Sunday, October 26, 2014

I've been of the opinion, for quite some time now, that a massive public works program is what is needed as the next form of economic stimulus both here and abroad. The Obama administration did purpose a public works program at the onset but it wasn't big enough and it was fraught with cronyism and corruption. When coupled with an unprecedented quantitative easing program it was just enough to pull us back from the precipice by our coat tails, barely .... What harm could possibly come from renewing our ageing infrastructure? Financing such endeavors with debt is a win win situation. It's good for the institutional bondholders and hedge funds that purchase the notes in the end because they make a profit, and it's good for the workers that are employed for the duration of the projects. And it's good for the services sector because it lowers operational costs due to improved infrastructure going forward. There's even the possibility of improving tax receipts and certainly cash flow for the governments that choose this path. Which could lead to retiring the bonds early and juicing growth rates overall for the foreseeable future. Of course addressing inequality is a prerequisite for sustained economic growth. You just can't have piles of money sitting around in a vault somewhere and expect economic growth, it must be spent.

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