In Defense of the Stimulus Package

Since the passing of the $814 Billion stimulus package that was strongly supported by most Democrats and U.S. President Barack Obama, American citizens had doubts whether this bill will in fact create jobs or instead add up to the already ballooned budget deficit of the government. The stimulus packages calls for massive borrowing and spending which will compensate the reduced spending of consumers and private sectors. A year later, thousands of Americans are still without jobs and people now believe that the stimulus is in fact a huge failure. Despite of what people perceive as a huge failure in attempting to revive the economy, various authors of the bill are still able to highlight key accomplishments since the bill was passed.

Republicans have been ultimately aggressive in claiming that the stimulus is just a waste of taxpayer’s money as the national average for unemployment is now reaching 10%. Last Friday, a report released by Vice President Joe Biden negated criticisms on the stimulus program by showcasing over 100 projects that satisfied the goal of the bill which is to create more jobs and stimulate economic growth. One such project was the $175 million spent by Department of Transportation of the City of New York to rehabilitate bridges, eight vehicular and one pedestrian, and one parking field. An audit showed that more than 120 people got to work for the project aside from the boost it has given to the local economy of New York.

In Ohio, the transportation department has been busy constructing a newer, 8.5 mile, four-lane highway within Nelsonville. It aims to remove freight traffic from local roads while also helping trucks reach their destinations more quickly. With a budget of $138 million, the project has reportedly created 300 jobs since its groundbreaking during the last fall. A research on a possible cure for cancer was also implemented through the initiative of the Cancer Genome Atlas project which reportedly cost more than $153 million in stimulus fund. The project is considered wide-scale as it involves 15 research institutions across the country. More than 150 researchers are directly involved in the project. Not only did it give jobs to people but it also gave human cancer patients a fighting chance to cure their disease.

The stimulus package and job creation are issues that will surely influence the votes this coming November. We the continuous dipping of Obama’s trust and confidence rating, Democrats are now coming up with ways in convincing the public that a Democratic majority in the House and Senate will be best for the country. The White House was only able to disclose 20 out of the 100 projects as the report hadn’t been fully released yet.