NYT: A Better Stimulus Bill (Hint: It's not the Senate centrists' bill)

[flpoljunkie]

February 10, 2009

A Better Stimulus Bill

In Elkhart, Ind., on Monday afternoon to rally support for an $800 billion stimulus and recovery package — and in his first prime-time press conference Monday night — President Obama said that he couldn’t guarantee that every item voted by Congress will work exactly as planned. But he warned that doing nothing could not be an option.

He is absolutely right that Congress needs to quickly pass a stimulus bill, and the Republicans who have been blocking action are courting disaster. But a bill that is merely better than nothing won’t be nearly good enough. The economy is too fragile. And the numbers are too huge.

When members of the House and Senate sit down this week to craft a final version of their differing bills, they must include the most-effective provisions — those that provide powerful stimulus and help those Americans who are most in need.

There is a decent deal to be had in negotiations. Whether Congress and the administration get there will depend a lot on Mr. Obama’s leadership and his insistence on a better bill.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/opinion/10tue1.html