Partisan bickering continues with stimulus bill

In the newly christened era of hope and change, the debate on how to stimulate our pitiful economy has become all too familiar.

Oddly enough, it seems generally agreed upon that there needs to be a drastic amount of government spending to get things going again. That’s the good news. The problem is not “if” to spend the $800 billion, it’s simply “how” we’re going to do it.

For the Democrats, it’s the belief in major public works programs to get people back to work – for the federal government. Republicans, naturally, are arguing for tax cuts to allow the struggling private sector to recover faster.

The unfortunate thing is, neither side is making a real effort to find the best possible solution. Each is holding on to their tired ideological histories amid concerns of being re-elected and staying true to their strict stances. Given our odd intolerance to politicians changing their opinions, it’s not surprising that everyone’s holding steady, if no more to avoid being labeled a “flip-flopper.”

Another question this whole situation brings up is the idea of big government. Do we really know that it’s a bad thing? After all, the only kind of government we’ve ever known is a limited one, and obviously a limited government will not solve many problems. Hence, we’ve developed this idea that government helps no one. Is that really the case?

However, the Democrats have won the stimulus battle, for better or worse. This means potentially bigger government, something that we’re not used to. The essential question that remains now is if the U.S. is able to adapt to real change.