Reply #33: Infrastructure and health insurance reform to start.

[MercutioATC]

Infrastructure:

We need to spend $1.6T in the next five years on infrastructure anyway. If we don't fund a big part of it with this bill, we'll have to come up with the money later.

Health Insurance Reform:

Spending money to provide access to health care to all Americans through a federal program would both save on unreimbursed medical costs at emergency departments and take health insurance (including legacy costs) off of the books of, for example, the auto industry. It has to happen anyway, and we can use this savings as a stimulus to industry instead of just handing them bailout money.


Sure, other things...like funding for the arts...have a limited stimulative value. Programs such as alternative energy research have a long-term payoff, but not much bang for the buck in the short term. Neither, IMO, belong in a bill meant to address an immediate economic crisis.

Infrastructure spending and health insurance reform are both projects that need to be addressed now. hey would both create economic stimulus AND give us something tangible in return for our investment...in the short term.