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A little spending money can go a long way
By John Andre, Editor
Thu Apr 03, 2008, 04:22 PM EDT
Every now and then I get some interesting newsworthy nuggets of information dumped in my email box. These are often joined by kudos to the paper, putting-me-in-my-place slaps upside my head, notices of several attractive ladies searching for me from around the globe, and even an occasional note notifying me of two million dollars in British pounds waiting for me in a bank account in French Polynesia. Just fill out the form and claim your inheritance.
Let's stick with the money issue, but one more fact than fiction.
The rebate check.
A national polling organization Zogby sends the results of polls out to news organizations, or to those who request them, via email.
The latest headline: Just 28% Believe Rebate Checks Will Boost U.S. Economy
I do know much about grand scale economics other than Barak Obama bowled a .000 average the other night. However, he found the gutter quite marvelously. That translates to a 1.000 average.
Back to the Zogby poll.
The results showed that 2 of 3 (67%) registered voters don't think the government rebate will help, with 38 percent "strongly disagree" that the checks will do anything but cause hangovers and delinquency.
It's no surprise that democrats and independents are more skeptical than republicans. And doubts are greater among young voters, those 18 to 29. But if you're over 65, then you are among the group most optimistic about the rebates.
And this is what I love about polls. There's even a statistic among those who are weekly shoppers at Wal-Mart and those who never shop there.
Got a hunch? It's easy. Wal-Mart shoppers are much more optimistic about the rebates helping the economy. Forty-one percent of them, in fact. Only 15% of those who never visit Sam Walton's empire see the government's plan as a good move.
Me, I'm all for it. Take a walk up and down North Washington Street in downtown North Attleborough and poll those businesses on whether they think your rebate check will help them pay their light bills and employees.
Take your check to any of the auto dealerships in town and ask them if that doesn't boost your chances of driving away in a new set of wheels.
I agree many folks don't need that check, but there are plenty out there who do, especially after being siphoned dry when trying to fill their heating oil tanks, those big, black monsters that terrorize homes and hang over the heads of chilly families like a dark cloud.
The Zogby release came with the following:
Most Americans opposed to federal bailouts for investment banks and homeowners
Most Americans also have misgivings about the possibility of the federal government stepping in to help struggling investment companies and those facing foreclosure on their homes. Two in three Americans (68%) disagree with the idea of the federal government stepping in to help investment companies that are suffering because of their heavy investments in worthless mortgages - just 25% believe the government should take steps to help these companies.
I agree there too. A rebate check isn't a bailout, but it is a helping hand. It's no lifesaver, but it is a small comfort like a dry pair of socks. All things considered, it brings a small dose of relief to those that really need it. For the rest of us, it's cash that's going to get injected into the money trail.
And let's not forget that local business, the mom and pop, is where that money should get injected and on its way back to the government.
Keep it local. At least for a little while.
