Representative Paul Broun (R-GA/10) has proposed an amendment to the stimulus package that of course never saw the light of day in the Nancy Pelosi led House but is intriguing none the less. Maybe somebody over in the Senate can pick up the ball and run with it. Are you paying attention Mssrs Isakson and Chambliss?

Briefly, Broun's amendment would take the $825 billion that would be allocated to various initiatives and divide it equally among the legal residents of this country who filed a tax return in 2008. According to the news release, that would mean payouts of $8,895.75 to those 92,740,927 filers. That's almost $9,000 that more than 90 million Americans - whose families and other relationships almost certainly would encompass nearly everyone in this nation of 306 million people - could use for any number of things that would, without argument, stimulate the economy.

Pretty simple idea huh? But we all know congress and the Democrats are not about simple. They will continue to tell us that the average taxpayer is not smart enough to handle such a windfall.

One thing the average taxpayer can do however, unlike our new Treasury Secretary, is actually file a tax return. We can also balance our bank accounts unlike congress.

The Democrats and liberals are loathe to allow any sort of individual control of our lives. To there way of thinking only big brother government is qualified to determine what is best for us.

Proposals of this type are always catergorized or diminished by using the argument that the average taxpayer will not spend the money as intended. Well one thing the release of the TARP funds has shown us is that the financial institutions certainly won't use the funds as intended either.

With the current recession now in full swing and so many layoffs occuring it only makes sense to give the taxpayers the money. They could use it to blunt a recent layoff, save it or spend it, but either way it was the taxpayers money to start with and returning it to the source should just make sense.