Give Us OUR Money!!

Imagine you're sitting in a car dealership buying a new car. You've negotiated a price and are signing on the dotted line when the sales manager introduces himself and shakes your hand while giving you some pleasant news. The manufacturer has announced an immediate rebate of $800. While completing the financing paperwork, the finance manager tells you that since you can afford a new car and others can't, they are going to give $200 of your money to the next person they see driving a car manufactured before 1998. Then the finance manager reconsiders and says that won't be fair to the people forced to ride buses and says they're going to give $100 to the next person they see at the bus stop. You'll still get $500 though. Do you like this idea? It's basically what the government is doing with the Economic Stimulus Package. Since funneling money back into consumer's hands creates a temporary in-flux of money into the economy, they've decided to give us "rebates" of tax money we've paid to do this. According to Webster's dictionary, a rebate is "a return of a part of a payment." The sad part is that they're giving money to people who didn't pay any taxes last year. Or, to put it bluntly, they're taking money from one set of people and giving it to other set of people. The Bush Administration's original plan was to give taxpayers up to $800 each, provided they paid up to $800. The democratically controlled House got their hands on the idea and decided that even people who do not pay taxes should get $300 and taxpayers should only get $600. Then it was the democratically controlled Senate who grabbed my money, decided everyone should get $500 and took up for those on Social Security, giving them $500 also. Now my rebate is reduced to $500. This isn't right and should absolutely be unconstitutional. I don't mind when they create programs to help feed, clothe, or educate the poor, but taking cash out of my pocket and handing it to others is criminal. Another tax scandal is when our government gives out the Earned Income Tax Credit. Although a person has a tax liability of zero or in other words paid no taxes throughout the year, they are still able to get a refund of up to $4716 depending on marital and familial status. Why is it called a refund if they paid no money in? For our elected officials to decide that they're going to buy votes by giving voters my money is something I find terribly wrong. We know they do this with special interest budget line items also. When are we going to believe as John F. Kennedy so famously stated, "ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country?" I fear that if we fail to start thinking more along these lines soon, we'll sink to a point of no recovery where total socialism is inevitable. You may snicker and call me an alarmist, but there are many lines in the sand beyond the one you draw. I don't mean to sound cruel or uncaring towards people with lower income, but if I'm still paying money into the system and they're handing it out in the form of cash payments, they're taking my money and giving it to others. This is not what this country is about. Am I in France, Cuba, or America? It's getting more difficult to tell over time. Just because I make a certain amount of money does not mean I'm rich. I have credit card debt, a mortgage, a car loan, and minimal savings. I also donate a substantial amount to charity even in spite of this. Hey, Marxists in Washington, I need my money sent to me. I'll spend it. I promise. Is there something logically wrong with this? Is anyone paying attention?