Since the United States has so much money to burn, they have decided to send households a reminder that their tax rebate will be in the mail soon.  The cost of this mailing?  $42 million dollars.

Senator Charles Schumer was quoted as saying, “There are countless better uses for $42 million than a self-congratulatory mailer that gives the president a pat on the back for an idea that wasn’t even his.”

The IRS stance on this is that a mailing, costing $42 million, will reduce confusion and reduce the number of calls their representatives have to take.  While I can understand the motivation, I think there are other ways to reduce the confusion and save money at the same time.

First, the President gets free airtime on television and the television stations are more then happy to pass information on to citizens.  Why doesn’t the President give the tax rebate information to the television stations as a press release?  Since most news stations repeat the same stories in the morning, afternoon, and evening, surely millions of people would learn of the tax rebate.

Electronic tax filings have gained popularity and direct deposit of refunds is on the rise.  But why not stuff this letter in the same envelope as those that get refunds in the mail?  Surely that could save at least $10 million.

How about posting a link to this letter on the various Federal Government Websites?  I think every news station and newspaper would advertise the Website address free of charge.

Why not ask for an E-mail address on future tax returns?  I mean these economic stimulus packages are becoming so common that simply E-mailing taxpayers a tax rebate notification would be economical.  And since it contains no personally identifiable information, it poses no risk to taxpayers.

As a whole, citizens have become immune to Government Waste.  We don’t hold these politicians accountable, and they are free to spend without regard.  This is just another example of that.  

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