[oldbill]

Rush again makes good points, but he is wrong in justifying the Merril Lynch expenditure of $1.2 million of TARP funds for redecorating offices under the guise of providing jobs.

That was taxpayer money appropriated (stolen) by the government and given to Merril Lynch with no oversight. In essence, Rush, who preaches that the private sector and the taxpayers should determine how they spend their own money, is instead approving the government deciding how the taxpayers should have their money spent.

If taxpayers were given the vote on how $1.2 million of their money should be spent, it sure as hell wouldn’t be for redecorating and $60,000 rugs for Merrill Lynch corrupt executives who just stole their retirement funds.

Come up with a better example Rush. Or send me a Freeper mail and I will instruct you in logical argumentation.

[tndarlin]

I understand your point, but I also understand Rush's. He is using the absurd to illustrate absurdity. The very Congress that gave Merril Lynch the money, with no strings attached, and no guidelines on how to use that money, is not crying that Merril Lynch spent money on redecorating.

[plain talk]

Rush is just saying what Merrill did is no worse than what Obama will do with the money.

[RJS1950]

I completely agree that he is wrong about justifying Merrill’s spending of the money on redecorating. They are getting money out of our pockets when they should not have and at least they should be held accountable to put the money into the bare minimum of essential projects that will help keep them from going under and to keep the average guy caught up in their malfeasance from losing. That money could have better stimulated the economy by staying in my wallet so I could buy updates to my home using local contractors.

[9YearLurker]

Of course money is fungible, so who’s to say it was an expenditure they made with TARP or non-TARP money. But there is a difference between Merrill’s spending the money on their offices and the money being loaned as, as the loan would be on a fractional reserve system and thus more money would enter the economy via that means.

[LucyJo]

I don’t think Rush was attempting to justify ML’s expenditure of TARP funds. I think he was pointing out the absurdity of Obama’s anger about it under the circumstances that he mentioned.

[Jack Bull]

Rush’s point is that Obama’s pork barrel plan is no different than what happened at Merrill. It is the same thing. Taxpayer money was used to pay for a project that would employ construction workers. Jobs created with taxpayer money. There is no difference. He makes an astute point.