To the extent the idea is to improve confidence, I don't think all the statements about how doom will come, if we don't pass this bailout bill, that stimulus bill, etc., was helpful.
If increasing government spending was directly itself a very positive aim (for a lot of politicians it probably is, but I don't agree), or if passing the stimulus bill and bailout bills as written would clearly provide strong benefit to the economy (again I disagree, but its not impossible), then maybe the "sky is falling" that you where talking about, from politicians, would be worth it to get the bills passed. But I think it just caused a bit of harm, without clear benefit resulting from it.
As for big new projects, or even just a large increase in standard infrastructure spending. I'm very skeptical, but I'm not necessarily unalterably opposed. I just don't want such things to be part of a, "rush, rush, rush, not time to think, just pass the bill to save the country" process. Any very large increase in federal spending should in my opinion be very carefully considered, and only committed to after a long national debate about it. I didn't like how bush increased spending by a trillion a year, and I don't like how that trend seems to be continuing. |
