Economic Stimulus Checks: Bread and Circuses

As the ideals of the Roman republic were eroded and displaced by the politics and tyrannical rule of the Caesars, governing parties realized that an oppressed citizenry could be pacified with food and entertainment. Thus, the government became the provider of bread and circuses (panem et circenses), an ancient Roman metaphor for people choosing food and fun over freedom.

 

The issuing of Economic Stimulus Checks is a straightforward application of the bread and circuses philosophy. Yet curiously, I haven’t heard much dissent regarding this approach. It seems there should be quite a bit of outrage.

 

First, if our elected officials see fit to “give back” some money, why did they take it in the first place? If they believe returning money to the citizens will help the economy, then it’s reasonable to suggest that taking it was harmful to the economy. (It’s a pretty twisted scenario where someone creates a problem so they can fix it, but that’s one of the essential illusions of government: create a problem so you can put forward your party and your policies as the solution.)

 

Second, where is the money coming from? We hear constantly of the ballooning federal debt and the lack of funding for government programs. How can an organization constantly in need of money afford to hand out $600 to every qualified taxpayer?

 

In the best Keynesian tradition, our government has either decided to borrow more to encourage spending, or to authorized its central bank (the Federal Reserve) to print more money. Either way, taxpaying citizens get stuck with the bill; in one scenario, the federal deficit grows larger, in the other, the value of the currency gets smaller. Thus, your $600 “rebate” results in higher taxes or less spending power.

 

Furthermore, government officials have the temerity to tell us how to spend it! They didn’t want us to use to pay off debt, or put it savings. No, they told us the best thing we could do was to spend it! The truly patriotic would use their “windfall” to buy a plasma TV, take a weekend ski trip, make a down payment on an new car, or visit the Caribbean. (It was a nice, benevolent touch when President Bush finally acknowledged it would be okay to spend the checks on necessities as well; you know, things like rent and gasoline.)

 

It’s absurd. They take your money, expect your gratitude for giving a fraction of it back – and then they want to tell you how to spend it! The arrogance is breathtaking. But nary a soul is demanding accountability for these actions – because they’re getting a check back! Not that you should sent your check back. From a purely pragmatic point of view, any money in your hands is better than leaving it under government control.

 

But instead of just accepting the scraps, why isn’t someone asking for more? Americans have become a docile populace, conned into believing that dependency on government hand-outs and consumer debt are necessary for survival. The collective mindset has such low expectations that many can’t imagine anything better than watching “American Idol” on a new TV (courtesy of your congressman!) Bread and circuses, indeed.