On Friday, February 13th the 111th Congress passed an economic “stimulus” package totaling more than $787 billion.  This package includes provisions that would give taxpayer money to struggling private businesses and industries.  Like previous bailouts, this will be a waste of money because the government cannot manage the economy. This, however, may be the worst attempt at solving economic woes in American history.  

A free market

A free market economy has made America a great nation and we are only hurting ourselves by destroying it. George Bush tried a similar bailout approach last year with the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and it certainly did not stop our downward economic spiral. A free market economy should regulate itself and people must learn to cope with its ups and downs.  

Democrats are hoping to create “necessary jobs” in the near future.  However, spending money on anti-smoking programs, contraceptives, and national lawn renovations will not create jobs. 

Consequences for Americans

Clearly, Congress is ignoring the opinion of its constituents. A recent NY Times- Bloomberg News poll found over 55% of Americans object to the original bank bailout. Adding $787 billion to the national debt will not successfully stimulate the economy. For example, the Congressional Budget Office conducted a study revealing the stimulus may only have a limited short-term positive effect, and that it could cause the Gross Domestic Product to actually decrease after 2014.  

What will bailing out banks and automakers do for the middle class? These companies have made terrible business decisions and now must suffer the consequences.  There may be some short term fallout, but new companies will take the place of old ones; that’s capitalism.  Giving executives taxpayer money as bonuses is wrong.  Why should an average American making $50,000 a year pay for the bonuses of someone making millions?  

Investing in infrastructure

Although I strongly feel the government should not interfere in private industry, I admit something must be done. My suggestion to government officials is to invest in infrastructure.  Not only will this create jobs, it will also improve our economy by facilitating transportation. America’s infrastructure is outdated and inefficient; a staggering 25% of bridges in the United States are obsolete. 

The problem is only a small portion of this stimulus actually goes to improving infrastructure.  Investing in infrastructure will put people back to work.  The nation needs to focus on fixing transportation and water systems rather than lining the pockets of corporate executives.