Issue date: 2/5/08 Section: OPINION

With the possibility of a recession looming on the American horizon, President George W. Bush felt a need to stimulate the economy on his own terms. Meet the Stimulus Package: a taxpayer-funded plan to push more money into our economy by giving back to tax payers.
The idea is a good one; give citizens a few more bucks that will presumably give them some help paying for the ever-increasing gas prices and a declining housing market. Only time will tell whether or not Americans will spend this money on what Bush and Co. hope for.
Reports have the package shooting an additional $100 billion to citizens and $50 billion to businesses. Bush's economic advisers are hoping to fit an amount equal to 1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, the market value of all goods and services in the country, into American bank accounts. We'll have to see whether or not this will be the short-term boost that our economy so badly needs.
With oil prices hovering around $100 a barrel, we could be seeing the highest per gallon rates in our country's history. When should our government help us out? Bush's Stimulus Plan is an interesting beast; it could jumpstart our "dynamic" economy or it could serve as another roadblock in breathing life back into it.
Whether you agree or disagree with Bush's plan, it is obvious something needs to be done. This is Bush's last year in office, and leaving the American economy in a state of decrepit deterioration would make the coffee stain on his historical timeline even larger.
With what we are potentially facing, this Stimulus Plan serves as our best chance to, as Bush so eloquently puts it, "provide a shot in the arm to keep a fundamentally strong economy healthy."
But will this be enough? This is a booster shot, a brief dose of life to get us through the year until a new chieftain plops down in the Oval Office. Democrats support the plan as well but wish Bush would extend the plan to the unemployed. Currently, only taxpayers will receive the kick back.
In order for the economy to return to a thriving dominance, wouldn't it be in our best interest to fatten our citizens' wallets? Could we perhaps take some more time to consider options to extend the plan to the people who could really use the extra $1,600?
The Stimulus Plan is our best bet at this point, but it seems a bit thin. Bush should sit down with the Democrats and pump out a more well-rounded and lasting package to strengthen our economy. It may not last forever, but Americans should start looking at our immediate needs, and right now a couple hundred bucks may actually really help us out.

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