"As for me, I think dropping money out of a helicopter is looking better and better"

Greg Mankiw with a good post:

Let the Rent Seeking Begin ( HOW CAN IT STOP. THAT'S OUR SYSTEM. AND, HERE'S THE RUB, OUR INVESTMENT CLASS LOVES IT )


The Institutional Economics blog points to this story:

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) today called for shovel-ready zoo and aquarium infrastructure projects to be eligible for Federal stimulus funding....Many zoos have their roots in the Great Depression, when the Federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) helped build many zoos across America. ( I DON'T LIKE ZOOS, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE DO )

Of course, this lobbying is part of the political process ( UNDERSTATEMENT ). Whether the AZA gets the money it wants for new zoos will be up to the new administration and Congress. I am sure that the Obama transition team is now carefully evaluating many hundreds of billions of dollars of proposed spending projects and will, over the next few weeks, determine precisely which of these pass a cost-benefit test ( YES PLEASE ).

As for me, I think dropping money out of a helicopter is looking better and better( CARE TO JOIN THE HELICOPTER CLUB? ). (Or, more seriously, consider my federalist fiscal stimulus.)"

I prefer a Sales Tax Decrease or Payroll Tax Decrease.