Monday, May 19, 2008
Civics
I am going to do my part as a good citizen to quickly spend a nice chunk of my additional tax rebate on an expensive electronic good. I had planned to buy an external hard drive for probably two years now but always seemed to find a better (and even more impulsive) purchase. And at this moment, thanks to the federal government's generous decision to give back a few hundred of my dollars, I can set aside the cash before I have it. I suppose I can thank the state for letting me loan it money, with no interest paid mind you, so that I can have it back at a useful time, to stave off system collapse.
In keeping with American fiscal policy since WWII, Washington is linking economic growth and stability with consumption, particularly of disposable goods that appeal to materialistic impulses. The so called stimulus package amounts to a payment, per person, that is just big enough to blow on a sweet new ipod or jacket, but not yet large enough to make any sizeable debt in, say, a mortgage or car payment. Whereas $600 might cover one month of a mortgage, a television lasts forever. Or at least a good five years, which might as well be forever. After that point, you can conveniently dispose of the television in a local landfill or lake to clear space for the next generation. It's no contest. The shiny thing always wins out over the tedious bank transaction.
Having said that, I do plan to keep the rest of the stimulus money hidden away inside my mattress. So take that, Federal Reserve.
In keeping with American fiscal policy since WWII, Washington is linking economic growth and stability with consumption, particularly of disposable goods that appeal to materialistic impulses. The so called stimulus package amounts to a payment, per person, that is just big enough to blow on a sweet new ipod or jacket, but not yet large enough to make any sizeable debt in, say, a mortgage or car payment. Whereas $600 might cover one month of a mortgage, a television lasts forever. Or at least a good five years, which might as well be forever. After that point, you can conveniently dispose of the television in a local landfill or lake to clear space for the next generation. It's no contest. The shiny thing always wins out over the tedious bank transaction.
Having said that, I do plan to keep the rest of the stimulus money hidden away inside my mattress. So take that, Federal Reserve.
# posted by workplex @ 18:56 
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