# Another Obama Giveaway **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 15, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911 "2009-10-15T15:58:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/1 "2009-10-15T15:58:35Z")
OK, Obama is now moving steadily towards my dumbass politician list. For the first time in umpteen years, there will not be a COLA increase for Social Security recipients in 2010, because consumer prices actually fell over the last year. Hey, good news! We can save the money that would have gone to that and use it for something else, right? Nope. Huey P. Obama is pushing for more chickens in every pot. $250 to be just handed to Social Security recipients because they didn’t get a COLA. WTF? A COLA is not needed because prices are lower now than they were last year. That’s why there’s an annual review of such things, and existing law to tell us what do–ie, do not increase payments this year. Giving people money the law says they do not need and are not entitled to receive, when the budget deficit is already out of control makes no fiscal sense. Tax Dollars are not his personal slush fund to be doled out whenever he wants. Boo to Obama for reckless, uneccessary spending and fiscal irresponsibility. Hopefully, Congress has more sense than he does, and does not authorize another government giveaway. I tried to provide a link–there’s a story in the Money section of CNN, but my browser crashes every time I load that page. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/2 "2009-10-15T16:09:41Z")
What? Reasoned criticism of Obama? No calling him a socialist? No grandiose oversimplifications? Knock it off. 😉 I think this was more political expediency than doling out cash. Very subtle difference in the (imagined) mindset, and both are criticizeable. It also highlights one of the lost-in-the-bleating conservative ideas. Start a handout, and you’ll be tied to it to the point where you can’t even follow a reasonable course of action. I assume that someone pointed out that if he allows the no-COLA to go unchecked, the Right Wing Marketeers would have a field day. Not that it would have anything to do with reality – more along the lines of Obama canceled payments to seniors. The political fallout from that was weighed against the political fallout of extending payments ($250 each month or over a year?) would be lower than the boon from not pissing seniors off (or making them happy). Plus, if they truly don’t need it, then it’s likely that a good amount will flow back to the economy, which is arguably beneficial (that argument is for another thread). This is not a justification of the choice, more an analysis of one possible decision-making scenario. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/3 "2009-10-15T16:15:21Z")
The cost of living has not decreased. I know the stats say it, but gas is rising again, food costs more ,insurance costs more. If housing costs are dropping, that is only relevant if you are buying or selling one. The experience in the marketplace belies the idea that cost of living is going down. Perhaps Rolexes are dropping. Normal expenses are not. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/4 "2009-10-15T16:17:52Z")
Oh please, please, give me a soundbite about the GOP screaming about Obama giving money to old people. (Which if I remember my demographics correctly is a place where they still have some support.) That will go over real well. It’s nice to see that some of the political lessons he learned in Chicago have taken. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/5 "2009-10-15T16:28:29Z")
[Tax rebate could be President Bush’s best legacy](http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article3228105.ece) > [@](#): > > January 22, 2008 > Mr Bush’s plan is remarkably similar to the one he launched in 2001 within days of taking office, when the economy was struggling with the burden of the collapse of the dot-com boom. > > He wants the Internal Revenue Service to mail out rebate cheques to all taxpayers. The Administration hasn’t publicly put a number on the plan yet, but officials say they are thinking about $800 for individuals and $1,600 for families. In total that would inject about $150 billion (£77 billion) into the US economy. That represents about 1.2 per cent of gross domestic product, a not insignificant amount. If Congress can get its act together, that would be in people’s pockets some time over the summer, perhaps just as the slump is really starting to hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/6 "2009-10-15T17:17:22Z")
Eh, given that it sounds like it will be paid through gov’t borrowing, it’s pretty obviously meant to be a politically do-able mini-stimulus. A good thing, IMHO, though I’m sure others disagree. And though its obviously a worse deal for the gov’t’s bottom line then not paying Seniors anything, its a much better deal then actually gving them a COLA, as this will be a one time payment and not a permanent increase. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/7 "2009-10-15T17:28:09Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Eh, given that it sounds like it will be paid through gov’t borrowing, it’s pretty obviously meant to be a politically do-able mini-stimulus. A good thing, IMHO, though I’m sure others disagree. > > And though its obviously a worse deal for the gov’t’s bottom line then not paying Seniors anything, its a much better deal then actually gving them a COLA, as this will be a one time payment and not a permanent increase. I agree with your first point, and your second point is a significant fact. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/8 "2009-10-15T17:38:28Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Eh, **given that it sounds like it will be paid through gov’t borrowing,** it’s pretty obviously meant to be a politically do-able mini-stimulus. I would assume it would come from existing payroll taxes. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/9 "2009-10-15T17:47:10Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > [Tax rebate could be President Bush’s best legacy](http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article3228105.ece) So because Bush gave away pointless handouts, Obama should, too? Asinine then, asinine now. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/10 "2009-10-15T17:52:34Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I would assume it would come from existing payroll taxes. Nope. It’s being paid out of the general fund, basically using the same mechanism as the earlier stimulus payments. That was sort of my point, the tie to actual Social Security payments is pretty weak, its basically political cover for stimulus funding. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/11 "2009-10-15T17:54:56Z")
> [@furt](#): > > So because Bush gave away pointless handouts, Obama should, too? > > Asinine then, asinine now. Yeah, that’s certainly an odd line of reasoning: If Bush did it, it must be right. Very odd for this board. However, **Simplicio** ’s point is a good one – you make the seniors happy, but you don’t increase the baseline, which will be compounded forever more. Still a pretty dumb move, though, IMHO – cash disbursements don’t seem to work well as stimulus. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/12 "2009-10-15T17:58:35Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Oh please, please, give me a soundbite about the GOP screaming about Obama giving money to old people. (Which if I remember my demographics correctly is a place where they still have some support.) That will go over real well. > It’s nice to see that some of the political lessons he learned in Chicago have taken. Can you expand on this please? ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/13 "2009-10-15T18:04:58Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Eh, given that it sounds like it will be paid through gov’t borrowing, it’s pretty obviously meant to be a politically do-able mini-stimulus. A good thing, IMHO, though I’m sure others disagree. > > And though its obviously a worse deal for the gov’t’s bottom line then not paying Seniors anything, its a much better deal then actually gving them a COLA, as this will be a one time payment and not a permanent increase. They are trying to keep the dollar from collapsing by devaluing it over time. A collapse in the dollar could be heavily in our favor if we are borrowing heavily from other nations. I think there is a recognition that the dollar has to go down, and so perhaps he is investing based on that idea, that it will be a lot easier to pay off debts when the dollar which is going down no matter what finds its resting point. Other countries are trying to divest of their dollars which also depresses the value of the dollar, so it just transfers the debt around and while our as-measured debt goes up, our relative debt stays the same or goes down. This of course drives up the price of imports which will be more expensive for Americans who are invested completely in dollars, but this will be stimulative for American industry who can now compete better in the Domestic markets due to the higher price of foreign imports. The dollar going down could be a good thing collectively since we are all in debt, but a bad thing individually because we’re all holding dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/14 "2009-10-15T18:05:20Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Nope. It’s being paid out of the general fund, basically using the same mechanism as the earlier stimulus payments. That was sort of my point, the tie to actual Social Security payments is pretty weak, its basically political cover for stimulus funding. Ah. The articles I saw this morning didn’t talk about the source of the funds. So, if Congress has to approve the payment, my prediction is that it will end up being $400. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/15 "2009-10-15T18:13:12Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Can you expand on this please? It was a bit of a joke, actually, but big city politicians know to keep their base happy by giving them things. It might not be money, but rather picking up the trash real well, but this is an old established rule of machine politics. The problem with the cash payments before was that they all went right into savings. I wonder what the savings rate for seniors is. If this comes around Christmas, ToysRUs might see a bonanza as grandmas with government cash in hand storm the store. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/16 "2009-10-15T18:20:01Z")
“Didn’t you wonder why you were getting checks for doing nothing?” “I figured, 'cuz the Democrats were in power again.” ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/17 "2009-10-15T18:22:08Z")
> [@furt](#): > > Asinine then, asinine now. Well sure. It’s just not completely contextless, this time. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/18 "2009-10-15T18:26:40Z")
I thought the original idea was that SS payments weren’t increasing (no COLA) but there was going to be an increase in a medicare premium resulting in a net drop in actual check amount and this was the justification for the one time payment. Neither of the articles I looked at mentioned this. Anyone else hear this? ---
**Author:** ![Dick\_Dastardly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@Dick\_Dastardly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dick_Dastardly)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/19 "2009-10-15T19:04:12Z")
They’re just trying to get more stimulus into the economy. There’ll be more of these low-level handouts done in various ways over the next couple of years. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911/20 "2009-10-15T19:09:08Z")
“It’s a check from the government. I didn’t earn it, I don’t need it, but if they miss one payment I’ll raise hell!” - Grandpa Simpson [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-obama-giveaway/513911.md?page=2)