Have you ever had a relative who always seemed to live beyond his or her means?

Almost all of us have.

And it’s difficult to fight the urge to say, “Don’t you think you might need to pay off your current four-wheeler before borrowing to get a new one?”

All too often, however, out of a sense of respect for one’s American right to be as in debt as humanly possible, we keep our mouths shut.

That practice of keeping quiet — combined with some corporate greed — fostered the outlandish mortgage deals and exotic financial packages that pushed our country to the edge of the financial cliff.

Eventually, either inertia or some poorly timed, ill-conceived government policies pushed the country over the edge.

Maybe Americans would be in better shape if more people spoke up about things that just don’t seem to make sense.

A good case in point is the stimulus plan passed by the U.S. House and now being considered by the U.S. Senate.

In its present state, the stimulus plan weighs in at more than $800 billion. Combine that with the more than $700 billion already approved last year — only half of which has been spent — and we’re looking at a $1.5 trillion aimed at buying our way to economic prosperity.

That’s a staggering figure.

It’s a figure that will take generations to repay.

At the current population estimate of approximately 300 million citizens, each American’s share of the stimulus spending is right at $5,000. That’s a $5,000 loan against each of us, every man, woman and child.

And that’s exactly why we need to slow down and think through exactly what we’re buying with that money.

Congress is going about this the wrong way by trying to throw money at all the problems at once rather than focusing on providing a single, real-world solution to each problem to ensure that the spending is effective.

In the House form, the stimulus package devotes considerable funds to existing programs already in place. That doesn’t seem like a smart way to invest in our country’s future.

If we’re really interested in making infrastructure investments that will add value long term, we need to be rethinking the way we’re allocating things.

Why aren’t we focusing on a national system of improving the power grid system or devoting more resources to natural gas production and use to lessen our dependence on foreign oil?

But perhaps first and foremost, two things need to be done to help stabilize the mood of the country and regain confidence — in consumers and business leaders.

First, let’s work on the housing market. Use the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s power to help credit a system that starts cleaning up the ugly mortgages that are lurking in the shadows and locking up the credit system.

Then, provide big incentives for people who buy existing homes. Temporarily stopping home foreclosures, seeking instead to rework the loans using government backing where necessary.

Second, throw the book — quickly — at any and all individuals who defrauded investors. Doing that will help rebuild confidence that borrowing against our great-grandchildren’s future will never be able to do.

Until we fix a few of those things, any kind of government spending spree is going to do little more than buy us each a new four-wheeler that we cannot afford.

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.