Stimulus packages: For how long can the tiger be held by the tail?

I have a friend – young, brilliant, free thinking and above all, daring. What I mean by daring is not the proclivity to get engaged in exciting physical adventures, but his provocative style of challenging any view which he considers to be untrue, odd or freak. This he does irrespective of the status of his opponent. I like him for this quality, though I have been at the receiving end of his criticism very often.