The fact is this: No Economist or anyone on this board can predict how The Stimulus plays out.

[Condem]

Exciting, isn't it?

[Occam Bandage]

1. Sure we can. I predict it will lead to a 0.6% increase in annual GDP over

what would have otherwise happened.

Now, whether I can predict accurately, well, that's another question entirely...

[AllentownJake]

2. It will keep police on the streets in major American cities

I went to a campaign event for my mayor, he was at the meeting with President Obama. Due to the stimulus he believes he can hire 29 more cops.

Other than that I couldn't tell you what its going to do.

[happyiowan]

3. I can predict this.

The Republicans have bet the proverbial house it won't work. And, praying for it. If it does, they think voters will have a short memory. 2010 will be very interesting, to say the least.

[AllentownJake]

6. The sad thing for Republicans is the public knows who is at fault

for what's going on right now. Work or not work the party to cut back on services and cut taxes for the guys who laid them off to an unemployed populace isn't going to be winning many races in 2010.

A republican is simply a democrat who hasn't been laid off.

[Condem]

7. Good to hear from you, AllentownJake

I work with a ton of a republicans here in Iowa. To a person, they hope Obama fails. At the risk of total economic annihilation, they don't care. Amazing. The funny thing. Their standard answer. "You wanted Bush to fail in Iraq." Is this what we've become?

[AllentownJake]

10. Maybe things are a little less partisan in PA right now

or the Republicans I know, know I'm loaded for bear right now on how their economic policies caused this mess but none of the GOPers I know say anything about wanting Obama to fail. Most of them are doubtful that his policies are the answer but want them to succeed because they want to continue to live in their houses and eat.

[leftstreet]

4. And no Economist or anyone on this board can prove this wasn't planned

[Double T]

9. I am a conspiracy theorist and I KNOW this was planned.

Nothing like a few hundred billion more to feed and fan the flames of a depression.

[BlooInBloo]

12. niiiice pic.

[natrat]

5. complete fail-w/ the stakes so high the stimulus should have overshot

[EmilyAnne]

8. The fact is, anyone can and will predict anything.

But aside from that, since the future is never certain, any action is inherently risky.
We can still gather together opinions, research and lessons of the past to make decisions.
Or, we can do nothing at all.

[Double T]

11. My prediction: The stimulus will give our dead economy a bounce,. then.........

it will continue on its path downward. When jobs are returned to America from outsourced slave wage nations then we can talk about a recovery; check back in a decade or two.

[happyiowan]

13. Any good news, Double T?

I love the taste of the end of a gun in my mouth.

[Double T]

16. When wall street, corporate america and the government STOP.........

exporting American jobs out of our country, perhaps we can put on the rose colored glasses and engage in happy talk. Get the damn gun out of your mouth, get GD outraged and become part of a revolution. The good news is that bush, cheney and many of the criminals that orchestrated this financial and economic disaster are gone. Few want to face the root cause of our very serious problem and until then little can be done about a recovery.

[MarjorieG]

14. Can predict the media and GOP will dismiss/talk down any benefits, belief of success.

[The Traveler]

15. But the outcome of doing nothing is pretty clear

Miserable, but pretty clear. With this package we have a shot at avoiding spiraling deflation. Nothing more. Yeah, it's exciting ...

Trav

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

17. Yet the WH is saying we will cut the deficit in half in 4 years...

Yet the WH is now saying we will cut the deficit in half in 4 years.

Since we really don't know whether 2012 GDP will even be positive or negative, Chief Wiggum says:

That's some good predicting, Lou.

[incapsulated]

18. "Exciting" as in the Chinese curse...

May you live in interesting times? :p

It's either the beginning of the end or the beginning of something new.

Either way we continue on with our day to day lives.

[Condem]

20. Have you scaled back on your day to day life, incapsulated?

Probably should be a thread for all of DU. Just curious.

[TexasObserver]

19. True, but we know that a recovery will require many steps. This is but one.

It can't all be done at once, and isn't possible politically.

[Peacetrain]

21. We are all sitting and hoping for the best!

At least we are moving hopefully out of the way of that economic tsunami that the previous administration had decided to ignore. :hi: