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January 27, 2008 
Politicians always subscribe to the theory that throwing money at a problem, regardless of whether the money is ever even used to fix it, is always the solution to said problem. They never concern themselves with the actual implementation of their “fixes”. They simply allocate our money to federal agencies tasked with carrying out their wishes and their job is done. Yet another problem solved.
The economic stimulus package being jointly crafted by the President and the House is not the answer to our problems. It may not help. In fact, it may exacerbate our economic woes. It is by no means a done deal and must pass in the Senate, which signalled that they wanted it expanded.
In its current form, this socialist tripe; this stimulus package consists of tax rebates to 117 million Americans; Six hundred dollars to individuals who earn up to $75,000.00 and $1,200.00 + $300.00 per child for families who earn up to $150,000.00. People or families with incomes above those thresholds (who ironically pay the vast majority of income taxes) will see their rebates shrink as their income rises. Families with incomes above $200,000.00 don’t get squat.
The plan also leaves out the hungry, the unemployed, and a broad range of retirees both wealthy and those who scrape by. For decades, illegal immigrants have been stealing US identities and jobs. Millions of other jobs have either been eliminated or shipped overseas. Congress continues to encourage the outsourcing of what’s left. In 2001, terrorists attacked us and managed to grind US aviation to a halt, killing 3,000 people in the process. In 2006, Hurricane Katrina devastated an entire region. President Bush has established a new precedent by giving victims of a hurricane billions in compensation, while billions more were frivolously frittered away by fraud. Now, every future natural disaster, people will have their hands out, expecting cash. What exactly is conservative about that?
Our trade deficit is astronomical. Since 2000, lower interest rates meant that people who couldn’t really afford homes either believed they could afford one, or they gambled on being able to ride the market and make a quick sale. All of the blame seems to be placed on the shoulders of unscrupulous lenders, but it takes two. I am supremely confident that these borrowers were told in advance exactly what they needed to do to qualify for these loans. And they eagerly complied by the millions. I didn’t see anyone complaining then…
Lower taxes are a conservative value. Spending other people’s money like a drunken sailor is not. Encouraging people to spend money rather than save it is even worse. For years, your government has been proselytizing that the abysmal rate of Americans actually saving money meant that many would not be able to retire. Now they’re throwing money that they took back at us, and saying if we don’t buy Ipods, big-screen TVs or visit the mall that we’re bad Americans.
These tax rebates are being offered, not on the basis of who paid the taxes or who needs the money, but on who is more likely to spend them. The only reason middle class taxpayers are being considered is that Congress could never get away with leaving them out.
I can say with the utmost certainty that when I receive my check, it is going straight into my high interest CD. With this government running things, you never know when our jobs will disappear, terrorists will strike, our guns will be seized, our Constitution shredded or our border dissolved. It’s my money and no amount of government pressure is going to influence my decision on what to do with it.
Perhaps it’s time for our economy to take that hit, instead of being constantly talked up and artificially manipulated by the government every time their poor leadership and decision-making results in financial pain for Americans; at least that would allow all of the real estate speculators, house-flippers and others who saw their opportunity and created this mess to be brought back down from their artificial high. It’s obvious to anyone with a high school education that our economy has not been healthy of late. It was a house of cards just waiting for a stiff wind. Let’s stop fooling ourselves. Only by acknowledging our problems can we begin to formulate the plans to resolve them.
Just as auto-erotic asphyxiation has claimed the life of many a deviant through slow, yet accidental strangulation, this sort of government sponsored bailout is begging to perpetuate the problems of our slowly strangling economy by encouraging the same behavior that got us in this mess in the first place; frivolous spending in search of instant gratification by those who can least afford it.
