Finally, About Half of the $850 Checks From the State Have Sent

We've been hearing about them for so long, I wondered if they were real.

Well, I'm not totally serious, but kind of. It feels in many ways like it's been a comedy of errors at the state level trying to get these checks in the mail. First, it was just good old red tape. We heard we were going to get them so long ago, I don't even remember when it started.

Then when the state said they were finally ready, after months of bureaucratic bullcrap, there was an immediate halt because, well... They ran out of envelopes. Maybe when you're trying to get 860,000 checks out in the mail, it pays to check the store room and see if there's enough envelopes to put the checks in. Direct deposit wasn't available either. So, it's been a bit of a nightmare.

Things finally seem to be getting back on track.

According to WGME, the state has finally started getting checks out at the rate of about 200,000 per week. Some of my family have already gotten their checks, but I personally haven't seen mine show up in the mailbox yet. Thanks to my fridge dying, the money is already spent. Yay. They never seem to die in winter when nature's icebox is outside.

If you haven't seen yours yet either, you can track it online, but at also at the rate they're going out, most Mainers should see their check by mid-July. Sadly, mid-July is a lot closer than I care to think. Summer just got here, darn it. And if you haven't filed your taxes yet, there will be rolling mailings as more people become eligible. All in all, it's going about how you'd expect when comedians since the dawn of time have always loved the term... The check is in the mail.