American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- Sufficient Stimulus?

THERE MAY be a new man in the White House, but the country is enjoying another stimulus shot to counter what is now acknowledged as a full-blown recession—and, like the flu vaccine, not everyone agrees on how much good, if any, it will do for the average American. From a business perspective, however, it’s a no-brainer. President Barack Obama and his American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 are offering relief in an effort to wiggle the country out of the worst recession in decades. Signed into law February 17, the $787 billion economic stimulus package, among other things, extended both the enhanced IRC Section 179 Expensing (a.k.a. small business expensing) and the 50 percent Bonus Depreciation provisions through the end of 2009. They were both components of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008.