STAFF EDITORIAL

Dear Taxpayer,

We at the government have decided to use you as part of the project to help stimulate the economy. As you know, the nation is in trouble, and we would like to provide you with some extra money to fix our mistakes.

This will be part of our Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. If you make less than $75,000 a year and are single, you will get $600. Of course, you must make over $3,000.

If you’re a legally married couple and together make less than $150,000, you will get $1,200.

And if you have any dependents listed who are under 17 in your 2007 tax returns, you receive $300 for each dependent.

And if you are a dependent over 18, you will have to ask your parents for money because our plan to stimulate the economy doesn’t include you.

Thank you for your time,

The United States Government.

The government sent a similar letter to citizens, which, interestingly enough, cost $42 million to mail.

The letter, which you may have received attempted to explain the 2008 Economic Stimulus Plan.

Perhaps you are excited about the possibility of a little personal bonus aimed to “boost consumer spending.” In addition to other incentives to improve business investments and limits on mortgages, the part of the stimulus plan that we will likely notice most is the tax rebate portion.

Of course, many of us are marveling and excited at the prospect of a check. Economic stimulation sounds like quite a lot of fun.

However, there is more to the situation than meets the eye. The money is coming from an institution that is already enormously in debt. The American dollar is floundering, and adding more debt into the mess does not address the root of the problem. It creates a temporary illusion that progress is being made.

The truth is, it’s more of an economic Band-Aid than an economic stimulus. For a while it may feel better, but it does not incorporate a larger solution.

Our economy needs a disinfectant, not a weak cover-up.

A Band-Aid will not solve increasing gas prices, lost jobs and rising national debt. We have hefty expenses, such as the Iraq War, estimated by economist Joseph Stiglitz to cost $12 billion a month. Stiglitz, a Nobel-prize winning economist, says the final cost may even reach $3 trillion.

The government is in no position to be giving away money. 

We should do more than just bandage.

Six hundred dollars extra for a single individual will not reclaim a position for someone recently laid off or another desperately in need of health insurance. It won’t ensure our generation will have Social Security.

It won’t solve our major problems. It’s like jump-starting a car that is out of gas (which is understandable, considering the price of fuel).

Not to mention, with this all said, most of us dependent and over 18 will not even take part in this stimulation, despite the seemingly obvious fact that we are the most likely to spend it.

Also, several will use the money to pay off their debt or take care of their personal financial concerns, which does not stimulate the economy.

If we truly want to stimulate the economy, we should work on improving the health care system, securing jobs, and eliminating the outrageously expensive foreign policy.

Our funds are being drained, and we see nothing but a supposed “improved security.” The rebates will not solve this massive assault on the economy, nor will they offer a paradigm shift.

Checks are expected to roll the citizens’ way in mid-May, depending on how low your Social Security number is. Those paying by direct deposit could even get the money by May 2. Either way, you will get cash in your account.

The blues of the American economy cannot be sung away by the new plan.

We, as citizens, must understand the gravity and the problems of the proposed economic stimulus, yet still remain practical, and work with what is handed to us.

In other words, if you get some cash, go out and have fun spending it. You’ll need the happy memories when the Band-Aid falls off.