It’s one of the great economic questions of our time. Does dumping money into a giant hole create jobs and stimulate the economy, or is it simply a waste? Paul Krugman has suggested that even faking an alien invasion would be good for the economy, the idea being that any activity, with or without production of value, is beneficial. Likewise, Forbes published an article on the stimulative effects of Hurricane Sandy, noting that it boosted business in the hospital and construction sectors. Libertarians have argued, however, that these are simply examples of economist Frederic Bastiat’s “Broken Windows Fallacy.” The staff at The Onion consider both sides of the debate.