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Re: Are you arguing that a $200M handout to Filipinos is "relief". I suppose to the Filipinos it is...

Why not? I don't have a number handy that would be the appropriate amount of relief for a subgroup of Veterans who has been under-represented by the system, but $200M is as good a number as any. There's already a budget in the government for Veterans, so the Filipinos might as well get a cut, too.

As for whether this is a negative aspect for the bill, maybe in your eyes it is, but I really don't mind some percentage going towards direct relief efforts. The majority of the bill goes towards stimulating the economy and creating jobs, or in state relief that keeps people employed.

Actually, the tax relief part is a little excessive in my book, but it seems to have helped to get 3 Republicans on board, which was enough to pass the rest of the bill. I just don't think that getting $400 more in tax returns is going to help anyone. I'd rather see more direct business tax credits for small businesses getting into helping the healthcare system, or energy independence. At least, that results in something that will benefit the country, while a blank check to the average American has many ways of being used that is not stimulative to the economy.