Brad,
Now I know you're still peeved with me about the BAD economists-as-keepers-of-what-makes-civilization possible thread, but do you know anything about the question I raised earlier on this thread? Has anyone done a study of whether the EITC affects workers decision making process by examing the stats on whether they take the deduction as a 'refund' or part of their weekly paycheck. As you recall, I asked because people don't view money in one way only, their are special kinds of money, as Viviana Zelizer has argued. In this case, people see the EITC not as "getting paid" but as getting something back. That is, folks who are this low on the income scale never think of refund time as a terrible time in which they are punished by having to write a check to the IRS, though they sometimes do feel punished by having to fill out the godamned forms. Yes, even 1040 EZ is seen as a bother and sometimes very intimidating to some folks, believe you me. Rather, they see it as a reward-- almost as something free sometimes and this is why they treat the EITC refund as a bonus to be spent on disposable luxuries, like vacations, or for taking care of some unforeseen expenditure like medical expenses or a speeding ticket or something.