Stimulus Payment Info
 

"This year, taxpayers will receive an Economic Stimulus Payment.

This is a very exciting new program that I will explain using the Q and A
format:

Q. What is an Economic Stimulus Payment?
A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q. Where will the government get this money?
A. From taxpayers.

Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?
A. Only a smidgen.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?
A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition
TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China ?
A. Shut up.


Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the US economy by
spending your stimulus check wisely:



If you spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China.
If you spend it on gasoline it will go to the Arabs.
If you purchase a computer it will go to India.
If you purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and
Guatemala (unless you buy organic).
If you buy a car it will go to Japan.
If you purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan.

And none of it will help the American economy.

We need to keep that money here in America. You can keep the money
in America by spending it at yard sales, going to a baseball game, or spend
it on prostitutes, beer and wine (domestic ONLY), or tattoos, since those
are the only businesses still in the US.

Things really started going downhill when we started exporting jobs and importing Mexicans. Makes no sense to me.

Bread, the government does a lot that doesn't make any sense, especially over the past decade.

Buy a Subsim calendar, that money goes to me!! :rotfl:

I promise to buy a steak with it, a Texas steak, not Chinese.

Oh my goodness. Where do I even begin? I guess I'll start by saying that it's a good thing that some semblance of constitutional law remains or people with those kinds of opinions would send this country to hell in a handbasket in no time.

Firstly, illegal immigrants, while problematic in their own way, are certainly not the source of the nation's economic woes, nor even a significant factor. The reason that illegal immigrants are permitted into this country and allowed social benefits is quite simple; votes. Whether they become citizens or not is irrelevant, their children will become citizens, after all. And if you're a Democrat, what's your number one demographic? The poor, no?
Don't take my word for it, look at what California's primarily Democratic government (in this half-century) has done to it with lenient policies towards illegal (non-taxpaying) immigrants. The state is broke. Ruined. Destroyed. As a state, California is the most expensive place to live in the union, with the exception of Hawaii, for real land value reasons. The wealth gap in California is greater than in any other state, despite years of welfare society.
As far as the market is concerned, one can hardly blame it for taking advantage of workers who are willing to work for less than minimum wage, "under the radar" so to speak. The government provided cheap, exploitable labor, and the market took advantage of it, like they always have and always will. That's how the market works, which brings me to the second point.

There is nothing that can be done to change this in the sense that you are considering. The whole reason that labor is being exported in this country is because it is cheaper elsewhere. How, exactly, are you going to change that? Go ahead, impose tariffs or restrict exportation of labor. See what happens, if you haven't been paying attention to the last 3 1/2 decades of economic policy.
All you will end up doing is making the American economy less competitive. This country, and its' high standard of living, is no longer suited to an industrial economy. Products made in the U.S. are unacceptably expensive in the rest of the world, period. There is little reason to buy them, even for Americans.

But, that doesn't matter. The U.S. may be beyond the industrialization phase, but it is more than capable of handling a corporate economy. It doesn't matter where goods are produced as long as the revenue comes here. Our goal should be to become a beacon of capitalism brighter than any other in the world. Who cares if the U.S. fails to produce a single unit of anything if we own everything?

Finally, I'll point out that you have to let the market work. Resisting it is sheer idiocy. American labor is expensive, period. We simply cannot produce general goods at competitive prices. Our best hope is to abolish corporate taxes and minimize government interference to the point where every company on earth wants to be based here.

Instead of trying to control the market, or keep crappy jobs here, let the market do its' work and stay out of the way. This is the richest country in the world because of economic freedom and natural wealth. Just let it be. If you let the market work, the U.S. will probably always come out on top because so many other nations restrict economic freedom. If you try to control economic policy, you're goin to make another Russia. A huge nation, that, while powerful, is a shadow of what it could be.

Lassiez-Faire:up:

I found it ironic that last year I had to pay $400 in before I got my $600 stimulation back. WTF

I am well aware of the reason for allowing unchecked entry from Mexico, low labor and votes, both good for the right and left parties but not so good for the people. Crappy jobs? There are lots of Americans on welfare doing nothing that could do these crappy jobs you speak of. Instead we use taxpayers money to feed and house them while they do nothing.

For close to twenty years now we have been losing more jobs from NAFTA and GATT. Now that it hits our auto markets everyone is screaming to save them. What did everyone expect? I saw this coming back when Clinton passed the 2 into law at the start of his first term.

I don't agree with it, never will.

You should have only got $400 back seeing as that's all you paid in.

Might want to add to the anchor post...

Q: What if I dident pay any taxes?

A: Not to worry you will get a check anyway.

Q: Where will that money come from?

A: From the 'productive' citizens whom did pay their taxes.

I do love it when my US buddies moan about how much tax you pay.

you shuld see how much I pay in the UK....

We are now going to test "trickle up" economics. Just like, how water flows up hill.

Not bitching about paying taxes... Im bitching about those whom dont getting a 'rebate' from my contributions. Its welfare plain and simple.

Don't like it, vote them out of office.:up:

I believe the term is "wealth transfer."

You seem to have left out the billions it costs a typical state for illegals. It is a major strain on our economy because of it. Its not the 10's, but goes into the 100's of billions per year. Colorado is probably the average state with an expenditure of about $3 Billion. A state like California probably covers that in medical alone (they all use the emergency room for a simple cold, and the rest of us have to foot that bill), not including welfare.

The point being, it has a major contribution to our current economic problems.

-S