Stimulus Package?

[BrownsfaninMN]

Can someone please explain to me how giving everybody a $500 check will stimulate the economy, I mean nothing is made here anymore (even some HD parts), our manufacturing sector is a joke, why should the government burden themselves with yet more debt, will it help?  By buying more foreign made stuff won't bring jobs back...

[tireater]

We will be borrowing the money from China...better spend it at Walmart....

[blk-betty]

Read somewhere online that it likely won't be a check like last time but a reduction in taxes withheld so the averge Joe's take home pay will increase by $5-10 per check. 

Man the possibilities are endless with what I could do with an additonal $5-10 every 2 weeks.  I could hardly sleep last night trying to decide what I'd like to buy with that money to do my part to stimulate the economy.

On a lighter note, wife just found out her IT dept job very well may be outsourced to China in the next several months.  Her company is international and foreign owned but the worldwide headquarters is here in SC.  Seems a computer programmer/developer making $75-100K a year here (she is not a developer or programmer but an IT BUsiness Analyst so that is more than she makes) can be found in China for $15k a year.  Nice, eh!

[Justpassingas]

and 15K a year is probably living large in China

[Big Dan]

blk-betty,
The saddest part is, after your wife's employer does this, the rest of us will continue to buy from/do business with that comapny as if nothing at all happened. Our grandparents would have boycotted them and raised all kinds of hell. We, on the other hand, are not nearly as strong or as principled. We've done it to ourselves.

[tireater]

Obama's stimulus package will create 3.5 mil. jobs for a cost of $775 billion...That is $221,429 per job...Doesn't sound like change to me...

[Phu Cat]

We, on the other hand, are not nearly as strong or as principled.
Ya might say we're spoiled.

PC

[wayzalot]

I think the best stimulous package would be to fix or infrustructure.  Bridges and roads etc. are getting wore out and if they spent the money there, it would stay in the USA and jobs would be created.  The trickle down would be the purchase of trucks, dozers, backhoes, etc. which alot are made in the USA. And when it was all spent we would reap some benifits.  Not like if we all go out an buy a big screen plasma tv from China.

[blk-betty]

and 15K a year is probably living large in China

No doubt.

blk-betty,
The saddest part is, after your wife's employer does this, the rest of us will continue to buy from/do business with that comapny as if nothing at all happened. Our grandparents would have boycotted them and raised all kinds of hell. We, on the other hand, are not nearly as strong or as principled. We've done it to ourselves.

Yep but not that easy in this case to boycott.  Her company makes "paper machine clothing" which is the highly engineered textile like fabrics that are used by paper/carboard/tissue etc companies on the machines in the mills.  US paper and forest products companies are being driven out and replaced, like everything else, by foreign sources.  She kinda figued since the "business" aspect of the company (about a $350-400million/year company) was here her job as an analyst would be safe but it looks like they may outsouce everything they can.  To leadership it's no big deal as they have manufacturing plants and operations in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. 

Oh well, it is what it is and hopefully since she is not a direct IT person her position will be spared.  It is interesting to me that her company is international and foreign owned but chooses to locate it's headquarters in North America and all of the top leadership (VPs and Presidents) are American or Canadian, owners are German and Belgium.   

[Fxstchewy]

I can say one good thing for the company i work for, they have actually slowed down their operation in communist china and brought work back to NC, it seems that APAC buisness has really slowed to a crawl and 8-10 week lead times from there to here for shipping has helped move work from communist china cheap labor ain't always the best way. i used to worry about losing my job to communist china but now i worry more about the clowns in gobment messing up everything. Chewy

[telricks]

I too can report the company I work for have to bring the internet help desk back inside our borders, since they were losing so many customers.
If we did it to ourselves, then we have to undo it to ourselves and think B4 we buy. More than ever.

They only understand, when you speak from your wallet.  All else falls on def ears.

[Faast Ed]

Obama's stimulus package will create 3.5 mil. jobs for a cost of $775 billion...That is $221,429 per job...Doesn't sound like change to me...

I believe that is how much it will cost to create the jobs, (not the salary earned at those jobs).
The politically tied contractors are going to have reason to celebrate!

[Flat Dog]

Just as they have during the administration that is on their way out, only teh funds will be redirected from military contractors to civil contractors. No difference, except where and for whom the end product is used.

[Faast Ed]

Something tells me that the contractors will be forced to hire more minorities.

[96flhpi]

Can someone please explain to me how giving everybody a $500 check will stimulate the economy, I mean nothing is made here anymore (even some HD parts), our manufacturing sector is a joke, why should the government burden themselves with yet more debt, will it help?  By buying more foreign made stuff won't bring jobs back...

Buying foreign products won't bring jobs back but it WILL make the ceo's and owner's of the companies that import and sell that crap even richer.  I mean, that's the desired end result, isn't it?  Isn't it ALWAYS?

If we ever get into a major WWII type war where manufacturers (what's left of them) have to switch to war production and people have to change their daily lives we're effed.

[TooLow]

Read somewhere online that it likely won't be a check like last time but a reduction in taxes withheld so the averge Joe's take home pay will increase by $5-10 per check.

I also read this. My thought is the same, a $10 in crease in my bi-weekly take home is not going to make me spend more. Also My girlfriend is disabled does not work so will not recieve anything as well as my elderly mother who we help support.  which they each got some money last year with the new plan I dont see them getting anything.

Another thought is what comes with the 2009 income taxes.  if my yearly income is the same but I have paid in $500 less in taxes through out the year it will lower my tax return, there fore I will be just paying the the stimulus right back to the goverment. Kinda smart on their part,  Not sure how it will work but just dont see it helping many folks.    TooLow.

[Jeffd]

tell me that our (working class) taxes are not going to go up.  Let's see give everybody that does not pay taxes $1000 or more, create a facade of jobs by rebuilding roads/bridges...on government money....somebody has to pay guess who me and you bro.  Some said "HOPE" I said "NOPE" 

[ederdelyi]

>>If we ever get into a major WWII type war where manufacturers (what's left of them) have to switch to war production and people have to change their daily lives we're effed.<<

While that is most certainly true (and a truly scary thought) the reality is that with modern warfare tactics and weapons there will be no chance for a "ramp up". You better be ready to fight the war RIGHT NOW and make sure you can take them out before they can use what they have. Besides, why fight us when you can just sit back and let the greed and apathy that are so prevalent in this country do the job for you? God help us if we are ever to be faced with the aspect of what the folks who got us thru WWII did .... shoot, some folks might not be able to drive their Beemer or not have batteries for their Ipod :>)

[Faast Ed]

Read somewhere online that it likely won't be a check like last time but a reduction in taxes withheld so the averge Joe's take home pay will increase by $5-10 per check.

I read this too. Problem is with my 6 dependants they don't take out much now. I'll have to increase my withholding to benefit. LMAO!
The single folks will be the only ones to benefit.

[tireater]

I guess me and my shopping cart girl ain't gonna get much stimulation...I'm self employed...

[HarleyCharley]

Same here tireater, however, my business is tied to hosiery which has in majority moved offshore. I see no benefits coming our way. 

Chewy, I see you're in Newton, I'm in Conover, shoot me a pm sometime.

Charley

[02roadcling]

hosiery, cool, got any pics of chicks? 

[HarleyCharley]

Not that I can share. Sorry!   

[northbrun]

I have a stimulus package... an add campain touting patriotism.... buy American... read labels (know where things are made)...... support American business!
if we really started doing this local companies would take off business would pick up and our economy would improve in a matter of months,,, I know its more complacated than that, but maybe if we stopped supporting all the 3rd world countries on this planet we could afford to live here...
sorry if I'm babbling...jmho.

[wayzalot]

northbrun,  Makes sense to me except can you find American made shoes or clothes?  Even Red wing shoes have moved overseas.  I wonder if anyone knows of a site that list were we can find American stuff.  Like what stores, brands, or web site.