TresSugar

What Will You Do With Your Rebate Check?

DearSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:00:00 -0700

If you're like me, you're highly anticipating that rebate check! Even though I'm not scheduled to get mine until May 9, I know exactly what I'm going to do with it.

I've always considered tax refunds as free money, and back in my less responsible days, I'd use it to buy something I had my eye on, but this year I'm not even letting that money get comfortable in my bank account - it's going straight to my bills. So what about you? What do you plan on doing with your rebate? Do you consider it free money to do something special with or are you taking the mature route and using that money more sensibly?

Source

Check This: How Many Flat Screens Will the Stimulus Buy?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:02:02 -0800

Repeating ad nauseam that the $150 billion economic stimulus package was aimed at "middle income" Americans, Congress and Secretary Paulson announced their proposed stimulus package this morning.

Pelosi said it was created to "strengthen the middle class, create jobs, and turn the economy around." To do this, Pelosi said, "we need to get the money to those who will spend it immediately." That's what concerns me.

They've decided they're cutting checks, willing to further disrupt our wildly unbalanced budget, for what seems like a band-aid, and a teeny-tiny one at that. Though no official promises have been made yet, the amounts of dough distributed are said to be between $300 and $600 for individual filers and up $1600 for families. Granted, it's more than $1.95, but they're gambling on human nature. To find out how, read more.

They're gambling that if an American knows he's getting $600 bucks in the mail, he'll probably go out today and put a $1000 TV on a credit card, promising that he'll use his rebate to pay it down but probably adding to his mounting personal debt that will make it all the more disastrous if he loses his job. They're gambling that a family won't snatch that thousand bucks and use it to pay a portion of their precarious mortgage, only to be in the exact same state in a month. But is the gamble worth it?

Representative Jeb Hensarling of Texas said, “if you’re going to have an economic stimulus package, it ought to contain some economic stimulus.” So, it seems like a huge national price to pay for relatively meaningless personal gain. Is the rebate worth it to you? Will Congress's gamble work? That is to say, have you already spent yours and then some?

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Briefing Book! Knowing Is Half the Battle . . .

LibertySugar — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:30:46 -0700

Euthanasia: Twisted? Oregon's physician-assisted suicide law allows taxpayers to pay for a man's assisted suicide because it's cheaper than trying to heal him. - Townhall
Economics: Are you stimulated? Gross domestic product only grew 1.9 percent despite rebate checks. - SavvySugar
Separation of Powers: Will it get upheld on appeal? Federal judge rules that top advisers to Bush are not immune from congressional subpoenas. - Politico
Disney Shanghai: The most censored place on earth? Media component of Disney-China deal could have other companies salivating at Disney's unrivaled access to the Chinese market. - Shanghaiist

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Front Page: Same-Sex Lawsuit, Stimulus Signed, Iran Visits

CitizenSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:48:28 -0800

A lesbian couple from Englewood, CO, are the first to legally challenge Colorado's recently passed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Their motion claims the amendment violates their constitutional right to equal protection. The couple's lawyer says, “The American system does not allow for the tyranny of the majority. Marriage is a fundamental right, which should be for all Coloradans, not just some Coloradans.” The 2006 ballot initiative that allowed Coloradans to vote on the issue, passed by 55 percent. Nine states offer benefits to same-sex couples, and 26 states have constitutional bans on same-sex couples.
President Bush has signed the $167 billion economic stimulus package. Checks are expected to be sent in May, with rebates of up to $600 for individuals and $1,200 for couples, plus $300 for each child. Rushed through both houses of Congress in record time, Bush said of the plan, "we have come together on a single mission, and that is to put the people's interest first."
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is planning a historic visit to neighboring Iraq. The trip will be the first ever by an Iranian leader, and marks improving relations between the countries following their eight-year war in the 1980s and the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. The two countries are set to talk about "bi-lateral relations and joint projects."

Link Time

LibertySugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:30:58 -0800

Apocalypse coming? Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil struck by lightning - Daily Mail
US carrier intercepts Russian bombers, Cold War dance begins again - The Lede
Ron Paul plans march on Washington - Wonkette
John McCain and Karl Rove have a love-hate relationship - Huffington Post
The FISA fight: Retroactive immunity for telecommunication companies survives - Michelle Malkin
Irish politician wants country to drive on the right - Passport
The unstimulated: which Americans won't be getting a rebate check - Politico
Boulder considers a resolution to impeach President Bush - Rocky Mountain News

Tons of News - Here's a Campaign Roundup

LibertySugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:40:18 -0800

Because of a flood of donations over the last two days, Clinton’s staff members, who had decided to withhold paychecks voluntarily, will be receiving their salaries after all. Hillary Clinton loaned her campaign $5 million in January. Her campaign has raised $6.4 million in the last 24 hours. - The New York Times
John McCain skipped a difficult Senate vote Wednesday on whether to make 20 million seniors and 250,000 disabled veterans eligible for rebate checks as part of a proposed economic stimulus package. Whichever way McCain may have voted, it would have been a difficult choice. - My Way News
The pundits view Super Tuesday as a split decision, but gamblers have found a clear winner: Barack Obama. Obama's numbers have jumped dramatically at a leading online betting exchange. - The Wall Street Journal
Still in the race, Mike Huckabee is in New York City today filming appearances for the Tyra Banks Show and The Colbert Report. Awesome!! - Yahoo News