In 2009 Linda pointed to a sign at a bridge construction site that said “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” She said, “That should say ‘Stimulus Plan. People won’t make the connection.”
It turns out she was right. In an article in today’s New York Times entitled “Don’t Tell Anyone, But the Stimulus Worked,” David Firestone said this: “On the most basic level, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is responsible for saving and creating 2.5 million jobs. The majority of economists agree that it helped the economy grow by as much as 3.8 percent, and kept the unemployment rate from reaching 12 percent.” Unfortunately, almost no one, it seems, made the connection.
The President himself did not appear for photo ops at various projects. The tax cut was not in the form of a flashy rebate, but showed up in paychecks, so many workers weren’t even aware of the cut. The Administration did a poor job in publicizing the Stimulus benefits. Nevertheless, they were vital to keeping our economy afloat.
The Stimulus increased spending on food stamps, unemployment benefits, and Medicaid, which, according to Mr. Firestone, kept seven million Americans from falling below the poverty line. That is just one of the positive features. Check out the full article at <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/opinion/sunday/dont-tell-anyone-but-the-stimulus-worked.html?_r=1&ref=opinion>.
Republicans pick out a few items (Solyndra, an over-estimation of jobs created) and belittle the Stimulus. What they don’t ever say is without that Stimulus bill, the U.S. would have experienced the second great Depression.
The Stimulus also allowed many states to pad their education budgets with federal money. Some teachers kept their jobs while others were given a chance at a job they would love.
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