VOTE ALERT:

Americans for Tax Reform urges Senators to vote “NO” on the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.”

This massive spending package under the guise of economic “stimulus” is riddled with wasteful pork-barrel spending that will do nothing to “stimulate” the economy but will rather permanently grow the government and serve as a drain on taxpayer wallets.

It is not hard to see through the “stimulus” rhetoric to realize that this bill serves to impose a political agenda on American taxpayers. The expansion of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements, and anti-trade/”Buy American” provisions are just the tip of the iceberg.

Many of the provisions in the bill are questionable, at best, and will have no stimulative effect on the economy, such as expanded funding for Amtrak, more funding for the DTV conversion, funding for the Census Bureau, and fish barriers.

Furthermore, many of the so-called “tax cuts” contained in the bill actually are little more than increased welfare spending through the tax code.

Government cannot create wealth, and history underscores government’s failure to do so. ATR urges Congress to refrain from more money out of the productive sector of the economy to throw political favors in the form of hand-picked projects with dubious merits.

Rather than saddling taxpayers, who are already forced to bear the brunt of a series of recent government bailouts, with even more government spending, Congress should work to reduce overall spending and red tape, and enact meaningful tax cuts that will grow the economy.

Stand up for taxpayers – vote “NO” on the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act”