"New" Stimulus Package?
President Obama has presented us with another stimulus package. Am I having a serious case of Groundhog Day, or were we already given this plan?
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for improving the infrastructure of this country. Drive through my neighborhood, and there is no way you'll think you're in one of the richest countries in the nation. We all know, also, how long road improvements take. There is no doubt in my mind, some of the projects started with the first package will still be in progress long after President Obama has left office. Hell, they will probably still be working on them when my son leaves for college, and he's only three!
Our country does need a stimulus, but it has to help more than just a few select construction companies. Americans don't have any confidence in the economy. Most of us know at least someone who is unemployed and while this isn't anything new in itself, the circumstances are.
In the past, everyone we knew without jobs was lazy, or a bum. Now it's your brother, sister, neighbor, all people that want to support their family on their own. People are not going to spend any money on "extras" until they see some real proof the economy is improving.
There are only two things that will really show Americans the economy is improving. Raises in their take home pay, and a lowering of their property taxes.
We, as a country, can find a way to raise 50 billion dollars to fund more construction. Why not use that money to cut taxes? Why not use that money to give rebates to Americans who buy American-made products? Who knows, maybe a free gas card we can all use while we wait in construction-related traffic. Maybe even a new tire rebate we can use for any tire damaged in an, as yet, unfixed pothole, hit by me as I drive my son to college, in fifteen years.
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