President Obama (I know he's President-elect, but let me have it, okay? It's so close I can taste it!) has acknowledged just how f-ed up our economy is, and has unveiled at least a little of what he plans to do to fix it, or at least get the ball rolling. His plan includes tax cuts for anyone making less than $200,000 (because that's obviously middle class, right?) and for businesses who take on new workers and invest in new technology, as well as money for state and local governments to invest in jobs and infrastructure. While I think this plan could be the best feasible plan for the US, there have been some concerns raised that give me pause.
First, the idea that state and local governments have to invest the money they get within a certain period of time (a "use-it or lose-it," if you will) could potentially create willy nilly spending and short-term planning rather than carefully thought out investments. And honestly, the last thing we all need at this point is to throw money down the toilet on bad ideas. And if the money is not spent quickly (or rather, on things that create quick returns), then we're simply putting out money we don't have for long-term projects, when what we need is a solution NOW (not that that's even possible). Either way, this plan is not without it's problems, but either way, it's what we've got, and it's better than what we've had. For a more in depth (albeit only slightly so) and intelligent version of this post, check out the bbc article.
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