From today's Time. There can be no doubt that America has benefited from the stimulus and will continue to do so. How the Stimulus Is Changing America Yes, the stimulus has cut taxes for 95% of working Americans, bailed out every state, hustled record amounts of unemployment benefits and other aid to struggling families and funded more than 100,000 projects to upgrade roads, subways, schools, airports, military bases and much more. But in the words of Vice President Joe Biden, Obama's effusive Recovery Act point man, "Now the fun stuff starts!" The "fun stuff," about one-sixth of the total cost, is an all-out effort to exploit the crisis to make green energy, green building and green transportation real; launch green manufacturing industries; computerize a pen-and-paper health system; promote data-driven school reforms; and ramp up the research of the future. "This is a chance to do something big, man!" Biden said during a 90-minute interview with TIME. For starters, the Recovery Act is the most ambitious energy legislation in history, converting the Energy Department into the world's largest venture-capital fund. It's pouring $90 billion into clean energy, including unprecedented investments in a smart grid; energy efficiency; electric cars; renewable power from the sun, wind and earth; cleaner coal; advanced biofuels; and factories to manufacture green stuff in the U.S. The act will also triple the number of smart electric meters in our homes, quadruple the number of hybrids in the federal auto fleet and finance far-out energy research through a new government incubator modeled after the Pentagon agency that fathered the Internet. The stimulus is also stocked with nonenergy game changers, like a tenfold increase in funding to expand access to broadband and an effort to sequence more than 2,300 complete human genomes - when only 34 were sequenced with all previous aid. There's $8 billion for a high-speed passenger rail network, the boldest federal transportation initiative since the interstate highways. There's $4.35 billion in Race to the Top grants to promote accountability in public schools, perhaps the most significant federal education initiative ever - it's already prompted 35 states and the District of Columbia to adopt reforms to qualify for the cash. There's $20 billion to move health records into the digital age, which should reduce redundant tests, dangerous drug interactions and errors caused by doctors with chicken-scratch handwriting. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius calls that initiative the foundation for Obama's health care reform and "maybe the single biggest component in improving quality and lowering costs." Any of those programs would have been a revolution in its own right. "We've seen more reform in the last year than we've seen in decades, and we haven't spent a dime yet," says Education Secretary Arne Duncan. "It's staggering how the Recovery Act is driving change." That was the point. Critics have complained that while the New Deal left behind iconic monuments - courthouses, parks, the Lincoln Tunnel, the Grand Coulee Dam - this New New Deal will leave a mundane legacy of sewage plants, repaved roads, bus repairs and caulked windows. In fact, it will create new icons too: solar arrays, zero-energy border stations, an eco-friendly Coast Guard headquarters, an "advanced synchrotron light source" in a New York lab. But its main legacy will be change. The stimulus passed just a month after Obama's inauguration, but it may be his signature effort to reshape America - as well as its government. ------------- it's a great article that's worth your time to read
I think it was Krugman who claimed that even with the stimulus, government spending has flat-lined because of fallen tax revenue. I'm not sure if a larger package would be even more beneficial in the long run, but it'd probably help them with midterms.
I hate politically slanted articles like the OP. Trying to justify an illegal war by comparing it to a stimulus that some people were opposed to. Yeah, it's always a great thing to chase the bogey man for war profiteering and to kill brown people we think don't like us.
These comparisons are a direct counter to the countless times people talked about our country being bankrupt because of "TWO WARS!". The first I always heard about the wars being cost prohibitive was of course from the anti's.
i love how republicans attack the stimulus for not having enough spending on infrastructure. while at the time they attacked it for not having enough in tax cuts. all this isn't to hate on republicans. they are playing their cards right. its to remind democrats to stop being a bunch of wusses, and grow a pair. do what's right, and it'll either work out, or at least you stood by your beliefs. compromise and water down every legislation, and not only will it be wrong (since its full of stupid republicanomics) but you will also lose politically. and the sad thing is, this was obvious to many people over the past 2 years. this isn't monday morning quarterbacking. this is regret that we squandered the opportunity.
This has to be the dumbest comment i've read in awhile. Bin Laden: Woohoo! We blew up the towers. Ok guys, we're done. Lets go home and make peace.
He overstated the matter, but it is true that Al-Qaeda has a presence in Iraq now that they didn't have before we started the war.
I dont know all the details but its probably also true that Al Qaeda is a lot weaker than before 9/11. These people are not just content and staying at home. They are constantly plotting attacks and the fact that we havent had any major attacks since 2001 shows we severely weakened their infrastructure. Was the war with Iraq still a mistake? I think so but thats just my opinion and based on facts of what we know today.
I'd assume this was bad satire if I didn't know it was actually happening. U6 unemployment is almost 20% and they're pushing r****ded pet projects.
and I am sure you had top level security clearance and were previewed to top secret classified intelligence files? Let's not forget there this was not one mans choice to go to war. Key figures from both parties in congress were in agreement. Hindsite is always 20/20.. Was there some potential that they knew it was based on bad intelligence? possibly but we dont know that for a fact nor will you ever know.
WTF dude, you're seriously going to say that when the article is addressed to economics? No one can quantify the sacrifice of life by our soldiers, yet it seems you are using them to downplay the stats, a typical liberal maneuver to exploit something honorable to protect your agenda.
Not really, its a ridiculous PR lie to cast this mickey mouse puppet president in a positive light. Green Energy investments have obviously jump started the economy and created the thousands of green jobs promised, right? That's this muslim's legacy, turning america green? Does anybody know how much energy this magical green energy industry is actually going to provide americans this century...any takers..... how about less than 5%
