Economic Stimulus Payment

On the other hand, you could all spend your money on condoms. That way, there will be less mouths to feed...

Fuzzy just 'rubber' stamped that one.  

Oh the truth hurts so good!

1. You forgot bars and strip joints, Philly. "Ahhhhh....just flush it.", to quote a truly great American.  

2. Would someone please tell me just how Social Security differs from a Ponzi Scheme?

  .Good one Philly!

(Please note that spending your money at Wal-Mart will also stimulate my economy,I just got a raise)

Doesn't matter how anybody spends it... it'll still end up in some rich bastard's pocket who won't put back in as much as he/she takes out.

The point here should be to get what you want/need and to hell which economy benefits most.  At the end of the day the US economy benefits, because in today's world we are all interdependent, and boosting trading partners economies will eventually reap returns by way of greater trade and exports to those tade partners.

For example, the Oz economy has taken a hit because of the downturn in the Chinese economy, hence China is buying less of our minerals and resources etc.  So, the upshot of it all is to help boost the economies of our trading partners in order for them to buy our products, goods and services.

However, despite the advice of the IMF and other financial advisories/economists, the Australian Opposition is blocking the stimulus package to assist low and middle income earners that Kevin Rudd has formulated.  Typical Liberal Party, quite happy to bolster banks and corporations with 'one-way' legislation and cash injections, but when it comes to helping out the battler they say: "Go and get stuffed!"

As always, we have a politician who's tied to banking and big business trying to dictate terms in a corporate way rather than governmentally.  I always thought Malcolm Turnbull was a 'high priced' idiot who couldn't find his areshole with both hands and a map, this proves he is.

Odd, tha'. Wot wiv th' size of tha' bum!            Hankers!

Strakers, this was meant as comic relief, it should bring a small smile to your face or make you laugh a little.  I do believe that you are currently stuck in a a cycle of dismay and stress.  Everything you have been talking about and posting ain't new.   It's been going on for some time, like....................forever!

I'm all for stimulus if its going to create jobs, however, the 900 billion dollar bag of porkulence put forth by Pelosi and her dem cronies and lobbyist's is NOT stimulus.

Maybe when it's sent back to the house after being ridiculed by the american public, they will make some attempt at creating a REAL bill.

Instead of real BULL.

C'mon guys! Lighten up....

As long as we're actually spending money on building items and other projects instead of giving away money (stim checks) or cutting taxes (similar to stim checks only to people like me who don't need it as much since you pay more only when you make more), then the multiplier effect of the spent money will be increased.  (Multiplier effect is there for stim checks and tax cuts too, but less so.)  And that will create jobs.  So if we spend $1M to build or improve something physical like a road, bridge, train tracks, that will happen.  For many less-physical projects it will happen too, although you are correct if we spent $1M at my company to build some software, we might decide to outsource some of the development overseas.  Net effect should still be good and greater than the expense in paying back the spending in the future.  Physical projects can still outsource non-physical aspects such as the design or documentation, but it would be hard to outsource the physical elements!

But yeah, the original post was funny even if it ignores many of the lessons of macroeconomics from the last 200 years.

Are they really talking about sending stim checks out?  That's not my understanding, but I haven't been paying close attention of late.  (Still have my job for now.)

I was thinking more along these lines for my check:

A down payment on a lung transplant - Good for medical employment

A full refridgerator - Good for food services for a week

A full tank of gas - Good for ailing oil companies (yeh frickin' right) for 10 days

Another month not in foreclosure -good for me for a month

And a 52" LCD TV - doesn't have a thing to do with our economy in the end, but I'll love it anyway

This all would be hilarious if it wasn't so true.  Just kidding, at least I don't live in Darfur.

funny article.. Philly..

You can see in my avatar, I have a red bag full of money... which I looted from public misusing my superpower.

I will take notice from what u said before spending it.

Sorry, but I find little to bring a smile to my face, much less laughter, when I know millions worldwide are suffering because of big bank and corporate greed/mismanagement.  Right now, people I know are losing their jobs... and will eventually lose their homes.

There will of course be those that will blame them for over-committing themselves with mortgages they can't afford, but to me that's a load of bollocks created by bankers, Republicans and Oz Liberals to shif blame from themselves... and then we have suckers who believe every effing word because they were born with silver spoons in their mouths or just don't have a thinking brain of their own... or both.

I see also that the Republicans are Blocking stimulus payments to those who need it most... just like our effing Liberals, who would rather give it to corporations and banks so it can be wasted on corporate jets, limos and huge effing bonuses to lazy fat cat bastards who deserve f***ing shooting instead.

And where would you have the money go, John?  In the pockets of bankers and corporate entities who caused this effing mess in the first place.  I like your skins... but sorry, your indoctrinated thinking on this is somewhat skew-wiff.

Stimulating an economy from the top down only would serve only to enable the corporations and not the have-nots, who would grow in numbers as the economy tilts further towards pure capitalism while ignoring social issues and the average joe.  It has to be a balanced approach that addresses the consumer base as well as the manufacturers/providers... otherwise you have a lot of stockpiled resources and nobody able to buy them.  Obama and Rudd got it right, but the greedy corporate element disagree because they want it ALL.

You are correct in your feelings and opinions starkers.  I was just trying to lighten the mood on the subject of the economy.

If I may then, what do you propose that should be done or changed about the situation, other then seek punishment for those that caused the problem.  Explain in as few or as many words you need the course of action the peoples of the world need to take to assure future generations that this will never happen again.  No offense, but I don't think it is possible for you, me, or anyone to be able to do that, and I think you understand that.

This was the discussion around the dinner table the other night.   Since the U.S. went off the 'Gold Standard' and the money started to be measured against the GNP the true value is very, well, who knows.   Which in reality means the paper money printed has the value of...........printed paper.  The US should just print up enough money to pay their creditors, balance the books and move on.   Silly, yes, but for a real fix this country needs to go back on the 'Gold Standard'. 

That's my opinion and I'm sticking with it.  It ain't ever going to happen by the way, why, one word, POLITICIANS.

Hardly.

I'm no economist but I know that 90% of the bill put forward by the left.. is C R A P... nothing more nothing less.. social spending plans liberals have wanted to do for years. I hold no affinity towards banks or bankers and have no idea why you would think I did. I despise their actions possibly more than you do, but this porkulence bill altho caused by them really has nothing to do with them. Far as I know none of this bill is going to bankers.

I would put it into projects that would, in an immediate fashion, put people to work and work on the foreclosure crisis... period. Not contraception projects, community action groups, greening and new computers for the state dept. None of which does a DAMN thing to stimulate the economy.

Perhaps you haven't taken a close look at the house bill? Don't make me list the shite it's made up of. 

Anyway, I don't need to, its approval rating has sunk like a rock in the past week.. and for valid reasons.

Nothing they want to pass faaaast..ever passes the stink test... and this thing is festering in the light of public perception.

As far as being indoctrinated.. no idea where you get that from either. News flash.. people are going to disagree with your rants.. learn to handle that without name calling or don't post em mate.

ooohhh...Touchy subject eh, Philly?....lmao

i thought it was funny

Joe get on msn.

Yes, and I'm sorry for taking things off-course, it's just that I'm that angry at what is happening to the little guy because of bank and corporate greed.  It's all well and good to say that industies are suffering - which in turn adversely affects the average joe - but the corporate movers and shakers are losing little or nothing from their personal wealth because they've safely stashed their assets and cash away, and thus their oppulent and excessive lifestyles do not change.  Meanwhile, their companies/banks are going guts up, putting millions out of work, thus shrinking the consumer base significantly... and they don't give a stuff, otherwise they'd be injecting some of that personal wealth back into from whence it was squeezed, by way of exorbitant salaries and cash bonuses.

Sure, businesses have to operate at a profit to survive, but when those profits are severely eroded by huge salaries and cash bonuses to execs who in no way actually earned them, it defeats the purpose.  So yeah, while I agree with you that economies need to return to the 'gold standard', we also need to keep in check the runaway greed and excesses of the 'priveleged' few.  Otherwise, we have a handful of players with too great a proportion of the wealth, and a disproportionate consumer base without the propensity to pay... meaning the companies will come crashing down around their ears, causing greater hardship for the have nots who can no longer find/keep a job.

Here's a story of Oz banking excess .... more here and here and here from the 'millionaire factory'  I read earlier (can't find it at present) that the Macquarie Bank has 13,000 employees world-wide and an annual wage/salary/bonus bill of over $1.9 billion.... and of course that's not divvied up equally, but that's one hell of a lot of bucks per person.  The general manager of the bank defends the extreme salary/bonus packages, yet is sacking some 1200 - 1300 staff because profits are falling.  Yeah, right!  More like: "Let's get rid of a few juniors so we don't have to cut back."

Take a moment and think about the question I asked.  For the sake of this discussion, lets give you the power to be able to make the changes needed.  What would you do?

Starkers... perhaps we should just assume that everyone is pissed off at the banks and bankers... and move on.

We get it, we got it.. it's done.. dusted.

There was NO name calling... just an observation of some of your thinking and politics, during and since the US election. As for it being a rant... they were thoughts put up for discussion/debate.  I am quite aware that not everyone will agree with me... but isn't that the point of discussion?

Anyhow, I could have expressed myself better than I did and I apologise.... so let's agree to disagree without getting into an argument, OK?

name calling.. thought calling.. whatever it was, i kinda resented it.

All good now mate.

I thought thast I answered that with....

No matter which way you slice it, runaway executive greed is the common deniminator... put the brakes on that and half the problem is solved... the other half takes care of itself when profits and resources are more evenly distributed/better used.

Like the Macquarie Bank's retiring chief... who needs a $36m golden handshake when they're already a multi-millionaire?  Tell me a brake on this kind of extravagence wouldn't help the World's economies grow/become stronger.