A cross-country trip to discover what the stimulus looks like from the ground.

The other problem with these debates is how macro they are. They're taking place on a national level with national metrics. X number of jobs lost, saved, or created; X percent of money paid out; X amount of time to get money from the feds to the state. This is happening partly by necessity—individual stimulus projects don't report back to the government until October—and partly because of temptation—how do you evaluate a program this big without using the biggest data points possible? But these are impersonal numbers for what is ultimately a personalized program.

Think of the stimulus as a Pointillist painting by Georges Seurat. The image itself is composed of thousands of tiny markings; each of these has its own texture, hue, and depth. To appreciate the painting as a whole, you must take note of its individual parts. The average museum-goer takes a look from far away, then walks forward to inspect the painting up-close, then once again takes a step back to get a new appreciation. Only then can you understand that the markings all create something larger: a mosaic of localized stories and backgrounds. Without examining the markings, your holistic view lacks a certain depth of understanding. And you certainly cannot judge the painting as a whole before all of the markings have been put to canvas.

So while it's not yet time to make any sweeping judgments about the stimulus, it is time to start paying more attention. Which brings us back to Recessionary Road. Throughout, we will wrestle with some of the big philosophical questions the stimulus presents: Is a job saved the same as a job created? Are some jobs more deserving of stimulus money than others? Are we prepared for the after-effects of stimulating demand but not supply? How does this affect Obama's legacy among his constituents?

The series will be a multimedia affair—videos, photos, maps, words, etc.—that spans a blog and full-length pieces. Everything will run on The Big Money, and you can keep track of all the pieces at this landing page. You can also keep up with us—surprise!—on Twitter, should you be into that kind of thing. If you know of anyone who has been either directly or indirectly affected by the stimulus, please get in touch with me. This should be just as much your road trip as ours.

There's no better time to reflect than when you're at a point of inflection. For the stimulus, that time has come. Let the journey begin.