Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steve Lokness who wrote (102814)	2/2/2009 12:36:57 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542937

Oh I completely disagree.... My thinking is that since money will be spent - and you know it will be - then why not spend it on things that will benefit America in the long term? With what are you disagreeing? You both seem to want to do beneficial things? What is the crux of your perceived disagreement?

To: Steve Lokness who wrote (102814)	2/2/2009 12:57:16 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542937

I see. Apparently (correct me if I'm wrong), you seem to be looking at the stimulus not as a classical Keynesian stimulus (or at least not mostly as a Keynesian stimulus) but as an action to improve confidence. No solid theories about that, no one's ever figured a reliable, repeatable way to restore confidence, but just as there is no solidly established theory as to how to do it, there isn't much established as to how not to do it. So I can't back up any claim that such a spending plan would not do so. I saw an interesting blog comment recently. Someone else was responding to the idea of the stimulus as a means to restore confidence. They ideas was that it was like the placebo effect. Even if the direct effect of the program wasn't massively good, if you could convince people it was, than the economy would be better off. Anyway the commenter said that if we want a placebo effect than congress should pretend to spend all the money. <g>