re: #201 jaunte

Yes, the energy prices are one of the biggest problems were facing right now, and a weaker dollar does cause problems there. Absolutely true. However, countries like, oddly enough, China, artificially depreciate their own currency in order to help their exports sell— this may be changing somewhat as their own economy becomes consumerish. But one of the reasons that China owns dollars is to buy energy with them, so it’s actually better for them right now for the dollar to remain strong.

re: #202 sattv4u2

Uh, lots of stuff. Is this a serious question? The government could add another research lab at the CDC, for example— that’s a sufficient example to answer your question. But I know you’re asking for more than that.

They could do a lot more, a lot lot more, basic science research in the area of alternative energy, to get private companies, who do not have the incentive to do the basic science research, past technological hurdles.

They could do a broadband push in the US, the same way they did rural electricity.

They could create better public transportation networks in cities with substandard ones.

There’s lots and lots of examples of how government spending can help the economy. That doesn’t mean that all government spending would: spending government money helping E.O. Wilson’s lab = good. Spending government money helping Lysenko = Bad.