Stimulus like a cattle-prod

So, the gubermint wants to give us all some money. Sometime in May. And then you have to pay it back April 2009 (or at least pay taxes on it).

This is like those checks the Discover people keep sending me. Don't need, don't want, please don't do this again. See, they did this back in the early Bush presidency, you know, when people liked him. Remember how pissed you were that the check you got turned out to be an advance on the next year's refund. How those of us didn't get such large refunds anyway because of tax reforms in the 90s made recurring refunds of that amount somewhat punishable to stop people form using the IRS as a defacto savings plan then had to pay back the majority of it as well as pay taxes on the "income." Good times.

And now there is talk of how the exact stimulus we need is to make the tax cuts that expire in 2010 permanent. Yeah, that's gonna help. Presidential hopeful J. McCain said that this will help with families planning their 2010 budgets now. That sound you heard? That was the last scrap of respect I had for the man die a screaming death.

You know what might have helped the economy? I don't know, maybe not wasting spending all our treasure and our kids' treasure on a war of choice. And maybe not allowing the free money giveaway reconstruction debacle no-bid contracts and graft (no, I'm not going to scratch that out) of money in Iraq (note, this was a way of rewarding political hacks who had to apply for their passports before going to Iraq but where hired as "professional" state building contractors). Money given away without even the simple control of having to sign for it.

So, they're gonna give us about $600. Woohoo! I think I'll probably do what most people did last time, bank it or pay off debt.

The administration is a one trick pony. Economy is good, we need tax cuts. Economy is bad, we need tax cuts. Economy is so so, we need tax cuts. Need a stimulus, give them tax cuts. Need to slow down the economy, more tax cuts. One size doesn't fit all.