In this breathless political season, Congress is responding to the apparent looming recession by promiscuously mailing checks to millions of people, including many who don't especially need it....
I haven't calculated my take, but it may exceed $1000 even though I have a secure job and am relatively unaffected by the economic downturn.
I understand the imperative to help "the forgotten middle-class," which seems to cover every likely voter from the 20th percentile to the 98th percentile of the income distribution. Is it too much to ask, in this era of war, deficit spending, and profound social needs for Congress and the President to show a little discipline and focus on essentials?
With some people losing homes because they are sick and others unable to receive care because they are uninsured, I would rather see the stimulus package pruned to eliminate the tax breaks for all families with incomes over (say) $100,000, and diverting the money to SCHIP, public hospitals, urban policing, and other great social needs.
We are often told that there is no money to cover the 47 million people. Yet here we go spending billions in counter-cyclical spending with little regard to helping those who need it most.