The Unintended Consequences of the Stimulus Bill

David Brooks has a good column today on the unintended consequences of the stimulus bill. His basic conclusion is that by trying to do everything, the bill does nothing well. He states:

"But they’ve created a sprawling, undisciplined smorgasbord, which has spun off a series of unintended consequences. First, by trying to do everything all it once, the bill does nothing well. The money spent on long-term domestic programs means there may not be enough to jolt the economy now (about $290 billion in spending is pushed off into 2011 and later). The money spent on stimulus, meanwhile, means there’s not enough to truly reform domestic programs like health technology, schools and infrastructure. The measure mostly pumps more money into old arrangements."

He goes on to list several other unintended consequences. The whole column is well worth reading.