Second stimulus? Could we keep the change?

Nearly a year after the federal government passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (more popularly known as the stimulus bill), there is talk of a second bill to help jump start the economy.

The first stimulus bill had a price tag of $787 billion. When it was passed, administration officials told us that the true effects of the spending would not be felt until 2010. During the presidential campaign, candidate Obama spoke of a public works bill similar to the Work Progress Administration during the Great Depression.

Many of us imagined we would see grand construction projects: repairing bridges and roads that have fallen into disarray. What we got was funding to preserve public sector jobs from being cut for a couple years. Some states did construction projects, and some local projects received funding, but it was far from being a new WPA.

Now there is talk of a second stimulus program. City and county road planners are working on projects that can be "shovel ready" and put into action as soon as possible.

Local planners learned last week that if the federal government should pass a second stimulus bill, the Plymouth County roads department may receive $900,000 and the City of Le Mars $450,000 for road projects.

The $900,000 for county roads would be used for a concrete pavement overlay on five miles of C-38, from K-64 east to Highway 140, south of Remsen.

The City of Le Mars would use the $450,000 for curb and gutter work on Business Highway 75 from Highway 3 north to the Floyd River bridge.

While these projects need to be done and paid for, if the intent of the federal government is to create jobs, perhaps a different strategy should be employed.

We suggest a payroll tax holiday to allow businesses and workers to keep more of the money they earn. This tax cut would give the economy an injection of cash and consumer spending accounts for seven out of every 10 dollars spent.

Let us keep more of our money. We'll get things moving again.