Your Share of the Stimulus

They did it. The congressional Democrats and President Obama have made the so-called stimulus package the law of the land. In other words, they've committed themselves to spending $787 billion on an 1,100-page shopping list that none of them had the time to read.

To make it sit better with the public, they're touting the fact that the average American will get a $400 tax cut this year -- about $13 a week. Applause, applause.

Before you waste much time making your own list of how you might spend that money, think about this: In reality, they're just letting you keep $400 that you already earned. And if the stimulus pricetag were evenly divvied up among 200 million people who were working, we'd each be "contributing" $4,000 to the cause. In other words, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Obama are giving us a 10 percent kickback of what they're dunning us for.

There's more to come. A lot of the favorite earmarks that didn't make it into this package will find their way into future legislation. And Congress isn't even discussing the budget yet. The bottom line? They'll find a way to get that $13 a week back and then some. So hang onto your wallets. We're in for a ride!