The US government has wasted millions of dollars and flushed any possible goodwill through mismanagement of the Economic Stimulus Rebate program

June 18th, 2008 | Copywriting, Politics, Writing

The Bush administration has shown an almost staggering capacity to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory over the past several years, so I don’t know why this should surprise me, but the staggering amount of waste and idiocy surrounding the current Economic Stimulus Rebate program continues to amaze me. They already sent out a letter to everyone receiving a stimulus check at least a month ago, at a cost I’ve seen estimated at $42 million, though I have no way of knowing the accuracy of that figure. Yesterday, I get an envelope in my mail that is clearly from the IRS and says STIMULUS PAYMENT in big red letters on the flap. Awesome it’s here — score, right? Not so fast there, sparky. I open the letter and it’s just yet another notification that the check is on its way. I freakin’ knew that already, thanks for wasting another $42 million to tell us all something we already know, and thanks again for the bait-and-switch disappointment of this mailing. Here’s a free little copywriting/direct marketing tip, guys: if you put PAYMENT in big letters on the outside of an envelope and there’s no payment inside, your audience will feel cheated — and that resentment will linger. Now, when the check finally arrives, the reaction is far less likely to be “Hey, thanks guys!” than “Jeez, finally, it’s about dang time.” Once again, kudos, guys — you’ve managed to give the rest of the world yet another thing to laugh at Americans about.