How to fix the economy

[goblue]

This is from an article in the St. Petersburg Times newspaper on Sunday. The business section asked readers for ideas on "how would you fix the economy?"

I think this guy nailed it!

Dear Mr. President:

Please find below my suggestion for fixing America's economy.

Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan.

You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:

There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force.

Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:

1) The MUST retire. Forty million job openings - unemployment fixed.

2) They MUST buy a new American car. Forty million cars ordered - auto industry fixed.

3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - housing crisis fixed.

It can't get any easier than that!

If more money is needed, have all members of Congress and their constituents pay their taxes...

If you think this would work, please forward to everyone you know.

If not, please disregard.

[Mike Furley]

I saw that in an email awhile back. While I appreciate the populist appeal, it's still too much of a command and control approach that doesn't allow for the free market to fix itself.

But, if we are going to indulge in populist solutions, this is the one I saw earlier today:


The federal government is aware of 15 million illegal aliens working in this country through the IRS tax filings by the withholdings reported on W2's. Why not actually enforce our immigration laws currently on the books and deport those illegal immigrants back to their country of origen? This would have the following effect:

* 15 million jobs immediately available for the currently unemployed.

* 15 million people who likely don't have health insurance going to our hospitals and driving up the cost of health care for everyone else.

* 15 million people who are having their children educated in our overcrowded and underfunded public schools.

[gator]

Both ideas were entertaining. Initially, I thought the first idea was great, but then I thought about the numbers and realized it would cost $40 trillion dollars. If we went with Obama's plan of spending (estimated at $10 trillion over several years), we could afford to give each of those people $250,000, but I don't think they could all retire. Especially if they have to pay off their house and buy a government vehicle.

I do like the second idea for being realistic. Unfortunately, we have powerful politicians, like Pelosi, who literally care more about illegals than Americans.

[GoDeepHammer]

I feel that we have to drive the big business out of politics, stop make being a politician a job for a lifetime. In essence we have put the fox in the chicken house and then wondered where the chickens went. I would like to see the politicians do some belt tightening and to have them go without, see how the rest of us life.

The sad fact is that the people that are representing us have become so far removed from us that they no longer understand or can see our plight. They are now controlled by big money and their own greed, not the betterment of the people.

[goblue]

I saw that in an email awhile back. While I appreciate the populist appeal, it's still too much of a command and control approach that doesn't allow for the free market to fix itself.

But, if we are going to indulge in populist solutions, this is the one I saw earlier today:


The federal government is aware of 15 million illegal aliens working in this country through the IRS tax filings by the withholdings reported on W2's. Why not actually enforce our immigration laws currently on the books and deport those illegal immigrants back to their country of origen? This would have the following effect:

* 15 million jobs immediately available for the currently unemployed.

* 15 million people who likely don't have health insurance going to our hospitals and driving up the cost of health care for everyone else.

* 15 million people who are having their children educated in our overcrowded and underfunded public schools.

That's another good one overall. The 15 million illegals no longer burdening health care would be a huge asset.

The 15 million illegals no longer burdening our education system would also be another huge asset.

But as far as 15 million immediate jobs being available from getting rid of illegals, I'm not sure that would be an asset. Many of these illegals do jobs that most Americans won't do. Not many Americans will do the low paying, rough conditions, back breaking agricultural jobs that many of these illegals do. So I'm not sure how much of an asset that would be. It might even be a liability cause most Americans might not do certain work that these illegals do.

[zilla]

This is from an article in the St. Petersburg Times newspaper on Sunday. The business section asked readers for ideas on "how would you fix the economy?"

I think this guy nailed it!

Dear Mr. President:

Please find below my suggestion for fixing America's economy.

Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan.

You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:

There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force.

Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:

1) The MUST retire. Forty million job openings - unemployment fixed.

2) They MUST buy a new American car. Forty million cars ordered - auto industry fixed.

3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - housing crisis fixed.

It can't get any easier than that!

If more money is needed, have all members of Congress and their constituents pay their taxes...

If you think this would work, please forward to everyone you know.

If not, please disregard.

Baby boomers are awful, the thought of giving this generation 1 million each makes me want to vomit.

[chriswebber]

What about...
1. Remove all Income Tax
2. Lean out the Government
3. Collect a Nation/State Sales Tax
4. Privatize All Educational Institutions
5. Term Limits
6. No private jet for any elected official. Force elected officials to behave as which they are, equal citizens. It wasn't until recent history that the president and congress received these perks... If they had to live like the rest of us, well... maybe they would quit?

[GoGreen23]

What about...
1. Remove all Income Tax
2. Lean out the Government
3. Collect a Nation/State Sales Tax
4. Privatize All Educational Institutions
5. Term Limits
6. No private jet for any elected official. Force elected officials to behave as which they are, equal citizens. It wasn't until recent history that the president and congress received these perks... If they had to live like the rest of us, well... maybe they would quit?

The only problem with removing the income tax is that this is one of the primary sources of revenue for the government. Where would they make up the difference of the millions generated by this tax? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't like to pay a 15% sales tax.

I don't really agree with privatizing all educational systems because that would block many people from attending school in the first place since they wouldn't be able to afford the fees for tuition.

As for thinning out the government, that would cut costs, and I agree with the fact that they shouldn't be allowed to have private jets.

[The Michigan Man]

Baby boomers are awful, the thought of giving this generation 1 million each makes me want to vomit.

I have to agree.

[chriswebber]

The only problem with removing the income tax is that this is one of the primary sources of revenue for the government. Where would they make up the difference of the millions generated by this tax? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't like to pay a 15% sales tax.

I don't really agree with privatizing all educational systems because that would block many people from attending school in the first place since they wouldn't be able to afford the fees for tuition.

As for thinning out the government, that would cut costs, and I agree with the fact that they shouldn't be allowed to have private jets.

1. 15% sales tax is better then me paying 38% of my annual income in straight tax. Atleast with sales tax, i'm punished for buying, not for having a job. At the point, I am in my life, I pay a bunch of income tax just because I was responsible went to college, worked my butt off, and have no kids....

2. Privatizing Universities would save a bundled. Face it Academics is like it's own little fiefdom, everyone wants a med school and engineering college... However, replication is a waste of tax payer money. Wouldn't it be better just to have one Michigan Medical program?

[gator]

1. 15% sales tax is better then me paying 38% of my annual income in straight tax. Atleast with sales tax, i'm punished for buying, not for having a job. At the point, I am in my life, I pay a bunch of income tax just because I was responsible went to college, worked my butt off, and have no kids....

2. Privatizing Universities would save a bundled. Face it Academics is like it's own little fiefdom, everyone wants a med school and engineering college... However, replication is a waste of tax payer money. Wouldn't it be better just to have one Michigan Medical program?

I'm with you on taxes. Heck, I would even be happy paying 20% sales tax. Beats getting robbed by the fed, social security, and medicare for about 40% right of the top. With all this Obama spending leading to HUGE deficits, I wouldn't be suprised if the highest tax bracket gets close to 50%. That's just right out of your paycheck before you ever see your money. That's one of the greatest problems in this country right now, IMO. People don't really pay attention to how much money the government is taking, a lot of people really think it is the government's money, and the government is using it for wealth redistribution (something I full-heartedly disagree with). We haven't even touched on all the other ways Uncle Sam sticks it to us: property tax, vehicle registrations, sales tax, gas tax, phone, cable, etc., etc. Hell, they just passed a law to tax sodas; I think it was like 4 or 6 cents per 12 ounce can. When it's all said an done, I estimate that over half of my money is already going to Uncle Sam.

A sales tax would be great for one simple reason: everyone would have to pay it (even illegal and under-the-table enterprises). I can't stand that half the people in this country don't pay any taxes. I can't stand that the goverment takes a larger percentage (not just more money) if you get ambitious and make more money (i.e., you can work harder or longer hours and actually make less). That actually happened to my father one year when he worked over 100 additional hours of overtime; that should never happen, and it would not happen if there were some form of a flat tax or a sales tax. If everyone had to pay taxes, the governent would play hell getting more money out of people, and some of this riffraff that hasn't paid taxes in years would actually understand what all the bitching has been about. People would finally realize that there is no such thing as "FREE" anything. Taxation would finally be an issue that everyone cares about, as it should be. The government would have to tighten up the belt because they would never get new tax increases passed.

Unfortunately, you won't get any liberal to support this plan anytime soon because the tax code is exactly how they get elected. Any government that robs Peter to pay Paul, will always have the vote of Paul. They take from the hard-working, industrious individuals (or as they would have you believe - the rich who have done nothing but extort helpless people) at "gun point" and "buy" the vote of the poor, dumb underclass. Is there any mystery as to why the poorest and most undereducated portions of society vote democrat in overwhelming percentages? I mean, does that correlation ever bother the "educated" liberal? These folks are just too dumb to recognize they are being used as political whores. Sure, they think they are looking out for their best interest, but they've been duped. Liberals aren't so much about raising the standard of living for everyone, they just want to lessen the gap by bringing the upper class down to everyone else. The liberal message is always that you've been wronged some how, it was no fault of your own, you can't possibly take care of yourself, and we'll give you free stuff. They never talk about what you can do for yourself because they want people to be helpless and dependent. If the masses were ever educated properly about the true opportunity of this county, they would leave the democratic party in droves. Truthfully, they wouldn't find much to rave about in the Republican party right now either. I imagine Libertarian registration would skyrocket