For all the self congratulation last February, when Congress and President Bush quickly agreed to a $168 billion stimulus plan, the effort has not sparked the economic turnaround that policy makers wanted. It has kept the economy from falling into even worse shape than it is in, but real improvement has proved elusive.

The $100 billion in rebate checks  which were delivered to just about everybody from April through mid-July  will be eaten up largely by higher gasoline prices. Once the rebates are all spent, probably by October, consumers are likely to recoil in the face of rising unemployment, stagnating wages and tighter credit. Business tax breaks in the stimulus package have given a modest, near-term boost to investment. But bolstered investment this year means less investment in 2009, when, by all indications, the economy will still be ailing.

So it is not surprising that lawmakers are now considering a second round of stimulus. One is needed, but tempting as it is to send out checks in an election year, lawmakers will do a disservice to those who elected them if they simply serve up more of the same.

The initial stimulus plan has fallen short of expectations because the plan was flawed, not just because the economy’s problems are more severe than policy makers thought. The plan, for example, did not contain additional spending for food stamps or direct aid to states and local governments. The second one must include both.