It should be fairly obvious to everyone by now that the current stimulus package is nothing more than a social welfare program wrapped with a really expensive bow. It was supposed to create jobs, right? Well, at best it has kept some States alive, like Florida and Pennsylvania, but less than 10% of the stimulus package will create any kind of new jobs – and that segment of the package is caught up in the web of Washington bureaucracy. So what needs to happen? Unfortunately (the use of that word is your cue to grimace), a second stimulus package will be needed. Shockingly, the next stimulus package will need a larger price tag than the current one. In fact, talk of a second stimulus package should replace all the current rhetoric about health care reform. (See my previous blog post for the solution to the health care issue). What should the second stimulus package look like? Answer: 100% dedicated to infrastructure in the United States! Repair the 170,000 bridges that have been identified as needing attention; engage in new road and highway projects that will increase travel efficiency; and fix inadequate motorways that need some TLC. The aforementioned actions will create jobs. Further, money from those jobs will flow into the economy in the form of goods and other services purchased. What can you do? Plenty. Contact your State Senator and demand action. Will they even listen? Surprisingly, they will take your outreach quite seriously.