The Emperor's New Economic Stimulus Package (Part 4)

What if Obama and congress simply agreed to take the 1.25 trillion dollars and distribute it out to the 105 million households in America? Well, each household would receive a check for about $12,000.

I wonder out loud how many people (if given the choice) would prefer to give the $12K back to the government rather than keep it for themselves. I ask this not just from the selfish standpoint of having the money in your pocket, but rather from a standpoint of knowing what this sort of money could do for Americans who are struggling and what it could do for the overall economy. Do we "really" believe that this stimulus package will help the economy in such a manner that it would be hypothetically worth $12,000 per household or $7,000 per taxpayer? Because that is what these stimulus packages are costing us.

The reality is that very few people believe that the 1.25 trillion dollars will bring instant relief for anyone. In fact, Obama and the member of congress promoting this bill are not much more optimistic about what it will do than those in congress (and talk radio) who oppose it. They want the 1.25 trillion, but they promise very little in terms of actual stimulus. In fact they warn that it may make very little "immediate impact". What it means is that they want the 1.25 trillion, but really don't want the responsibily that goes with it.

The reality is that we have the least experienced President in our lifetime who has now been handed over power with a wide margin in the house and an almost fillibuster proof Senate. On top of this, he was given $350 billion dollars to work with "before" he became President and now is asking for another $800-900 billion more within days of being sworn in.

That's an awful lot of faith to put into this President and this particular congress. We didn't give this sort of power to Bush, Clinton, or Reagan. All of them took office during rough economic times, and all of them pulled us out of it without requiring 1.25 trillion dollars to do so.

When I hear Nancy Pelosi make a fool of herself trying to explain why the pet project of providing federal aid to purchase birth control is stimulus I cringe to think that she represents one third of the leadership that will make the decisions on this money. When you strip down this bill it seems to include every pet project that the Democrats "wanted" to get through over the past eight years, but couldn't. Clearly, they want this 1.25 trillion for political reasons more than they want it for the reason everyone believes it is needed. Winning an election does not undo the fact that you lost previous elections. You certainly cannot govern like it did.

And let's put this into real perspective. This is the sort of money that not only can, but probably "will" tie our hands for the forseeable future. It will effect us today. It will effect our children when they grow up. It may even effect our children's children. Is an untested President, and two bitter congressional leaders really the right people to bank our entire future on? Do we really even trust that their intentions are what they claim? Would you trust them enough to hand over $12,000 of your family's money if it came down to it?