When Congress passed the $862 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009, otherwise known as the stimulus bill, it passed with assurances that it would stem the loss of American jobs and keep the economy from floundering. Almost three years since the law’s passage, millions of jobs are still gone and the economy is as uncertain as ever. (1) The only thing getting a boost is our national debt—the stimulus has helped push it over 23 percent higher, to $14.3 trillion, a new record.