The Trump Blog

In Canada there is a similar design, and no its not enough, not even a little bit. Whether its a hand out or not people can't pay their bills, and 600 dollars is not going to make living possible much less provide any sort of quality living standards.

What I mean by living refers to self care, mentally, physically and otherwise. Six hundred dollars won't even buy jeans for the kids school year, let alone the extra curricular events that happen through out a school year that absorb what lower income parents don't have to spend. Followed by the markets need to generate profit by way of all the holidays, birthdays, aniversaries and the likes that find an excuse to excit spending.

Personally I am past the family expenses my kids are all grown, and I don't and can't celebrate the holidays nor do I ask for gift baskets on those ocassions for the mere fact that if I do the cost of living isn't going to get any better, further more if the general public won't make things affordable year round, why fuel their altruistic ego by accepting gift baskets that are cheaper than the true need to fix the standard of living for everyone's best interest.

The fact remains 600 dollars does not buy the groceries and pay the power bill in one month. Rest assured there will be those who imagine it will solve their problems and they will fall flat on their face. For those who don't drink the money away, the dollar store will get richer. For those who don't need it they will most likely invest in their child's future educational insurances, and scoff at those who can't, small town politics.

The fact remains the cost of living must decrease and no government stipends is going to alleviate this fact. Minimum wage is a joke and its done enough damage over the years that reversing the damage is going to be very hard for those who have made good on people less fortunate. I wish I knew the answer but we are going in circles here.

The search for solutions has yet to sincerely bare focus.

Here's a challenge. Go to any major consumer goods store, especially stores for discretionary spending, like electronics, kid's toys, etc.

Find something made in the United States of America. Seriously.

The $150 billion would have been better spend improving American infrastructure - roads, power utilities, etc., things that would pay future dividends in increased capacity or efficiency, plus drive the money through American companies to American labor.

Christopher S. Penn
Producer, the Financial Aid Podcast
Daily free financial aid internet radio, no iPod required
http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com
FinancialAidPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com
AIM: FinAidPodcast
Show hotline: (206) 350-1208

"You can pull the wool over all of the people, some of the time:
Some of the people, all of the time"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoOoxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

From someone who has trusted in the US$ for many years, I am seriously concerned how the greatest economy can be in such a state. I had the option to invest in US$ or Euro. Had I taken the Euro, my investment would be a grand prize.

Okay, I'm not an American. Just an average "white" Guy from South Africa (That place where America sends food parcels) you lot need to back your chosen leaders instead of hampering them and give them the support to accomplish tasks taken.

On the upside, I am sure your problems are still on the distant horizon. Here in sunny SA, 'ZA in African language’ our problems are on the doorsteps.

Not that you lot really read commentary posted? I doubt that 'THE DONALD' has time to compose tits and tats in his spare time but wouldn't it be nice if he did?

Then again, it would be polite to get some response. Oh well, another big one for the UAE. They will be the owner of the Americas some day

So, grab your $600 and convert them to Euro!

Guy -

If there are people like me out there, I will not be spending it. I had to strip my savings recently and use my tax refund for spending too much on a vacation taken before Christmas. I also took most of savings last spring to invest in Web sites. Why? When I saw that even a 5% interest was not growing fast enough, I wanted to have more control of how to make money. So I have gambled with my savings that would not have supported me any way.

However, now I am riding uneasy without any emergency funds like deductibles for accidents and appliance replacements, plumbing repairs or in the event my old dog has to be put to sleep.

I want to restore my savings account for the rainy days ahead: Californina has given notice to school districts that they are going to cut 10% of the Education Budget in 2008/2009 school year. (This is ludicras when they only allow them a 3 % buffer as a nonprofit organization.) How does this affect me? I have been teaching 15 years, but since I am new to my current district, I have low seniority and was given my pinkslip to look elswhere for employment. Most districts are laying off; so I am not likely going to get the kind of teaching job that is located near me and of my forte. With the rising cost of gas, I do not look forwad to commuting.

I even think that I may have to strike out on my own and start my own business. So, $600 will hardly start a business. It may cover one month of my current medical coverage under Cobra which will be over $500 per month. I would rather find a way to make another grand per month.

It seems $600 will not go very far per capita. What is it worth? One expense for a month. What good is one month of stimulus for an economy that has deeper and far reaching issues? I think it is too little too late. This action of Bush is him being reactive when being proactive might have prevented this mess. Where were the law makers when home loans were being handed out like candy to kids? (Me included.) Where is the course for young and old alike to teach them wise use of credit and mortgage refis? Where were the law makers to regulate the loan industry?

I am sorry to go on about this. But I live in a community of dicotomous incomes (wealth). Even I tried to keep up with the Jones. I still see the Jones (as of last month) refinancing to get new cars etc. While their houses sit on the market plummeting in value. I know now that there is no way I even want to keep up with them. This is simply a time for some of us to tighten our belt and come out stronger for it in the end. The immediate gratification mentality has gotten us in this mess. I think, as a nation of consumers and businesses, we just need patience and discipline to wait until the time is right to spend.

I think a new trend of opening service businesses that will help us as a nation. Helping people start and succeed at offering services that help people is the better way to get us out of this severe slump. Fill the gaps between scarcity and invention. I am so tired of nay sayers who owe their souls to company stores and say there is no other way than to get a job, when jobs are scarce. Empower the people to make their own jobs. Let "necessity be the mother of invention."

I want to know how savings and investing can help the economy. Put "motherhood" and volunteers into the economic equation. Measure their values to get a more accurate picture of the economy. Change the way we formulate macroeconomics, by capitalizing on the microeconomics all around us. Because when push gets to shoving it is the micro that pushes the macro. We have to change the way we measure our economy. We have enough stuff (material things) in the USA; we need more service oriented gumption. If I had the capital, I could hire people to do a bunch just around my own property. The right kind of busniesses will help create the right kind of jobs to make a lasting difference. 'nuff said.

That is an interesting...We dont agree with the claim that our stimulus rebate was or ever would be free. People earned it...and sometimes not privleged to get the extra tax incentives. They earned it.

The gas is a big one. What difference will it make?

Fact: We have transitioned from a production-based economy to a debt-based economy in a period of less than 30yrs. Somewhere in between the two there was supposed to be a service-based economy, but of course that was short lived as people accumulated debt to maintain their standard of living. The concept of a service-based economy was also illogical from the get-go. In fact, even as a teenager back in the 80's, I was apt enough to know that there could be no such thing. If a country doesn't produce the essentials and employ people to create those essentials, then we are missing an important element in the food chain. An element that cannot be replaced with debt. An element that is essential to this country's survival. This is not alarmist or kooky, it is rational and logical.

Until we are buying American products that are made in America again, we may as well get used to the idea of fascism within 30yrs. The system is already largely in place. All of this nonsense of devauling our currency, offering so-called 'tax rebates' and deficit spending leads to no other end. The American consumer is largely insolvent and the country is insolvent.

My educated prediction: This alleged stimulus plan will fall dead in the water as I imagine that on the low end, the money will end up in Walmart's (China's) registers, in the middle it will end up back in the banks pockets (via credit card payments), and on the higher end it will not register any calculable impact.

Realize that this is not "free money". It's an advance of your tax refund for the 2008 tax year. If you are a wage earner still looking forward to tax refunds, then you need to adjust your withholding.
Resist the temptation to squander this money. Put it to work for you. If you can save or invest, great. If you can pay down debt, great.
I don't see this stimulus package providing long-term benefits. Looks like a temporary feel-good scheme to me. Call me cynical, but I'm skeptical because this is happening in an election year.
I agree that this money should be directed toward infrastructure improvement. Anything but being spent on enormous TV's. We don't need to widen the trade deficit.

Using a Stimulus Package to create a better economy is dangerous. Giving people money to spend simply encourages a spending "addiction." Once they spend the free money, they will spend more via credit. It's a short term fix that leads to long term problems.

What is the stimulus package anyway? a mere means of putting money back into the economy or is it a way for common forks (lower and middle class) to pay their bills. Yeah it was said that the money should be used for reasons other than paying bills; but think about it, if you are lower or middle class all you have are bills. Especially if you have MEDICAL BILLS.
Only people that don't care about their priorities are going to spend that money on something that wont aid them in the furture. What is a plasma tv going to do for you if you cant pay your light bill? Answer: nothing. It's understandable that Bush is trying now after he has messed up over and over again. But now is the time for people to start thinking for themselves and use that money toward something that's going to benefit in the long run.

The Tax Rebate stimilus is going to worsen the economy because most families will use it to buy a larger television screen or feed their vice instead of using it to pay off their debts. Debts will increase and more slowdown of the economy will ensue (after a short upswing).

What we need is an amnesty package. A presidential decree that will absolve all personal credit card debts for all tax-paying Americans.

Am I understanding correctly that this stimulus will be taken out of our tax returns next year? Is this "information" merely here-say? I have heard "sprinklings" of this coming from individuals who have been informed of this by personal accountants. Should I be saving or spending in reality? What happens when everyone's spent this money and don't have any left to pay back? I'm hoping a little more light could be shed on this. Thank You!

this is not free money, it's actually an advance, in other words, if you spend this, the IRS will adjust your 2008 return. This site explains it better.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/08/pf/taxes/rebates_what_you_need_to_kno...

I think it is a lot like a class action lawsuit. The pie is cut into so many pieces and costs much more to initiate it than it is worth to the recipients. So my vote is to put the focus on real solutions, not band-aides for our self inflicted owies.
Sally The Realtor

The Stimulus what is the expected outcome?
A response by Tammie Coffey

Well in most homes in America any burst of cash will help right now. In my sad reality my former husband will get that because he has illegally obtained orders for child support that are not based on the standards the State established (this doesn’t not seem to bother anyone) That has also not stopped them from taking my student loans to stimulate his checkbook, or any other form of harassment over the last eight years! In reality for me I could care less about it, because I have accepted that our government is going to let my former husband including domestic abuse, isolation, and intimidation or whatever he wants, and so far nobody has done anything to say HE HAS TO STOP! I am confident however, that if not for this unusual situation of severe abuse of discretion, and misleading the court, that money would have been handy in our house, and we could have used it to contribute to our business, a much more worthy cause indeed than giving it to an oppressor who has misused laws in order to oppress and humiliate, and degrade a person for eight long years WITHOUT ANY CONSEQUENCE AT ALL! I would hope that everyone who is not a political hostage, would invest in a home based business with that money and build a residual income to help them stimulate the economy for longer than just a month. But then, I am biased, and believe that students should take part of every student loan and use it for learning a home based business, and by the time they were finished with college they would not owe 60,000 in loans, and they would have the practical skills that the students around the world have in matters of business which are not taught in college unless you are focused in that area of study. Do you know that most college graduates have no idea what to do with a business idea if they get one, and even less experience in doing business? This means they have very little value for that process, and it also lends itself to a society who has a whole culture of educated dummies with no real clue how business gets done. The practical skill of owning a business, and learning to market it, nurture it, and grow it into something that earns a residual income is what would stimulate the income many COLLEGE educated people need to repay student loans, sign that into a bill and I will think for once someone in government is hearing the reality of living in the real world.

There has been much dialogue on tax rebates being used by many to pay off debt instead of "stimulating the economy" by making purchases. I believe, however, that this is a big misnomer as paying off debt injects money into our weakened banking system, which in turn, is a good thing because it helps the economy on the backend.

Either way, the economy benefits in one form or another. Paying off debt sets the stage for a better future where you will have more money to spend or invest because you have less debt!

So don't feel guilty paying off whatever debt you have with your rebate check as you not only help the national economy, but your personal economy as well!