So, paying for smoking cessation now so we see a payoff in the future is good. But drilling offshore now so we see a payoff in the future is bad. I don't get it.
On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 3:14 PM, Judah McAuley <[email protected]> wrote: > > 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:287411 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
