User Comments

1. 

   2/05/09

   satijournal

   I heard Thom Hartman today say the dems should be calling it a "jobs creation" bill. Maybe they should call it a "if you don't support this bill you hate America" bill for the limited information crowd. They made a big mistake when they wrote the bill in including all the tax cuts. They could have used that as a bargaining chip so the republicans could have felt like they won something.

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   1. 

      2/05/09

      clioandme

      Yeah, give 'em an inch and . . .
      
      Well, Obama's showing some fighting spirit: www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18482.html
   2. 

      2/05/09

      satijournal

      That's good. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
2. 

   2/05/09

   polybore

   900 thousand million dollars. US population 300 million. That works out roughly as $3000 dollars for each man woman and child in the USA.
   
   The question is can the state spend this money more effectively than the individual. Would a family of 4 benefit more from recieving a lump sum or tax cut equivalent of $12000 or by the money being spent on the recovery package. It would be fair to say a family about to lose their home through foreclosure would opt for the cash. If you have lost your job then that is just about enough cash to start your own business.
   
   It is going to be tough to sell the stimulus/ recovery package.
   Polybore has always had the impression that traditionally the US citizen would rather choose how to spend money themselves rather than allow the State to spend it for them. This is GOP terrority and their message will strike a chord.

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   1. 

      2/05/09

      clioandme

      This sounds like a big bill, but it is relatively affordable in relation to our GDP. Those who think the situation looks horrible should compare it with what the UK is up against.
   2. 

      2/05/09

      polybore

      Yes the outlook is grim. Fortunately UK has been ploughing unprecedented levels of spending into public health care and education for the last 10 years unlike the US.
      
      Also your average Brit is never more happy than when things are miserable.
      
      
   3. 

      2/05/09

      satijournal

      We need to rebuild highways and bridges, create a smart electrical grid, as well as develop new power technologies, and a lot of the stimulus package is going towards those projects. So it's not like they're just throwing money at the problem. Cutting taxes does not do much good unless you cut taxes for companies that create jobs.
   4. 

      2/06/09

      MidwestMom

      @Polybore
      
      You asked whether it would be better to just give $3000 to every man, woman, and child in the us and let us decide how to spend it? I say, bad idea.
      
      Sure, there is some percentage of the population that would use the money responsibly. Some would save or pay down personal debt or invest. But many many more would purchase cheaply-made foreign goods, large cars, and fast food. As a people, the American financial intelligence quotient isn't as high as it could be. (I'm being charitable.)
      
      I would rather see the money used by the federal government to promote the priorities of the administration. Education, Infrastructure, Health Care, and a more effective energy policy are worthy uses for Economic recovery dollars, IMO. What matters is that we're keeping the funds domestic for the greatest amount of time, and that we are getting good value for the money spent.
3. 

   2/08/09

   Oahupet

   Just a thought, why do we need a stimulus package to rebuild brides and roads, smarter grids... etc..
   
   Wasn't that the job of our State and Federal government anyway???
   
   Where the hell did all that Department of Transportation (all departments for that matter) money go again? They seem to have lost it?

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   1. 

      2/08/09

      clioandme

      States and the federal government have been putting off major renovation projects for years because of budget concerns. Its as if they thought roads would take care of themselves once built. Anyone with a knowledge about how a house works knows that the thing needs keeping up, and if it is ignored, the plumbing goes bad, the wiring goes to hell, the roof starts leaking, and so on. We had a dramatic example of government neglect when that bridge collapsed last year in Minneapolis. Additionally, the country continues to grow.
      
      What has happened at the federal level, is most money goes to entitlement programs and the Pentagon, two areas Obama will be looking to reform. Whatever is left over has been getting bled by the Republican fervor for tax cuts for the wealthy who benefit from infrastructure, security, and so on, but who apparently have been unwilling to help pay for it.
   2. 

      2/08/09

      xmarks

      I'm for the idea of having an infrastructure bill separate from the simulous/recovery bill. We will have to pay for the infrastructure either way. The only stimulous part of it is the timing of it. It also helps separate the necessary infrastructure spending from the foolish taxes cuts to people who buy cars, for example.