“How can you spend hundreds of millions of dollars on contraceptives?” Boehner asked. “How does that stimulate the economy?”But there's nothing in either article about the stimulus package actually including hundreds of millions of dollars for contraceptives. I haven't seen anything about massive subsidization to provide contraceptives to the American public. (Unless I'm misunderstanding what's meant by "infrastructure spending.") Am I missing something? Is Boehner offering up some kind of bizarre non sequitur? (I really wouldn't put it past the GOP to pretend there's a bunch in inflammatory crap in the stimulus package as a front for opposing it. "We would love to support the President's efforts to revive the economy, but we just can't abide spending taxpayer money to club baby seals." That kind of thing.)
If anyone out there would like to tell me what on earth Boehner is referring to, I would be sincerely grateful. Because right now I just think he sounds nuts.
Posts
My guess is that Boehner is conflating the stimulus package and the reversal on the Mexico City policy:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/23/AR2009012302814.html?hpid=topnews
President Barack Obama today signed an executive order lifting a ban on U.S. funding for international family planning groups that perform abortions or provide counseling about the procedure.
The order rescinds the Mexico City Policy, also known as the "gag rule," which President Ronald Reagan originally instituted in 1984 and President Bill Clinton rescinded and President George W. Bush revived in 2001.
The decision had been eagerly expected by family planning groups, women's health advocates and others, who hoped it would restore millions of dollars of funding to programs providing health care, contraceptive services, HIV prevention and other care around the world.
Pretty goofy, especially since this is outreach to foreign countries, but that's my best guess.
Apparently the news cycle is just now catching up with Mr. Boehner.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2009/01/26/pelosi-contraception-is-good-for-the-economy.html
"Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi on birth-control funding as part of the $825 billion stimulus package: "Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."