Saturday, May 31, 2008

Ethics and the Economic Stimulus Package?

A question to provoke conversation among the philosophical types out there-- are there ethical considerations to what a person does with the so-called "Economic Stimulus Package?"

Consider: if your parents give you $600 as a gift, unconditionally, whatever you chose to do with it is your own business. Spend it, save it, lose it in a poker game, whatever. However, if your parents give you $600 and tell you it's specifically intended for something (new suit for that job interview, repair your broke down car, etc.), by accepting that money you have some ethical considerations to keep in mind when spending that money.

(Yes, I know-- there are some people who would take the second $600 and blow it on an HDTV, but the consequences of that action catch up with them in that no one ever gives them a helping hand again. Game theory is a bitch sometimes, isn't it?)

So, if our government decides to give the majority of its population an "Economic Stimulus Package"-- with the goal being that everyone go out and spend it, to generate some economic momentum and theoretically jump start the economy, is it unethical to put it in savings instead of spending it?

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