The Stimulus Is A Failure

[Drake Tungsten]

If only we had gotten McCain...

[Seeker]

You think McCain would've been better??? I may be disappointed in Obama's appointments as not being change at all, but least he has done the bare mininum by not preemptively going to war with Iran.

[Seeker]

BTW, anyone else initial think that this thread would be about Wiglafs penis problems?

[Drake Tungsten]

You think McCain would've been better???

Of course. Obama's biggest mistake so far has been his fiscal irresponsibility. McCain was clearly better on this issue.

That being said, I don't know if McCain would've been any better on other economic issues; he seemed about as clueless on economic issues as Obama has proved to be. I'd rather have Mitt Romney (or Hillary!) than either.

[Ramo]

Is this supposed to make some sort of sense? My point is that states WILL spend more money than they would without receiving any cash from the feds, but will spend LESS than the feds give them, by spending some of the cash on **** they would have bought anyway.

Misread you. That's probably true, but the deficits would have to paid for with high interest loans and tax hikes. It's an extreme, but look at CA's fiscal situation. Not good.

I was addressing the regionalism comment. As I said, there is some infrastructure spending that may be limited as a fiscal stimulus, but I think make sense over a longer period.

So the stimulus bill is not actually a stimulus bill? In actuality the bulk of spending (outside tax cuts and direct transfers to states) has dubious macro effects in your mind and is instead merely a good buy for the taxpayer?

No, many of the non-FICA transfers to individuals are more stimulative (particularly UI and food stamps) than these categories. Most of the legislation is fine as a fiscal stimulus. To the extent that it's not the case, that's ameliorated by the long term returns associated with many of these programs.

[MrFun]

I could survive on $1100 a month just fine in Harlem. I doubt your housing is any more expensive...

Yes - I'm sure a chicken coop can rent for $1,100 in Harlem.

But civilized people like to live in real apartments. Mine here in Silver Spring, MD costs $1,150 a month. There goes my $1,100 a month if that was all I had to live off of!


But I agree with DD - it's time for Che to get a real job.

[DinoDoc]

What the hell were you renting, Fun? I can find a place to rent for half of your paying and that's with me living in an overpriced college town.

[Ben Kenobi]

But civilized people like to live in real apartments. Mine here in Silver Spring, MD costs $1,150 a month. There goes my $1,100 a month if that was all I had to live off of!

Mine is 300 CDN and I have a balcony and everything. I could live off 400 a month if things were really tight. 1100 a month? I might spend half that.

[SlowwHand]

I get about 1600 a month and it definitely is better to work. I'm drawing the max.
Rent alone is 880, for a 2 bedroom 2 story condo I rent, heading into my 4th year.

[Jon Miller]

Despite some people having a hard time beleiving it, rent where I live and near where I live is ~1000 a month for a two bedroom.

I admit that it drops if I live farther away from the lab.

And the places might be 'decent' as far as apartments go. I wouldn't call them luxury though...

JM

[SlowwHand]

Yeah, you can live out in bum**** and spend it on gas and time.

[Drake Tungsten]

Despite some people having a hard time beleiving it, rent where I live and near where I live is ~1000 a month for a two bedroom.

What do you need two bedrooms for?

[Jon Miller]

I share it which drops the rent down to affordable levels.

JM
*Honestly, the only reason why my finances are tight is because I consume far too much.

[Drake Tungsten]

Is your share $1000? Or is that the total rent?

[KrazyHorse]

He had better not be paying 2000$ a month for a 2 bedroom. I'm paying 1500 for a 2 bed, two bath with all the amenities in a nice neighbourhood (with an included off-street parking spot) in the middle of a city.