I love watching videos of little kids testing their patience with the marshmallow experiment. If you have not seen it, I suggest that you log on to YouTube and prepare to be amused. Through a double-sided mirror or hidden camera, observers watch adults place a marshmallow in front of a small child, and instruct that if the child waits to eat the marshmallow until the adult returns, then the child will be rewarded with a second marshmallow. Hilarity ensues when the elder party exits the room, leaving the child to sit, stare and squirm while his or her eyes remain fixated solely on the fluffy forbidden treat in front of them.

The children drool over, poke at, nibble on, or even scarf the marshmallow; even the strongest of wills gets antsy after a few minutes. The temptation multiplies when some chocolate syrup is drizzled on top, but surprisingly, the majority of the kids held out for their reward: the second marshmallow.

Although it may boast more than its share of white fluffy hair and soft billowy stomachs, our nation’s capitol is probably not the most immediate simile to come to mind when one wants to apply the marshmallow test in real life. Last week’s die-hard squabble over the economic stimulus bill, however, managed to seriously challenge the patience of many lawmakers.

What surprised me, however, was President Obama’s impatience to immediately gobble up this legislative marshmallow and pass through an unedited, strongly partisan bill proposing more than $900 billion in entitlement-laden government spending. Instead of chocolate syrup on top though, bills these days are laden with bacon. Yes, the economy is of an utmost and urgent concern. Yes, the Republicans are being a little uncooperative with the new boss in town. In the time of a nation-wide crisis, however, I would argue that bipartisan support and cautious steps are also important priorities. There are serious problems that a stimulus package can help repair, but the old saying still rings true: “Patience is a virtue.” A little patience (but not too much) and perhaps we will have the chance to eat that second marshmallow in the form of a better stimulus plan.

The outstanding public debt is higher than I am able or willing to count, and it is true that more jobs are lost every day. Our poor choices of the past are taking their toll, however, and immediacy will only remedy those bad decisions to a limited extent. No matter how starving we are, we need the opportunity for that extra piece of light, spongy goodness that could save a few hundred billion dollars while still working to boost the economy and sate our economic hunger. It’s not time to toss around money just because everyone needs it. Legislation does not have to be perfect, but it does need to be conscious. Let’s not immediately scarf down a bill that is an essential component of rescuing the economy, and whose failure will cost us even more hundreds of billions of dollars in the form of our national debt.