So, the state has sent out surplus checks to nearly 17,000 people who weren’t supposed to get them.

Monday, October 16, 2000

So, the state has sent out surplus checks to nearly 17,000 people who weren’t supposed to get them. And now they want people to send back the checks.

That’s funny. Especially since when we taxpayers send too much money in, the government isn’t in a hurry to send it all back to us.

In fact, if those 17,000 folks were to take the state’s example, they’d cash those checks, spend a big chunk of it, and then argue with each other for a few months about how much of it to "spend" before sending it back where it came from.

Many of them would surely take the stand that they’d be wasting their money by sending it back to the government; after all, there are so many needs that can be met. So much good that can be done with the money. Never mind that it’s not theirs.

The government has been overcharging us for years now, and only recently did we start getting any of it back. It just seems ironic that the government overpaid the taxpayers for once, and they expect a refund right now – even though two-thirds of the recipients have cashed their checks.

There’s a slight difference: The checks that were mailed out were to minors who are receiving Social Security benefits and are deemed ineligible to receive the rebate.

But the state made a mistake, and it should just live with the consequences. As Rep. Philip Krinkie, a known budget hawk, points out, he has to live with his mistakes when he messes up a private business transaction.

By sending the checks to people who weren’t supposed to get them, the state put about $1.6 million back into the economy. Whether it’s sitting in a bank or whether it’s been long spent, it’s out there doing something. That’s good enough. Just let it go and don’t screw up next time.