Stimulate This

DemoMemo, a blog by Cheryl Russell has this fascinating post titled The Great American Shopping List that I have clipped the 10 bullet points below. They are listed from the largest to the smallest top 10 expenses for American earners. Now consider where our money is spent and the Obamanomics agenda for economic stimulus. Spending our way to prosperity will result in an increase for the rest of us who are footing the bill.

1. Social Security payroll taxes
2. Mortgage payments
3. Car payments
4. Groceries
5. Restaurant meals
6. Gasoline
7. Federal taxes
8. Property taxes
9. Health insurance
10. Electricity

Read her blog and then consider that 3 of these items are TAXES, lower those taxes and consider your budget stimulated. Now consider that your gas and your car are heavily burdened by taxes and government regulation. Lower the gas tax and ease the regulation on car manufacturers and you provide a double stimulus. Lower car prices and lower price of fuel for the cars will stimulate the auto industry far more effectively than government handouts. With half of the top 10 household expenses now stimulated consider us on our way to recovery.

Now let me squelch your enthusiasm. The Obama energy plan calls for the bankrupting of the coal industry with no feasable stratagy to replace it. I predict #10, cost of electricity in this list could quickly offset any stimulus benifit we could possibly employ. 70%-80% of our electricity comes from a source our current adminstration admitedly wants to eliminate. If you thought the price of gas was an issue in 2008, just wait for the carbon off-set tax to start effecting your electric bill. Secondly, consider how the latest policy Obama has to allow states to indipendantly regulate car emission standards and his plan to increase regluation for fule economy standards you can kiss the US auto industry goodbye.
Feeling stimulated?