Approximately 35,000 Americans lost their jobs today. They will join 2.6 million others who lost their jobs in 2008, the highest unemployment number since World War II. Twenty-eight million people, an all-time high, applied for food stamps and over four million homes were repossessed. A recession is a fluid problem; ever-changing and ever-expanding. Acting with caution while allowing the problem to spread could inevitably cost more than taking firm measures now. The stimulus package is a major investment in the United States economy. But that’s just what it is—an investment—and a necessary one to maintain our standard of living internally and ability to compete internationally.

The bill is expensive, but so is a recession. When businesses fail, productivity is lost, which severely impairs the ability of the United States to compete internationally. While other economies have been damaged by the “credit crunch,” America’s economy has plunged disproportionately. Already the value of the dollar has declined in regards to the euro, the yen and the yuan. In fact, it would be challenging to find a currency against which the dollar has failed to sink, with perhaps the exception of the Bahraini dinar, to which the dollar has stayed approximately equivalent. During times of inflation, the government relies on borrowing and lending with other nations to keep schools, hospitals and roadways operational. During tough economic times, the public resists tax increases and relies more on social services, leading us to borrow. Currently, The U.S. is in $10 trillion of debt. The dollar becoming a “bad investment” could have dire consequences.

One absolute necessity in recovering the economy is providing temporary jobs for those out of work. The bill will do this by investing $150 billion in public-works projects, largely consisting of construction and public transportation undertakings, which offer both immediate job creation and better infrastructure. It is true that these projects are not long-term solutions; construction jobs are not intended to last more than a few years at most. But even this may be adequate to get Americans back to work and to aid the stock market.