Note to U.S. Representative Ginny Browne-Waite: Puerto Ricans aren’t exactly “foreign.”

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite touched a nerve with Puerto Ricans on Tuesday when she called them “foreign citizens” in a news release.

Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, was complaining about parts of an economic-stimulus package when she referred to residents of Puerto Rico and Guam as “foreign citizens.”

“. . . The bill sends hundreds of millions of dollars to people who do not pay federal income taxes, including residents of Puerto Rico and territories like Guam. I do not believe American taxpayer funds should be sent to foreign citizens who do not pay taxes. Americans want an economic stimulus for Dunnellon, Brooksville and Clermont, not for San Juan or Hagatna. As the legislation moves forward, it must be changed to ensure that only federal taxpaying American citizens receive rebate checks.”

First, it’s worth noting that even among American citizens a lot of these tax rebates aren’t going to the people who actually paid the taxes.  The richest Americans, who paid the overwhelming majority of those taxes in, aren’t getting rebates even as the poorest Americans, who paid next to nothing in taxes, are.  So if Brown-Waite is concerned about Puerto Ricans getting tax rebates, maybe she should be concerned about the wealth distribution that’s going on among citizens with this rebate.

Second, this entire rebate fiasco is a waste of everyone’s time.  It’s a one-time check that’s unlikely to make much of an impact on our economy.  If we want long term economic stimulus we need long term tax relief.  That means a) making the Bush tax cuts permanent and b) going above and beyond those cuts to further lower the tax burden Americans feel.