(SitNews) - I am a pragmatist to the nth degree. As I’ve gotten older I’ve become even more adept at questioning give-away programs, and particularly those sponsored by politicians. And, no matter how they refer to themselves, anyone holding an elected office is first and foremost a political animal born, nurtured and absolutely at home in the snake-pit of politics.

The forthcoming stimulus payments will assuredly have a due-bill attached to them. In all probability it will be a future tax increase or a new round of inflation
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The government currently has no income, except for stalwart citizens like myself who paid their taxes before the COVID-19 invasion. And that begs question, where is the money to fund the stimulus initiative coming from? There are only two methods through which the government can pay for stuff, either print more money or borrow more money. Even without the stimulus package the government was projected to spend over $1 trillion more than it’s projected income (read taxes).

What do people use when they spend more than they make? They either borrow money or use credit cards, which are just a convenient way to borrow money.
As of now, $5.4 trillion of our debt is owned by Asian countries, and 20% of that is held by China, world headquarters for COVID-19.

The money for the stimulus checks will be added to the deficit and our grandchildren will pay it back in their taxes, along with the funds allocated for business, research, transfer payments and anything else that receives money for nothing. There is no free lunch
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Were I running the country, I would put people back to work and stop all federal, state and local withholding for a year. That would put an extra 30 to 40% in every paycheck every payday. Those hardworking folks who run cash businesses may be at a short-term disadvantage, but as business picks up they will reap the benefits of the trickledown economy.

Some questions have been in my mind since the Democrat majority in the House approved the package:

Will recipients have o show a photo ID to cash their checks?

Non-resident aliens are excluded from receiving payments, but what about undocumented resident alien?

If you don’t have a social security number, you can’t receive a payment. Isn’t that discrimination?

Must have filed an income tax return for 2018 or 2019 to receive the payment. Less than 50% of the population files tax returns. What does the other half receive?

These are the kinds of things idle minds can come u with in quarantine.

Bob Ciminel, author of the Fish or Cut Bait column, is returning to SitNews. After a decades career in the nuclear power industry, Ciminel is now retired. Ciminel is also a veteran having served in the U.S. Navy. Contact Bob Ciminel at sop2510@hotmail.com

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