American Recovery and Reinvestment Act... Did it Work?

While President Obama and much of the Democratic Congress is seeking to pass The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, many large news organizations have labeled the stimulus bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) as another example of wasteful Washington spending, citing the 10% unemployment rate

However, estimates released by the Congressional Budget Office have assessed that the stimulus bill saved anywhere from 1-2 million jobs in 2009 alone.

While it is impossible to get any sort of accurate estimate on how many jobs would have been lost had the bill not been passed, most Americans (46% agree that the jobs bill did, at the very least, prevent an unemployment catastrophe in the US. (http://www.pollingreport.com/budget.htm)

A major push for the next job bill has yet to come, any sort of bill is likely to be attacked by conservatives who view the bill as more wasteful spending that will further the national debt and sink the economy in a deeper hole.

While many provisions in the original stimulus bill are controversial, it is clear that the American economy is still in dire need of another bill to stimulate job growth. Many Americans are still reeling from economic collapse and subsequent job losses, and are looking to point the finger somewhere. But as the numbers show, the stimulus bill is not the place for the blame to be directed.