A Series of Focused Stimulus Bills

To whom it may concern,

There have been recent murmurs that one or two more stimulus bliss will be needed in order to pull the US economy out of this recession. I believe that a significant amount of the consternation surrounding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was that it was an unfocused piece of legislation. Granted, the recovery demands an all encompassing response, but through the many tax breaks and expenditures, the goal of job creation was clouded by both the Act’s sheer size and the myriad of topics that it covered. If in the future a new stimulus bill is being considered, I would propose that this bill be broken down into its component parts (transportation, energy, health care, education, environmental conservation, etc…). Through this approach, you can begin to reassess the taxes and expenditures surrounding a single subject and then more thoroughly root out what will or will not spur the economy. While many policies are interrelated, this type of approach would also have the added benefit of working not necessarily towards short term job growth, but clarifying the need to set a new foundation for a more prosperous and equitable economy and society. For example, health care is the number one expense for private companies. If health care were to be made more affordable, flexible, and equitable, then employers would have more money to reinvest in their core businesses. Additionally, I believe that this type of strategy would improve transparency and the public’s perception of what the government is doing to remedy our current crisis. Will this administration seek another stimulus bill, and if so, how will it be different from the first one? Will it be focused on short-term recovery or long-term growth?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP