Well, sure, but if you can do both at the same time, isn’t that full of crunchy goodness?
In better economic times I’d agree, but not right now. An infrastructure spending program isn’t a financial obligation that extends into perpetuity; it’s a temporary thing, a shot of starting fluid into the air cleaner to get the engine running again. It works, and it’s sorely needed.
When the economy is running better and generating more revenue for the treasury, then yes, we can (afford to) start paying down the debt.
I was responding to the issue of private sector deleveraging. If a rebate to the households is used by them to pay down debt, that is not a bad thing. Only if, as Wolf indicates, does the government engage in unneeded deleveraging does this become problematic a la Japan.
While my mom thinks that a miracle will occur and his speech will make everything good again. Moms can be funny.
What has to be done is to have enough people working ,especially at good rates, to get enough revenue to support the government. The Repubs trying to gut social safety nets, lower minimum wage , cut taxes over and over, will do the opposite.
Fixing the infrastructure now, is a good start. Money is cheap right now, so the cost will be lower. We have to ensure the workers will all be Americans using American made products to build. The corps will try and make it into a money making operation with foreign workers and foreign products. They will probably get their way. Their clerks in the house and senate will obey.
The LOL from this thread is epic. 
As for the unemployment benefits… I have done dozens of interviews and the most common thing I hear is along the lines of “I’ll take the job in a couple months when my UE runs out” and “I don’t really want the job I just need to show I’m looking for work.”
There’s a lot of work out there. Many people don’t want it because they’re too fucking lazy to get off their ass and work. They want their free shit.
Well guess what? There is no more free shit! The people providing the free shit are both out of it and tired of giving it to lazy son’s of bitches who are perfectly content to live on the government dole while there IS work out there.
Just sayin’.
Now, in order not to disappoint those of us reading your RAWRs and LOLing, please resume your R=Bad D=Good blathering and back-patting. 
Oh, and the “We didn’t print enough prosperity” mentality is really, really good stuff. When you make less than you spend do you really think spending more money you don’t have is the way to go? You guys are funny.
How can anyone even *consider *venturing down the “R=bad” path when people like you are offering this kind of in depth, insightful analysis? It’s discrimination is what it is! :mad:
While I like the cut of your jib, this has some problems.
As another poster said, they might not spend it but save it or put down their debt. This is delayed spending and is great and all…but it doesn’t help RIGHT NOW.
Also, they might spend it on foreign stuff. That doesn’t really help get unemployment back…ok, maybe someone could make the argument it does but it is delayed…it doesn’t happen right now.
Massive Infrastructure spending makes sense. It is labor intensive so they have to hire people to do it. They can’t outsource it to Timbuktu to do the labor. They can’t really import the labor. They have to hire Americans. In addition, the products that they use will more likely be local (though I am not sure) so products used are more likely to be American. It also beefs up infrastructure which has a lasting benfit to future generations.
I’d still go with your 50% if I had the choice 
So, give a whole bunch of money to everybody who made enough money to pay taxes, and fuck everybody else. If anyone else had said it, I would have believed they meant it.
Maybe you missed the part about extending unemployment benefits? And all the jobs that will come with infrastructure construction projects?
Talking about Clothahump. Should have been more clear.
So you really have zero to contribute to your own thread, other than a bunch of lies about people drawing unemployment. If that was truly the case, they wouldn’t interview with your sorry ass to begin with. Your assumptions are wrong, so your conclusions are wrong. What a fucking lying blowhard you are.
I have a minor gripe about the concentration on infrastructure, since my job skills have nothing to do with repairing the infrastructure. Can the rest of us longterm unemployed get a little notice, too?
OTOH, I’m not commuting so the traffic problems caused by infrastructure repairs are mostly abstract.
You seem to be having a hard time understanding so I’ll type slowly so you can keep up…
I’m not a Republican or Democrat.
They are two sides to the same shitty coin. If you want to keep flipping it every 4 to 8 years you go for it but don’t expect anything to change.
LoL. Come on, you can do better than that. The lying accusation thing won’t work here because they’re facts. Why don’t you try playing the Race card instead.
According to the Bureau Of Labor and Statistics, there are 4 job seekers for every 1 job opening.
Maybe I’m just retarded and don’t get it. Please explain your views to me like I’m a six year old. If there are 4 job seekers for every 1 job opening, how is pulling unemployment benefits going to make jobs materialize?
Out of curiousity, what type of industry do you work for?
The decline of the US continues…
And the consensus is that this new 300b may not create a single job…
http://www.nationaljournal.com/one-small-step-for-jobs-one-big-target-for-republicans-20110907
LOL? Really? That’s the level of your argument, other than “it’s true because I say it’s true?” You’re a bigger moron than I thought. Go back to your cave.
You’re not very familiar with this OP, I take it.
But you seem to be catching on nicely. 