How do we solve the problem of ...

[ColbertWatcher]

Poll question: How do we solve the problem of ...

... our current economic crisis that has moved beyond a mortgage epidemic to a credit crisis and now an impending employment disaster?

There are so many stories lately about the Detroit automakers getting the Congressional scrutiny that should have been given to the banks and how union workers are getting screwed over by the very same banks whose CEOs can so carelessly ignore the consequences of so many families out of work while cashing their hugh bonus checks.

The union workers in Chicago have started by demanding their pay.

So, what do we do? From the selections below, which do you think would work best to fix this GOP-created mess?

A. begin universal healthcare STAT!

B. nationalize the failing industry

C. have the government buy only the failing companies

D. freeze the assets of all the banks until the credit crisis is over

E. have the federal government provide bridge loans to only those companies that meet strict and detailed qualifications (which I will post in my reply)

F. immediately begin a U.S. version of Argentina's http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4562114.stm">National Movement of Recovered Factories (read about it on http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=4066095&cpp=1">Fark.com)

G. because this mess is so convoluted, only a combination of the above (plus any I see fit to add in reply) will work

H. All of the above (and whatever other solutions I can come up with, which I will post in reply)

I. None of the above, check my reply for what I think should be done

J. we don't have to do anything because there really isn't a problem.

[ColbertWatcher]

1. Just thought of another: reverse all trade/corporate/banking laws passed since Reagan/ n/t

[Sebastian Doyle]

6. Seconded

As I've said many times it's not the last 8 years that are the problem, it's the last 28 years.

[Ohio Joe]

2. I don't know

Economics is not a strong point of mine.

[Kip Humphrey]

3. Things to do: Banks, Autos, People, Taxes, Infrastructure, Healthcare...

1. BANKS - Instead of bailing out banks, when they fail, break them up and reopen each under separate state charters as community banks with new management and depositors as stockholders, giving each depositor one voting share.

2. AUTOS - Let the automakers enter bankrupcy. Under bankrupcy break up each automaker along supply chain lines with employees provided a permanent, perpetual majority (+50%) ownership. Each assembly plant becomes its own employee-owned business. Each engine plant becomes its own employee-owned business. Split up business support departments (R&D, sales, accounting, etc.) among these new businesses. Then, the federal government funds these new businesses for R&D to develop alternative fuel, high efficiency vehicles, and provides preferred stock backed startup loans paid back after 7 years with a 10% return to taxpayers.

3. PEOPLE - Raise minimum wage to a inflation adjusted living wage pegged at 5% above poverty for a family of four; expand unemployment to include free retraining through public universities and community colleges, individual job counciling, and an extended 1-year unemployment benefit at 75% of lost wage up to $150,000. Guarantee a 4-year college or technical school education to all.

4. TAXES - Initiate a 1-year federal income tax holiday for small business (making less than $8 million per annum), families (making less than $250,000), and individuals (making less than $150,000). Revise the tax code eliminating ALL tax deductions for ALL income above $50,000, setting corporate and dividend tax rates to 15%, wage tax rate to 10% and adding an across the board import tax of 8%. No deductions, no exceptions, no accountants, no IRS.

5. INFRASTRUCTURE - Rebuild America to meet 22nd century needs: roads, bridges, schools, parks, high speed rail, local mass transit, water & sewer, broadband accessibility, power grid, renewable energy, 4th generation pollution cleanup & control. Fund by issuing 20-year federal "Renew America" bonds.

6. HEALTHCARE - Initiate single payer universal healthcare immediately!

Get 'er done!

[ColbertWatcher]

4. Hmm ... with a little rearranging, we can make that an acronym ...

BAPHIT

HIPBAT

THABPI

PATHIB

PATHBI

Still needs work.

[dysfunctional press]

8. change "people" to "subjects", and go with BATSHIT.

as in "batshit crazy' in honor of the departing regime that brought it on.

[ColbertWatcher]

9. LOL! n/t

[Azooz]

5. Corruption

When corruption gets out of hand nothing will work till it is controled again, till then it is all just a waste of time, money and resources.

Organizations have always had corruption, but with globalization corruption has become much more powerfull. Bush and neocons did not invent anything new, they just used the existing corruption better than most, made lots of money, gained more power and then used it to increased the levels of corruption in the legal, politcal, medical, militery, religious and all other "organizations" that they could access.

The internet is Great for fighting corruption, Whistle blowers and corruption fighters are too often ignored by the media becuase the media itself is an organization (aka MSM), online it is easier to expose corruption and control it.

Don Siegelman, Eliot Spitzer - all victims of Rove and friends, and if it were up to the media their names would be unknown by now, Sebil Edmonds to.

[dysfunctional press]

7. "nationalize the failing industry"- any particular industry you're referring to?

:shrug:

[ColbertWatcher]

11. Like the auto makers, for instance. Some might say banking. n/t

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

10. There's a problem with your poll.

It presupposes that there is actually a solution.

Maybe there isn't one.

[Swamp Rat]

12. H + stop waging war