Jerry Lewis: “Madam Speaker, before we continue with a stimulus policy that has consistently failed to stimulate anything other than…”

“Madam Speaker, before we continue with a stimulus policy that has consistently failed to stimulate anything other than the government, I think the supporters of this program need to answer some very simple questions. For example, the President, himself, told us yesterday that this $800 billion of new spending is going to produce 4 million new jobs. Well, that's great until you pull out a pocket calculator and realize that that comes to $200,000 per job. Question: Why don't we just send those 4 million lucky families a check for $100,000 and save half of what the President wants to spend according to his own numbers? The President, himself, told audiences this weekend that the spending bill would produce a renaissance of highway, road and bridge construction. Question: If that is the object of this bill, why is only 3 percent of the funding going for that purpose? The Congressional Budget Office last week noted that the current spending bill, although producing temporary relief, will incur so much long-term debt as to reduce overall GDP growth over the next decade. Question: How do we strengthen our economic future by leaving the next generation with an unprecedented debt that will take decades to pay off? We know of many cases where massive government spending and borrowing has destroyed economies and has brought down great nations.”