When people aren't saving enough or have too much debt (effectively the same thing,) Daniel Gross writes a story decrying that. Now, if people use the stimulus check to pay down debt or save a little, he complains about that, plus he complains that the checks just help with the bad economic situation (inflation, specifically). Well, what else would the point be? They don't give out stimulus checks when the economy's doing great.

If Obama wins in November, can we expect some upbeat columns from Mr. Gross then? Because everything I've ever read from him, no matter the actual condition of the economy, has been the most downbeat sad-sack drivel I've ever read an economist write (pace Krugman).

Dismal science indeed.