Anwar Richardson School of Economics Award: John Boehner

Anwar Richardson School of Economics Award is named after the Tampa Tribune sports writer. Richardson boldly predicted Brett Farve coming to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers "It's actually gonna pump some money into this economy. Especially, in the Tampa Bay economy." Farve never came and several economic stuidies have shown sport franchises have zero economic impact on the community. Tampa area residents are still paying for the construction of Rayomond James Stadium.

Minority Leader John Boehner calls for a spending freeze. Policy-wise this would accomplish nothing. Politically, Boehner can attack Barack Obama's stimulus package as pork. Boehner was in the Republican House leadership during the Bush years. Where was his concern about spending then? In 2006, Boehner backed President Bush's wildly off-the-mark projection there would be a surplus in 2012.

"Raising taxes . . . won't help balance the budget -- it will slow the economic growth that is creating the new jobs of tomorrow and increasing revenue to the federal government," House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) wrote in an essay distributed yesterday by his office. "Keeping our economy strong and promoting fiscal responsibility will get the job done. Raising taxes won't."

Boehner attacked Obama's stimulus package as raising taxes. The Citizens For Tax Justice found Obama's Making Work Pay tax cuts will be be savings for most Americans.

Lowest 20% - 12.2 percent

Second Lowest 20% - 16.1 percent

Middle 20% - 20.2 percent

Fourth 20% - 26.4 percent

Next 15% - 22.5 percent

Next 4% - 2.5 percent

Top 1 0.0 percent

Boehner and other Republicans are false about Obama increasing taxes. If Boehner's political strategy hinges on fighting to restore Britney Spears' tax cuts then good luck in the midtern elections. The CTJ study found:

Tax cuts are generally less effective in stimulating demand than direct government outlays. But tax cuts targeted to the people who are most likely to immediately spend any money they receive, namely low- and middle-income people, are more effective than upper-income tax reductions. Tax cuts for business are far less likely to be an effective stimulus.

The middle and lower class are a larger part of the population than the top one percent income earners. Their spending is the best chance the economy has to itself out of recession.

Tax cuts do not pay off the deficit. The Congressional Budget Office found without the Bush tax cuts there would have been a surplus in 2005. The Bush/Republican tax cuts cost three times more than domestic spending.

I'm not even sure where Boehner is going with a spending freeze. Obama has brought back paygo in the stimulus bill. Conservative columnist David Brooks calls the spending freeze idea "insane."

BROOKS: The problem with them and the problem with Limbaugh in terms of intellectual philosophy is they are stuck with Reagan. They are stuck with the idea that government is always the problem. A lot of Republicans up in Capitol Hill right now are calling for a spending freeze in a middle of a recession/depression. That is insane. But they are thinking the way they thought in 1982, if we can only think that way again, that is just insane.

John Boehner, you are the first winner of the Anwar Richardson School of Economics Award.