Sure, I can recycle a rebate

I am probably the only one feeling this way, but I'm a little uncomfortable with all this talk about tax rebates. I admit upfront that for much of my life I have been more than happy to do my part to stimulate the U.S. economy. So it seems that the idea of a government "bonus check" would send me into a reverie about what to run out and buy.

I can't say I haven't thought about it -- if I qualify for a rebate, I'd probably apply it to a new garage door (how boring). But somehow I keep feeling that I'm being sucked into more quick-fix thinking about how we solve this country's long-term economic problems.

I've never believed my buying a lottery ticket is the way to shore up education funding. I don't think casinos will solve either Ohio's or Kentucky's financial woes. Each year I cut back a little more on holiday spending even as I read hand-wringing predictions from worried retailers.

Send me a check and I'm sure I can help it find its way back into the economy. But don't let me off the hook about saving, investing, managing my own family's finances well, keeping our health-care costs down as best we can and -- who knows? -- maybe even thinking like an entrepreneur one day. Passing on federal flow-through funds seems like the most passive thing I can do.