Stimulus, Schmimulus! What's In It For ME?
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Now that the details have been ironed out and the stimulus bill is finally close to being signed - we hope, the media is giving us reports of what will go where, and who will get how much. A couple million to this effort, a billion of so to this other one. A trillion for infrastructure, and a quadro-ginorma-bazillion for this other, uh, thing. But what the average joe-blow - which, let's face it, includes most of us - is really wondering is, What's in it for me?!
This... is what's in it for you, ya greedy bastards:
- First-time home buyers will get an $8,000 tax credit. In addition, the compromise bill waives a requirement that the tax credit be repaid.
- Laid-off workers will receive a $25 increase in their weekly checks, and new subsidies for health insurance.
- All but the wealthiest workers will soon get a tax credit worth as much as $800 per couple.
- Bigger government checks will soon begin landing in mailboxes across the country, and new tax breaks will be available to many families.
- Workers making less than $75,000 a year will get a $400 credit for 2009 and 2010. Couples making up to 150,000 will get $800.
- 24 million middle-income Americans will be spared from paying higher income takes under the alternative minimum tax.
- Homeowners who install new doors, windows or furnaces to make their homes more energy efficient will be able to get as much as $1,500 back through new tax breaks.
- Many people paying for college will get a $2,500 tax credit for tuition and other education-related expenses, such as books and computers.
- Eligible college students will also receive higher Pell Grants, thanks to a $400 boost in the maximum grant, to $5,250.
- Unemployment benefits will last 46 weeks, up from 26 weeks. People in high-unemployment states will receive benefits for 59 weeks.
- Under the stimulus bill, the federal government will pay 60 percent of insurance premium for unemployed workers. Previously workers paid the full premium.
- Those who qualify for food stamps will see a 13.6 percent increase in what they receive.
- Millions of the nation's poorest residents will get help as states use billions of dollars in new federal aid to maintain Medicaid, special education and Head Start.
- State and local government employees, many of whom are facing layoffs, may be spared.Doctors, nurses and hospitals who often wait months for the government to pick up the tab for Medicaid patients will see some relief.
I am personally effected by the 'federal aid' point; as a once employed restaurant worker who actually liked his job and had job-security, now seriously injured and unable to work, I am currently unable to get healthcare of any kind - Medicare, Medicaid, OHP, welfare, a Jason wanna-be in a dark alley with a sharpened machete and a stethoscope, zip, nada, zilch!, despite the fact that I still (six months later) suffer physical and traumatic effects of the injury and am in clear need of premium care. There is none.
Ironically funny; I've always passed on offers for medical care programs because I simply did not need them. 'Give it to someone who needs it!' Now, when I'm in need of said care, it is nowhere to be had.
Join me, as I chuckle mirthlessly...
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Stimulus package in the News
- Stimulus job count may be too lowUPI12 hours ago
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Investigators monitoring the U.S. stimulus package said fund recipients could be under-reporting jobs created by the $787 billion spending bill.
- Obama to sign homebuyer, jobless bill assistancePark Hills Daily Journal16 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is set to sign a $24 billion economic stimulus bill providing tax incentives to prospective homebuyers and extending unemployment benefits to the longtime jobless who have been left behind as the economy veers toward recovery.
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Comments
oooofffffda
-Dude, I would be one bit surprised if there was... check into it!
-TKI, I'm going to take that as an "Alright!"
yeah my middle name's optimist ;D
Mine is 'Alexander' Boring, I know. "It's been in the family for years..."
Are you an American? Did you get hurt on the job? Did you apply for unemployment? Were you fired ? You should be able to walk in to any hospital for an accident emergency. but it doesn't cover extended non-emergency.
Wasn't hurt on the job, or fired - my job is waiting for me if I was able to work, but it's looking like I'll never work again. My emergency care was taken care of very well, as well as the NEUROLOGY-RECOMMENDED CT-scan and follow-up with an ENT. After that, I've got squat. Pretty much, as you said.
I've applied for Disability (which appears to include Medicaid) and that is currently under review. My worker feels very positively that I'll quickly be approved, and that's encouraging, but I'll celebrate when it happens.
I am sure that the Stimulus will lift some of the extra burden with so many in need of help at the same time. They will have to give you back pay for your waiting time. Don't worry everthing will be ok. Oh.... Happy Valentine Day
Thank you, Rose. Things are moving forward toward the silver lining... that's all I can really say about it right now. Know what I mean?
My daily credo is "look ahead, and keep a positive attitude." Happy Valentine's Day to you, too!
Since I don't watch the news, I appreciate your "in a nut shell" hub. Thanks.
Your very welcome, Patricia. I update the "Numerous Fragments" hub regularly. It's a news bites page. Hope you'll check it out.
PS: I MEANT to type "you're."
Doh!
Interesting to see how your "bale out" stimulus is actually packaged. Thanks for the info. Great Hub.
Thank you, Sixty!
I heard about this forward-thinking website with noble aspirations yesterday on Sunday Morning. What do you think?
http://visionsfortomorrow.net/
PS: Did I misspell "bale out" somewhere? Doh!
I really appreciate you laying this out because I honestly had no idea what this plan would mean for the average person or for people who already have nothing.
Thank you! :)
Thanks Pam. I had that feeling, because I was wondering the same thing. I see a report on CNN about average people who were wondering "What does this mean for me?" and I thought, Hey - that would be a very useful hub.
CW, I agree with Pam, it's nice to know what the stimulus package means for everyone. Great job!
PS. I hope things get better for you and that the package will help you out.
Great hub CW - Australia's package has just been approved - but people here are worried about the cost of it to the next two generations - so I don't really know what it actually means to each person other than I think a $950.00 payout....sorry about your back - i too had a workplace accident and my back is cactus - hope you get the relief you need ...go well cheers.
Thank you, Gwendy. I'm glad this piece is helping. Awesome!
My personal condition is stable, except for Sensitive Hearing which simply does not improve - I guess - but I'm doing everything in my (and the Internet's) power to help my recovery of other symptoms. What's been surprising and encouraging is I've been making real progress the ringing in my ears and anosmia (almost total loss of sense of smell) through the regular ingestion of gingko biloba and apple cidar vinegar (for ringing), and B12 supplements and green tea (for anosmia). That stuff is really working! But, the Chinese have probably known that for thousands of years.
As for my situation. It is progressing steadily towards a positive bright spot.
Did that make sense?
Thank you, Ajcor, and good to hear that things are turning around down under, too. I hope that happens worldwide. As for the future generation: I only hope that will work itself out.
My injuries were to my head - three skull fractures and inner ear damage, not my back. And I wasn't injured at work. I fell down the entryway stairs leading to my apartment (converted basement loft-type). But I certainly appreciate the well wishes and hope you, too, get relief. I'm making great headway (no pun intended, honest) via Internet research. That is, I've taken charge of my own recovery and well-being.
from what I have read to take charge of your own rehab is really the only way to go - to be your own advocate! - what a nasty accident you suffered - was it a long time ago or recent? the ear thing must be so hard to live with -a constant noise in your head - but how amazing that something like green tea and gingko can help! plus 3 skull fracturs - does that involve a lot of headaches?
I read that the Chinese people have a totally different attitude to the provision of medical help by their doctors and that is they pay for the doctor to keep them healthy rather than pay them to make them better! prevention at it's best! go well - cheers
Ajcor - Totally! Because American medicine is the way it is (that is clueless) self-advocacy is the only way I will go. You are completely right; the emphasis here is on treating the symptoms for a lifetime (big money in that) rather than curing the problem or preventing it in the first place.
The injury was August 20th. The noise is manageable so long as I wear baffled earplaugs (almost all the time) and avoid noisy situations. Sirens are the worst! The Gingko and cidar actually lower the volume of the ringing. Amazing!
Ajcor, forgot to answer this question. There are occasional headaches - mainly in my temples, but they're not severe, thank God. This is a soar spot for me because before the injury I never got headaches. Ever.
Ironic, eh?
great hub as always Constant Walker .
Thank you very much, Mulder.
I'll chuckle mirthlessly with you! As a nurse, I understand how the healthcare system fails daily. Thanks for maintaining such a wonderful attitude!
-K@ri thanks for laughing with me. I'm able to keep my attitude positive because I do not rely on the medical system here (in the states) to keep me healthy - or even for my recovery. Where are they now? My God, if I depended on them, my attitude would probably be much darker.
Thanks for being there...and thanks for letting others know!
You're very welcome. This was one I thought others might be genuinely wanting.
Hi Constant, this is a really good list of what we'll get. I am hoping that since many people have assets they can't sell, but no cash, the qualifications for food stamps, and other aid will change.
Such as you, and me soon, who are without medical coverage. In a country such as this, and the Repubs still want to punish and blame the victim who needs help, all while they, our elected officials, enjoy great medical care.
I hate it. May Rush Limbaugh lose his hateful voice. and would people please quit apologizing to the loudmouth!! This unintelligent blabber-mouth thinks we're all losers if we need anything from our own government. It's okay for them to steal it mind you, but the little people on the ground, well they have to beg- even then, not getting it.
Course his incessant need for drugs well, that was different. He had money, could afford them, where's the beef? "Huh, What did you say, ? I can't hear you cuz I lost my hearing from my own drug abuse." Oh, the privileged...how they misunderstand the rest of the world.
Conservativism is quickly becoming a dirty word.
be well, =))
Good to see you, Mari. Yeah, very good to see the old ways going by the wayside, or as Obama recently told them, "Those days are over." I also recently read that part of his stimulus plan includes universal health care (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).
I'm marginally ecstatic about that.
Hear you're moving to, sh!t, where was it again? Oklahoma? Omaha? something with an O... Ontario, ... Oprah?!
Anyway, I think that'll be a good thing for you and yours. You've been wanting to make that move, haven't you?
Thanks for putting this all together in one easy to read place. I also wish you a faster recovery. It seems as though their is better info on the internet about healing than in the doctors books. They should start checking out some old home remedy books instead of the newest pills.
Thank you, Jim. And you're exactly right, all the helpful recovery info I've gotten has been from my own Internet research. I actually wish a course in Asian medicine was a requirement in Western medical school. They do, after all, have a couple thousand years experience on us.
Yes yes and yes....and as with most good things, they come in a somewhat stinky wrapper. LOL that's only to disguise the sugar and to slow us down in the consumption. I am so ready. However, it's got a few prickly parts, but we shall conquer and overcome!
I do love Obama.
I have absolutely no doubt that you will do just that.
And many good things come in stinky wrappers... kippers, for example! Gouda! The homeless guy on the corner who smells like cheese but always smiles!
Sounds sweet... sadly though close to no one is able to get a loan to buy a new house. I work in RE and its what Ive been seeing. About 1 out of 10 get approved. Your credit score has to be nearly flawless for the bank to even consider you. : (
Wow, that's bleak. I've never had a burning desire to own a home. Maybe a little later.
lol. same here. I still live home... its my home, but not 'my home'... when consulting the magic 8 ball... it tells me maybe when Im 40 the bank will give me a loan. lol.......
Ha-ha. Owning a home just seems to me to be a lot of headache and expense - even before the current crisis. The only advantage I ever saw to owning a home is to fix it up and sell it for a big profit.
Interesting but poignant piece, CW. I hope things get better down there, and don't get too much worse up here. Best!
Thanks bruce, but from the news I've been seeing, it looking like 'it will,' and 'it might.' But I honestly believe it will eventually get much better ... everywhere.
CW, every day I find more of your hubs - and more useful, pertinent, thought-provoking, and/or just plain fun stuff to read. Before I forget, thanks for looking up Lincoln Lane. (Now where was that place? I wasn't kidding about the 32 houses - in 18 years! - that we lived.)
I'm going back to re-read your cholesterol hub, too, because the doctor at the VA insisted I go on statins and, in just three weeks, I've got side effects that are beginning to scare me. Took my last one last night and to hell with it.
And one last thing, have you tried lipoflavinoids for the ringing in your ears? I have Meniere's, held at bay for seven years now with dietary changes, but when it was really bad and I could barely hear (on top of the hideous vertigo), flavinoids helped a lot. Dr. Gott has good things to say about them, too. He mentions that you can usually find them where ear products are sold in the drugstore. Apparently, Lipoflavinoid is a brand name. I think what I used was a generic called lemon bioflavinoids, if memory serves.
MindField, I can identify. When I was a kid we moved around a lot. I don't think I was EVER at the same school for two full semesters.
RE: cholesterol, and be sure to do Internet research for alternetive ways (supplements, foods, exercise, etc.) to lower your count. I firmly believe that getting a balanced amount of Sun is the best bet. But, I'm not an MD. Just an independent researcher.
Thank you VERY much for the lipoflavinoid suggestion. No one has told me about it yet - not even the ENT (nice!), but I looked it up and like that it's a natural ingredient supplement. I will definitely try it as soon as I'm able to. Thanks again!
Two more things: You look VERY familiar ... I mean REALLY. I've met a myriad of people during my travelings as a musician, and we might have met or known each other before. Second, how can I best know when to use "Affect" and when to use Effect"? That one always drives me nuts - and I aced Eng Lit all through school!
One means 'influence,' the other means 'results.' I am affected by your photo; it's effect is to make my heart beat faster. How will Obama affect changes and will the effect be what we want? (There's more to this, CW, but that should help a bit. You've made me think about a hub, though!)
Have you read my hub, I Like Men (that's the new title)? Maybe you were one of those boys I loved in school. Or maybe we're both related to Kevin Bacon? I don't know, but we can explore the possibilities of where our paths might have crossed. Are you an Oregonian by birth? One thing's for sure, I don't think I was ever in a school for two semesters, either!
P.S., CW - That damned affect / effect thing even gets me in trouble. I had to go back and change the above comment because I had it wrong in one place. That's why I try to read everything I edit repeatedly, and why I'm glad HP gives me a few minutes to change my comments before carving them in eternal digital stone.
OH, GAWD, and now I see I've missed fixing an 'it's' to an 'its.' Hopeless! Well, back to Dad's standby: All the perfect people are in the cemetery!
Thank you! Yes, that does help - having a clear meaning for the difference. Now, if I can just remember the difference. Will your words affect the proper change? Thanks for the photo comment. Very humbling. And yeah, probably the Kevin Bacon thing. I re-read, spell-chack, edit, and re-read again, and STILL find screw-ups!
No, I'm not a native Oregonian. I was born in Cleveland (Ohio) and raised in the California coastal communities. But, I've been in Oregon so long now, it feels like home ... a second home. I guess SoCal will always be home.
I haven't read the hub you referred to. I'll check it out.
Thanks Neil. I'll check 'em out.
So, what was your point in leaving those links, to crap a big ol' pile of stinking, racist paranoia all over the best thing to happen to this corrupted society in over a century? Maybe in hopes of gaining another gullible convert? Sorry to disappoint you, but I can see this sort of garbage for exactly what it is.
This ain't my first rodeo ... kid.
Neil, I deleted your comment because I refuse to help distribute hateful propaganda on anything I write. But, you're more than free to leave any comment you wish.
So...how did you spend your stimulus money?
I didn't get any.
I didn't get any either not the first time not the second and the tax credits are a farce as far as I am concerned, maybe we should petition congress one by one and ask them to bail us out too. :)
Hey, why don't you all just move to Africa and open up your own business?
-AE, I got a bigger tax return than normal, which was awesome -- perhaps that my stimulus.
-Cindy, I think Dubai would be a better location, that is, if I were looking to relocate.
Constant since you didn't get the stimulus money you were counting on does that mean you have to send the mail order bride back to Peru?
Ha-ha! But, I DID get an extra large tax return.
... Sent the Mail-O-Bride packing months ago. She didn't do Windows!
Cris A says:
10 months ago
My father was a WWII veteran - so there must be something in it for me, too! :D