The first Bleeding didn’t work–so let’s drain another quart!

Physicians once believed that draining the blood out of a sick person[*1] would make them better. Eventually, they figured out that instead of helping their patients get better, they were actually killing them faster.

But politicians haven’t figured out[*2] that draining cash out of a sick economy won’t make it any better than bleeding the medieval patient.

Rhode Island’s U.S. senators are discussing the possibility of a second economic stimulus package, a position that puts them at odds with President Obama.

Mr. Obama has said that the $787-billion stimulus, approved four months ago, needs more time to filter through the economy and reverse job losses. On Sunday, the vice president, Joe Biden, argued that it is “premature to make the judgment” on the massive recovery package.

But Rhode Island’s senators may be running out of patience. Since Mr. Obama signed the stimulus, the jobless rate in Rhode Island has risen from 10.5 percent to 12.1 percent.

It’s the 21st Century, guys. Paleolithic economic theories like “government stimulus spending” don’t work any better than bloodletting did–unless the object is to line the pockets of your political cronies and allies, that is. If that’s what the American Democratic National Socialists want to do, then another stimulus would be SWEET!