Jindal criticised for terming stimulus package ‘irresponsible’

Vice President Joe Biden criticised Republican rising star Bobby Jindal for terming Obama's economic stimulus package as 'irresponsible.

The US Vice President Joe Biden has criticised the Republican rising star and Louisiana’s Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal,for terming President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package as “irresponsible”.

“What I don’t understand from Governor Jindal is what would he do? In Louisiana,there’s 400 people a day losing their jobs. What’s he doing? What’s the answer?” Biden said in response to a question from the CBS anchor when asked about Jindal’s speech last night.

Jindal on Tuesday night had delivered the Republican response to the joint address to the Congress by the US President Barack Obama. Biden also criticised Jindal for refusing to take about USD 100 million from the stimulus package.

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“In the state of Louisiana,the infrastructure problems are severe,not just the levees and the dikes; in every other state. What’s he doing?” the Vice President asked.

“So if you choose the inaction that Governor Jindal is talking about,how responsible is that while people are just sinking into the abyss?” said Biden.

Soon thereafter,Jindal defended his speech and reiterated his criticism of Obama Administration’s economic recovery plan,which he said would only add to the increasing debt of the country.

Jindal said the Republicans did have their alternative plan. “Republicans have laid out a plan. For example,rather than spending a billion dollars on the Census,USD 300 million to buy federal government cars,instead of all the wasteful spending in the stimulus,why not do what they first said they were going to do?” he said.

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“Let’s do targeted infrastructure investments. Let’s do tax breaks. Let’s lower permanently the tax — lower tax rates on the lower tax brackets of the income tax. Let’s cut taxes on capital gains. Let’s give a more aggressive net carry-forward of losses for small businesses,” Jindal said giving his alternatives to the Obama’s plan.

“Here’s the fundamental disagreement,” he argued.

“We think we do need to work to get the economy moving. We think it’s more important to get the private sector moving rather than just spending government money. It’s not about creating deficits,” he said.

“They call these temporary government programmes. I fear these are going to become permanent government programmes. There’s not enough money in Washington to grow our economy. We cannot tax and borrow our way out of this,” Jindal argued.

Responding to Biden’s Louisiana specific observations,Jindal said: “I heard the vice president talk about our economy. We were the only state last month that added jobs in this country. We’ve continued to outperform the national economy. We’ve done it in part because we’ve cut taxes. We’re going to continue to do that.”