Spend or save -- it's your decision

Somewhere between the president's triumphant signature and the arrival of the seed money, a funny thing happened on the way to economic stimulation.

Back in February, Congress approved legislation providing tax rebates for individuals and families combined with tax breaks for businesses - theoretically giving people more disposable income and making sellers better able to hire new workers to handle the anticipated flurry of income disposal.

The money is now starting to hit bank accounts and pocketbooks.

The aim was to rejuvenate an economy seen in some quarters as spiraling toward a recession. However, the key players in the government scenario began to display an independent streak that didn't jibe with the intended outcome of this experiment.

A year ago, 27 percent of people who responded to an Associated Press-America Online poll said they would use their IRS refunds to pay off bills. That number had risen to 35 percent by April.

In a story that is part of a three-week series on the economy in last week's Havelock News, Nicole Costa said she and her husband, a Cherry Point Marine, would end up saving most of her family's economic stimulus money rather than spend it on clothing or the latest electronic gadget.

If Americans have been trending toward frugality, what would this development mean for the heralded stimulus package?

In our view, this plan involved even more guesswork than the usual initiatives that come out of Washington. If people could forecast the economy with any accuracy, hardly anyone would lose money in the stock market.

Intentionally or not, the stimulus package also set up consumers as fall guys. If they didn't spend, spend, spend as expected, the blame for any difficulties could go their way.

Excuse us? It would seem more appropriate for the government to concern itself with how it spends our money rather than how we spend our money.

Besides, people have legitimate reasons for not blowing their refunds or rebates. Gas prices, food prices, troubles in the housing market as illustrated in today's front-page story, and other factors have caused economic pain and uncertainty. Unlike the government, the public doesn't have an involuntary source of extra income it can tap to balance the books (such as taxpayers).

If you choose to consume with this money, you don't have to feel obedient. If you choose not to consume, you don't have to feel unpatriotic. After all, it is your money.

Figuring out how to let you keep more of it while efficiently performing essential duties should be the extent of the government's involvement.