Obama's Recovery Act Is the Marshall Plan for the US

The Obama "Recovery Act" is code for a Marshall Plan for the United States. The irony is that the US is funding its own country's recovery plan for a war fought not on home soil, but rather in Iraq and now Afghanistan. And just like the Marshall Plan, also curiously known as the European Recovery Program (ERP), the Obama version is complex and broad reaching to recover from the extensive economic damage wrought by war. Today's Op-Ed in the New York Times from Vice President Joseph Biden lets the proverbial cat out the bag. We are in the midst of the implementation of the 2009 US Marshall Plan. The dirty little secret and the gravity are finally out on the table.

Call it what it is. No one has uttered the words, "US Marshall Plan." The inferences are finally in the open through the Vice President's words: "relief, recovery and reinvestment" for "our multifaceted crisis." It is about time that these tough words were spoken. And if we are lucky, it will finally silence the critics and procrastinators. It is why the Obama Administration is working diligently on so many broad fronts simultaneously at a rapid rate of speed: economic recovery, climate legislation, health care and a plethora of others. It is not about the lack of focus, but rather survival.

Very much like the plan enacted for war torn Europe, the bricks are being laid for rebuilding a strong US and global economy. This country is recovering from the ravages of a war fought abroad, and more importantly the lasses-faire approach of the past eight years. Perhaps this is the real "teachable moment" from Obama, rather than the outpouring of media attention on his emotional words spoken about race relations. The US just months ago was standing at the brink of economic collapse. It is only month five of the "Recovery Plan." Hopefully, the media and the GOP leadership will get on this fast moving train because there is no more time for more distractions or further procrastination.

Comments

[guinganbresil]

I was all ready to rip into our VP for mischaracterizing the nature of the economic crisis and blaming the previous administration in a sad attempt to dodge responsibi­lity...

Vice President Biden provided a well thought out and responsible defense of the stimulus plan in his OpEd. I encourage everyone to read what he said for yourself. He did not blame the wars for the crisis, nor did he equate the ARRA to a Marshall Plan.

[guinganbresil]

"...to recover from the extensive economic damage wrought by war. "

I must have missed something!

I understand we had a bad economic hit due to 9/11 and some significant deficit spending under the Bush administration for the Iraq and Anghanistan wars, but I recall the economic crisis was precipitated by a collapse of the housing market due to bad mortgages - due in part by the federal government (see Dodd and Frank) encouraging sub-prime loans through Fannie and Freddie, and in part by over enthusiastic speculation and the availability of interest only and ARM loans. I am not a fan of revisionist history.

The practice of spending what we don't have got us in this mess, and I don't believe it will get us out it.

I am worried that we are doubling down on a failed policy with increased government spending.

[Factonfact]

What is so difficult about explaining the American mission in Afghanistan?

American and NATO troops are fighting in Afghanistan, not to conquer the country, but to deny the country to the Taliban and to Al Queda.

Get it?

[CyrusBeaucephus]

There's also that huge new natural gas pipeline to guard