Stimulus Watch

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[edit] General Description

Please help improve this project page by replacing this text with a description and other factual information about the project. Don't know much about the project? Call your local government and ask for details.

[edit] Points in Favor

Given the purpose of the Stimulus (to create and retain jobs, and increase job stability), this project is effective due to the number of jobs it will create. Jobs will be created from engineering and planning all the way down to manual labor. The scope of this project is fairly large, therefore it will create (and in many instances, retain) jobs for many walks of life in many areas. This job creation will be putting more tax-dollars into the local and Federal tax systems*. (Contrary to common misconception, Puerto Rico does in fact pay United States Federal Taxes) In addition money will be in the pockets of the workers so they are able to purchase goods and once again contribute to stimulating the consumer-side of the economy. In addition, it will remove the strain these same individuals are now putting on the local (and Federal) social programs, saving more tax dollars for other things.

The side-effect of creating and retaining these jobs will be more energy efficiency. Less dependency on foreign energy, lower-cost energy, increased environmental awareness and friendliness and more are all benefits that will be found in this proposal.

While unemployment is edging to 8% in the continental US unemployment in Puerto Rico is more than double that at around 20%. The current economic crisis arrived in Puerto Rico long before it was felt in the US and with more fury. Thus in this environment job creation is not a convenience but a necessity.

Puerto Ricans, like New Yorkers, Texans or Californians are US citizens but unlike these others are the US citizens with the highest rate of poverty of all. Projects like this attend to the root cause of poverty among americans: the lack of gainful employment.

• Source: [1]

[edit] Points Against

It can be argued that this is a project something that should be taken care of in the private sector rather than by the government. It is also argued that tax breaks given directly to developers could be just as effective.

The summary of appropriations comes out to approximately $10,800,000 per job, meaning:

- 43,560 square feet in an acre - 100 acres in the project - 4,356,000 square feet in the project - $17,500,000,000 price tag - $4,017 per square foot

Some would say that this is excessive cost.

In a world economy that is based on "Bang for the Buck" this proposal is way too much "Buck for the Bang"

Another way of putting the cost into perspective would be :

- Puerto Rico 2000 population estimate 4,000,000 - $17,500,000,000 price tag - $4,375 per person - Individual tax cut based on the above information: $13/week - Weeks it'll take individuals to see an equal benefit based on the above information: 336 - Years it'll take individuals to see an equal benefit based on the above information: 6.5

The population of Cidra, PR is 38,000. The total they are scheduled to receive, including this project is about $18,546,035,000. That works out to almost $500,000 per person for one city.

Puerto Rico is also one of the least hardest hit by the current economic times.

^^^^ This is a personal opinion

(Please refrain from posting personal opinions which are not reliant upon factual information or directly relevant to the points, for or against)

Unless Puerto Rico suddenly decided to become our 51st state they should get NOTHING.

This is a disproportional amount of money for the size and population of the territory. This money could be better spent in building a large solar/wind project/geothermal in the west or mid-west that would reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil. The pay back would be 10 to 20 years, but it back out at lest 2 million barrels equivalent of oil per year.