Billion Dollar Stimulation
From the Senate Appropriations Committee today:The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration Weapons program gets $1 billion for maintenance and general plant project backlogs, construction activities, decommissioning and disposition activities, various energy projects throughout the complex, as well as funding for advanced computing development.[Download the entire press release here.]
51 comments:
And don't forget this:
...
Energy
The bill provides investments in areas critical to the development of clean, efficient, American energy, including modernizing energy transmission, research and development of renewable energy technologies, and modernizing and upgrading government buildings and vehicles.
Highlights include:
Top line spending of approximately $49 Billion
• The Bill provides $40 billion to the Department of Energy for development of clean, efficient, American energy. The Bill invests in boots-on-the-ground projects and
activities that get people back to work as well as energy research, demonstration, and deployment that will provide for our future and assure a cleaner environment.
...
After reading the entire press release my reaction is-what a disappointment.
Our Congress makes Wallstreet CEOs look like tightwads.
If there was ever a case to throw out the baby with the bathwater & start over, this is it.
Come on Congress- get rid of the pork & lard & send us the real stimulus plan.
No wonder the job performance rating for our Congress is lower than whale dung.
LANL will likely not get much if any of the energy funds. Frankly, LANL does not have the expertise and would probably squander the funds anyway!
Is this for things not already funded under the FY09 CR?
Here's what John Fleck over at the ABQ Journal had to say on this subject:
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Money for the Labs in Stimulus Bill?
John Fleck, Albuquerque Journal, 01-27-09
The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration Weapons program gets $1 billion for maintenance and general plant project backlogs, construction activities, decommissioning and disposition activities, various energy projects throughout the complex, as well as funding for advanced computing development.
$6.4 billion is directed towards environmental cleanup of former weapon production and energy research sites. These projects will be of limited duration aimed at decreasing the overall site footprint and reducing recurring annual costs. This work will move toward decreasing the footprint at some sites by up to 90%. The footprint reduction will free up these lands for other economic purposes.
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So, what we have here is funding mostly for plants and construction work and a huge dose of funding for cleanup work at the labs so that the land can be released to the public at some later date. In addition to this, there is some funding for super-computers (probably for the purchase of new hardware).
This is NOT a stimulus bill to help science at the labs! That should be very clear to everyone. It's a bill to help with the non-science accounts at the NNSA labs, with by far the biggest portion going for environmental cleanup. Think Rocky Flats. That's where the future appears to be heading for the NNSA labs.
Looks like some commentators are not very happy about the NNSA funding that was placed into the Stimulus Bill. This op-ed piece is typical of those who are currently pushing for unilateral disarmament of the US nuclear weapons complex.
==========
Stimulating the Nuclear Weapons Complex?
By William Hartung - January 27, 2009, Talking Points Memo (TPM)
tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/
2009/01/27/
stimulating_the_nuclear_weapons_complex/
Any time Congress spends hundreds of billions of dollars in a hurry we'd better read the fine print. So it is with today's Senate Appropriations Committee mark-up of the next installment -- over $365 billion -- of the economic stimulus package. Tucked away in the bill is $7.8 billionfor the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration -- the agency responsible for researching, developing and maintaining nuclear weapons. The funding is set aside for a variety of purposes, from construction of facilities to clean-up of weapons sites to "laboratory infrastructure," to "advanced computing development." Whatever the appropriations committee chooses to call it, it represents a bailout for an agency that should be reduced in size, not increased.
At a time when President Obama has committed himself to seeking a world without nuclear weapons -- backed up with specific pledges to seek a global test ban and a prohibition on the production of bomb-making materials -- Congress should not be throwing money at the nuclear weapons complex.
This blatant exercise in pork barrel spending comes at a time when the NNSA has been pushing a "modernization" and upgrade of the nuclear weapons complex under the antiseptic phrase "Complex Transformation." The plan includes the construction of at least three new nuclear weapons factories, and could cost up to $200 billion over the next two decades. It is incumbent upon the Obama administration to put the brakes on this ill-conceived initiative and send the agency back to the drawing boards to come up with a plan to put the weapons complex on a low-level, standby status appropriate to a time of deep reductions -- or ideally, total elimination -- of nuclear weapons.
But first things first -- Senate Appropriations Committee's attempt to slip $7.8 billion to the nuclear weapons complex must be rejected. Then we need to get on with the job of reducing the size and scope of the complex to reflect the reality that nuclear weapons can and should be eliminated once and for all.
funding for favorite programs--health care, education and the arts in particular...
multibillion-dollar gifts to state governments, teachers unions, and the environmental lobby, with such gems as a $6 billion program to "weatherize modest-income homes."
and we must pass this bill immediately or the world will end.
Why do I feel like I just gave all my $$$ to Mr. Madoff?
The Stimulus Bill is not a job creation bill. Once everyone has had time to look at it closely, it will be clear that it is really an income transfer bill. Only about $30 B in this bill is going for infrastructure construction. That's less than 5%!
It's yet another political "bait and switch" action being pulled on the American public. You'll be paying for it with massive tax increases to cover the interest payments over the next few decades.
Spending money on the lab, or rather on salaries in Los Alamos is exactly the wrong thing to do in this economy. Ignoring the famous lack of productivity, there is the concept of an economic multiplier. That is the ratio of the money spent on an economic stimulus to the eventual increase in the GDP. The town of Los Alamos is also nationally famous as an outlier of consumption as measured by the ratio of income to sales tax. Almost nothing is spent in town, by American standards, leading to a huge average net family worth. Perhaps it is only just deserts that the home values are plummeting and jobs are disappearing.
"Ignoring the famous lack of productivity"
I take it your are talking about yourself, right? We are talking about LANL not some losers who got RIFed in 1994.
Sorry to burst you little bubble bitch but you set yourself up for it everytime.
Try harder this is getting to be to be too easy.
I wonder, if Chris's retirement money was reduced, would he change his tune? Real quick, I bet.
Hi 7:23. You talk about "losers" who were riffed in 1994 frequently. Could you be so kind as to name a single one of them?
4:09 pm: "Almost nothing is spent in town, by American standards, leading to a huge average net family worth."
Only a socialist, or a complete idiot, would diaparage "huge average net family worth" as a bad thing. I guess if you can't join the club, you bad-mouth it. I assume you are happy that you have no "family worth" to pass to your kids?
"Almost nothing is spent in town"
There's almost nothing to buy in town, either.
Chicken or egg?
"Hi 7:23. You talk about "losers" who were riffed in 1994 frequently. Could you be so kind as to name a single one of them?
1/28/09 8:01 PM"
Hint
I wonder, if Chris's retirement money was reduced, would he change his tune? Real quick, I bet.
1/28/09 7:46 PM
I don't believe that Chris Mechels was riffed. And I also believe he has the nerve to use his name, rather than going anonymous. And as a UC retiree, Chris would have nothing to fear from LANS.
I do understand why critics of LANL would want to remain anonymous in this company town. You, on the other hand, are supporting LANL policies and should not be afraid of using your name. Except that you appear to be a complete wuss, 7:23.
How much of that $1B is for decommissioning? At LLNL, if you try to do science and don’t work for Moses, you are or will be slated for demolition. I’m not comforted by this funding. Site people have been nosing about and have money to start clearing out what they see as under-used equipment now before buildings are closed or space has even been identified for a future move. They are just in a rush to tear down and destroy
These argument about the stimulus package remind me of the old beer commercials:
More spending - less taxes, less spending - more taxes :)
my main concern is that we take the time to get it right (whatever that is)
Buying a more expensive sport car for LANL's Director would definitely help stimulate more jobs. Me likey that one!
- Director Mike
All this stimulation talk is making me really hot in my fatty pants! Where is that lovely Sue Seestrom when I really need her?
- Terry Wallace
I'm here for you babe. Didn't know you cared!
-S.S.
Dammit! That be-atch Sue is going after Terry again? He's MINE!
M.N.
Yeah, but don't tell Wolffie. Terry is one hot stud now that he has lost all his baby-fat. Hubba, hubba!
"I don't believe that Chris Mechels was riffed."
Ya he was, or was on a list to be riffed, and conveniently "retired", wink wink, nod nod. Judging from his inane, crazed, dishonest, and idiotic rants it is not hard to guess what the reason was. LANL can get rid of utterly incompetent people. They have a whole process for it. Just ask some of the people from the 80's and early 90's about Mechels they will tell you. Hell even the Santa Fe activists do not have anything good to
say about Mr Nutjob and try to distance themselves from him.
"I'm here for you babe. Didn't know you cared!
-S.S.
1/29/09 11:16 AM"
ewwwwwwwwwww!!!!!
You people are sick, I cannot read this anymore, Mega grosssseee.
You people are sick, I cannot read this anymore, Mega grosssseee.
Apparently you have never worked at LANL and have seen the horror.
Outside of Los Alamos, it might be a badge of honor that one appeared on that RIF list or that you had the good sense to leave. One very direct consequence of the "Rif List" was the Wen Ho Lee affair which most of us now consider the beginning of the end of the lab.
He was put on that list and probably realized that he might have been spared if he played golf or shared a religion with a boss or two. There is little doubt that some workers belonged on the list but also no doubt that some did not.
"There is little doubt that some workers belonged on the list but also no doubt that some did not."
And there is no doubt that Mechels deserved to be RIFed. How could someone that incompetent and stupid be hired by LANL? That is the true travisty. Talk about a waste of the taxpayers money!
133 pm: "One very direct consequence of the "Rif List" was the Wen Ho Lee affair which most of us now consider the beginning of the end of the lab. He was put on that list"
You obviously know nothing about the Wen Ho Lee affair. He was under FBI surveillance way before the mid-90's RIFs. And he did his worst deeds before those RIFs. The two are not connected. If you have any interest in historical accuracy, try reading the Bellows Report.
Obama Calling for Defense Budget Cuts of 10%.
That not very stimulating is it :)
Breaking News:
There's real stimulus in the Stimulus Bill - The condoms are ribbed.
Yes, indeed, just as many have expected, the US defense budget cuts have arrived. I don't expect the NNSA FY10 budget to look very promising for LANL when it is released in the next few months.
I would guess LANL should prepare for about 2000 RIFs, give or take a few hundred. Sen. Udall's "bright future" for the lab must have been the headlights of an oncoming train! Oh, well, there's always Rocky Flats type clean up work to be done.
Note that in the article below, the DOD is especially interested in cutting weapons programs.
*****
FoxNews - Jan 30st:
The Obama administration has asked the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff to cut the Pentagon's budget request for the fiscal year 2010 by more than 10 percent -- about $55 billion -- a senior U.S. defense official tells FOX News.
Last year's defense budget was $512 billion. Service chiefs and planners will be spending the weekend "burning the midnight oil" looking at ways to cut the budget -- looking especially at weapons programs, the defense official said.
I don't get it. Defense spending is one of the fastest ways to save and create good paying jobs. Many of the people building weapons are even union affiliated workers.
Cutting defense while claiming to be doing a massive $825 billion "job stimulus" bill makes absolutely no sense!
Cutting defense while claiming to be doing a massive $825 billion "job stimulus" bill makes absolutely no sense!
1/31/09 5:30 PM
It does if you are a liberal Democrat and you don't care much for defense and US national security. Then it makes a lot of sense. Defense jobs in some people's eyes are seen as "evil". Thus, destroying these jobs is seen in some sense as "good".
Do you really think that people like Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, and Harry Reid give a hoot about US defense workers holding on to their jobs? They would just as soon give the stimulus money to homeless crack heads roaming the streets (as long as said crack heads will vote Democratic, of course).
Even the Representative who has LLNL in her very own district, Tauscher, doesn't really support Livermore. Neither do Sen. Feinstein or Sen. Boxer. And newly minted green horn Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico will be of very little help when it comes to defending LANL. Sen. Bingamin has already shown that he is pretty much aloof when it comes to the NM labs. St. Pete was the powerful stalwart who continuously saw to it that the NNSA labs were protected for 36 years. He gone, and the labs are probably now in deep budget trouble.
There was a good reason why St. Pete kept warning in the press about the possibility that 2000 jobs might be lost at LANL. He knew something. Soon, I fear his prediction may come true.
"Cutting defense while claiming to be doing a massive $825 billion "job stimulus" bill makes absolutely no sense!"
Why is America the only country that cannot manufacture a new nuclear weapon because of a self-imposed moratorium?
"Defense jobs in some people's eyes are seen as "evil". Thus, destroying these jobs is seen in some sense as "good". "
Defense jobs are evil. We need green jobs. Jobs that help people not kill people.
Defense jobs are evil. We need green jobs. Jobs that help people not kill people.
2/1/09 10:24 AM
There you go, the typical liberal Democratic viewpoint on display for all to see. And this viewpoint now controls the Congress of this nation. God help us!
There's real stimulus in the Stimulus Bill - The condoms are ribbed. (10:42 AM)
Yeah! Free ribbed condoms. That's change both me and my wife can believe in! At least with all the layoffs coming at LANL, I'll have plenty of time to enjoy them.
"Defense jobs are evil." Let's do a dry-run on this disarmament idea. If we disarm all of the police in Santa Fe or San Francisco, will the criminals voluntarily disarm too?
""Defense jobs are evil." Let's do a dry-run on this disarmament idea. If we disarm all of the police in Santa Fe or San Francisco, will the criminals voluntarily disarm too?
2/1/09 6:01 PM"
In England the police do not carry guns and violent crime is much lower. Criminals are products of society. If a society condones violence than it will produce violent crime. In many ways by disarming the police we will lower violent crime, it may just take some time. On the other hand if you gave the police machine guns and rocket launchers than the criminals will get them also in short order.
8:22 pm: "In England the police do not carry guns and violent crime is much lower."
What a crock of shit, utterly urban legend. Did you happen to see all the "Bobbies" with UZIs and AK-47s when the train station bombing, or the department store bombings, occurred? If you think the typical policeman you will run into in London after committing a crime will not be carrying a firearm, you will be sorely surprised,
8:22 pm: "In many ways by disarming the police we will lower violent crime, it may just take some time. On the other hand if you gave the police machine guns and rocket launchers than the criminals will get them also in short order."
What a joke! "...it may just take some time.."?? How many innocent people, not to mention police, will die in the meantime? You consider that worth it? A little research into actual facts will show that law enforcement declares the need for enhanced firepower only AFTER the criminal element ALREADY has it. Are you a complete simpleton? What would you reccommend the Mexican police do about the drug cartels? Disarm to show them the way of enlightenment? Oh, wait, I bet you're in favor of legalization without penalty or regulation, right? Should have guessed...
"What would you reccommend the Mexican police do about the drug cartels? Disarm to show them the way of enlightenment? Oh, wait, I bet you're in favor of legalization without penalty or regulation, right?"
The Mexican drug problems and high violence criminal activity are due to the United States for two reasons. (1) We make drugs illegal so that the whole thing is a giant global criminal activity. (2) We have created a soulless society that craves drugs for an escape. Part of this was ushered in by having such a huge defense industry that makes a national paranoid mindset so that everyone is deeply unhappy. If we switched the defense industry over to a green industry people would feel much better about themselves and become spiritual. This would lead to a drastic reduction in drug use and hence the criminal activity that accompanies it.
"Are you a complete simpleton?"
Sometimes the simple way is the best way.
"In many ways by disarming the police we will lower violent crime, it may just take some time." (8:22 PM)
Omygawd! I suggest we perform a thought experiment. Suppose a bunch of meth crazed ugly thugs broke into 8:22 PM's house, raped his wife, killed his kids, and then a couple of policemen arrived without any hand guns and ask the thugs to pretty please, come out and surrender. I wonder what would happen? Would these thugs instantly surrender with the application of hugs and lots of loving kindness?
If you need any further evidence of just how loony the extreme end of the anti-nuke peace-and-love crowd can be, 8:22 PM is your man.
It's interesting that our federal government is trying to save as many jobs as quickly as possible, but at their very own National Labs, many of those touted high-tech, high paying jobs will probably be going away this next year...
*****
Despite the Economy, Uncle Sam is Hiring
APNews, Feb 2nd, 2009
Economists say government employment can be stabilizing force
WASHINGTON - The economic downturn has forced private industry and state and local government to shed jobs, but one major employer in the country is hiring: The federal government.
While the nation's 11 million unemployed and the millions more who fear losing their jobs may feel Washington should streamline too, economists say a strong federal work force is key to economic recovery. Were President Barack Obama to put any of the nearly 2 million federal civil servants out in the street in the middle of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the consequences could be dire.
"Federal belt-tightening would worsen the problem right now," said Kevin Hassett, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. "Most economists agree that the federal government is a built-in stabilizer," said Hassett, a former adviser to GOP presidential campaigns.
Obama's proposed $800-plus billion economic aid plan, which includes heavy spending on public works, is expected to increase the ranks of government workers, although mostly at the state and local level.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28979851/
"Obama's proposed $800-plus billion economic aid plan, which includes heavy spending on public works, is expected to increase the ranks of government workers, although mostly at the state and local level"
600,000 more Govenment employees whose salaries & benefits are all 100% paid by the same 60% that pay income taxes. 600,000 more tax burdens - why do I feel so unstimulated.
"In England ... violent crime is much lower."
Could you please provide some proof of this statement. I don't believe you.
2/1 11:15 pm: "We have created a soulless society that craves drugs for an escape. Part of this was ushered in by having such a huge defense industry that makes a national paranoid mindset so that everyone is deeply unhappy. If we switched the defense industry over to a green industry people would feel much better about themselves and become spiritual.
HaHaHaHaHa!!! You're killing me!!! Wait, is this Bill Ayers?? HeHeHeHe. Hey, if you're "deeply unhappy" you need therapy, or maybe suicide. Yeah, that'll do it (at least for me)! Why should anyone care how you feel about yourself, asshole? I was taught that your spirituality depends on your love of God, not of yourself. Quaint, huh?
11:15 PM's comments are soooo over the top, it must be some sort of joke. It's like the comments from some liberal archetype that Rush Limbaugh might make up for the purpose of sarcasm on his radio show.
"HaHaHaHaHa!!! You're killing me!!! Wait, is this Bill Ayers?? HeHeHeHe. Hey, if you're "deeply unhappy" you need therapy, or maybe suicide. Yeah, that'll do it (at least for me)! Why should anyone care how you feel about yourself, asshole? I was taught that your spirituality depends on your love of God, not of yourself. Quaint, huh?
2/2/09 10:17
You make 11:15pm's point about how an unhappy society produces people with unhealthy psychological makeups. Try some self-love it will do wonders for you.
"Try some self-love it will do wonders for you."
Yeah, but your hand gets tired.
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