I don't know the details of the smoking cessation program. For so much of the stimulus bill the devil is in the details. But I agree with your analysis. If a project puts more people to work short term on projects that are dependable and provide long term benefit, then I am in favor of it. Projects that dump money into a hole without expanding the labor market or at least providing stability to the existing workforce are non-starters.
I think of the projects around here that were built during the great depression by the CCC like Timberline Lodge. Some gorgeous amazing stuff that has lasted a long time. My grandfather was joking on Sunday about knowing which trees were felled by CCC boys because the stumps had a crown on top instead of being flat. They didn't understand that you needed to pull a buck saw, not push. But they still ended up producing some great things and provided people sorely in need with jobs and training that kept them afloat and gave them hope for the future. Judah On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 12:04 PM, Jerry Johnson <[email protected]> wrote: > The smoking cessation program, as i understand it, will not create any new > jobs. it will not save at risk jobs. it will not buy any meaningful amount > of durable goods. it _will_ have a very-long-term benefit. > > That (to me) is not perfect. > > If the smoking cessation programs put new people to work (rather than just > adding money to a single advertising company, and adding money to a tv > network), and had a SHORT TERM benefit equal to the money spent, and _also_ > had a LONG TERM benefit, then it fits the stimulus bill. > > As Gruss points out hourly, we need to get the stimulus money into people's > pockets NOW, and need to put it into the pockets of people who are going to > _spend_ it NOW. And hopefully that money gets spent over, and over, and over > again. > > We cannot afford to put that money into the pockets of people who are > comfortably leaving the money in their pocket (or putting it into their > savings account, or paying off their boat). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;207172674;29440083;f Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:287393 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
