02/18/2009 - Rep. Brad Ellsworth visiting with constituents (Terre Haute Tribune-Star)

Rep. Brad Ellsworth visiting with constituents
Travels are an annual tradition in district

By Sue Loughlin
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE - The $787 billion economic stimulus plan isn't perfect, but Congress has decided "we can't sit back and do nothing," Brad Ellsworth, Indiana's 8th District congressman, said Tuesday.

He answered some questions about the stimulus package at the Vigo County Annex, one of several stops on his Open Door Listening Tour this week.

About 70 people attended, with several asking questions or making comments on topics that included the stimulus package, universal health care and Darfur.

Wayne Collins wanted to know more about how the economic recovery bill would affect people in Vigo County. Tom Tucker criticized it and suggested it has a lot of wasteful spending that won't stimulate the economy.

The legislation signed by President Barack Obama on Tuesday combines tax cuts with federal spending.

It provides $400 in tax breaks for most individual workers and $800 for couples, which will show up in people's paychecks, Ellsworth said.

Part of the stimulus money will go toward public education and help teachers keep their jobs, particularly in states where public education is facing budget cuts. Locally, the stimulus package could mean money for highways, bridges and other infrastructure projects, the congressman said.

It also will provide additional unemployment benefits for laid off workers.

"No one wants to spend $780 billion," Ellsworth said, but many believe it's necessary to try to jump-start the economy.

The objective now must be to ensure that the money is spent wisely and on worthy projects, he said.

Collins, a Realtor, is particularly interested in a provision of the legislation that would make first-time home buyers eligible for an $8,000 tax credit if they buy a home before Dec. 1. He hopes it will encourage home sales. Citizens need to be informed how the stimulus bill will help them, he said.

In the House vote on the original stimulus bill Jan. 28, Ellsworth was one of 11 Democrats to vote against it. On Friday, he voted in favor of a compromise measure; several provisions had been removed that would have provided little to no economic stimulus, he has stated.

Asked about why he changed his vote, Ellsworth said Tuesday, "I don't think there's any question we needed to do something."

He had concerns about some of the spending proposals in the original bill. "It was hard to come home and tell the folks in Indiana" that some of those projects would stimulate the economy.

Asked for examples, he described a proposal to use stimulus money to resod the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Others involved funding for HIV and STD screening and prevention as well as birth control.

"Nothing against that," Ellsworth said, "it just couldn't be proven how that would be stimulative to the economy."

Once some of the proposals were removed, he said he was able to support the stimulus package.

"I don't think it's a perfect bill, but in that world of compromise, there is a lot of good spending there and a lot of good tax breaks. We're trying to cut off a bleed here and bridge this until our economy turns around," he said.

He favored tax breaks. "Any time we can put money back in the taxpayer's pocket, that's a good thing," he said.

At some point, the federal government will have to follow up with some tough decisions to cut federal spending. "And we'll do that," he said. He is concerned about the growing deficit.

But right now, "We've got to stop this downward spiral" in the economy, Ellsworth said.

Vermillion County has an 11 percent unemployment rate, and Vigo's is about 8 percent, he said.

Tough times call for serious action, he said.