In addition to what phaster said, the stimulus payment is kind of a fraud.
That is for most persons (except the poor and persons collecting Social Secuirty) all it does is advance part of a refund they would get next year into this summer. So most might spend the money not knowing it will reduce their cash next year.
I suppose that is the intention of this - to get people to spend money. But it is like a credit card, that is spending is advanced and reduced in the future when the bill comes due.
PeakOil is You
THE Stimulus Package Thread (merged)
Re: economic stimulus payment
by DantesPeak » Sat 22 Mar 2008, 18:46:37
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Re: economic stimulus payment
by lateStarter » Sat 22 Mar 2008, 18:58:47
IMHO this is clear evidence of brain-deadness. Not sure if it is the American consumer that is brain-dead or the folks at the helm (or at least pretendting to be). Why the citizens of the US aren't in open revolt at the moment is beyond me. Talk about getting sold down the pike...
Even my mother (the eternal optimist) thought this was a bad idea. Unfortunately this is only one of many recent bad ideas that guarantee that when the axe finally does fall, it will be messy!
Even my mother (the eternal optimist) thought this was a bad idea. Unfortunately this is only one of many recent bad ideas that guarantee that when the axe finally does fall, it will be messy!
We have been brought into the present condition in which we are unable neither to tolerate the evils from which we suffer, nor the remedies we need to cure them. - Livy
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Re: economic stimulus payment
by phaster » Sat 29 Mar 2008, 12:48:00
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lateStarter', 'I')MHO this is clear evidence of brain-deadness. Not sure if it is the American consumer that is brain-dead or the folks at the helm (or at least pretendting to be). Why the citizens of the US aren't in open revolt at the moment is beyond me. Talk about getting sold down the pike...
Even my mother (the eternal optimist) thought this was a bad idea. Unfortunately this is only one of many recent bad ideas that guarantee that when the axe finally does fall, it will be messy!
Even my mother (the eternal optimist) thought this was a bad idea. Unfortunately this is only one of many recent bad ideas that guarantee that when the axe finally does fall, it will be messy!
I tend to agree that the economic stimulus payment is more evidence that in general the American public and most of the leadership is brain dead.
On page 25 of the April 7 edition of Business Week, a sidebar takes notice of a new Harris Interactive poll that asked 1,304 U.S. adults to name the most influential role models for today’s youth. Of the role models, 31% said entertainers were the most influential and 19% said athletes were. Not one chose a scientest. Only 11% of the adults could even name a living scientest. Stephen Hawking, the physicist earned the most mentions. (The fact that a Hawking character appeared on "the simpsons" may have helped.) Three out of four adults admitted they don’t have a good understanding of science.
IMHO one way to solve the problem of peak oil and global warming, is for Americans to be scare shitless (much like when the general american public saw that the soviets launched sputnik, and perceived that the USA lagged far behind the USSR in missile technology). After that crisis there was lots of funding for science education in the united states, and for about 15 years after that science was a cool thing to do.
Sad to say now people now look at science as not a very prestigious career, according to the Harris poll, 3% of the people picked trailer trash "britney spears" as the most influential role models for today’s youth and it does not help when media outlets like fox news try and dumb everything down and preach choir so they can sell advertising for products that in the long run don't mean shit (like credit cards, SUVs, erectile drugs and mortgages for McMansions). In its own way this is the USA showing the world its still a world leader (in the race to the bottom).
truth is,...
www.ThereIsNoPlanet-B.org
www.ThereIsNoPlanet-B.org
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Re: economic stimulus payment
by Ivan_M » Tue 01 Apr 2008, 15:17:00
the package will stimulate the economy in the same way that a fly splattering across the windshield slows an 18 wheeler.
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Re: economic stimulus payment
by Roy » Tue 01 Apr 2008, 16:35:58
I voted 'bad idea', even though I will cash said check. I guess the genii that thought of this didn't really understand just how little $600 buys now. I guess at one time in my distant memory, that was a decent amount of money; now, not so much.
Those folks in DC are disconnected, being multi-millionaires to a man (or woman) and its very likely that they don't do their own grocery shopping or fill their own cars with gas. So how could they know?
The so-called 'stimulus package' is just more debt (I'm sure the Fed thinks that a fabulous idea), and like you pointed out, its merely an advance on next year's refund.
I'm using mine to buy useful stuff and putting some of it aside 'just in case'. No flat screen TVs, I-phones, game consoles, or any other useless plastic crap here.
Roy
Short on paper, long on tangibles.
Those folks in DC are disconnected, being multi-millionaires to a man (or woman) and its very likely that they don't do their own grocery shopping or fill their own cars with gas. So how could they know?
The so-called 'stimulus package' is just more debt (I'm sure the Fed thinks that a fabulous idea), and like you pointed out, its merely an advance on next year's refund.
I'm using mine to buy useful stuff and putting some of it aside 'just in case'. No flat screen TVs, I-phones, game consoles, or any other useless plastic crap here.
Roy
Short on paper, long on tangibles.
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Re: economic stimulus payment
by lateStarter » Tue 01 Apr 2008, 17:07:54
I'll be using mine to pay back the money I owe for cashing out the remainder of my 401k. Seems fair! Plus the US gov't is only charging me 8% interest on the balance. One less thing to worry about...
We have been brought into the present condition in which we are unable neither to tolerate the evils from which we suffer, nor the remedies we need to cure them. - Livy
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Re: economic stimulus payment
by phaster » Tue 01 Apr 2008, 18:26:27
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Roy', 'T')hose folks in DC are disconnected, being multi-millionaires to a man (or woman) and its very likely that they don't do their own grocery shopping or fill their own cars with gas. So how could they know?
gotta love politicians and their political appointees, they are doing their best to run this country into the ground.
BTW did ya all hear the latest energy news? I've been doing some checking around and AS OF TODAY (4/1/2008) it seems GW Bush and Dick Cheney have their golden parachutes of sorts all lined up when they leave washington DC.
Anyway there is a small "independed" oil company "rekcus" out of crawford texas, that thinks it has an oil filed of at least 14,500,000 barrels of proven reserves. Yeah I know it's not much considering the USA uses about 20,000,000 barrels of oil per day, but it still is a healthy bit of money (to us ordinary folks), and guess which two republicans own all the shares in the company????
So the big question I'd like to know is how come, conservative talk radio and fox news does not investigtate how these two "god fearing patriots" somehow manged to amass the land and mineral rights thru eminent domain.... Guess its because while conservative talk radio and fox news is covering the drive by media, no news media organization has the time or balls to investiage the big news stories about to happen like peak oil, political corruption and economic mismanagement.
truth is,...
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Re: economic stimulus payment
by Roy » Tue 01 Apr 2008, 18:43:13
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'G')uess its because while conservative talk radio and fox news is covering the drive by media, no news media organization has the time or balls to investiage the big news stories about to happen like peak oil, political corruption and economic mismanagement
You hit the nail on the head my friend.
I would go one step further and say that the media you describe is owned by the same interests that own the politicians and the M/I complex.
Looking at things through the "peak oil' lense has really opened my eyes.
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"Stimulus"
by Pops » Mon 28 Apr 2008, 18:10:41
So we are borrowing more from our kids and it looks like the check is in the mail.
We may spend a little on the pantry, but the biggest portion will be to catch up with the bank for what the calves we held over the winter didn't bring.
Where is yours going to be spent?
We may spend a little on the pantry, but the biggest portion will be to catch up with the bank for what the calves we held over the winter didn't bring.
Where is yours going to be spent?
The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves -- in their separate, and individual capacities.
-- Abraham Lincoln, Fragment on Government (July 1, 1854)
-- Abraham Lincoln, Fragment on Government (July 1, 1854)
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Re: "Stimulus"
by Ludi » Mon 28 Apr 2008, 18:14:44
Food, probably. More nut trees, maybe.
Maybe replace some flooring and cheapo plumbing fixtures.
Maybe replace some flooring and cheapo plumbing fixtures.
- Ludi
Re: "Stimulus"
by DomusAlbion » Mon 28 Apr 2008, 18:22:53
As far as I know we will be receiving nothing. 
"Modern Agriculture is the use of land to convert petroleum into food."
-- Albert Bartlett
"It will be a dark time. But for those who survive, I suspect it will be rather exciting."
-- James Lovelock
-- Albert Bartlett
"It will be a dark time. But for those who survive, I suspect it will be rather exciting."
-- James Lovelock
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Re: "Stimulus"
by Schadenfreude » Mon 28 Apr 2008, 19:00:50
I'm going to put it towards a new computer system.
- Schadenfreude
Re: "Stimulus"
by CarlinsDarlin » Mon 28 Apr 2008, 19:03:32
No idea. Before this weekend's blow-up in my living room (see the psychology board) I would have said more for the pantry. At this point, who knows.
Sorry. I'm in a crappy mood.
K
Sorry. I'm in a crappy mood.
K
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Re: "Stimulus"
by Ludi » Mon 28 Apr 2008, 19:32:34
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DomusAlbion', 'A')s far as I know we will be receiving nothing.
Shame on you for making so much money!
- Ludi
