Common Sense: 8/3

" What's a couple of million bucks. That's all you need to hear right that's all we need to know. A democratic supporter of the cash for clunkers program arguing for its extension after all. It has been an unqualified success so many customers at so many -- so soon that the government planned -- though. So fast so more don't fence because as he pointed out we're only talking a couple of billion bucks. And I guess he had a point what is a couple of billion compared to maybe a couple of trillion for health care or. Close to a trillion for stimulus or hundreds of billions from banks and close to that for auto companies chump change. If you think about it in the scheme of things on -- rounding error compared to those sobs he's right. But really doesn't make throwing more money and a program. Even if the program is cheaper. Because we have slid mightily as a nation when we don't even blinked when we're talking billions in this case my friends and billion anything you still want. Blowing through a billion anything new in days is still remarkable and asking for a billion or two billion more than anything is still calling here's why. When you look at that its pocket change you change we change it's our country's changed. Because the cheapest federal program carries lasting federal baggage. But they cost us more than money they cost us a very independents that are the means by which we are bought often pay. Two programs that trigger -- of -- in response to buy it and without which we increasingly well not by. They know it because they know wants just like me now that we know of billion bucks ain't what it is today. That these days it is chump change problem is it is are some changes. So you could say that -- are trying it. Where bigger chops for letting them get away with -- think about that. I think about this didn't we don't need to do a whole lot more federal stimulus of any sort of the Dow today up 400. Fourteen almost 150 points to ID 286. So August is picking up right where -- very hot July left off. But more important is what has been going on in the broader market averages because they aren't levels. We have not seen in some time. The DS and 500 at the bottom the first time it's been over a thousand since last fall. And the NASDAQ at over 2001. Time since last -- nine -- now. A long way from record territory indicates the NASDAQ a long way from the 5000 plus of early 2000 when we edited and boom. But just to crawl before you can walk and walk before you can -- maybe the economy and markets are doing the running. For the government to stop spend."