By Jim Marcinkowski

Financial columnists and the media in general have nothing but high praise for the "big-time benefits" working people will receive as a result of the federal economic stimulus package. But after seven straight years of so-called "free market" and "free-trade" legislation, labor outsourcing and corporate tax havens, only multi-national corporations have profited.

The U.S. has been left with a record trade imbalance and Michigan with the highest unemployment rate in the nation. I for one don't share the excitement over how the average family is now supposed to be "stimulated" to the tune of about $1,800.

In the last seven years, Michigan lost more than 336,000 jobs, while tuition and fee hikes at state universities have exceeded the rate of inflation. Gasoline prices have doubled and we are paying more for food items, both basic living expenses that have been conveniently excluded from the government's fanciful calculation of the nation's inflation rate.

If you happen to have a job, you are paid less and expected to work longer hours. If you can only afford a cheap vacation, the privilege of sleeping on the ground at one of our nearby state parks will now cost you $220 a week!

The few hundred dollar "stimulus" most will receive is akin to the short-lived excitement of blowing that extra $20 bucks in the casino hoping to win a million, only to climb back into the 1995 Chevy and head back to a soon-to-be-foreclosed upon home, to scan the want ads for an $8 per hour job in our new "service" economy.

Then again, perhaps I have it backwards and the point of the "stimulus" package is to stimulate business, meaning working class people need to buy more from business to keep the economy running. Amazingly, nearly all economists, in agreeing with the stimulus package, are buying into the central idea that what the country needs is more spending by the average consumer.

It is also important to note what most serious economists are NOT calling for: Emergency tax cuts for the rich so they can kick-start the economy? No. More tax breaks for big business so they can compete? No. Legislation to enact universal health care to relieve American businesses of this burden? No. The elimination of the evil inheritance tax? No. Fast-tracking of more so-called "free trade" agreements? No.

As the saying goes, the silence on these issues is deafening! (The only exception of course is the President, whose State of the Union message showed that he's still living in his own imaginary world).

If the entire country now agrees that it is consumer spending that is needed to fix the economy, then the door swings wide-open to ask simple questions that reveal some pretty basic economic policy contradictions.

There are certain fundamental truths that are beyond debate:

• The U.S. is now facing the largest economic challenge since perhaps the Great Depression.
• The U.S. is the largest consumer economy in the world.
• Real wages for the average worker have been falling for the past 30 years.
• During that same period of time, corporate profits have skyrocketed and the national economy (read wealth of the country) has more than doubled.
• Union workers get paid more than non-union workers.

And now, perhaps most striking:

• Putting a mere $1,800 in the pocket of a family of four or $600 in the pocket of an individual is enough to significantly impact the entire country's economy.

Wow! What happened? All of a sudden the Average Joe is needed to save the American (some would say the world's) economy! The resulting policy contradictions are stunning.

We have all heard the argument that raising the minimum or paying union wages, two measures that actually place more money in the pockets of working families is bad for business. But apparently it is good thing if the government does so.

Big business and their compatriots on the right detest government hand-outs or bail-outs for people. Apparently, they don't see a problem when big business is the recipient of such largesse. The logic underlying the argument that the stimulus money should go to those most likely to spend it quickly is an admission that the proposed $150 billion will just as quickly end up right back in the pockets of big business.

We have suffered at least of decade of declining wages, an unprecedented loss of jobs and discretionary spending, and a general lowering of the living standard of middle class workers. The American Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and other pro-multinational corporation mouthpieces have been relentless in their pursuit to systematically dismantle the middle-class, all in the name of unchecked profits and greed.

Now that their profits are at stake, the lobbyists for big business, in tandem with the Wall Street profiteers, corporate raiders, mortgage pirates, and all those who have squandered, sold-off and otherwise stolen from the American Dream, are now seeking government help because the economic policies they foisted on this country are not working. If that's the case, then big business is a little late in coming to the party with their not-too-profound realization that they actually need a middle class with purchasing power to buy their products!

And how are we, the taxpayers, going to pay for these misdeeds and bail-out big business? As it stands, the U.S. is going to borrow $150 billion from the Chinese, adding to our national debt of $9 trillion so "stimulated" Americans can spend $150 billion more on goods imported by big business from China.

You gotta love this country!

(Jim Marcinkowski is an Oakland County attorney and retired member of Teamster's Local 214. He is a former CIA officer, a former Republican, and was the 2006 Democratic Candidate for Congress in Michigan's 8th Congressional District).