NPR elevates the discourse

A video dated 12 November 2009 purports to show readers to "speak Teabagger."

Nice.  Real tolerant of these lefties of a contrary opinion.

Predictably, as right-leaning websites link to the video, numerous conservatives leave comments on the story, registering their disapproval and disgust at such a blatant smear on the Taxed Enough Already (TEA) Partiers.  Equally predictably, defenders of NPR's partially-public-funded  free speech came out.  One claimed the TEA partiers protesting the $787 billion stimulus bill as opposing a bill that consisted mostly of tax cuts.

Well, not quite.  According to the breakdown of the stimulus bill, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, tax cuts will account for about $301 billion of the $790 billion in funds "allocated" in the stimulus bill, costing about $288 billion compared with the total cost of $787 billion.  Neither the allocation nor cost of the tax cuts comes close to most of the total.  More like the range of 36-38%.

What do the individual tax cuts provided for in the stimulus bill consist of?

• $116 billion for the $400 payroll credit for individuals earning up to $77k income, or $800 for couples earning $150k and filing jointly.  This is the extra $13 a week that people have been raving about.
  
• $70 billion for AMT exemptions for individuals and married couples.
• $15 billion for the refundable child tax credit for incomes over $3000 qualifying.
• $14 billion in one-time payments of $250 to retirees, SSI beneficiaries, disabled citizens, and disabled veterans.  One-time payments that will be unlikely to have an economic benefit.  I thought this was supposed to be a stimulus.
• $14 billion in tax credits for college tuition, for up to $2500 per individual.  OK, I can see the net benefit of a more highly-skilled workforce.  Of course, it wouldn't be necessary to extend this tax credit if tuition rates weren't so astronomical, but that is a topic for another discussion.
• $6.6 billion in tax credits for first-time home-buyers, ranging from $7500-$8000.  Never has to be repaid.  Gee, didn't we determine that irresponsible lending and borrowing led us to the sub-prime mortgage crisis?  Why don't we encourage more people to buy a house now instead of saving up?  How about a tax credit to homeowners who make timely mortgage payments, even under economic hardship, such as unemployment, like me?  Banks like responsible homeowners a lot more than foreclosure proceedings.  Why not encourage responsibility?  Wait, I think I fell and hit my head.  I forgot for a moment that the Democrats control both houses of Congress and the White House.  Responsibility is so passe.
• $4.7 billion to ensure $2400 in unemployment benefits are not subject to federal tax.  By what twisted logic is unemployment taxed anyway?  Ahh, you lost your job?  Here, we'll give you a fraction of the money you've paid into the system for years, but we're going to tax you on it.  Sounds fair, doesn't it?

By contrast, what does the rest of the stimulus bill consist of?