Fifty billion? Mr. President, stop with the amateur stuff. Make it half a trillion, and really get this economy humming. These right-wing lunatics still think "FDR" is a four-letter word.

Michael, ever see a 10 Million Mark bill. Or a 1000 Billion Pengö note. Or a 1000 Cruzeiro bill restamped "Um Centavo"? I'm afraid the time is coming, with rationed health care, that anyone over 65 will be regarded as a "shovel-ready project".

It took 50 states to bill Obama in, and if I understand you correctly it will now take 50 bil's to bail Obama out... I'm sure there's a Paul Simon 50 ways parody in that somehow for someone on your side of the pond...

AOK, except D means Depression & R means Recovery. Crediting you with 555 bil' for stimulating me!

Only fifty bil'? That's a mighty limp stimulus package!-- Try 555 on for size!

As noted yesterday @ B. Mitchel's song, there are three sides to every Gov't spending bill: The ones you give it to, the ones you take it from, and the consumers. Gov somehow seems to think that you can do the first without hurting the second and third.

@ Michael Pacholek: Contrary to popular belief among politicians, money does not grow on trees. There are only three ways to fund any Gov spending project:

1) Raise taxes, which subtracts the same amount of money from the economy as is added by the pork bill, plus the salaries of the tax collectors, etc.;

2) Borrow it, passing the burden to our descendants - not fair - and already at the point where "Budgeted net interest on the public debt was approximately $240 billion in fiscal years 2007 and 2008. This represented approximately 9.5% of government spending. Interest was the fourth largest single budgeted disbursement category, after defense, Social Security, and Medicare. ...
  "During FY2008, the government also accrued a non-cash interest expense of $212 billion for intra-governmental debt, primarily the Social Security Trust Fund, for a total interest expense of $454 billion. "

(The only reason it improved a little in 2009 is that the miserable economy lowered interest rates, allowing the Treasury to borrow at lower rates. Massive new borrowing could push rates back up, further stalling the economy. Look up "Law of Supply and Demand" some day. It applies to money, too.)

3) Print it, which is called "counterfeiting" if you or I did it, and we'd go to jail. When Gov does it, it's called "inflation", and as Patrick said, you end up with a thousand-dollar loaf of bread.

Having visited Mexico several times, I have personally *seen* where they had to issue new paper money, lopping three zeros off it, i. e. one "new peso" = 1,000 "old pesos". Patrick also cited the hyperinflation in post-WWI Germany. Look it up some time - obviously, you're not aware of it or how these things happen -- and get over the idea that Robin Hood somehow improved the entire economy of his country.

Or take a course in economics, preferably by a non-Keynesian fanboy. This one is online and free (betcha don't read it):
http://prawo.uni.wroc.pl/~kwasnicki/EkonLit/Economics%20In%20One%20Lesson.pdf

Summary at Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_in_One_Lesson

"The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups."

For all of that exposition, I deserve one plug, aimed at the TARP bailouts - which, by the way, haven't worked -- so why would more make it better? (it won't.)

"Trillion Granted; Heaving"
http://www.amiright.com/parody/misc/southpacificrogersandhammerstein1.shtml

Thanks. I don't know why, but Tuesday writing brings out my political side. ;D