Grading the Stimulus

Is the stimulus working? Economists say that the latest economic numbers—which include lower-than-expected job losses—have the bill's fingerprints. “The signs of the stimulus are there,” Allen L. Sinai, chief economist at Decision Economics, told The New York Times. “Government—federal, state and local—is helping take the economy from recession to recovery. I think it’s the primary contributor.” While a number of economists surveyed by The Times said the stimulus boosted GDP last quarter, the contribution has been smaller than the White House hoped. But the spending is just starting, because many projects take time to get off the ground. Through June, about $100 billion of the $787 billion package has been used through June, according to the White House.