The problem with the economy is that no one will leave it alone. It keeps getting stirred up by stimulus plans such as stimulus checks, a housing voucher, vehicle vouchers, and who knows what is next. People are not buying because they are uncertain of the future. It doesn’t matter how cheap that house or car is. If you are afraid of loosing your job and facing the possibility of living off your savings for a long time, you are not going to buy anything. The economy is grinding to a halt because of uncertainty, not because people don’t want to buy things. Giving them incentives to buy only helps those who have the money and feel certain their job is not in jeopardy. They would probably have bought anyway so the stimulus check or voucher being given ends up having no net effect. If you want to stimulate the economy, make it boring, predictable, consistent, with few rule changes except where it matters. Complete and fair oversight of companies to ensure they are being operated within the law. When people have confidence that their job is secure, they will buy houses and cars. Until then though, all the stimulus plans in the world won’t motivate people to buy anything if they don’t believe in their financial future.