$3,000 gift card could have put the economy back on track

A few months back, MarketWatch's Chief Economist Irwin Kellner --not one given to rash judgments or under-researched ideas -- recommended that the United States consider distributing $3,000 gift cards to every citizen over age 16 as a fiscal stimulus tactic.

At the time I thought the idea was a little bit over the top. Now, I tend to think that the idea could have put the U.S. economy over the top, as in 'on track toward adequate GDP growth.' Here are the arguments against and for the gift cards.