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Culture War Roundup for the week of September 7, 2026

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Buying voters is not new in American politics, but is the value of the American voter going up or down? Let's find out!

Bribe We done got paid? Total Bribe Target group Bribe per-capita Real Bribe per-capita (2026 dollars)
Bush rebate check Yes $152B 130M households, approx 150M adults $1,013 $1,571
Obamaphone Yes $2.2B/yr Low-income households, 20M at peak $110/yr $171/yr
Stimmy checks Yes $830B Near-universal, 165M adults $5,030 $6,490
Student loan forgiveness No $450B 40M borrowers $11,250 $12,836
Trump "dividend" No $1.3T Universal, 260M adults $5,000 $5,000

Fascinatingly it seems that Trump consistently believes an American vote is worth five thousand dollars.