Perfect example of stupidity as a result of nearly a generation under Republican rule ...

[zbdent]

Um ... 85 billion divided by 200 million is not $425,000 - it's $425. But intellectual scrutiny and the truth won't stop some idiots.

(this reminds me of a math teacher in 10th grade, tongue-in-cheek, "proving" mathematically that 1=2 - I found the flaw fairly quickly in his calculations)

The text of an e-mail I received:

I LOVE THIS PROPOSAL !!


I’m against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I’m in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in

a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let’s assume there are 200,000,000

bonafide adults in the U.S.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman

and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a

We Deserve It Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free.

So let’s assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.

That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.

A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college – it’ll be there

Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car – create jobs

Invest in the market – capital drives growth

Pay for your parent’s medical insurance – health care improve s

Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean – or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks

who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company

that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we’re going to re-distribute wealth let’s really do it...instead of trickling out

a puny $1000.00 ( “vote buy” ) economic incentive.

If we’re going to do an $85 billion bailout, let’s bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG – liquidate it.

Sell off its parts.

Let American General go back to being American General.

Sell off the real estate.

Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here’s my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn’t.

Sure it’s a crazy idea that can “never work.”

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust m y fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion

We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC.

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned

instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

1. Possibly they confused European and American billion?

American billion = one thousand million = 10^9
European billion = one million million = 10^12

Although increasingly, Europeans are using the American sense nowadays - I'm British, and I think of one billion as 10^9.

[Rabia]

2. Ignorance is bliss?

I recently watched a political pundit on the tube speak about how young people are not currently learning civics (citizen knowledge of and involvement in government) in many public or private school systems.

His concern is that when the populus does not know the importance and operation of the democratic process a precedent develops that threatens loss of that process. The founding fathers themselves intimated that democracy requires an educated population.

This fact makes one wonder if the 'dumbing of America' is real and/or purposeful.