Letter based on e-mail and filled with holes

Len Golding’s letter (April 21) about paying a million dollars to workers over 50 is funny — but it is so full of holes it cannot be believed.

First, it is a copy of an e-mail passed around the Internet. Second, it cannot make any sense when a bit of simple arithmetic is applied.

 A million dollars given to 40 million workers equals 40 trillion dollars. Not 40 billion, it is much bigger. That is at least four times the entire current national debt, and way beyond any bailout or stimulus costs so far. Nothing gets fixed by such a giveaway!

Even if it did seem reasonable, a million dollars after taxes is about a half million. Buy a house or pay off the mortgage, plus buy a new car leaves maybe about 250 thousand. Since the 50 year old worker had to quit working, now that worker has to survive for maybe 25 years on about ten thousand or so dollars, which is considered poverty level. So do they end up on the public dole while the government has no money left?

How many readers fell for this humorous but impractical idea?

JOHN BAGWELL

Sandpoint