Don't jump to conclusions scat cat. It is too early to deem the stimulus plan a failure what it just passed yesterday. You're Ron Paul economic views aren't shared by the majority of Americans, which is why your candidate lost badly.
Compared to the three to four trillion to be wasted on G. W. Bushes pet war-- no, wasted is inaccurate, the money was really spent exacerbating our terrorist problem and killing more innocent people than Hussein did-- i would think 0.006% of the stimulus package being spent on the the Arts would hardly raise a WSJ eyebrow. But true to form they got their panties in a knot over nothing. The kind of foolish, ideological thinking that typifies WSJ editorials is partly responsible for the mess the US is in. The more the WSJ and Rupert dislike the "Stimulus" package the more effective and worthwhile it is likely to be.
I may be a prick at times, and I'm sure I'm wrong more than I realize, but I don't think I'm ignorant, and I know that I'm not unwilling to be honest with myself or others - - and that last attribute includes possessing the ability to change my opinion as events unfold and more facts reveal themselves... ...and I agree that the stimulus bill as currently drafted is a terrible piece of legislation, and that it is an incredibly inefficient allocation of taxpayer dollars. It should die a horrible death, and yet it won't, and that is a tragedy for every American (well, except for those getting all larded up directly as a result of the legislation). The last thing that's going to improve the state of primary education in the United States is the construction of more or more elaborate structures - how about using better textbooks, demanding better standards of teachers, and just as importantly, demanding more of parents and students? America has a terrible habit of just throwing money at problems, in the naive hope that actually thinking (the hardest work of all) about an intelligent approach and devising a rational and efficient plan is not that important. One last thing - this is a bipartisan disease, that is screwing us all. There really is little difference in terms of inefficiencies between the Republican and Democratic Parties; the benefactors of their preferences may differ, but the end result is that the bulk of Americans get shafted by their equally stupid approaches and philosophies.
The NY Times is somewhat more objective overall in my opinion, though their editorials lean toward a progressive slant. I don't object to any ideological slant in editorials, but when that tone pervades the entire paper, as it does in the WSJ, objectivity goes out the window. Personally, I find the Financial Times to be more objective with regards to US politics than either the WSJ or the Times. To ByLo i would say that naturally the stimulus bill is going to be a compromise, and as such will not be entirely pleasing to any of us. But the objective was to keep millions of unemployed from being on the streets, and get the money and jobs working quickly. To that end it will be fairly effective. A second objective is that the folks employed should be doing something useful, and to that end it will also be fairly effective. The problems you mention with regard to schools will have to be addressed in other measures as that will require more time to get right and the solutions needed will not create a lot of jobs. This bill is a job creation stew with some little bits of pork seasoning. It was reasonable, for example, to take the assistance for low income family planning planning (birth control) out, though god knows it's needed, because that too will not create that many new jobs. I don't agree with those who believe that the answer is simply across-the- board tax cuts. When you do that you are bound to get a lot of jobs saved in China and Korea, but not necessarily in the US. And tax cuts at the upper end would likely go as much into off- shore investment as into the US. Tax cuts would take much longer to impact the economy and a smaller percentage of the cuts would show up eventually as new jobs. This bill is aimed primarily at creating jobs now! It's not a great bill, but i would not agree that it's a terrible bill. Another round of mailing checks to everyone? Now that would be terrible! Finally, there are those who believe it's best to let the recession take its natural course and do virtually nothing. Just let it play itself out until supply and demand fall in line. Perhaps, if one can turn a blind eye to human suffering and lives in a gated community, that is the best thing to do. But I would think that if you are unemployed your perspective would be decidedly different.
Hey loser - you're the douchebag. "My dad can beat your dad anywhere, anytime. He's also richer than yours, and prolly has a nicer 2nd wife." "Oooh, I'm so smart, I vote Republican beacuse the Democraps just ruin everything." Moron. Money obviously can't buy a decent education these days.