The stimulus bill hits the Senate today.
First, let me say that this is not my idea of economic fairness. They took extending unemployment benefits and expanding food stamp eligibility off the table right out of the gate, and pretty much lost my moral support right there.
That said, let's just suspend my outright lack of support for a minute and pretend I agreed with their premise that giving middle and upper-middle-class people money via tax rebates was a great idea.
We are the exact family the present plan is aimed at. We aren't out-of-work (against our will), we aren't anywhere near eligible for food stamps and we aren't fabulously wealthy.
We make well under the upper limit for a couple.
Cole makes just a hair above the upper limit for a single person.
I don't have enough tax liability to get anything back anyway.
If our marriage was recognized by the U.S. federal government, we'd be eligible for the couple rebate plus two kid bonuses.
As it is, Cole isn't eligible and the kids are her tax dependents.
I'm not making enough to get it, so I'm not eligible.
$0 money for us.
Now, if our "share" were going to extend someone's unemployment benefits or to get someone food stamps, I'd be 150% on board with that. But our share is presumably going, rather, to underwrite some straight family's share.
(No need to send a hand-written note, you can just email your thanks.)
"But that's crazy!" I said, when Cole told me about it. "We're a stay-at-home-mom family! We're the exact kind of family they want to help!"
"No we're not" said Cole.
Touche.
