My conservative readers will no doubt agree that there are many issues with policies coming out of Washington these days. The so-called stimulus had issues from its inception. Programs that do not address root cause of a problem serve only to treat the symptoms. The problem is destined to rear its head again, having been kicked a little further down the road. The risk is that when it comes back, it comes back in spades!
Out of Missouri, there comes a story that the Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation, buoyed by Obama stimulus dollars for weatherizing homes, has now run out of money. Dozens of workers have been laid off and more are at risk. The benefits are that these workers had jobs for a time and also that homes were repaired and upgraded. But at a time when we’re trying to add jobs, those that were artificially created are going away. In this, the stimulus has failed.
In order to have been considered a success, the stimulus needed to create not jobs, but demand. You can create jobs by creating demand, but without demand, jobs are not sustainable. This story is proof of that. It is also proof of how misguided Washington is with regard to what the economy needs.
Consider the Keystone Pipeline that Obama nixed. The pipeline generates thousands of jobs during the course of its construction and bolsters local economies impacted when construction crews come in and need a place to stay, eat, and conduct their lives. This too is short-termed and not the point. The bigger point is that the pipeline, by its mere existence, increases demand for monitoring, maintenance, and operations. These are the sustainable jobs. The influx of more oil stimulates more refinement related jobs. And the cheaper attained oil can bring down prices of petroleum products, stimulating travel, auto sales, and services related to tourism, travel, road repair, and auto maintenance.
Could the government have done something constructive to stimulate jobs? Sure. But Obama said “No We Can’t”
As we hear about more stimulus dollars drying up, programs shutting down, and workers being laid off, ask yourself if the country is better off today as a result of the stimulus. Ponder the question as you drive through pot holes, over crumbling bridges, under decrepit over passes, and past the homeless beggars standing at the off ramp.
Stimulating thought!
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