Grading the Stimulus Ideas

Yeh, I read that and thought it astute.
Admittedly, I haven't done my own take, which I should. I'm hampered by a lifelong uninterest in economics - which I'm not entirely sure I'm sorry about, but is surely a lack.

I tend to agree with most of that. But I haven't studied it very deeply.

I responded on the blog, but would add that I hope when this emerges from confrence we still have a package that is heavily weighted towards infrastructure, education and taking care of those that are now unemployed.

Besides economic stimulus, it would appear to me that spending on infrastructure is killing several birds with one stone. If we already have dire infrastructure needs and already have to spend money and need to create jobs... seems like the perfect way to do it.

I think the same applies to education. If we have to spend money, create jobs etc, our schools are the place to do that since many are crumbling and in need of repair or extension anyway.

FWIW, I have a very first take up now about the unified stimulus bill that's just come out of the conference committee of House and Senate honchos. I may have strong liberal opinions, but I freely admit that I'm something of a novice on this level of economic policy, so do feel free to chime in.

Stimulus bill comes out of conference. While it's distasteful to see the centrists crow, the bill doesn't look bad.

More still:

Liberal opinion roundup - first opinions about the unified stimulus bill

Maybe only interesting for those benighted souls who are as strangely addicted to the day-to-day state of the debate as me (and interested in liberal takes in prticular). But basically this is the rundown of the blogs I just checked: Steve Benen and Chris Bowers, while acknowledging the imperfection of the bill after the centrists went at it, seem to be overall happy and impressed with the result. Lesser known bloggers I like at Cogitamus and Donkeylicious are satisfied as well. But Noam Scheiber at TNR is outright disappointed, and in a NYT story he quoted Sen. Harkin is grumbling openly about the result as well - which worries me.

Will be interesting to see whether a liberal consensus or conventional wisdom of sorts will emerge over the next couple of days ... seems like it could go either way now.