Had I been in the US, I would have been supporting the US bailout – _because it explicitly contained extensive infrastructure provisions_ – making it a bill that is expected to generate short-, mid- and long-term money supply injections. All good things for the US economy, even if some of the stimulus items are potentially earmarked for projects in “certain Democratic senate seats”. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Recovery_and_Reinvestment_Act_of_2009 for the list.

On the Oz side however, the most creative that Messrs. Rudd and Swan can get is “Oh hai, the economy needs a cash injection. Let’s give everyone $1000. We can’t afford that? Oh noes. OK, what about $950? And we need to give $50 of that to pay for Xenophon’s support? K – $900 for everyone that had lodged a tax return last year earning less than $80k. Kthxbai.” Yeah, there’s a few projects in there – but nothing on the scale of some of the projects that have been proposed in the US [on a per capita basis.] See the Gov’t own details: http://www.treasurer.gov.au/DisplayDocs.aspx?doc=pressreleases/2009/008.htm&pageID=003&min=wms&Year=&DocType=0

I’ve revisited a lot of my ideas about government, economy, politics and all the associated ideology & philosophy over the past few years, but lack of vision, leadership and creativity on the part of senior politicians when it comes to a crisis that affects every Australian? YMMV, but I find it criminal.