"misty, do you think the cash handouts are providing "bang for buck"? the RBA expects the stimulus package to be modest in the short term and since then we have seen retail sales which bear out that view."
Yes, I do. I think the problem you are having is that you are expecting the biggest bang for buck. I don't.
Ideally, it would be ideal if in the real world every government decision results in the biggest bang for buck, but unfortunately that is unlikely as the economy is a lot lot more complex than as in evaluating commercial projects where a business will try to pick that one that gives the best rate of return within the time frame that it chooses to work in.
You also said:
"Of all the areas crying out for money - health, education, transport infrastructure - they come up with this? Who thinks pink batts are the best use for this money?"
You, like some others, are looking at this $42b package in isolation. The government does have initiatives for health, education, transport infrastructure, etc etc.
