Stimulate THIS!

Okay. First off, I am not a great political mind. I am going to just type this like the regular Joe (Plumber Joe perhaps?) that I am.

I was driving into work today, down 35W South, and I noticed this billboard with headlines scrolling across it. The one that I was able to catch said, "Bush not opposed to the idea of a second stimulus package". I am assuming this means a stimulus package like the one that went directly to us folks and not the stock market. Here's the deal: Why didn't we just take the 700 billion dollars used for the stock bailout (which did nothing) and distribute it among the people of the United States? This isn't my original thought, I have to admit, someone sent this in an email to me awhile back as kind a 'what the crap' joke but somewhat serious email. Right now, I am agreeing with them. Yes, there would be some huge idiots that would misuse this money, but a really think a lot of people would use it to even out their debt if not resolve it, and, if that is the case, perhaps the government could not give this to people directly, but instead to the companies that are owed money by these people. If you don't owe anyone, congratulations! You get $100,000 from the government. Then what do you think those people would do with that? Spend it. Invest in a stock market or some sort of savings account or CD that will earn them money. What would happen to the stock market? It would go up...for a bit...because of this. People would be able to breathe a bit easier (I know I would love it) and be more likely to spend some money on something they may not need. How much would this ACTUALLY help? I can't say. I just know it makes a LOT more sense to give it to the people you are trying to help, ESPECIALLY if you are just going to turn around and approve ANOTHER economic stimulus package.

I don't know. I guess there are probably reasons to do this they way they did, but they are not very good reasons, from what I have seen and read. Obviously it didn't work real well and some companies took the money and went on vacation (see The Patron Saint of Awesomeness blog on the left for a brief look at this). When it boils down to it...I just want the government to give me money to open a store, go back to college, write a book, or any other of the thousands of things that crazy guy with the question mark jacket tells me I can get money to do.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day.

t-jayers