-Doubling of renewable energy production
Renewable energy costs MORE and replaces existing jobs. This is an agenda item that will help unemployment in the short term while potentially harming the economy.

-Renovation of public buildings to make them more energy efficient
More “Green” agenda. Renovating buildings costs money and creates short-term jobs. Using energy costs money and provides for long-term jobs. Energy efficient buildings mean less money into energy companies.

-Rebuilding of American roads, bridges..
A horrible waste of money. The roads and bridges work. Increased maintenance is not sustainable. This will provide short-term unemployment relief, and zero benefit for the economy. In fact, once the roads are better off, do you think the gov’t will take the money back and destroy the jobs it created? No… so it means higher taxes to continue to pay for additional road workers. And… road work has NEVER stimulated the economy except for the initial build-out. This is a horrible plan for the economy.

-Updating and computerizing our healthcare system
Neat idea. Where’s the economic benefit, again? This is likely the first step the government needs to take before they can easily demand health-care data to start up their single-provider socialistic healthcare agenda.

-Modernizing classrooms, labs, and libraries
Is the the government’s job? Okay… and it will help the economy… how? Don’t get me wrong… libraries are cool and all.. but really… at leat No Child Left Behind has some benchmarks… dumping money into schools and libraries is just that… dumping money.

-Providing “direct tax relief” to 95% of American workers
Everybody should know by now, this is a load of toad spittle. Taking money from the wealthy and giving it to people who don’t pay tax is a GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE. This is NOT tax relief – it is Wellfare. Tax relief means lowering the income tax rates, the corporate tax rates, employment tax, and capital gains tax. Not a free handout to people who never contributed in the first place. This is possibly Obama’s biggest scam to date… he has declared that government spending is a tax cut. Wrong… so wrong…

who the heck is doing the labor intensive infrastructure projects? definitely not the 1.5million unemployed within the last three months from the service and financial sectors. the recovery plan does not create jobs that match up with the work force skills.

someone has to tell me how cost effective renewable energy program is. doubling isn’t going to put a dent in curbing demand or increasing supply. now there was some bit about updating electrical grids. yeah, in addition we need more power plants. we are going to use tax payer money to invest in alternative fuels and technologies which companies will then charge us by increasing cost of the goods and services. don’t like the built in double taxation on this one. even if you are going to double renawable energy (whatever this is), it won’t be cost effective for years. does anyone remember ethanol jacking up corn prices?

automating health care records: so every liberal out there screamed foul post patriot act, yet there is no privacy concerns about a national automated health record system, especially under the current health insurance environment? I am very fearful of privacy implications as well as what it means to health coverage and abuse. I can foresee that insurers will see a episodic cough when you were 2 years old as some pre-existing condition for subdural hematoma when you are older. With that said, if safeguards can be put into place, i see some savings in automation, but not a lot. besides, the military already has an automated health records system, which could be implemented; however, i’m sure we will spend billions to reinvent the wheel.

direct tax relief: $20/mo isn’t going to do anything. sorry.

small business relief: it solves a problem if there was a supply shortage, but there isn’t. there is no demand, so the proposal is useless.

i’m all for upgrading schools and classrooms, etc.

the first thing the administration should do to gain immediate efficiencies is to get rid of 20% of the government since you have so many overlapping agencies. For example, do you really need a DNI because you can just say CIA or DIA or whoever is overall responsible? Do you really need separate counter terrorism centers from the FBI, CIA, to DOD, to National CTC? Do you really need several overlapping agencies which function under DHS? Do you really need over 20 agencies to do oversight? Even in the military you could restructure and get rid of independent Service staffs (come on the Secretaries of the Services have absolutely no power and are figure heads only)…what the heck is a Joint Staff for anyways if not to consolidate the staff force? Does every Cabinet Secretary really need numerous under, deputy, assistant deputy, principle deputy, principle deputy assistant secretaries, all being paid Senior Executive Service and higher? You could also stop expensive staff delegations doing tourist visits to every country in the world under the guise of diplomatic relations and sensing sessions. congressmen sending their staff is like a professor having a TA teach his class, not what you are paying a high price education for. Pick up the phone or in this new admin’s automation kick, video conference. you don’t get any different information from meeting in person to video conference, well except tourist gifts, per diem, and another stamp in your passport. I’d also knock out congressional delegations visiting foreign countries too. what the heck do we have a state department for if they are constantly overshadowed by staff delegations and congressional delegations? heck, congress complained that the big 3 took private jets to washington to ask for money. congress can surely stop taking taxpayer jets since they are asking taxpayers for more money (yeah, we’ll give you $1k in tax credit if you allow us to spend $20k of your tax money…not sure how the taxpayer is getting a return on his/her investment there).

What, then, is “$675 billion and $775 billion”? Bananas?

I disagree, Mike, but out of the principle of having a plan in general. Both parties don’t ever stop the ballooning of government, no matter who’s in charge. It just appears that everything is either experimental or a payoff, and probably the latter. Pay to play.

It will be interesting indeed to see how many flies try to attach themselves to this plan. Pork, pork, pork.

California has horrible roads IMO but yet it seems like their roads are constantly under construction with no progress. California needs the money more than us for roads but also seems better at wasting the money they already have.

About the only thing I’m 100% on board with is the renewable energy spending. That will be beneficial in the long run even if it’s a money pit in the short term.

The economy is driven by private enterprise. If politicians were serious about a so-called rebound, there would be serious private enterprise incentives, like payroll tax holidays, ELIMINATION of guvmint spending, and NOT printing money in the form of more debt and rebate checks.

If government wants to regulate and instill confidence, fine. Enact a 80% capital gains tax if an asset is not held more than three months, unless it’s currency or commodities. Toughen white-collar crime penalties. I’m sure folks have more ideas here, too.

But this… this is no plan. This is bidniz as usual from just the usual politicians.