Friday, May 2, 2008

Show Me the Money

So people are starting to get their economic stimulus checks and I wonder- How do you plan to use your $600?


Some financial advisors might say the most personally responsible way to use it might be to pay down some debt, pay bills, invest or put it in your savings account.


But none of these ways will actually help the economy.


The idea is to use that money to buy, buy, buy. But if you are broke, broke, broke putting 600 bucks into a new flat screen tv, a car, jewelry, vacation or a new wardrobe seems a bit financially rebellious.

And then, seriously, after you use it you're right back where you started from except for some with a new debt/expense to pay off!

We still, after getting our one time check, are going to be faced with high gas prices, high food prices, high plane tickets, high gas and electric, high damn near everything! Oh, and then there still will be foreclosure issues, big business bankruptcy and the dollar being worth crap internationally...

This simply seems like a way to put a bandaid on a gushing wound to calm America until Bush gets out of office and then whichever soul takes over is left with a festering sore to heal (gross I know but that's how I feel).

But maybe I'm wrong, I'm no economist, perhaps this will get us back on track (and hey who doesn't like free money?). But if not, our position in this world is going to get pretty ugly...




(illustration from www.austinchronicle.com)

2 comments:

Erika 2004 said...

The stimulus check didn't help us the first time Bush sent one out. I certainly don't think it will do much now. If we had any decent politicians running this country, we wouldn't be so deep in this recession (regardless of what anyone else says, I believe the recession is here, not coming). Everything is decided in favor of big business. Gas prices, for example, you would have thought that we would have learned our lessons with the gas crisis of the 70s. We are too reliant on non-renewable resources. We knew that 30 years ago. But no effort was made to change until now? Instead of working on new sources, we made bigger, gas guzzling super SUVs. The oil companies must have great lobbyists. And the housing crisis? Don't get me started!!! All of the predatory lending that was going on and nothing was done until people lost they homes?

Lady Dulayne said...

Mine is pretty much already spent. Half is going towards a vacation and the other half, though not specifically alloted is gone before it gets here in wardrobe upgrades and other necessitities.

But I'm with Erika.

I think the real probelm with the check is its too small. Most of us will put it towards something we really need like paying bills, then it will be spent and money will be tight again. It might stimulate the economy for what, a month?