Comments on: Don’t Panic! OK, Panic! And Now… Take a Deep Breath and Look Into My Eyes

By: Lunchtime Links: Presidential Edition — FR33 Agents

Lunchtime Links: Presidential Edition — FR33 Agents — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:48:44 +0000

[...] Wilkinson homes in on Obama’s paradox of fear: we must be frightened enough of recession to pass the stimulus in order to restore [...]

By: The Uncredible Hallq » Obama’s stimulus rhetoric

The Uncredible Hallq » Obama’s stimulus rhetoric — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:08:36 +0000

[...] week, Will Wilkinson caught an especially ridiculous bit of pro-stimulus rhetoric from Obama himself. Obama suggests that if we don’t do as he says, we’ll never recover. This is an obvious [...]

By: The Liberty Papers »Blog Archive » Quote Of The Day

The Liberty Papers »Blog Archive » Quote Of The Day — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:35:07 +0000

[...] Wilkinson, on the Democrat [and media's] spin regarding the stimulus package: It’s Porkulus or starvation, nation. Choose sides [...]

By: Michael Drake

Michael Drake — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:00:33 +0000

“you’ve got to get people to flip out first, so that you can do what it takes to calm them down later”

Pretty sure the people were flipping out before they read this editorial. There remain reasonable doubts about the virtues and viability of the proposed legislation; but everyone was already pretty much on board with the idea that we're in an economic crisis that is more than merely disconcerting.

By: Bill Gardner

Bill Gardner — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:35:02 +0000

“This is both politically feasible and would work as well as or better than any alternative plan out there.”

I agree with the proposal. What is the evidence that it is politically feasible?

By: Nick Caruso

Nick Caruso — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:12:01 +0000

“Rahm Emmanuel … kept the Congressional Democrats from porking it up so much..”

Lets just contemplate that for a while.

By: UNRR

UNRR — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:56:48 +0000

This post has been linked for the HOT5 Daily 2/6/2009, at The Unreligious Right

By: webgrrl

webgrrl — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:59:30 +0000

My only reservation here WW is that the policy mechanism has to ensure no one saves their check and that the people who are most hurting get money now.

This is my only reservation with relying too heavily on the SS payroll tax cut – the people who will spend this money right away when we need them to probably aren't working. I think we should like to see most of the money go to unemployment really – let's say 45% of the money should go to the SS payroll tax cut and EITC.

To my mind these are the kinds of policy discussions we should be having – what percentages have proven most effective in the past? The Bush stimulus didn't work because it was all tax rebates, which got saved. So tax rebates aren't the best mechanism. But we've done this before at different times – what worked best then? Any comment?

By: I think Obama has a Plan… — Objectively Biased

I think Obama has a Plan… — Objectively Biased — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:52:46 +0000

[...] least it seems he did when he wrote this editorial in today’s WaPo. Pace Will Wilkinson, I think Obama is trying to raise the level of debate on the Stimulus Package rather than lower [...]

By: Porkulus and Iranian blogs | bradylee.com

Porkulus and Iranian blogs | bradylee.com — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:18:38 +0000

[...] Porkulus or starvation, nation. Choose sides carefully. Is humor the only way to [...]

By: Jeremy Pober

Jeremy Pober — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:02:16 +0000

Will, I think you're a little off on this one. I think you'd be right if Obama were writing such an editorial in a relative vacuum, but its meaning in the current (political) context changes. In other words, I think he *would* be lowering the level of debate over the stimulus package if it hadn't already been lowered. Rather, I think he's responding to those critics, and I hope he's doing so in order to force those who refuse to have a substantive debate about what would make a good stimulus package into engaging in just such a debate.

By: RonCo

RonCo — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:51:13 +0000

It's a deal; you've got my vote. I had actually expected something like this from Obama's team, with maybe some direct aid to local/state governments. But if there's anything like that in there, it's buried under so many layers of junk that I can't find it. I would have thought that with Rahm Emmanuel as chief of staff, Obama could have kept the Congressional Democrats from porking it up so much. Greater fool (or hypnotized idol-worshipping zombie) I.

By: Paul O'Pinion

Paul O'Pinion — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:03:24 +0000

Our president reminds us that the nation voted for change in November. Nancy Pelosi put it more eloquently: “We won!” Pork is more of the same, not change. Obviously someone is selling a massive and expensive system to computerize health care records. Can we guess that they are connected to the winning party. We already spend more money per student than any other country on earth. The problems are mom and dad and discipline. Vouchers work better than the 40+ years of more and more money. The college education dream is very much alive. I work in a community college full of students with full and part-time jobs taking a full load of courses.
I do love the idea of rebuilding our country's infrastructure. Put the money there. Delegate the distribution of the money to a local level and spread the money around to contractors who aren't lobbyists or major campaign contributors.

By: Will Wilkinson

Will Wilkinson — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:01:57 +0000

I would offer a simple stimulus bill that takes “timely, temporary, and targeted” seriously. Use current need-based transfer mechanisms — TANF, EITC, unemployment insurance system, etc. — to put a lot of cash directly into the hands of people most likely to spend it right away. Temporarily cut the Social Security payroll in half. That's it! This is both politically feasible and would work as well as or better than any alternative plan out there.

Spending increases on infrastructure should go into a later bill specifically about infrastructure, which should be subject to a careful cost/benefit analysis review process.

The current bill is just careless and responsible, and Obama made a huge mistake right out of the gate by pushing it.

By: Christopher Tozzo

Christopher Tozzo — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:40:29 +0000

The only thing we have to fear is … not being afraid enough!