I refer to what I consider “stimulus logic” more than once on this blog. I don’t believe that, if the government throws almost $1 trillion in un-targeted funds at the economy, it will magically recover. Trusting the government to efficiently distribute that kind of money is laughable on its face, and trusting that the money when distributed will go to programs that will effect a recovery is even more insane.
Politicians — especially when they control at least two branches of government — can’t resist the temptation to advance their own agendas, even if it flies in the face of fiscal responsibility.
I use the term “stimulus logic” to characterize the kind of thinking that says that any federal spending that creates jobs and infrastructure is justified. People following stimulus logic ignore the many costs of such spending.
Many pork projects can be paid for by other means, such as private investment, and states that accept stimulus funds increase their reliance on the federal government at the expense of their independence. Additionally, many so-called stimulus projects are simply unnecessary, such as the $1.6 million recently appropriated for — wait for it — water taxis in Baltimore.
I make sure to use the term “stimulus logic” when addressing these issues to keep the discussion simple and to avoid having to explain this in future posts.
Wasteful spending watchdogs have to be careful not to let this appeal to artificial jobs and infrastructure construction, define the spending debate. I will be posting in the future about how it is important for conservatives to not cede these redefinitions to stimulus proponents.
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