My brother just forwarded to me a viral e-mail regarding the bailout. Subject line: "The Birk Plan." Maybe you've seen it. Here's the important section:
To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S.Citizens 18+.Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman andchild. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billion that equals$425,000.00.My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend.
Sounds great doesn't it? We'd all be able to pay off our mortgages as well as our student loans and credit cards while still having some cash left over (depending on the value of our homes).
Now, I'm not sure how "Birk" came up with $85 billion, but whatever. That's not the major problem with his or her plan. The real problem is this: "Birk" needs a better calculator. $85 billion divided by 200,000,000 citizens equals $425. Four hundred twenty-five dollars for each of us. That would just about cover a cable bill and a nice dinner out. Nowhere near our household debt. Sorry, Birk! Whoever you are!