5 thoughts on “What To Do About The Stimulus”

  1. Sheesh, what’s wrong with the Do Nothing approach? Since when has it become rational to think that the Federal government can reliably do dick about the national economy? Did we learn nothing at all from the planned economies of the 20th century, and their uniformly unfortunate ends?

    I feel like I’m listening to a bunch of Roman doctors circa 200 AD standing around an Emperor who’s got cancer, pondering what to do. You know what, guys? It’s nice that you want to help — that you feel ethically compelled to help — but your understanding and technology are just not up to the task. Practically anything you try is going to do nothing or do actual harm to the patient, that being the rule of thumb when it comes to ignorantly sticking your thumb into complex machinery.

    If someone wants to point to a single historical example of a central government successfully managing a large economy over a period of decades — no recessions, no bubbles, all humming smoothly along — I’ll be glad to reconsider the point.

  2. Carl, I think there were a few times when Egypt had a stable economy for a century or few. Not that ancient empires form a good model for modern economies.

    Also, I think there’s a problem of managing public expectations. It appears to me that the general public won’t be satisfied with “do nothing”. So something must be done for the sake of appearances.

  3. It appears to me that the general public won’t be satisfied with “do nothing”. So something must be done for the sake of appearances.

    It would be less harmful if the politicians told the rabble that the economy can be saved if everyone sends one cereal boxtop per month to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, c/o/ Chef Boy-Ar-Dee.

    And there would be the advantage that most of the people agitating for “something” to be “done” would believe it.

  4. OK, Karl, then take the dough and just send it all to the state legislatures, in proportion to state population, and let them decide what to do with it.

    California can blow it all on special ed teachers, public union pensions, hookers for the Governator and Gavin Newsom, and math flashcards for Nancy Pelosi. Texas can build 150 nuclear reactors and stop burning oil altogether. South Carolina can divvy it up and send a check to every Palmetto taxpayer, then turn out the lights and board up the statehouse. New York can spend it on fancy clothes and imported French wine.

    In a few years, we see whose “stimulus” theory was right.

  5. I like it, Carl. And we’d look pretty noble with our gleaming teeth and lucious locks, waving gracely in the breezes induced by the off-screen fans.

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