While these programs support campaign promises made by Mr. Obama, they do nothing to lift the nation out of its current doldrums.<\/p>\n
The bill’s rushed decision to spend $9 billion for rural Internet service, for example, needs to be jettisoned. So do many other projects that have nothing to do with job recovery, such as $400 million to research sexually transmitted diseases.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the stimulus side of the bill will not do the job that America needs it to do. Mr. Obama’s economic advisers say it will eventually create 3 to 4 million jobs. The Congressional Budget Office puts its job-creation range lower, between 1.2 and 3.6 million jobs. But the nation lost nearly two million jobs in the last quarter of 2008 and is forecast to lose another four million jobs by the end of 2010 if there is no economic stimulus. That points to the need for a more effective stimulus plan for 2009 and 2010.<\/p>\n