Think about it: If the stimulus is working, and the job market is extremely weak in spite of it, what will happen when the stimulus begins to fade sometime next year? Many economists are increasingly worried that the U.S. recovery will be agonizingly gradual, especially if it doesn’t get another jolt of help. “I think it makes sense to look at more aid from the federal government, whether they call it stimulus or not,” says Gus Faucher, director of macroeconomics at Moody’s Economy.com, a West Chester (Pa.) consultant…

The Obama Administration and Congress don’t appear to have the stomach for another major stimulus act, in part because the ballooning federal deficit will mean higher taxes in the future and possibly higher interest rates if bond investors get nervous.

Still, many economists say something will have to be done to buoy the U.S. economy as the stimulus fades in the second half of 2010.