Debra J. Saunders  Economist Kevin Hassett, an adviser to
Republican presidential candidate John McCain, described the
proposed $145 billion economic stimulus package being negotiated
by President Bush and the Democrat-led Congress as I write this
column, this way: "It's like borrowing money from the Chinese
that we can then drop from a helicopter." (That quote comes from
Chronicle staff writer Carolyn Lochhead.) McCain is a long-road
kind of guy and his stimulus package essentially involves making
the Bush tax cuts permanent and reducing the corporate tax rate
to create jobs.  It's not clear what the Bush/Democrats package
will hold. Yes, there will be checks of up to $800 for
taxpayers. In addition, Democrats are pushing for an extension
of unemployment benefits and an increase in food stamps;
Republicans want cuts in business taxes to spur job growth.
Edward Lazear, chairman of the president's Council of Economic
Advisers, noted, "I find it surprising that people use words
like recession" when the nation'