Flashes of Panic

Friday’s paper included an article about a school group in Northampton organizing a drive to ask residents to donate their “tax rebates” to the city’s schools, which are suffering severe budget shortfalls.

Like the last check we were sent by the federal government—$300 in 2001, which arrived in mid-September and which I proceeded to donate to the Red Cross—this particular handout of cash the government doesn’t really have to spend (aren’t we running a deficit?) makes me feel like someone is trying to buy my approval. It just smells bad to me. The pretense of “economic stimulus” feels pretty pathetic; if everyone who gets a rebate simply uses it to pay their existing credit card bill (not a bad idea, considering our national credit abuse is a major factor in our current economic malaise) it’s not going to do much to jump start the economic engine. To me, it feels like an attempt by our government to avoid responsibility; hush money to keep us from pointing the finger of responsibility their direction.

While many people are adopting the viewpoint that this is “their money” and they’ll use it for themselves, thank you, the idealist in me wants to believe that tax money paid to the Federal Government has always been “our money” and it still is, even if the feds give it back to us.

The National Priorities Project, another Northampton organization, examines how our government spending reflects our national priorities, and shows taxpayers how those priorities may differ from our own priorities. From that point of view, I think it’s possible to see this as an opportunity to spend this tiny fraction of the government’s money in ways that reflect our own priorities and not those imposed upon us.

Some Northampton residents think maintaining their schools is important, so they’re trying to redirect these federal funds there. We could give the money to research into issues touching people we know. We could spend it on photovoltaic panels or personal wind turbines to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. We could find a way to plant more trees in our communities, or subsidize trail maintenance or other open-space initiatives. We could support people at the economic margins.

Or we could simply pay down our personal debt, acknowledging and facing the actions that got us here in the first place.

Either way, I think it’s time to twist the idea of whose money this is. If you don’t like how the government spends “your money”, here’s a chance to show them how you’d prefer to see it spent.

Now Playing: Northwestern Girls by Say Hi

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