If the sheer size of the $819 billion stimulus bill passed by the House on Wednesday doesn't overwhelm Americans, the ambitious sweep of spending within the 647-page document should grab their attention.

The House package goes a long way toward its primary goal of jump-starting a stalled economy. But it also increases domestic spending in ways that would have been dismissed outright a year ago.

Obama and House Democrats aren't addressing the long-term implications of substantially increasing federal spending on education and adding substantial numbers to the Medicaid roles. We agree that more dollars are needed, since the federal government has shortchanged those areas for years. But even though Obama calls it one-time spending, states will expect the increased spending to continue. The president and Democrats don't address this issue.

When the Senate takes up the bill, it should first remove any remaining pork — there's more than just the $200 million to refurbish the National Mall that was taken out before the House vote. And it should focus on whether the bill puts enough money into infrastructure, alternative energy and aid to states to spur economic growth and create new jobs as quickly as possible. It's equally important that the money be spent wisely, not just quickly.

Republicans object that the House bill doesn't include enough tax cuts, takes a step toward universal health care by offering Medicaid to the unemployed and doesn't spend enough of the money quickly enough to provide an immediate boost to the economy.

Obama may want to look at compromising on the tax cuts issue to win bipartisan support. But at this point, the debate about the long-term impact of offering Medicaid to the unemployed will wait until Congress takes on the bigger question of health care reform.

The biggest danger is overpromising, creating the expectation that only government spending will revive America's economy. But if Obama and Congress can target funding in the right places, to help keep those with jobs working and get the rest of America back to work, it will be money well spent.