Las Vegas Sun

February 12, 2012

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Sun editorial:

Stimulating the economy

House Democrats mull spending money to build roads and extend jobless benefits

Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008 | 2:07 a.m.

Although Congress and President Bush signed off on a $700 billion bailout package designed to loosen the nation’s credit markets so that businesses and consumers can borrow money, this country cannot afford to sit idly by and ignore other aspects of the economy that need help.

That is why House Democrats deserve credit for saying they would consider another stimulus package after the Nov. 4 general election of as much as $150 billion that would include money for roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects, jobless benefits, and states that are struggling to pay their Medicaid bills.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., made that vow Monday when she and fellow Democrats met with economic experts. When reminded that Democrats were criticized for approving a bailout bill pushed by the Republican Bush administration, Pelosi told the Associated Press: “If it’s going to happen that way, we might as well write the bill ourselves and do the right thing for the American people.”

A stimulus package that pours money into roads and bridges is appealing because it would create jobs and improve the nation’s rapidly aging infrastructure. Extending jobless benefits would help those hurt the most by the slumping economy by giving them more time to search for employment.

It will take bold leadership to pass such a package, the type that was on display when British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Monday that his country would temporarily take over its leading banks and halt cash bonuses to bank board members. Those banks will also be ordered to lend more money to small businesses and to struggling homeowners.

We believe Pelosi is up to the task of passing a stimulus package that could help the average Joe and pump new life into the economy.

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