Health Insurance, Bridges, Schools, Water, Cops: Stimulus A-Comin'!

Quick notes on the stimulus bill becoming law on Tuesday (Tuesday?! What are we waiting for? Hand the President his pen now!):

• COBRA will bite less: government will pick up 65% of keeping your old employer-based health insurance for nine months. Deal goes to folks who've lost jobs since Sept. 1 or who lose jobs through this year. That will be big help for unemployed folks to pay other bills.
• The infrastructure money includes bridge reinforcement to make up for all the meatheads driving heavier SUVs in the office.
• $54 billion aimed at states to stave off education budget cuts that could put 600,000 teachers and other school staff out of work (yes, teachers contribute to the economy immediately, along with all that long-term stuff about teaching your kids to be polite and productive citizens).
  
• EPA money: $7.2 billion, mostly for protecting drinking water supplies and improving water delivery infrastructure. Yeah, those damn enviro-Marxist whackos, wasting Porkulus on luxuries like water.
• $3.7 billion to hire more cops (I dare you to make a Porkulus joke to Chief Pulford and Officer Wollman on that one).
  
• FY 2009 deficit: $1.6 trillion. This better work.

Hmm, so let's see: in his first 28 days, young, inexperienced President Barack Obama passes significant legislation to protect and/or improve health coverage, roads, education, drinking water, public safety, and, we hope, the economy. As Frank Rich writes, those wily Republicans "sure showed that Obama"!

Update 15:15 CST: Dr. Newquist points us toward ProPublica's outstanding itemization of the stimulus bill. If you haven't read the 1000+ pages, ProPublica's Cliffs Notes will do for starters.