Incase you haven't heard, the government is actually going to give you money to spend in hopes of boosting the economy.  Personally, I am kinda excited to get the check, but I cannot say I am sure about whether or not saving it is...well....ethical.  The government is giving me this check to spend, and while I do have things I don't mind spending money on, I could also just as easily save it and pad my retirement savings.  But I have to ask, is that really the best thing to do for the country?  The government is giving me money, and technically it is mine to do whatever I want with it, but wouldn't spending it be better than saving it for the sake of the country?  Did I really just say that?  Is the government really saying that we are giving you money because we want/expect you to spend it?  There is something really backwards about that philosophy.  If anything, shouldn't we all just save the money since we know times are getting tough for our country?  Shouldn't we pay a late bill or perhaps an extra mortgage payment?  I guess I just don't think the government really wants us to do that.  While those are good things in the long run, the stimulus package is for the short-term.  Spend money on goods and services so they economy can right itself and bring costs down and jobs up.  But can we actually sustain that given the current situation?  Isn't the market going to continually go south for a while?  Wouldn't we be better served letting it go down more so that we can implement the stimulus package with greater effect?  Suffice-to-say, I really believe our country is taking a fundamental turn in the way it views money.  

Consumerism makes all of these issues with money exacerbated to the point that there are no more right answers.  Our country relies so heavily on the business of making money on people borrowing money that we cannot imagine fixing the problem by questioning this assumption.  Capitalism, at least in America, relies so heavily on this method of economics that now we are seeing some of the long term effects.  What do we do when it is actually damaging the entire country to allow people to exact insane amounts of interest from borrowers?  Should we cancel their debt?  Well isn't the right of the lender to follow the contract to the letter?  Who can tell the lender "you must forgive some of this person's debt,"?  No one.  Why not?  Because anyone who had that authority, would have to ask themselves if they would be willing to do the same thing?  In America, we don't say that, but perhaps we know it so deeply that we cannot imagine questioning it.  Pray for our nation as we are navigating these waters of forgiveness and grace.  There will be no easy fix for our financial problems, and their will not be equality for all.  

If you really cannot wait to see what Bush is going to give you.  There is an Economic Stimulus Package Calculator online.