Can $13 per week change your life?

I have heard much talk recently about how little a piddly $13 per week from a tax break thanks to the stimulus package cannot change our lives. “What is $13?” the pundits say.

I say the political talking heads, even if they are supposedly the ones who speak out for the little people, have no idea what $13 can mean to the average American.

According to U.S. Census Bureau Statistics, my household has a very average income–if not below average. I am average and I am not scoffing at an additional $13–I am looking forward to it.

I could tell you how, in just the last week, an additional $13 could have enhanced my life, even if slightly. It could have also bettered my community when I spent it at a local business.

We read Sandy Hunt’s well articulated theory just a few weeks ago in the letters to the editor how just an additional $10 per household could bolster our local small businesses. Now the government is giving us the chance to follow her plan without affecting our household budgets.

“What is $13?”

To me it may be a meal eaten out when I need a break from the kitchen. It could be the difference between going to the theater or renting a movie. It may be the price of admission to a local cultural or sporting event. It may be an unexpected gift for a friend purchased from a local shop.

No, $13 per week is not life or death to me. I wouldn’t pretend that it is, but it can make a difference, not only to me but to our local and national economy.