“Why aren’t I seeing any relief now?”

…probably because his constituent is looking for it in the wrong place.

…just like the Congressman is.

Another stimulus.
I feel that if I get any more stimulating I will have a coronary.

This is what happens when you have career politicians who have never produced a private job or paycheck in their whole life in charge of the Treasury.They are absolutely out of control and they think that the taxpayer is this endless well of money for them to pass around like they are Santa Claus.

They might as well just cut a check for $10,000 to every man women and child in this country and THAT would be more efficient.
For the money they spent on the auto bailout the U.S. Congress could have just bought two million people a brand new car.

AIG,TARP,Citi-group,mortgage holders,Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac etc.etc.etc…where does it end?
It will end when we are all broke and poor and all on welfare.

“Constituents are saying, Why aren’t I seeing any relief now,” said Rep. Jason Altmire , D-Pa.

Duh. Maybe because government is not the solution. Ever think of that congressman?

I love it the failed logic. The first one didn’t work so instead of trying a different path, let’s try the same failed thing again and hope it works this time. Hope is not a strategy.

At least in the “family friendly” media. We can employ other terms for the less prissy media outlets.

They aren’t scared, they are using this as a reason to get everything they have been wanting for 30 years (couldn’t get it when Clinton was in power). They don’t want to “waste a good crisis”.

You said:

Here’s the thing: if Washington borrows and spends enough money, the unemployment rate will go down. It’s impossible for it not to. You can’t spend $2 trillion without hiring a lot of people.

A good many of those jobs are going to illegal aliens… who don’t file for unemployment because they can’t.

The construction industry has been taken over by such because they can be hired for lower wages than the average American. Other skilled trades are in the same position. Yes, the companies still pay in all the taxes and unemployment insurance but here’s the rub on the insurance part of it. It’s something they have to pay no matter what but if nobody files, the company’s rate never increases. As for the other taxes, well, it is said the illegals do file their taxes and with their exemptions, likely don’t pay in one penny, or at the least very few of them in taxes. In return for those few pennies, they get free healthcare and other government assistance so it’s a win-win for them.

The only people on the unemployment rolls are people who are citizens but they’re not the only ones who’ll be vying for those jobs.

So, how much will the unemployment rate ultimately lower?

I have a feeling it won’t be by as much as people are hoping for.

Spend money on a Monday, get results by Tuesday afternoon. Oh the sophistication of it all.
And it appears the very same policies of Fanny and Freddie will be continued, mortgages being granted to people unqualified for credit in a shoe store.
As one commentator above noted, the purpose of it all is specifically to cause hardship and pain followed by grovelling dependence.

I can only hope that the discussion for the second stimulus will be longer and deeper than the first. republicans need to go on a massive offensive to educate the population on the perils of a second package and the very un-American bits snuck into the first (like universal healthcare provisions and the overall devaluation of the dollar) while at the same time articulating some ideas other than tax cuts and tax holidays. Democrats have been successful to some degree in painting Republicans as “tax cuts will solve everything” and the party of “No.” Republicans need to understand that while doing nothing in many instances is preferable to what is being done now; many people cannot understand how a negative can be considered doing “something.” There are plenty of ideas that can be conveyed in a constructive manner that adhere to conservative ideas.
1. Open up our shores and land to drilling. This will add jobs while shielding us better from oil market fluctuations.
2. Reduce the number of fuel grades and emissions regulations around the country so our automotive industry has a chance to survive and maybe innovate.
3. Suspend NASA and use that money to set up a “Manhattan project” style program to redesign our power grid as well as explore and develop new energy sources with the goal of spinning this all off to the private sector. I am not a fan of the scattershot manner we are currently taking with regards to energy. We need to analyze and move forward with a plan. Is wind really an option or do we need bigger like nuclear fusion. Imagine if we implement fusion the number of jobs created and what we can export.
4. Work with states to identify industry competencies and attract those businesses back using programs similar to the Empire Zones George Pataki used in NY.
5. Stop using tax cuts as carrots and sticks. Reduce the tax code in the US and develop a cohesive easy to understand system with the immediate goal of cutting our taxes now.