Economic stimulus checks coming in May

[Roma Jean Turner]

Whatever one gets from this, just consider pure windfall.  As grandma used to say..."Best not to count your chickens until they hatch."  I'm eyeing a pretty new bicycle, but like Teresa and her gun, if ain't enough, I'll just be working a little harder till I get it.  I went on to the Social Security site.  They have a calculator that you can answer certain questions and it will tell you what you appear to be eligible for.  Nothing is of course guaranteed.  One of my friends just received her check this week.  I didn't ask her how much.

[flo]

  well, my little garage out back needs a new roof, bad, and thot if I should get enough to buy the metal then my lawnmower and other things stored in there wouldn't always be wet and the floor wouldn't always be MUD  . still not holding my breath tho.

[Tobina+1]

Yea of little faith.  We got ours 4/30 (auto deposit), $1,200.

[W. Gray]

We received a mailed follow up from IRS today which states how the stimulus amount was calculated.

The notice also gives an assistance number of 1-866-234-2942, should there be a problem.

[flo]

what really scares me is how they intend to recoup this "free" money and believe me, they will.

[Teresa]

Well there are still struggling families across our great nation that are waiting for a special delivery from the federal government.  They are looking for their promised stimulus rebate check from Uncle Sam. 

Yes, I realize that people look at this cash infusion as a welcome and needed "bump"... ............ until you realize that our children will be paying back this money to China (who we borrowed it from) ..over their lifetimes so that we can supposedly jump-start our economy today.

Now you tell me... Does this make any kind of rational sense to you? 
It doesn't to me.

We BORROW all the money from China..to "give"..to the people in the US.
Then for the most part.. all the people will run out and buy "stuff" that the Chinese made and already sold to the US.. in turn stimulating China's market and economy..
THEN..
we and our children and their children ...for hundreds of years (if the world is still around)  will be paying back all this "free" money and all the interest it has and will accumulate. Not to mention on top of  all the other borrowed and reborrowed moneys that an already debt drowning nation has incurred and buried us under.

Nobody with any business sense runs a company this way. Has the whole world lost their mind?   

[Diane Amberg]

  Our check won't come until late June. We owed a bit this year, so even though we filed electronically, the check will still come to us here.
   Teresa, you do know we also sell a lot of stuff to China too. I'm sure it's not equal, but it's not all one sided either. I believe China is something like 3rd or 4th highest on the US export list. Canada is probably 1st. A lot of bulk foods and processed foods are exported to China. Lots of transportation equipment, farm equipment, manufacturing equipment, waste and scrap, and chemicals are sold to them also. Even Kansas sells to China.  China is your 3rd largest export market for processed foods, waste and scrap, electronics and computers, and a few more. It just seems like everything comes from China. Al bought a new tractor battery today...American made.
  Right now economics is as hard to figure out as politics! I've about given up trying to figure out who borrowed what from whom.

[W. Gray]

I was curious and found these 2007 figures

Exports as percentage of total
Canada 22%
Mexico 12%
China 10%
Japan 6%
Germany 5%
UK 5%

Imports as percentage of total
China 19%         Almost one-fifth of all goods
Canada 16%
Mexico 11%
Japan 8%
Germany 5%

[flo]

remember weeks ago when we were discussing this "free" money and I stated I wasn't gonna count my chickens before they hatched?  Well, guess the eggs rotted because my deposit date has come and gone by three weeks and I now need to tell my children the good news.  They won't have to pay anything back on my account.  Guess they figured I didn't need any additional money to stimulate the economy.   

[Diane Amberg]

Thanks Waldo!  Flo, don't give up....Call that 866 # and ask for help.