re: #407 Gus 802

You can see all of the specifics regard the “stimulus ham” here:

[Link: www.ams.usda.gov…]

Additionally, if you are going to purchase 760,000 pounds of water added ham your not going to pay retail per pound.

Unfortunately, this isn’t really specific enough. Nearly all ham sold in the US is water-added; it’s fast and cheap to cure this way. And quality varies, both by cut, age and source.

I’m not seeing anything more than a waste of time here that will ultimately wind up blunting legitimate criticisms of this program. Even if the price turns out to be somewhat higher than market price, that’s the whole point of stimulus spending - you’re trying to get as much money into people’s hands as quickly as possible, without causing unpleasant side effects.

The more important question is: should this be the route chosen to get money into people’s hands? Or would it be better and more efficient to, say, just let them keep their own money in the first place, through a reduction in Federal withholdings and tax rates? More than the seventeen bucks a week people are currently getting, that is.