Leave the stimulating to the Fed
We don’t need “a politically motivated economic stimulus bill,” say Bill Thomas and Alex Brill in The Wall Street Journal. But with the presidential candidates “eager to ‘rescue’ voters” and President Bush trying to avoid leaving on “a sour note,” the “political calendar” shows the time as ripe for one. The “economic data,” however, “are far from compelling.” But even if a stimulus were a good idea, passing a tax cut takes “at least six months,” and the “easiest ‘stimulus’ package Washington could enact”—dropping “money from planes into the hands of voters/consumers”—is ineffective. It may not be “popular,” but the “potential” recession is “best handled by the Federal Reserve.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - December 22, 2024Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - the long and short of it, trigger finger, and more
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of ChristmasCartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
-
Inside the house of AssadThe Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
