How
Will You Spend Your Economic Stimulus Money?
Income taxes are a relatively new idea in American history
and the concept of giving out “free money” as a means of stimulating a
faltering economy is even newer. Beginning in 1913, and requiring a
Constitutional Amendment to even be legal, income taxes are now, along with
death, one of the only accepted certainties of life. Every year in April,
Americans are content to allow Uncle Sam to dip into the fruits of their labor
and take pretty much whatever he wants. Aren’t we generous!
As you are
probably aware, and may have already received your check, your federal
government has decided to treat the symptoms of our current economic malaise by
appropriating some timely fiat monies (about $600 per individual) toward
“economic stimulus,” which essentially means everyone who pays taxes will get a
“free payday,” depending on how you look at it, for doing little more than
being, well, themselves. With this in mind, I thought it might be interesting
to find out how random people in downtown Evansville
are planning on spending their “free money.”
Of the
people I spoke to, roughly 15% said the best use of their printed cotton would
be to hide it away in the bank. Steve, a carpenter working on one of the
downtown renovations, explained his reasoning with a humorous wink saying, “the
bank needs the money.” Interestingly, of those who wanted to leave their money
in the bank, most refused to let me take their picture. Can’t say I blame them.
Who wants their picture taken by a strange man asking strange questions on the
street, anyway?
_______________________________________________________
Joseph
Joseph: “I’ll just
leave it in the bank and save for a rainy day.”
About 20% of those asked thought that paying bills would be
the most sensible use of their dead presidents.
Tyrone: “I’ll probably
pay some bills, my rent, and some clothes for my kid.”
Barbara
Barbara (Volunteer for
Hillary Clinton campaign HQ in Evansville):
“…probably put it toward my mortgage.”
Bob
Bob: “I’d pay some
hospital bills. I’m diabetic.”
None of those that said they’d pay bills with the money had
a problem being photographed. Is there a correlation? Probably a question best
posed to a sociologist.
The more
colorful and interesting answers tended to be the most pessimistic. Katherine,
an administrative assistant, told me she’d move her money into gold or Euros.
When asked why, she said, “because the economy is going to sh*t and the dollar
isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.” Maybe she has a point. Gold is near its
all time high, while the U.S. dollar has fallen below even the Canadian dollar
on world markets.
Another man, Tony Neal, who volunteered his full name but
was nonetheless camera shy, put it to me this way: “I’d take a trip somewhere,
cause one way or another, the government’s gonna get [the money] back anyway.
Either way, it’s only a small fraction of the what they’ve stolen over the
years.”
Others who
opted to spend the money toward a vacation (about 25% of those I spoke to)
weren’t quite so pessimistic. Kent, an Evansville Police Officer, told me he
planned on taking his family to the Great Smoky Mountains
and to Cardinals baseball games, adding that the Cardinals games probably
wouldn’t have happened without the stimulus money. Here are some others whose
vacations will be courtesy of Uncle Sam’s sudden burst of charity…
Shannon
Shannon (Membership
Coordinator at BowerSurheinrich Art
Gallery): “I’m taking one vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
and another whitewater rafting in California.”
Angie (Sales Account
Manager at News-4U): “I think we might use our money toward our annual trip to Panama City.”
Skyler
Skyler (E.P.D. Officer):
“Vegas, baby!”
Both police officers interviewed for this article would use
their money toward vacations. With a job that tough, who could blame them?
About 15% mentioned kids clothing as a possible purchase
item.
Erick
Erick: “I’ve got five
kids. I’ll be buying them summer clothes.
Renai
Renai: “I’m buying
clothes for my granddaughter.”
Probably the most poignant and bitterly ironic answers came
from those 15% who agreed with Roger and David, a maintenance man and a
printer, respectively…
Roger and David
Roger (left):
“I’d buy gasoline. Maybe then I could afford a little of it.”
David (right):
“I’d pay my income taxes.”
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