should be in an entirely separate bill. If Congress wants to pass a stimulus bill, it is our prerogative to make sure everything in that bill is aimed specifically at creating jobs and getting money back to regular Americans.

Americans need to stop blindly trusting politicians and make sure our money is spent effectively and efficiently. Stop listening to the doom-and-gloom shouting from Democrats like Pelosi. Liberals call for bipartisanship, and then they label non-supporting conservatives as partisans. Don’t be fooled by Democrats who are using this crisis as an opportunity to force pork ‘stimulus.’ For a political party espousing transparency, Democrats are deceitfully blinding Americans to their true motives. Liberal fear-mongering cannot succeed if we pay attention beyond Nov. 4. Read the frivolous, absurd bill at http://www.senate.gov.

Tull is a graduate student in history.