It appears as if the Obama administration is laying the ground work for a second stimulus package, even though only 10% of the funds from the original package have been spent.
Many of the spending priorities in the original stimulus plan have been criticized as wasteful and unnecessary and the spending has failed to create the 600,000 jobs President Obama promised voters.
My question for you; is what would you spend the second ($787 billion) stimulus on? Reality or fantasy.
You might purchase Major League Baseball, annex Tobago, stabilize the banking industry, eliminate poverty, build a high-speed rail link to Wasilla, offer free tuition to any student with a GPA over 2.5, or re-pay China?
No suggestion will be ridiculed, as the entire idea of borrowing a second $787 billion, seems unimaginable enough.
Kristofer Lorelli can be contacted at lorville@rogers.com, on Facebook and twitter/Kris_Lorelli.
July 10th, 2009 at 5:10 am
My top three (semi-realistic) choices:
3. Infrastructure! High speed rail, magnet trains, subways, etc. Every cent of the 787 billion.
2. Pick a third world country, buy it and try and first world-ize it. You want nation building? I’ll show you nation building!
1. And my personal favorite, NASA funding. Get us a moon base and put a man (and woman) onto Mars, stat!
Hmmm. I really would like something akin the first and third options in the years to come, but I’m a tax and spend liberal, so not surprising.
July 10th, 2009 at 6:29 am
There will not be a second any amount of money, not worth my time.
July 10th, 2009 at 7:43 am
“build a high-speed rail link to Wasilla” Haha, I know I am biased, but that is frankly as good as an idea as any if we are going to waste money.
July 10th, 2009 at 8:05 am
High speed train line from Anchorage to the lower 48 and Canada would be a good idea, although it would probably be a bureaucratic nightmare trying to do anything in Canada.
July 10th, 2009 at 8:05 am
I’d put a jacuzzi in the backyard and get a new Saturn Outlook.
July 10th, 2009 at 8:07 am
5. Both made of solid gold?
July 10th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Kevin,
Heck, no. I want to have enough money left over to take the kids to the Wisconsin Dells for a week.
July 10th, 2009 at 8:50 am
What would I do with the money? Repay as many US debts as possible.
July 10th, 2009 at 9:14 am
question just to make this clear no matter how the white house spin is come 2012 ( which I think they are already running the 2012 campaign mode) this economy is obama’s correct? or will it be w’s to blame still come campaign 2012? and what happen if obama magically waves his magic wond and fix’s the economy like magically right be for 2012 campaign?
July 10th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Mandate all Arizona kids be put in private school immediately:
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/299259.php
July 10th, 2009 at 9:39 am
10#, from that link:
9. Who was the first president?
Answer: Washington. correct 26.5 percent
!!! Pathetic
July 10th, 2009 at 9:51 am
I’d use the 787 billion dollars to entice Canada to annex Vermont. Perhaps Canada could take the rest of New England along with it if we threw in some donuts.
July 10th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Give it all to Kavon for running this awesome site.
July 10th, 2009 at 10:31 am
12,
That’s awesome. I wish i’d thought of that.
I’d probably build a couple of those new bombers obama doesn’t want(the ones that are better than the b-2 spirit), and hold washington ransom. Then i’d get our country out of debt as quickly as possible. Maybe even sell D.C. to the chinese if they are willing to take the debt of our government with it. Our new capital? Omaha, Nebraska. Our new president? Ron Paul. Stick that in your eye washington!
July 10th, 2009 at 10:42 am
wow, jason. suckin up to the boss?
i would buy a house in arizona, and 50 pounds of hydroponic weed. and a huge tv. and lots of food and movies. and an xbox.
July 10th, 2009 at 10:43 am
I am very happy people suggesting paying down the debt.
I’d do two things;
1) I’d build a bridge across to Russia and a super-highway down to China, from the bridge. It would probably reduce the cost of commodities, thus passing the savings on to consumers.
2) Eliminate capital gains taxes.
July 10th, 2009 at 10:53 am
#16 I don’t think a bridge to Russia is technologically feasible. A tunnel might be but that would still be a problem with all the earthquakes in Alaska.
July 10th, 2009 at 10:57 am
#12 Doug – that made me laugh out loud. For a long time.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:01 am
#17, I believe there is a feassibility study and the issue is not earthquakes, it is the artic ice that flows south every spring.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:13 am
70 of these ($700 billion):
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090618/BIZ01/306180017/Nuclear+plant+would+cost++10B
http://www.reuters.com/article/GlobalEnergy09/idUSTRE5517DA20090603
80 of these ($55 billion):
http://www.oiljobfinder.com/offshore_oil_rig_jobs.php
http://www.isa.org/InTechTemplate.cfm?Section=Archives4&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=62087
60 of these ($31 billion):
http://dalesdesigns.net/drillship.htm
And $1 billion for this:
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/06/airforce_f22_062509w/
July 10th, 2009 at 11:23 am
I’d buy the Yankess, Colts, Steelers, Montreal Canadiens, and Lakers, then sell off all their players and buy shitty players instead and turn them into the worst teams possible in each of their respective sports.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:31 am
I think I’d also buy the University of Kentucky and turn it into a second rate junior college.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:34 am
And then- with whatever I have left over I’d pay off all the politicians in D.C. to leave office so we could try to re-start this whole Democratic Republic thing over again!
July 10th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Ray,
Could I be a right-winger for your Candiens? I’ve always thought it might be neat to try hockey.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I would buy Canada.
July 10th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
The only problem with that DanL is that we would never elect another GOP President. Outside of AB & SK, all the other provinces would vote for the Dems.
July 10th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
MWS- sure thing. But the Bruins will kick your tail!!
July 10th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I have sneaking suspicion my entire team would have nothing but right-wingers on it. Should I change the Center position to “Moderate?”
July 10th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Doh, I thought it was gonna be my own $787 billion.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Give it all back to the people from whom it was stolen.
July 10th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
As a student that free tuition one is looking mighty tempting right now.
And with 787 billion they could give free tuition to just about everyone.
July 10th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
26. I think Ontario and BC would be the only solid Dem states if US and Canada merged.
July 10th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
You forgot Quebec, just adding Quebec to Ontario and BC, the Dems have a Canadian electoral majority even without Atlantic Canada.
July 11th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
I wouldn’t do a package that big. I would give $1500 to every family to pay down credit cards and catch up on mortgages. This would give it to the banking and finance system so we can get the public out of it a bit more. In fact, I might double that to $3000 per family – that and have a moritorium on any tax repayments for those who owe the IRS, so that the money actually goes to debt repayment. In fact, I may give it out as vouchers that can only be spent on mortgages and repaying consumer debt. It could only be redeemed for cash by people without such debt – and if they don’t have a bank account, it must be used to open a savings account and can only be converted after 60 days to checking.