Changing his tune

MANIFESTO

Apparently I'm going to get an addition to my checking account on Monday as rebates will be distributed that day to taxpayers who had their refunds deposited directly into their accounts. Not that it'll make any difference as—with gasoline prices up more than 25% and bakery prices, to use just one example, up 14% in the last year—it's pretty clear where this drop in the bucket is going to go.

Even Incurious George admits that

"The money is going to help Americans offset the high prices we're seeing at the gas pump, the grocery store ..."

But then he also has to add his own cretinous spin to the situation by maintaining that the rebate will

"also give our economy a boost to help us pull out of this economic slowdown ... It's obvious our economy is in a slowdown. But, fortunately, we recognized the signs early and took action."

Riiight. The "action" taken is turning out to be fruitless because it's economically impossible to do all of the things he's suggesting. If Americans will be forced to use their extra dollar a day for necessities, it's obvious that the kind of discretionary spending that the Harvard MBA had hoped would get the economy back on track simply can't occur. Of course, he's too stupid to realize that, but more enlightened politicians aren't.

"It's galling to think that taxpayers' stimulus checks will be lining the pockets of OPEC. The sad truth is that the average American family will spend almost their entire stimulus check on higher gas prices this year," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., chairman of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress ...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., agreed that people "need this rebate to cope with the rising cost of gas and groceries."

So this is yet another idiotic economic idea that needs to go back to the drawing board. I've never been attracted to the idea of the nation's populace becoming compulsive shoppers—a psychological disorder, after all—in order to get out of a recession; certainly this rebate—bankrolled by the Chinese no less—won't do anything to boost the nation's very sick economic status.