Humpday Happenings...
A long time ago, there used to be a phrase attached to someone that travelled from town to town fleecing the populace with sundry schemes and ploys, designed solely to bilk those people out of their hard-earned savings.

They used to be referred to as FLIM-FLAM men, or "Confidence" men, hence the term CON JOB.
Quaintly enough, the Broadway show THE MUSIC MAN chronicled the adventures of such a person, one "Professor" Harold Hill (played by the late Robert Preston on both stage AND screen), who, fortunately is redeemed by the final curtain.

The specific phrase attached to the tactics used by these men was called "Putting the touch on someone".
(hitting them up for money, to the uninitiated)

Now, fast forward to TODAY.
It would seem that our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. is replete with such folks.
And although I would like to say they're "putting the touch" on every one of the nation's taxpaying citizens, I would rather liken what has been happening (with all of the bailout/stumuli/porkulus shenanigans) to a WRECKING BALL swung (at speed) squarely against our "hip-national bank".
And THAT will leave a mark, make no doubt about it.
Now, our illustrious government, cheesed over the fact that AIG's bosses get some nice BONUSES totalling $165 MILLION bucks, want to take it AWAY from them.

These politicians are NOT the brightest crayons in the box, are they?
Legally, the government hasn't a leg to stand on...not if they want to UPHOLD the CONSTITUTION, that is.
By forcing AIG to rescind their CONTRACT, pre-established for those bosses, it sets a dangerous precedent, should they follow through with it. Basically, it would render EVERY SINGLE contract ever made pretty much NULL & VOID (kinda like Barney Frank's cranial cavity)!
The U.S. Constitution made legal provisions AGAINST such things, and rightly so.
Then again, we ARE talking about a founding document created by men of INTEGRITY...MORALITY...and a keen sense of what an overbearing and overblown government CAN do to it's people.
And when you weigh that $165 million for the AIG bonuses against the BILLIONS paid out to FOREIGN COUNTRIES by the USA, it seems to pale in comparison (yeah, I DID watch Glenn Beck last evening).
You want to conduct a neat little experiment in socio-economic behavior with ALL this "bailout" money?
Here's the gig:
Take ALL that money (close to a TRILLION bucks) and give EVERY PERSON over the age of 18 in this nation that paid taxes from their workplace ONE MILLION BUCKS (each)...period.
How's THAT grab 'ya?
Bet you're saying it over in your head, aren't you?
Go ahead...say it again, nice and slow...with purpose...ONE...MILLION...DOLLARS.
Sounds good, doesn't it?
You bet your ass it does.
Now THAT is one HELLUVA "stimulus" package.
Think about ALL the student loans that could be PAID IN FULL.
Think about people who could buy a REAL, FIRST HOME.
Think about those who could FINALLY afford a vehicle that's NOT dollaring them to death.
People could get clothes, appliances, FOOD.
Hell, even CHARITIES would prosper, due to the philanthropic nature of the people in America.
The retailers would benefit. The consumers would benefit. Homes wouldn't go into foreclosure, so the housing market would rebound. NEW home construction would increase, Small businesses would prosper. Hell, NEW small businesses would spring up all over. Farmers could increase their yield. Wall Street might even start to climb back into the black.
It would be a "Win-Win" all around, would it not?
And of course, people would INVEST some of that money, which would breathe new life into THAT stalled and flaccid market.
One thing that doing something of THIS magnitude would do, is separate the wheat from the chaff, financially. It would provide a medium by which many would prosper and some would fail. but that's the way capitalism has worked since it's inception.
Hopefully, those that would fail (and blow the wad, as it were) would LEARN from that experience, thereby producing even more people adept at managing their finances better, and learning with it means to PRIORITIZE in their lives.
Yeah, it's a pipe dream, but God, what a ride that would be, wouldn't it?
There are many of us that CAN only dream of such a scenario.
But I figure "if" the government wants to believe they "could" level the playing filed in such a manner, it would prove to THEM, once and for all, that it WOULD serve to demonstrate that many people are capable of making GOOD decisions.
Would it produce class separation? Sure it would, and to those that figure out how to spend WISELY and FRUGALLY, tough $hit...you HAD your million, and blew it. Tough it out. We can evidence of such cavalier behavior today, when a person hit the lottery, wins a few million, and is BROKE (again) within a year or so. (he/she spent UNwisely)

It would bring out a NEW "middle-class"...one that CAN manage finances, a class that CAN provide for themselves and their children, and yes, help the nation's economy.
One thing it would do is send a message to the low-lifes in this nation...get off your ASS and get productive!
After all, no one EVER made this nation great by sitting on their duff, watching the grass grow, and the clouds roll by.
Stay safe out there, America!