A tax refund, isn't a handout. It is that taxpayer's money. Money that they are now get to keep instead of having to let Uncle Sam keep it.
And, As meb777 said, "We are spending trillions of dollars on war and bailouts.This is nothing."
I don't know that I would say "nothing" but, I would say that if they can do an $8,000 deduction or credit either one, for Buying a Home, they can certainly do $10,000 refund for fueling purchasing power to kick start the economy out of this long drawn out recession, that some would argue either is or is bordering on being a Depression.
We don't have it nearly as bad as they had it in the Great Depression of 1929 and 30's.
Things could still get even worse and things wouldn't be nearly as bad as they had it back then.
And, there are signs of the recession starting to recede into possible recovery and a $10,000 tax refund of what is already that tax-payer's hard earned money would probably go a long way toward kick starting the economy into Recovery leading to Expansion.