Rebate Checks - Will they Matter?

I'm kind of torn about the idea of tax rebate checks, and not just because I probably won't be getting one.

Anything that gives less money to the government and more money to the people, I'm all for. I already think that the government is too big, and philosophically believe that people should keep more of their own money and give less to government.

That being said, I'm also no idiot. Without equal spending cuts somewhere, less tax dollars for the government simply means bigger deficits in the future. It is either pay now or pay later, and I would rather know what we are getting ourselves into sooner rather than later.

I think my biggest gripe with the tax rebate checks is that I honestly don't think they will matter. They definitely will not accomplish what Bush wants them to accomplish which is to stimulate spending and jump start the economy. Here is the thing. A lot of Americans are just struggling with the basics. Food and gas prices are getting to the point of ridiculous, and $600 isn't what it used to be. For most people, that is just a few weeks of food and gas, and I think most people are going to spend their money this way.

Besides, it will just exacerbate what is going on in the economy. To pay for the tax rebate, the money has to come from somewhere. There is no such thing as a free lunch, the money comes from somewhere, and it comes from abroad, namely China and the Middle East. So what happens? The government is just going to borrow money for the rebate from these countries, and see the American consumer give it right back. The typical American consumer is going to spend it on something either made in China or the gas that comes from the Middle East. It's a great deal, if you are one of these other countries.