PLEASE SPEND, DON’T SAVE… The big news coming out of Washington this week was the “economic stimulus” checks were being distributed by the IRS, just in time to be gobbled up by gas prices nearing $4.00 a gallon and skyrocketing food prices.
Keep in mind that the economic stimulus check was your money in the first place. Keep in mind, up to now our government was recommending we save more money and pay down our credit card bills.
Now our government wants us to ignore our debts and spend money on things we don’t need to stimulate an economy that is overtaxed, overcharged and overextended.
It could be “just in time” for you means sometime in the late summer, as that’s how long the IRS estimates it will take to get all the checks mailed out; hopefully, you won’t be hungry or homeless by then.
By the way, don’t call your congressman or senator when the car runs out of gas and the fridge is empty; they’ll be on summer recess, right after their automatic pay raises kick in.
Carl Oehling sent the following… How to use Your IRS Rebate check…
As you may have heard, each of us will be getting a tax rebate check to stimulate the economy.
If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China.
If we spend it on gasoline, it will go to the Arabs.
If we purchase a computer, it will go to India.
If we purchase fruits and vegetables, it will go to Mexico, Honduras, Brazil and Guatemala.
If we purchase a good car, it will go to Japan.
If we purchase useless stuff, it will go to Taiwan. And, none of it will help the American economy.
We need to keep that money here in America. The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it at yard sales, since those are the only businesses still in the US!
“I HAD A DREAM,” a youngster sitting at the lunch table said to no one in particular. “Ronald Reagan and Benedict Arnold were in it. There was a bad guy too; he was a lawyer.”
So went my lunch at Special Persons Day at Watervliet North Elementary School as the guest of my grandson, Ben.
“Is the food always this good?” I asked Ben, as I dug into a generous portion of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn.
“Yah,” Ben answered, “but they give more when there’s visitors.”
I wasn’t surprised by his response. I’ve heard him comment on many occasions that he didn’t get enough lunch (especially when it’s a favorite like chicken strips).
I’m surprised there’s not much conversation among the boys we sit with. It is evident they sit together regularly, with the joshing and general greetings; mainly, they just dig into the food, pick up their empty plastic plates and utensils, along with their empty milk container, and head out to the playground.
Ben’s bunch gathers at a basketball hoop and immediately begins a complex game called “Knockout.”
“C’mon, Grandpa. You can play,” Ben calls out. I beg off, my back really hurts and there’s no way I’m going to try to compete with a dozen boys shooting, rebounding and passing two basketballs until finally there are just two kids left; and when one finally misses, a winner is declared. Then the game begins again; with no arguments, players come and go. I’m not sure which kids have been “knocked out” and which are not playing. That’s not important for me to know; the youngsters know.
I was impressed by how well all the youngsters on the playground got along. There were groups playing and talking; here and there were just a couple kids shooting baskets, swinging or talking.
I must have missed a bell or something; but all at once everybody headed back to the classrooms, first lining up at the doors and then filing back to their assigned rooms.
Special Persons Day drew a large group of visitors, parents, grandparents, even a great-grandparent, aunts and uncles, and friends.
We were the guests; the special persons were really the great youngsters we were visiting.
