A good proposal, better and simpler than Obama-Geithner's, with other, timelyadvantages.

http://tinyurl.com/c54qw2

RandomFinancialThoughts makes strong arguments that stimulating the economy is best done by giving either a tax holiday or checks to the private sector. The former will be challenged as being more beneficial to the rich but the latter is completely egalitarian: give a check -- or chit, if you really want it spent --worth several thousands to each and every person in the U.S. (presumably restricted to everyone who is a permanent resident, but not necessarily-- although you would exclude tourists who are here to spend money anyway.) This would be much more efficient than hiring bureaucrats to spend "stimulus" money according to the dictates of the ideas, allegiances, and even earmarks of legislators.

This happens to be a very timely way to do this; the 2010 census is gearing up at a cost of more then $10Billion and subject to arguments about "sampling" vs "counting". If everyone is due to receive a check, who would not voluntarily come forth to claim it? Even Warren Buffett and Bill Gates could be counted on to show up. This would bring out all the poor people that the Democrats insist are undercounted.

An additional idea, attractive to those who have nothing to hide and like efficiency, is to use the occasion to establish a database of biometric markers to make sure that everyone is counted only once. Civil libertarians, of whom I am usually one, will doubtless object to this but consider it as a possible lagniappe. At this point one sees that there is a nuance as to whether you wish to include illegals or not for some census purposes but "not" seems to have greater weight for now.