BTW, what about where Obama said he'd give IC tax rebates

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That's great, GT. I wish they'd do that in every state. It just sickens me to think that schools have to close in Georgia, that our children's education takes a back seat to oil company profits. So much for who's REALLY left behind under Bush.

Bush says rebates going out Monday will boost economy

By TOM RAUM,
AP
Posted: 2008-04-25 13:36:26
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush said tax rebates will start going out Monday, earlier than previously announced, and should help Americans cope with rising gasoline and food prices, as well as aid a slumping economy.

Democrats said they were glad the rebate checks were about to go out, but suggested that multinational oil companies were not among the businesses the stimulus package was originally designed to help.

"Starting Monday, the effects of the stimulus will begin to reach millions of households across our country," Bush said Friday in remarks on the South Lawn of the White House.

Those first rebates will be directly deposited into people's bank accounts. The Internal Revenue Service had been saying direct deposits wouldn't start until next Friday. Bush said paper checks would begin going out on May 9, a week earlier than previously announced.

"The money is going to help Americans offset the high prices we're seeing at the gas pump, the grocery store, and also give our economy a boost to help us pull out of this economic slowdown," Bush said.

Bush's emphasis on fuel and food prices differed from other comments he's made since signing the economic stimulus legislation, intended to aid the economy by boosting overall consumer spending - which accounts for roughly two-thirds of the nation's economic activity.

Bush has suggested the rebates could trigger a spending spree. "When the money reaches the American people, we expect they will use it to boost consumer spending," he said last month.

By saying expressly that people could use these one-time checks to pay for such necessities as food and gas, Bush underscored the deepening challenges facing the economy.

Democrats were quick to pick up on the change of focus.

"It's galling to think that taxpayers' stimulus checks will be lining the pockets of OPEC. The sad truth is that the average American family will spend almost their entire stimulus check on higher gas prices this year," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., chairman of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress.

OPEC is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

"Unless the administration gets OPEC to increase oil supply, American consumers are going to be in for a scorching summer of $4 gasoline with no relief in sight," Schumer said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., agreed that people "need this rebate to cope with the rising cost of gas and groceries." She said that, while the rebates would help to get the economy moving, there was a need for a second stimulus package "and we have begun some conversation with the administration and Republicans."

As he had earlier in the week, Bush used the word "slowdown" to describe the state of the economy. He has denied that the nation is in a recession, although many economists say it is.

"It's obvious our economy is in a slowdown. But, fortunately, we recognized the signs early and took action," Bush said.

The rebates - up to $600 for an individual, $1,200 for a couple and an additional $300 for each dependent child - are the centerpiece of the government's $168 billion stimulus package, enacted in February. Roughly 130 million households are expected to get them.

Bush made the comments before boarding his helicopter at the start of a day trip to Connecticut.

People must file a tax return for their 2007 income to be eligible for a rebate check.

The IRS now says all checks for those who filed tax returns on time are scheduled to be deposited or mailed by July 11.

The economy - burdened by the collapse of home prices, a financial and credit crisis, and now rising energy and food prices - grew at an anemic 0.6 percent in the final three months of last year and is believed to have gotten even weaker in the first three months of this year.

The government will report on the first quarter's performance next week.

With the economy faltering, the nation's unemployment rate has climbed to 5.1 percent, the highest since September 2005, when it suffered from the devastating blows of the Gulf Coast hurricanes. Job losses in the first three months of this year neared the quarter-million mark.

Foreclosures have surged to record highs and financial companies have taken multibillion losses on mortgage investments that soured. The situation has sent a tremor through Wall Street and has sent the administration, Congress and presidential contenders looking for ways to provide relief.

AP Economics Writer Jeannine Aversa contributed to this report.

I was hoping for a better result the second time, but I didn't get one. Please use the link if you're interested in reading this in its entirety.

All I see is promises. calm demeanor is another. He was a bit rattled at some of the questions asked of him throughout the campaign.

I'm afraid of his "form of thinking"... "world view, plans and policies". His voting record leaves something to be desired. He is not focusing on the middle class, but is focusing on the have-nots.

His "voting record, his biography?" Not good. His "accomplishments"? What, that he came up so fast in government? That's a little quizzical. How did he accomplish that?

I am truly worried about his "orientation towards the future," his "multicultural global outlook, his global appeal". Love for his country? We shall see.

We know he loves his family. That I won't argue with, but other things you wrote, yes. I'm not sure he has the gumption to do it all.

this package an A. It is so complicated and I am getting mixed messages all over the place. We have to wrap Iraq up (that'll save us $12 billion a month) - don't know how they'll accomplish that and then there's Afghanistan, what a mess. They have to do something and they have to do it now. We have witnessed how the "free market" will take care of it - it won't. I am disgusted and disappointed with Congress. The longer this freefall continues, the longer it will be before the banks can extend credit. And, I agree with Obama, cap the CEOs salaries as long as they are accepting taxpayers money. STOPPING spending is what everyone is doing right now.....and the freefall continues. Spending to stimulate the economy seems to be our only option right now. This country has so may ills - it can't be boiled down to a couple of paragraphs.

military information either. I also cringe when I see documentaries on how our weapons are made and what they do. Nothing like giving the enemy a play by play on what we are doing and how our weapons are supposed to work.

As far as I am concerned, we don't need to know every little thing like that. It puts us at a disadvantage and I personally feel it endangers our troops just throwing out information like that.

I'm sure that there were some folks there that were there basically because they hate Obama. But you cannot stereotype everyone into that group. I, for one, don't hate Obama. I wasn't there trying to have him impeached for being black....okay. It amazes me that you people tell conservatives to be openminded, at the same time you can be some of the most closed minded of all of us. You want us to see things from your point of view and yet at the same time spit on our point of view.

We are called racist and unpatriotic for disagreeing with our current president and yet it was quite okay to disagree with Bush. You want to cry and whine about how this is about Obama and how we hate Obama and yet you say nothing of the black people who voted for Obama merely because he was black.....or about the black people who continue to support him merely because he is black. If you want to throw up the race card, by all mean do it but please report the racism from all sides. I'm not saying all black people voted for Obama for that reason.....but some did. I'm sure some white people didn't vote him for because he is black.....but that isn't the reason for all of us. You can't use racism as a cop out for everything here.

If the tea parties were truly about hating Obama and all brought about by racism....then by all means we have a right to be ridiculed because that would be a wrong reason to protest and would show how bigotted we are. However, that WAS NOT the reason behind the tea parties. It wasn't even about Obama entirely. It was about GOVERNMENT and that includes the president, pubs, and crats as well as any independent that might be in there if there are any.

It amazes me that liberal groups can protest and be physical with people in their protests and spray paint graffiti and that is okay but when concerned Americans get together in protest where there is no violence and no destruction of public or private property.....you all scream and call us hate mongers.....are you kidding me?

There may not have been many black people in the crowd but there were some out there. I don't recall seeing any burning crosses. There were no Obama effigies hung from a rope....although I do recall one of Sarah Palin being hung during the campaign at someone's house during Halloween and I guess that was okay, huh?

Although I totally agree with EVERYTHING you said, I'm sure that Bush will find a way to keep all the kids of his rich "base" out of combat, the same way he was kept out of combat by his rich dad. Maybe if Dubya had the GUTS to see some combat action on his own, he'd think twice before sending our children out to die for a bogus war that he needs because he feels that no president could be considered truly successful without one military "win" under his belt.

He's beyond moronic. What kind of SUBHUMANOID USES 9/11 and all its victims as an EXCUSE to do what he's wanted to do all along?

And yes, you'd better believe there's going to be a draft. I have 2 reasons for believing that.

1. Because, as you said, we can't meet recruitment quotas because our bright young people are opening their eyes and aren't willing to die in an unnecessary war for a government that does nothing but lie; and

In your view one man single-handedly has brought the world down in 5-1/2 years. That's really giving Bush a lot of power. If Clinton and other Democratic presidents were soooo great then why didn't they single handedly make the world a utopian place when they were in office? Wow, Democratic presidents must have really sucked if you have the view that the Office of the President of the United States holds the power to either make the world Heaven or Hell. It seems the Dems could do neither. Man, they were lamer than I ever imagined if your view is correct.