Originally Posted by UGLY

WOW you are a spin DR. that's for sure. You apply for sure thing to items many people disagree on, even the CBO said the stimulus lost its effectiveness after 2010, and unemployment is still way down, I still dont know how that is a working program.

From what I have read almost all economists believe the stimulus did something. The real debate is whether it was the best use of the money or the best policy. No respected economist is saying that it did nothing. I did just read an article in Foreign Policy, which I think is a very middle of the road publication and iot is worth a read as it is very short:
Think Again: Obama's New Deal - By Michael Grunwald | Foreign Policy

From the article:
When it comes to the Recovery Act, the facts are on Obama's side.

For starters, there is voluminous evidence that the stimulus did provide real stimulus, helping to stop a terrifying free-fall, avert a second Depression, and end a brutal recession. America's top economic forecasters -- Macroeconomic Advisers, Moody's Economy.com, IHS Global Insight, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and the Congressional Budget Office -- agree that it increased GDP at least 2 percentage points, the difference between contraction and growth, and saved or created about 2.5 million jobs....

A Washington Post review of Recovery Act studies found six that showed a positive economic effect versus one useful study (by prominent Republican economist John B. Taylor) that concluded the stimulus failed -- and critics noted that Taylor's data just as easily support the conclusion that the stimulus was too small.

before Obama took office, just about everyone agreed that when the economy slumps, government can boost growth and create jobs by injecting money into the economy, whether by taxing less or spending more. In early 2008, every Republican and Democratic presidential candidate proposed a stimulus plan -- in fact, Romney's was the largest. And Republicans still use Keynesian pump-priming arguments to push tax cuts, military spending, and other stimulus they happen to support.

ODH I am not saying it did nothing, but I dont think it had the desired affect. I also dont think the money was spent wisely. So in the terms that I look at the stimulus, it really didnt work, it helped but it did not get the job done, and it s a lot of money to spend to not ge the job done.

Originally Posted by ban basketball

When did the CBO say that? Why did I just produce two, I repeat, two reports from the CBO in different areas on this forum that shows that they, indeed, said the stimulus was effective?

I pulled the text right off of the CBO report and posted it I am sure you can find it, your good at that.

Originally Posted by UGLY

ODH I am not saying it did nothing, but I dont think it had the desired affect. I also dont think the money was spent wisely. So in the terms that I look at the stimulus, it really didnt work, it helped but it did not get the job done, and it s a lot of money to spend to not ge the job done.

So I see your position as the stimulus did some good, but money could have been spent better. You would have prefer a stimulus that was structured different. This seems to me like a far cry from calling it an absolute failure.

The people who really have a right to bash the stimulus are the few (Hello Ron Paul) who truly believe the government should have done nothing to help the economy as it was crashing and not reached out to people who desperately needed help. This policy may make sense on paper for the long term health of the economy, but it is not very popular with almost anyone, which explains why Ron paul won all of 10% of the Republican primary vote.

ODH, despite the fact that he had to play the two party game, Ron Paul is not a republican. He is a free thinking conservative who wants the nation to get back to following the constitution. That is why he only won 10% of the primary. Most people who call themselves republicans aren't very conservative when it comes down to it. I was left with no choice bit to vote against John Boehner in his last primary. Of course he won in a landslide, but he isn't what I call conservative either.

Originally Posted by ODH

So I see your position as the stimulus did some good, but money could have been spent better. You would have prefer a stimulus that was structured different. This seems to me like a far cry from calling it an absolute failure.

The people who really have a right to bash the stimulus are the few (Hello Ron Paul) who truly believe the government should have done nothing to help the economy as it was crashing and not reached out to people who desperately needed help. This policy may make sense on paper for the long term health of the economy, but it is not very popular with almost anyone, which explains why Ron paul won all of 10% of the Republican primary vote.

I wasnt for the stimulus but once it was done I thought the money should have been spent primarily on infrastructure. So was the stimulus an absolute failure no, was it a failure in my eyes yes.