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To: neolib who wrote (273667)9/6/2010 2:13:32 PM
From: grusumRead Replies (1) | Respond to of 306849
 
well said, neolib. roi should be VERY carefully evaluated.



To: neolib who wrote (273667)9/6/2010 2:25:01 PM
From: Skeeter BugRespond to of 306849
 
>>to make up for a temporary shortfall<<

it isn't temporary as long the debt is allowed to stay in the system - and the debt pusher controllers are going to make sure their modern day ball, chain and whips will stay in place to keep the serf slaves in line.



To: neolib who wrote (273667)9/6/2010 2:52:05 PM
From: bentwayRead Replies (2) | Respond to of 306849
 
I really think the spending should have been directed through the consumers. By a scheme like Robert Reich's FICA tax abolishment for the first 20k of income, paid for by the very wealthy.

It would stimulate business, who also would lose the matching tax burden, and put money where it is most efficiently allocated, directly in the consumers hot little hands, where it would be immediately spent.

It's really horrifying to see how inefficiently so much money is blown by our government!



To: neolib who wrote (273667)9/6/2010 6:30:08 PM
From: carranza2Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 306849
 
Upgraded infra generally pays for itself, but it takes time. A new bridge or a new road will create efficiencies in gas consumption, use of time, etc., which will eventually pay for the project. Think of how the Brooklyn Bridge cut costs, etc., by allowing efficient travel from Manhattan to Brooklyn. These reduced costs and efficiencies are good for the economy as they make it more efficient and productive. Infra projects, if well thought out and financially feasible, are excellent for an economy.

Stupid stimulus programs like Cash for Clunkers, an UTTER waste of money, simply stimulate consumption, a worthless and irresponsible policy objective. Mere consumption does nothing lasting for an economy. Geithner, et al, who pushed this on an economically illiterate President, should be pilloried.

Things that got Boom! - mostly esconced in the Defense Department's budget - do not do this nearly as well. Sure, they increase employment but so do infra projects but their ultimate economic effect is negligible, especially if their ultimate purpose is to literally to blow up.

The problem we have here is that the purpose of O!'s latest stimulus is not to increase the kinds of efficiencies infra projects create, but solely to buck up a failing economy and to create employment in an election cycle setting. The Austrians have in my view shown exceedingly well why this kind of stimulus does not work for the purpose for which it is intended. Keynes, in a word, got it it wrong. But why this is the case is a long and arduous discussion.

We have not had a true Keynesian experiment until recently; the Great Depression did not end as a result of stimulus but because of WWII. The $780 billion package, a huge sum which still must be paid for, did not do the trick. Otherwise, we would not be talking about QE2 and stimulus measures like the one announced today. I think its failure empirically established once and for all the failure of Keynesian theory. In this light, the $50bn stimulus proposed today is probably a waste of money, more debt for our kids to pay.

If we are led by donkeys, what else can we expect?



To: neolib who wrote (273667)9/6/2010 10:37:50 PM
From: patron_anejo_por_favorRespond to of 306849
 
Very well stated, Neolib. If it's to be something other than a "vote purchasing" program, the ROI has to be clearly demonstrated (which was not the case in the original Porkulus). Given the deplorable state of infrastructure in the US in general, this should not be terribly hard to do.