You could hold on to $599.00 of those $ 600.00
because my babyboomer kid is convinced that they'll find a way to make stimulus
an IRS taxalus come 2009.

Ready, set, wait...you don't get one. I don't make a lot of money and those stimulus checks are rather important for Americans just like me who barely scrape by. I've paid taxes all of my working life (over 30 years) and I have 3 small children. I married late. In fact, my marriage is the reason why the government won't pay me what I deserve. I married an Aussy (Australian) and we have spent thousands of dollars and a few years trying to get her residency and her Social Security number. It's a long expensive process, but hopefully it's almost over. It's also no wonder why many immigrants don't bother going through this process. It's very difficult, long, confusing and expensive.

In the meantime, everyone else enjoy your checks. This American and his American children will not be benefiting because his wife doesn't yet have her SS#. And yes...that is the only reason. I'm so glad I keep hearing about people who don't really need the money and that they can't decide what to do with it.

Realistically everyone did the same thing, pay our bills.

We used ours on bills and home repairs.

We did not get a stimulus check either (as of today.) Our SS numbers are 60 and 50 years old, respectively. Either the older the SSN the longer you wait, or it has been presumed that we died while waiting for it.

re: "Scot"

What a bummer that your Australian wife has so much trouble with her
status as "Permanent Resident" and getting a Social Security number.
I though that marriage to an American citizen made one a legal non-quota
immigrant, and as the mother of American citizen children, the question
of legal residency was automatically taken care of. (I must confess that
I am a little confused because having three children takes quite a bit of time.)
Her status should have been established at the American embassy or
consulate in Australia, prior to her coming here.

And this is truth....under the threat of penalty of perjury (inevitable bottom
line of US questionairs.) I had some business at the American Consulate in Vienna,Austria. I was given a form to fill out....name. address, date of birth, education etc..
Down the line I came upon the question "Are you illiterate?" I asked the
consul, vice consul (or whatever she was) "How would I get to tha question if I were illiterate?" She looked at me like I asked for a bus ticket to Mars.

Thanks for the sympathies...and the funnies. Unfortunately the "auto resident" is either a misconception or it's an old way of doing things. These days immigration is much different. One of the girls she brought with her (4 yrs old at the time) and her residency has gone through. The other two girls we've had since we've been married.

So you'd figure I would be at LEAST entitled to mine and that for the two girls, but nope. And I'm hoping to sound really angry about it because I am. Our 30 year old water heater just went out and that check sure would have bought us a new one. So much for us being any help to the economy, or having hot water.

It is not clear why your wife can't have an SSN.
But if she can't, well refile the 2007 income tax
not jointly, but just you and your dependent chilren.
And there is the Legal Service who for a very small fee would arrange a
half hour (pro bono) with
am immigartion attorney.
I am sure that service still exists.