The bank bailout just put money into the banks to recapitalize them. So rather than bailing out the banks I would rather they had been nationalized.

You need to look at history again. Allowing banks to fail and effectively be nationalized was part of what changed a potential late 1920’s recession to a full depression. One run on bank capitalization resulted in further runs on capitalization. The bank bailout will almost be completely paid back by the banks. The risk issues (currently) are AIG, FRE, FNM. I suspect the only real risk issue will be AIG.

The money on the Obama stimulus is not likely to be repaid by the recipients. You just have to hope to get it back through taxes.

The stimulus bill actually spends money into the economy to make work for the unemployed and create orders for businesses, which in turn create more jobs. Check with your economist friends.

This is arguable. There have been questionable ‘uses’ of this stimulus money as well as questionable allocation. This is why I feel better about the bank bailout where most of the money is being paid back vs. the stimulus package.

The stimulus, by increasing the deficit and debt, may cause long term problems, but it was appropriate to deal with the immediate economic downturn.

True.. the second half of using a stimulus is rarely done though. In times of plenty, government outlay has to be reduced and tax revenues increased. Unfortunately Congress, when it sees that it is getting flush with cash, likes to spend. A very good example is California’s legislature, which had huge cash inflows around 2000 from stock capital gains and towards the end of the Real Estate bubble from increases in property taxes and property sales taxes.

I’m not saying that Obama and the Democrats are perfect. But they’re much more preferable than the alternative.

Have to disagree with you here. I feel that both parties are the problem and they keep the populace arguing about fringe issues while the core goes to rot.