Distribution of Economic Stimulus Checks Begin Monday
Here is a guest post from a post by Pamela Lyn from Pam’s Coffee Conversation.
(If you would like to be a guest blogger on this site, please join our community)
Rebates to taxpayers slated to get paper checks will start to go out on May 9 - one week earlier than originally planned”
I applaud the IRS on its new computer system and its newly found efficiency. But I strongly suspect that given a national average gasoline price of $3.46 and the rising cost of food, there may have been a little pressure from Pennsylvania Avenue to get the checks out asap and momentarily divert Americans’ attention. And a quick moment it will be because $600 (for an individual) and $1,200 ( for a couple) won’t stretch very far.
In Pennsylvania:
- the average price for regular gasoline is $3.27,
- the average cost of a gallon of 2% low-fat milk is $4.29,
- the supermarket brand loaf of whole wheat bread averages $2.00,
- a dozen grade A large eggs is $2.79, and
- 5 lbs of long grain rice is $3.99
Speaking of rice, the San Francisco Chronicle reported:
“The climbing global price of rice and other staples shows no sign of leveling off, given caps placed on exports and various supply-side squeezes. As a result, food experts predict hunger and poverty in poor nations along with a restricted supply of grains coupled with rising prices in this country.
The worldwide rice crisis lapped over into the United States this week when Costco Wholesale and Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club, the two biggest warehouse retail chains, limited the amount of bulk imported rice customers can buy. Sam’s Club said the restriction is due to ‘recent supply and demand trends.’
Yet this past Tuesday, President Bush stated, “We’re not in a recession, we’re in a slowdown.” Hmmm!
Meanwhile, the combined campaign fund-raising totals for all of the candidates running in the 2008 US presidential primary election race has exceeded $800 million.Now if that hasn’t stimulated the US economy I can only wonder where we’d be if this wasn’t an election year.
$800 MILLION spent, to date, in an effort by politicians to convince the American public that they can solve our economic problems among hundreds of other critical issues.
Is anyone else beginning to suspect that no one in Washington has a clue of just how bad this mess could get or how to fix it?
—
More Political Voices of Women…
We now have over 400 women political bloggers on our list, here are the B’s…
A. M. Reynolds — Backyard Beacon — The Backyard Beacon is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan citizen-based watchblog that sheds light on underreported stories, particularly those in minority communities. The Beacon is a Newstex.com licensed Weblog distributed through the LexisNexis services.
Bang the Drum - Rant and ramblings of a political junkie.
Becky from Deep Muck Big Rake — So much muck, so little time.
BlogHer — A community of Women Bloggers
Blonde Sagacity — The conservative that liberals hate to love.
Blue Bloggin — My liberal blog focuses on Texas and national politics, political corruption, the environment and what every else pops in my head.
Blue Girl, Red State — I’m an over- educated, pissed-off redhead with a broadband connection and a credit card; fiercely dedicated to the Constitution; here to remind y’all that America is founded on four boxes: 1.)The Soapbox. 2.)The Ballot Box. 3.)The Jury Box. 4.)The Ammo Box. They should be used in that order. This is my soapbox.
Bluedaze — You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result. - Mahatma Gandhi
Bold Words — Exploring How Bold Words Can Give Life To Bold Ideas
Bottom Line Up Front — Amy
Build Peace — Arizona-based blog by a woman peace activist, mother, writer, anthropologist, semiotician — most often political, but not always. Original scoops and reporting have included Raging Granny arrests and Howard Dean`s positive interactions with Arizona CODE
BWFO — Black Women For Obama
