Gosh, Virginia, that's a great idea! Not--Part II

So what else could possibly be wrong with the $168 billion stimulus package?

Only that the checks--for as little as $300 or as much as $600 (before the $300 bonus per child is added in)--won't go out until May. The recession, however, is happening now. By May things may be different--actually, by May things will be worse if our economy doesn't pick up now.

Is congress dilly-dallying? Not really. Congress is doing what congress does best; making a lot of noise in the hopes that it will pass for governance. I'm sure there are some politicians out there whose interest is in actual governance. I'm also sure they don't last long.

Those in it for the job lose the job because those in it for other reasons are in it to get rehired. And when you spend your job time working on getting rehired, you're likely to get, well, rehired. Basically, those folks who make it far enough to have "names"--face it, most of you don't know who is in congress besides McCain, Clinton and Obama and maybe who you voted for personally--have also made it far enough to have become celebriticians.

Congress is trying to get rehired. Joe Bloe from Indiana can go home and tell folks he did what he could to save their economic lives. He can then point to himself as a good-guy and ask for his job back. And few people will ask him if he really thinks it worked. Because it won't matter if the economy rebounds. If it does, congress will take credit and if it doesn't, congress will shift blame.

And, really, $300?

No, Virginia, it isn't christmas and there is no Santa Claus.