There are many misconceptions, criticisms, and contradictory information pieces among the public, the media, and in politics as relates to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  The Act, passed in February of 2009, is the largest "stimulus" or "recovery" package in the history of the United States.  At a cost of over $1.1 trillion, the Act dwarfs all prior stimulus plans such as the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 at $152 billion or even President Roosevelt's ENTIRE "New Deal" with a total cost, in today's dollars, of about $500 billion.  

However, with the U.S. having lost over  8,000,000 jobs in the 22 months since December of 2007 generating an unemployment rate just under 10% and with the national collapse of real estate markets, the plummet of the stock market, and other "big business" failures, something had to be done.  The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has determined that our national gross domestic product (GDP) for 2009 stemmed an estimated 8% negative growth without the Act to a negative 4% with the Act.  What does that 4% reduction in negative growth mean to us?   Is that enough to save our national economy?  There is much more to it than these few questions.

In November 2009, Chris Edwards, gave a presentation of the Act to the Georgia Association of Regional Commissions in St. Simons Island, Georgia.   In the presentation, Chris attempted to clear up some of the misconceptions about the Act, its purpose, results, and yet unseen "pitfalls" for those receiving "stimulus money".   Click here to view Chris' presentation and feel free to contact him for further information.