FACT CHECK: Obama’s Words on Home Aid Ring Hollow

By CALVIN WOODWARD and JIM KUHNHENN | Associated Press

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama knows Americans are unhappy that their taxes will be used to rescue people who bought mansions beyond their means.

But his assurance Tuesday night that only the deserving will get help rang hollow.

Even officials in his administration, many supporters of the plan in Congress and the Federal Reserve chairman expect some of that money will go to people who used lousy judgment.

The president skipped over several complex economic circumstances in his speech to Congress — and may have started an international debate among trivia lovers and auto buffs over what country invented the car.

A look at some of his assertions:

OBAMA: “We have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and refinance their mortgages. It’s a plan that won’t help speculators or that neighbor down the street who bought a house he could never hope to afford, but it will help millions of Americans who are struggling with declining home values.”

THE FACTS: If the administration has come up with a way to ensure money only goes to those who got in honest trouble, it hasn’t said so …

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GOP’s Jindal Calls Obama’s Plan Irresponsible

By CHARLES BABINGTON | Associated Press WASHINGTON – Republican leaders are calling President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy irresponsible and wrongheaded, saying it will increase taxes and government debt. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who may challenge Obama in 2012, said Tuesday that the Obama-backed stimulus package will “grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt.” Although he said Republicans are willing to work with Obama and congressional Democrats, his remarks continued the generally harsh GOP reactions to Obama’s bid to boost the economy with billions of dollars in spending. The Republican Party chose Jindal to give its official response to the president’s speech to Congress on Tuesday night. In excerpts released early, Jindal suggested that Obama would raise taxes, although the Democratic-backed stimulus bill includes hefty tax cuts. “The way to lead is not to raise taxes and put more money and power in hands of Washington politicians,” Jindal said. The plan will “grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt.” “It’s irresponsible,” Jindal said … Continue Reading

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Jindal to Refuse Some Stimulus Money

By ALEXANDER BURNS | Politico

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Friday that he will decline stimulus money specifically targeted at expanding state unemployment insurance coverage, becoming the first state executive to officially refuse any part of the federal government’s payout to states.

In a statement, Jindal, who is slated to give the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s message to Congress on Tuesday, expressed concern that expanding unemployment insurance coverage would lead to increased unemployment insurance taxes later on.

“The federal money in this bill will run out in less than three years for this benefit and our businesses would then be stuck paying the bill,” Jindal said. “We must be careful and thoughtful as we examine all the strings attached to the funding in this package. We cannot grow government in an unsustainable way.”

Jindal is one of a small group of Republican governors, which includes South Carolina’s Mark Sanford and Mississippi’s Haley Barbour, who have said they might refuse some or all of the stimulus money targeted to their states.

In an interview Friday, Barbour said he, too, would likely decline funds for broadening access to unemployment insurance …

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