dear “machine,” thanks for the “rage” tickets
by Ian Schuldt
Published: July 10, 2008
I don’t know if I can think of a better way to spend a stimulus check from the federal government than to buy tickets to Rage Against the Machine. This week I finally received my much anticipated $600 from good ole George W. - Lollapalooza here I come!
If you haven’t heard yet, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and, my personal favorite, Rage Against the Machine (three of the biggest anti-government bands out there) are all teaming up for Lollapalooza this summer. With gas prices the way they are and my pension for putting my money on a bar tab rather than a bank, it would be pretty tough to swing this trip sans stimulus.
I can’t imagine the president had Lollapalooza in mind when he cut me that check. You give me $600 to stimulate the economy, Mr. Bush, and I spend it to jump up and down in a pit full of people that hate you. I bet ya didn’t see this one coming, huh? Touche.
Now, some liberals would point to this and say it’s a perfect example of why these tax breaks don’t help. I could have easily afforded to get through this summer without a stimulus check, I didn’t need to go to this concert. This money should go to someone more in need but instead it will be wasted on a rock concert.
First of all, money is never wasted on a rock concert like this one. It’s obliterated into a mushroom cloud of awesomeness! Secondly, the influx of cash flowing into the city of Chicago over this three-day period will employ thousands of people. Not to mention, I would have gone to the concert anyway, it’s just now I can do that and pay my rent, without involving a credit card.
The debate over how much of our money the government should be allowed to spend will rage on forever. As long as there are poor, homeless and jobless people in this country, there will always be a segment of the population that believes we should be giving them money so they can get by. The reality is, though, when Bush ran out his initial tax cuts back in his first term, the following year we actually brought in more revenue from taxes then we did the previous year with higher taxes.
The reason… it actually stimulates the economy. Yes, returning money to rich people so that they can buy a new boat instead of sending it to the homeless may seem like a heartless act, but what if you’re one of ten employees at the local boat manufacturing plant? It’s not heartless at all. Not only that, now you have 10 more people paying into unemployment rather than collecting it; you spur the economy and create more tax revenue.
Is it a great job? No, but it’s a job. It’s better then handing out an unemployment check. I’m more than happy to give my $600 dollars away to someone less fortunate. The difference is if I let the government do it, then I get nothing in return. In general, they just hand it out to someone who’s not doing anything. Let me spend my own money; I’d be more than happy to give it to that same person, so long as he is willing to exchange it for what is commonly referred to as a job. Even if it’s for something I don’t really need, like a boat or an extra tank of gas or a face-melting guitar solo.
Now, we could sit here and argue over how much that $600 per person is actually going to help the economy, but the point here is that there’s no doubt that lowering taxes boosts the economy and creates jobs. Every sane economist in the country agrees with that fact.
So then why are we still in a recession, and how can I possibly consider myself a Rage fan if I agree with something a Republican said? Well, that brings me to my last point. During the Clinton administration, the economy was booming despite higher taxes. The reason was that while the government was wasting a lot of our money, the government was wasting it here, in America. While we were making a bad investment, we were making it in our own country - so the people who reaped the rewards of that bad investment were Americans.
Nowadays, when the government wastes our tax dollars they do it in Iraq. The government uses bombs we paid for to blow up sections of Iraq and Afghanistan, and then we pay again to rebuild what we just blew up. So, before I’m smashed up against a barricade listening to Zack de la Rocha spew obscenities about George W. Bush, I just want to send out a little thanks to our warlord in chief. I couldn’t have made it there debt-free without you. Next time, though, just don’t start a pre-emptive war for no reason, and you can keep your check.
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July 10th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Excellent. Pure excellence. Ian, have you read or watched any videos by milton friedman? He is like my idol.
July 11th, 2008 at 1:54 am
How do we know that Rage Against the Machine is really an anti-government band? What if they’re really just raging against a machine. Like a Skill-Saw or a conveyor belt on an assembly line.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Hey Ian,
How was the concert?
July 17th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
well it’s not for a couple weeks, but the last time I saw Rage was their first concert back and it was unbelieveable.
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
While I agree the stimulus checks were a bogus way to buy votes (which party will it really help?) I disagree with your assesment of wasting money in Iraq. I consider our efforts, or better said, success in Iraq to be one of the best investments we could have made for our country. The thing about investments is, it may take awhile to see the returns, but the delayed gratification is overwhelming worth the wait.