Even though I seriously doubt that the government's stimulus plan will have much of an impact on the economy, they're likely to take credit for even the slightest amount of economic improvement that occurs in concert with the issuance of the "rebate" checks.

The first stimulus plan checks were sent to taxpayers at the end of April. Everyone entitled to receive a check should receive it by the end of June. On the first of May, the stock market showed improvement in both the S&P and the DOW. At nearly the same time, unemployment figures improved and corporate earnings were somewhat better than projected.

If this becomes a trend, and if it continues through June, you can be certain that our government will squeeze as many undeserved kudos out of this "success" as they can.

George Hicks

Grass Valle