If each of those jobs had a $230,000 salary, that'd be nice, but somehow I highly doubt that.
I'd also love to hear accurate unemployment numbers; numbers are down partly because many people have hit the time limit on collecting benefits, not because they're now employed.
I think it's incredibly difficult to evaluate the effects of the stimulus; there are the jobs created by it. There are others that, while not saved or created by the stimulus, avoided having to cut back on lifestyle due to income gained due to the stimulus. There are material things improved due to stimulus projects (e.g. road improvements). Does it have a "prime-the-pump" effect, in which by artificially increasing economic activity we dramatically change the state of the economy a year down the line? Does it have the opposite effect--by stimulating the economy, we destroy the entrepeneurial spirit and thus sabotage our economy 10 years down the line? I really don't know.
So is $230,000/temporary job worth it? Probably not. Is the rest worth it? Maybe, but I think we will never know what the rest is. My belief is that this is an area where good information is so hard to come by that one's conclusions about the effectiveness of the stimulus will unavoidably be determined more by one's political biases than anything else.
cost of raw materials benefit to society/cost savings on society of having certain tasks completed. (smoother roads, better schools, bridges that don't collapse, improved public transit/rail systems, etc)
I recognize that there is some waste, due to us noti living in a perfect socikety. I also recognize thnat not all the funds contributed directly to stimulaus, but i am blanking on ways to stimulate the economy, that I would be willing to support, that don't have costs related to materials and supplies for those jobs.
I mean, seems to me that the alternatives are 1. do nothing (which I support as long as I, or the ones I love, are not the ones who are starving on the street) 2. create temp jobs (which I support as long as they will have some benefit to this society) 3. give money away for nothing (which I don't really support). Is there another option that I missed?
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I'd also love to hear accurate unemployment numbers; numbers are down partly because many people have hit the time limit on collecting benefits, not because they're now employed.
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So is $230,000/temporary job worth it? Probably not. Is the rest worth it? Maybe, but I think we will never know what the rest is. My belief is that this is an area where good information is so hard to come by that one's conclusions about the effectiveness of the stimulus will unavoidably be determined more by one's political biases than anything else.
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http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat1.pdf
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cost of raw materials
benefit to society/cost savings on society of having certain tasks completed. (smoother roads, better schools, bridges that don't collapse, improved public transit/rail systems, etc)
I recognize that there is some waste, due to us noti living in a perfect socikety. I also recognize thnat not all the funds contributed directly to stimulaus, but i am blanking on ways to stimulate the economy, that I would be willing to support, that don't have costs related to materials and supplies for those jobs.
I mean, seems to me that the alternatives are 1. do nothing (which I support as long as I, or the ones I love, are not the ones who are starving on the street) 2. create temp jobs (which I support as long as they will have some benefit to this society) 3. give money away for nothing (which I don't really support). Is there another option that I missed?
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