Hypothetical: You're dictator of China, Europa, or North America. What do you do about the economy-to fix it or help the conditions to improve it?
(I didn't include South America much of it is growing rapidly actually but feel free to be dictator there too)
You control the government, but can't ignore fundamental math and economic laws, plus you have to worry about your populace getting uppity if conditions don't improve.
Stop child support. They spend the money on cans and fags anyway.
Get rid of the ability to declare bankrupcy and make people work in state owned mines or workhouses.
Half the number of MPs (although, if i was a dictator wouldnt there already be none?)
Sack 50% of the firemen and use some volunteers, rescuing cats and cutting up cars is easy work anyway.
Make a strict military style 30-1 ratio of chiefs to indians in the public sector.
Make immigrants live in army style dorms and not let them get nice houses.
Murderers and paeodophiles convicted with DNA or video evidence to be killed on television in Big Brother style "evictions" with one getting the good news each Friday, viewers text in their nominations and type of weapon for use and the texts cost 25p each. I will do the killing personally every Friday after work for no fee, and i will use my own hammer, knife, plank with a nail in the end etc to save money. The proceeds for advertising and texts can be used 20% for vicitims families 79% to help balance the books and 1% for when my plank snaps.
Three words- Letters of Marque. I commission naval vessels to prey on the merchant ships of my many enemies, and take a cut of the profits. It was a cornerstone of the early American economy once, and it could be again. Just imagine how much profit you can make by intercepting one supertanker with a few privateers!
Loot the cargo, then ransom the crew and ship back to the parent nation. Let's say my dictatorship keeps 40% of the gross value of the cargo, and 30% of the ransom (to encourage the privateers to take prisoners).
At first, I'm sure the other countries would be upset. I would simply encourage them to mend their relationships with us, or join the club and commission their own privateers. There's no better bargaining chip than a cruise ship or two of civilians.
Though to be a bit more serious, I would fund massive public works (new/upgraded road/rail routes etc - all things the UK really needs) and bus in dole scum and benefits claiments to do manual labour (or other work suited to their skills if they have any) in return for their pay outs. No work, no benefits.
That way we get better facilities and actually get something back form the welfare state we have created and hopefully end the feeling of entitlement people have and encourage them to seek employment too.
Emperor of China: Mobilize the Economy for War. It is the perfect time to kill everyone and everything when we sweep the rug from underneath them.
Broodlord of America: The Genestealer infiltration was a success. With the most powerful nation in ruins, the Hive Fleet will devour this world before Terra becomes a threat in the future.
Monarch of Europe: We're ka-screwed ever since that downward spiral began in the early 20th century, so watch as China invades and the Broodlord in the White House continues to destruct America from the inside out. As for what WE can do, debauchery and steal the money of the citizenry for debauchery.
mattyrm wrote:Disband all the QUANGOs
12 months unemployment then bye bye special brew.
Get rid of the ability to declare bankrupcy and make people work in state owned mines or workhouses.
Make a strict military style 30-1 ratio of chiefs to indians in the public sector.
Murderers and paeodophiles convicted with DNA or video evidence to be killed on television in Big Brother style "evictions" with one getting the good news each Friday, viewers text in their nominations and type of weapon for use and the texts cost 25p each. I will do the killing personally every Friday after work for no fee, and i will use my own hammer, knife, plank with a nail in the end etc to save money. The proceeds for advertising and texts can be used 20% for vicitims families 79% to help balance the books and 1% for when my plank snaps. Half the number of MPs (although, if i was a dictator wouldnt there already be none?)
I agree with the options above.
Stop child support. They spend the money on cans and fags anyway.
I'd rather see a ration book type of system, with vouchers only being available for childrens clothes, etc, rather than scrapping it all together.
Sack 50% of the firemen and use some volunteers, rescuing cats and cutting up cars is easy work anyway.
Not sure about this, but I would certainly have a volunteer service, and possibly also an enforced volunteer service of pressganged welfare people.
Make immigrants live in army style dorms and not let them get nice houses.
Not sure about this one either, though I do think that immigrants should be properly screened and supported before being able to move into the population at large.
Why the hell would I want to invade Poland when there is a perfectly good France just over the sea, begging to be invaded, with their silly hats and "I'm not over compensating for anything" bread sticks
Why the hell would I want to invade Poland when there is a perfectly good France just over the sea, begging to be invaded, with their silly hats and "I'm not over compensating for anything" bread sticks
France has nukes.
Poland has planes that go backwards that kill their heads of state and much of their functioning government.
Why the hell would I want to invade Poland when there is a perfectly good France just over the sea, begging to be invaded, with their silly hats and "I'm not over compensating for anything" bread sticks
This is why you don't invade Poland. Generations later, you get these guys.
I vote for Canada. Look at all that land we could develop after we invade and conquer them. We could build an untold number of Starbucks on that land...
We could also outlaw baseball and replace it with hockey as the national sport.
The basis of the economic recovery will be driven by the sales of new atlases, maps and history books as they are all redone to remove any and all reference of Lichenstein, whilst emphasising the benefits of our new and oddly Lichenstein shape European waste storage area.
Oh, and Batman to be put in charge of a lot of things.
IAmTheWalrus wrote:Random drug tests for welfare recipients, public officials, politicians, major lobbyists, any position pay rolled with tax dollars, etc
Why the hell would I want to invade Poland when there is a perfectly good France just over the sea, begging to be invaded, with their silly hats and "I'm not over compensating for anything" bread sticks
If we were conpensating anything with our Baguettes do you really think we would cut and toast it for breakfast (Sometimes SilverMK2, you're frightening me!).
Seriously, invade us? Well... if it means a regular diffusion of the new Doctor Who series on TV, Dr Pepper,Irn Bru and Cadbury chocolate available in supermarkets, I'm with you guys!
Why the hell would I want to invade Poland when there is a perfectly good France just over the sea, begging to be invaded, with their silly hats and "I'm not over compensating for anything" bread sticks
If we were conpensating anything with our Baguettes do you really think we would cut and toast it for breakfast (Sometimes SilverMK2, you're frightening me!).
Seriously, invade us? Well... if it means a regular diffusion of...Cadbury chocolate
Cadbury is no longer British. It is now the whore of the Kraft Food company, a US horror house of food ruined by Kraft takeovers.
Seriously, invade us? Well... if it means a regular diffusion of the new Doctor Who series on TV, Dr Pepper,Irn Bru and Cadbury chocolate available in supermarkets, I'm with you guys!
Look the french surrender for chocolate and soda! Bring the Blitz of American products!
I say Italy after that. When was the last time anyone was afraid of an Italian in uniform? Pin striped suits don't count! I mean come on they got beat by Ethiopians. ETHIOPIANS!
Seriously, invade us? Well... if it means a regular diffusion of the new Doctor Who series on TV, Dr Pepper,Irn Bru and Cadbury chocolate available in supermarkets, I'm with you guys!
Look the french surrender for chocolate and soda! Bring the Blitz of American products!
Seriously, invade us? Well... if it means a regular diffusion of the new Doctor Who series on TV, Dr Pepper,Irn Bru and Cadbury chocolate available in supermarkets, I'm with you guys!
Look the french surrender for chocolate and soda! Bring the Blitz of American products!
Cure for our weight problem anyone?
Texas Chainsaw Weight Loss.
Anything that needs doing, Texas does it better and bigger!
Yeah, welfare needs a radical fix. I can't tell you how many times I've had to beat people away from me at the grocery store. No i don't want you to pay for my groceries and give you 50% of the value in cash. They do this at the register in front of the checkout person, the checkout person is telling me its a good deal. Seriously this is crap.
I also love when I'm buying my generic food and the person in front of me has all major brands and six slabs of ribs. Put that right on the wic card. ARGHHHHHH. I mean i like ribs, can I get some ribs free on the government, it's my tax money? CRAP.
Why the hell would I want to invade Poland when there is a perfectly good France just over the sea, begging to be invaded, with their silly hats and "I'm not over compensating for anything" bread sticks
France has nukes.
Poland has planes that go backwards that kill their heads of state and much of their functioning government.
Which would you think would be easier to invade?
Any country which has the prescience to get rid of its government before being invaded is clearly not to be trifled with.
Pick France. They can't nuke use because we are too close.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Anyway, back on topic,. I would pinch £1 billion from the Tresury and emigrate to Liechtenstein.
You gentlemen are not thinking this through. Wars are not won or lost by armies anymore, or by who can beat up whom. They are won by who is deemed right by the world and the UN. Therefore, you must invade the country least likely to be viewed as a pathetic target of aggression. In this case, the historical precedent definitely states that public opinion is on the side of Poland if they are invaded. On the other hand, America is only going to lift one finger (yes, that one) to help the French.
This means that if you can invade France, then you have a great shot at holding it. It shouldn't be that hard- let us not forget that they always suffer a rash of deaths from the fearsome summer. Apparently guzzling wine and not using air conditioners is not an evolutionary survival trait.
Now the Polish can be quite useful indeed. Especially if you need to make something shiny, or get your armies into excellent shape. Save them until after you've got your boots filthy from invading France.
Just don't try to invade Australia. If the killer kualas won't get you, the diggeroos will. Even Team Weinie's not going to &*^ with Australia. They're crazy, and when a Texan says your crazy that means you're screaming bat*&^%^ out of your mind...
Start war with ANOTHER country and drag europe into it again? Wouldn't sort out the economy but it would give people something else to complain about instead.
xxBlazinGhostxx wrote:War is the best thing for economies since... war!
Case and point: WW2
Point against you:
War of 1812.
Brits were scratching their heads on this one, as they were already embroiled in a war, and the Americans shot their economy from right underneath themsevles.
Question: What is sane? Going to war with the nation with the world's best navy when your nation's lifeblood is maritime trade?
Hmm, emperor of the United States eh? I'd legalize marijuana and tax it all for revenue. Then annex Mexico into the Union and use some of the pot money to rebuild the infrastructure so I can launch an assault and take back the Panama Canal. Then ask Canada if they want in...if not I 'annex' (read military action) another Central America country and dump over the gangs as I legalize drugs there and make more revenue. Maybe look to France and give Mountain Dew/Caffeinated drinks for support to sway popular opinion to becoming a commonwealth.
At this point rebuilding is going well in Mexico/others and I blitzkrieg ads to make Canada mine finally and the US becomes the United Empire of North America (seriously I just want Canada so I can rename the place) UENA will hopefully have a foothold in Europe to, in 10 years, overthrow drug lords in the middle east and 'do it up proper'. With commonwealths spreading the option of using nukes to stop UENA may force other countries' hands. In the Post war environment UENA is able to survive thanks to my ruthless orders to bum rush South America
and flourish eating coffee beans, potatoes and penguins (thanks Chile).
I will rise triumphant from the South (this ad slogan will help pick up militia numbers) to reclaim what was lost and UENA will annex more of Europe, the Middle East and Asia to become UTHME, United Territories of His Majaesty's Empire...
I'll pick up again if I can think of what I'll do with Africa and the UK...
Why the hell would I want to invade Poland when there is a perfectly good France just over the sea, begging to be invaded, with their silly hats and "I'm not over compensating for anything" bread sticks
The Polish made perogies. PEROGIES MAN!!! Think of the power you would weild by decided who get's the delicous treat of cheese wrapped in fried potatoes!
mattyrm wrote:Im stunned more people didnt get behind the whole big brother death by plank nights idea to be honest. Thats a ratings winner right there!
I got it and I thought it was hilarious that was probably my favorite idea of yours.
All banks are nationalized. Insurance companies are done away with. Health care becomes reasonable, non profit, prevention based system where people are rewarded for good health habits and the unhealthy are taxed much more heavily.
Drug use crimes are punished with forced rehabilitation, crimes relating to drug dealing or transporting are dealt with severely, and repeat offenders are capitally punished.
Immigration reform would be immediate and a much more widespread and regulated guest worker program would be initiated which would give the benefits of under the counter labor for cost with the regulation and standards of above the counter. Troops are moved into mexico to secure the border and forcibly destroy cartel presence. Al-queda kills vastly fewer americans then mexican cartells.
Largescale financial crimes become capitol offenses (I like the chinese system in this regard). High level government corruption crimes become capitol offenses. The electoral college is done away with and replaced with a system based entirely on popular vote. Gerrymandering becomes impossible through the abolishment of the counter-populist voting system that allows it.
Stem cell research if fully legitimized, gay marriage is fully legalized, pot is fully illegalized, and the USDA is reformed to be less corrupt and ineffective.
On a case by case basis labor unions are forcibly dissolved or forcibly allowed to form. Same with teachers unions. New performance based standards for k-12 teachers and the protections of tenure are diminished in at the collegiate level.
Relations with Iran are reset and theoretically improved. Relations with Israel are reset and theoretically worsened until they leave Palestinian territory. Hamas is treated as an official governing party for a trial period to test for their ability to reform when not under the oppressive thumb of israel. If they can not then relations with israel will be improved again. Nuclear disarmament will proceed, however our stockpile will not dwindle below the number needed to kill every man women and child on the planet.
I'll think of more later.
:Edit: Also, sean hannity is tied to the nose of the space shuttle and shot into space.
:Edit: Also, sean hannity is tied to the nose of the space shuttle and shot into space.
You do realize:
1. You're going to damage the shuttle doing that. I call foul. What did the shuttle ever do to you?
2. Although the rest of him is skeletonized, his hair will be both completely undamaged and unruffled.
:Edit: Also, sean hannity is tied to the nose of the space shuttle and shot into space.
You do realize:
1. You're going to damage the shuttle doing that. I call foul. What did the shuttle ever do to you?
2. Although the rest of him is skeletonized, his hair will be both completely undamaged and unruffled.
If Hannity damages the space shuttle he will be flogged and then shot.
:: American companies are disallowed to design/develop/manufacture with non-citizen labor. Citizens who attempt to "bail ship" have their assets seized.
:: Boarders opened for naturalization of new citizens. Any individual or business employing non-citizen labor, see above.
:: Minimum wage is raised to living wage. Living wage based on living locally to source of income.
- If you mop floors 40 hours a week in Manhattan, you get to have the financial option to live within a 20 minutes from your job. (see below)
:: Cap the highest paid member's salary+benefits+bonuses relative to the lowest paid member's salary+benefits+bonuses.
~ 10 years is given to complete the restructure.
The following would reduce the cost of living and increase competition for employees.
:: Federal, nation wide reliable & affordable modern mass transit. (sorry Hawaii / Alaska & Commonwealths)
:: Federal, nation wide reliable & affordable modern communications.
:: Federal, reliable & affordable health care.
Economies based on an idealized free-market will always fail to support healthy communities.
Since the individual members that will gather wealth exponentially shall have no reason to protect the resources of the community or future generations.
Frazzled
after the mortgage crisis and this too big to fail stuff I would have taken a sledgehammer to the whole banking section. Like "bank of america you are now 10 small banks Citi Group you get to be 7 or 8" etc. These institutions represent a massive concentration of power and wealth and apparently have enough power to hold the whole country hostage to their mistakes. In return we the american public get......what? You can't regulate them into submission - you have to beat them into submission. I'd scrap all these gotcha fees they charge - 30$ here 5$ here this that. Fees, not interest on loans, is what is building those big sky scrapers in new york where these guys have their offices.
I dont know about the rest. But I do know that institutions of that size are a threat to national sovereignty and democratic government.
AF
hmm. I would go to war with canada. Give the deed to alaska back to russia(take that palin) Make america idol like shows illegal(unless they are really care)
1. Mandatory sterilization of anybody who becomes pregnant while under public assistance. If you can't even take care of yourself, you have the right to increase the burden on others.
2. Mandatory death penalty for drunk driving, forcible rape, pedophilia, all violet crimes in which someone is permanently injured / killed; death penalty potential for fraud / insider trading valued > $1M USD.
3. Automatic conversion of "life imprisonment" to mandatory execution.
JohnHwangDD wrote:I start by cutting long-term costs!
1. Mandatory sterilization of anybody who becomes pregnant while under public assistance. If you can't even take care of yourself, you have the right to increase the burden on others.
2. Mandatory death penalty for drunk driving, forcible rape, pedophilia, all violet crimes in which someone is permanently injured / killed; death penalty potential for fraud / insider trading valued > $1M USD.
3. Automatic conversion of "life imprisonment" to mandatory execution.
I think once the coffers immediately run dry because of those programs you would probably be deposed before any of the long term savings show up.
First, I will kill myself. Then, when my tainted spirit finds its destination, I will topple the master of that dark place. From my black throne, I will lash together an engine of bone and blood, and fuelled by my hatred for humanity this fear engine will bore a whole between this world and that one. When it begins, they will hear the sound of children screaming; as though from a great distance. A smoking orb of nothingness will grow above their precious land and from it will emerge a thousand starving crows. As I slip through the widening maw in my glorious new form, the first of them will catch only a glimpse of my radiance before being incinerated. Then, as tears of bubbling pitch stream down my face, my dark work will begin. I will open one of my six mouths, and I will sing the song that ends the Earth.
Khornholio wrote:If I were dictator of Asia, seeing as I live here, I'd...
1. Crush my enemies.
2. See them driven before me.
3. Hear the lamentations of the women.
This.
Darth Bob wrote:Well my plan is simple.
First, I will kill myself. Then, when my tainted spirit finds its destination, I will topple the master of that dark place. From my black throne, I will lash together an engine of bone and blood, and fuelled by my hatred for humanity this fear engine will bore a whole between this world and that one. When it begins, they will hear the sound of children screaming; as though from a great distance. A smoking orb of nothingness will grow above their precious land and from it will emerge a thousand starving crows. As I slip through the widening maw in my glorious new form, the first of them will catch only a glimpse of my radiance before being incinerated. Then, as tears of bubbling pitch stream down my face, my dark work will begin. I will open one of my six mouths, and I will sing the song that ends the Earth.
AbaddonFidelis wrote:Frazzled
after the mortgage crisis and this too big to fail stuff I would have taken a sledgehammer to the whole banking section. Like "bank of america you are now 10 small banks Citi Group you get to be 7 or 8" etc. These institutions represent a massive concentration of power and wealth and apparently have enough power to hold the whole country hostage to their mistakes. In return we the american public get......what? You can't regulate them into submission - you have to beat them into submission. I'd scrap all these gotcha fees they charge - 30$ here 5$ here this that. Fees, not interest on loans, is what is building those big sky scrapers in new york where these guys have their offices.
I dont know about the rest. But I do know that institutions of that size are a threat to national sovereignty and democratic government.
AF
Aka how the legal system worked prior to 2008. Excellent. Welcome to the Tea Party.
No. the tea party is against government intervention in the market place. I am for it. The kind of lassaiz-faire capitalism that they want would reduce 90% of the people in this country to corporate serfdom within a generation.
AF
AbaddonFidelis wrote:No. the tea party is against government intervention in the market place. I am for it. The kind of lassaiz-faire capitalism that they want would reduce 90% of the people in this country to corporate serfdom within a generation.
AF
Actually you are. Thats how the system is supposed to work. When companies - including banks- fail, they go through bankruptcy. That was stopped in 2008. Only the strong survive.
And the way companies get stronger is by getting bigger. The bigger and fewer they get the more power each individual institution has and the more dangerous its failure is to the nation. It was that size that created the scale of this crisis and the necessity to bail them out.
AF
AbaddonFidelis wrote:And the way companies get stronger is by getting bigger. The bigger and fewer they get the more power each individual institution has and the more dangerous its failure is to the nation. It was that size that created the scale of this crisis and the necessity to bail them out.
AF
Thats only one avenue. Bigger does not mean better. Bigger just means bigger. GM was huge...
Frazzled wrote: Thats only one avenue. Bigger does not mean better. Bigger just means bigger. GM was huge...
Well for whatever reason the leaders of the financial system decided that the bigger they got the better off they would be. Thats the trend that we should be working to stop. They are too big, too powerful - the government should step in and break them up before they get too powerful for our - or any - government to regulate.
AF
Foreign borrowers could go to a variety of US sources with only slightly more trouble than they can currently approach one. The health of the banking system is based on how much capital there is to lend and how regularly it is paid back, not the size of the institutions doing the lending. They will in any case develop their own financial institutions and no longer require us, just as we did and no longer require the british.
AF
AbaddonFidelis wrote:Foreign borrowers could go to a variety of US sources with only slightly more trouble than they can currently approach one. The health of the banking system is based on how much capital there is to lend and how regularly it is paid back, not the size of the institutions doing the lending. They will in any case develop their own financial institutions and no longer require us, just as we did and no longer require the british.
AF
You're talking help. I'm talking competitive advantage. A larger bank can lend more to a client and thus gain agencies which themselves bring in additional ancillaries which are the name fo the game. Smaller banks are almost irrelevant now.
the amount of money someone can borrow in a country is limited by how much capital there is available in the country, not by the size of the institutions lending it. We did very well in the 80s with a decentralized financial system I tend to think we could do it again. But if it comes down to it I'd rather sacrifice financial competitiveness abroad than democratic government at home. As it stands these guys can do whatever they want and send us the bill when it goes sour. If a corporation can force the govt to act on its behalf and against my interests and that of my neighbors, then our votes dont count for much. The only solution to this problem is to reduce the size of the financial insitutions so that no one of them will ever be too big to fail again. Unregulated markets caused, they will not solve, this problem.
AF
AbaddonFidelis wrote:the amount of money someone can borrow in a country is limited by how much capital there is available in the country, not by the size of the institutions lending it. We did very well in the 80s with a decentralized financial system I tend to think we could do it again. But if it comes down to it I'd rather sacrifice financial competitiveness abroad than democratic government at home. As it stands these guys can do whatever they want and send us the bill when it goes sour. If a corporation can force the govt to act on its behalf and against my interests and that of my neighbors, then our votes dont count for much. The only solution to this problem is to reduce the size of the financial insitutions so that no one of them will ever be too big to fail again. Unregulated markets caused, they will not solve, this problem.
AF
Thats so wrong its not funny...
EIDIT: I apologize, thats rude.
The amount of money a major company or borrowing entity can receive is tied to its creditworthiness, the economics and ancillaries that can be obtained from the client-both from the oan spreads and from ancillary econmics-the political risk of that nation, and available capacity on a global basis.
For a private or for a govt entity the amount of money they can borrow is limited by both.... obviously you cant borrow more money than is available in the pool (capital) nor can you borrow more than lenders are willing to give you (credit.)
I'm not really sure what you mean by ancillaries. Can you elaborate? It's more risky to lend to govts yes because they can default on their loans and no one can make them pay it back, whereas private entities can be taken to court.
All I'm saying here is that the size of the lending institutions does not restrict the amount of money available in the system to give out to a borrower. ie we can lend the same amount of money with a bunch of little banks as we can with a few big ones. Banks dont create wealth. They just organize it.
AF
AbaddonFidelis wrote:For a private or for a govt entity the amount of money they can borrow is limited by both.... obviously you cant borrow more money than is available in the pool (capital) nor can you borrow more than lenders are willing to give you (credit.)
I'm not really sure what you mean by ancillaries. Can you elaborate? It's more risky to lend to govts yes because they can default on their loans and no one can make them pay it back, whereas private entities can be taken to court.
All I'm saying here is that the size of the lending institutions does not restrict the amount of money available in the system to give out to a borrower. ie we can lend the same amount of money with a bunch of little banks as we can with a few big ones. Banks dont create wealth. They just organize it.
AF
I'm saying the market is an international market, not a national one.
1. Its internaitonal in terms of capital availability.
2. Its international in terms of competition. Small banks cannot compete vs. larger ones. Its that simple. Citibank can lend more to client than Whittier Bank due to reserve requirements per individual client. You can only stop that if you limit international competition but that runs afoul of lots of treaties in practice.
well larger institutions def. make it easier to lend larger amounts of money in blocks.... I think we could still do it with smaller banks but it would be more difficult.... anyway yes I take your point about that. It's true bigger banks help with international borrowing.
Is that competitive advantage worth the risk of undermining our democratic government? The last time the banks got into trouble they handed us the bill and we paid it, despite almost universal hostility to the TARP program. If, for whatever reason, a private entity is strong enough to get its way in the face of that kind of popular disgust then its clear that the votes of a few banks matter more than the votes of millions of Americans. That should not be acceptable to anyone, but, ironically, the people who clamor the loudest about freedom - the tea partiers - are advocating the policies that undermine it, and decrying the policies - government intervention - that can sustain it.
As far as the smaller banks competing with the little ones, I agree - they cant do it. Since they cant compete with the larger banks, and the existence of banks of that size is not compatible with democratic government or national sovereignty, the solution seems pretty clear - pass legislation that limits the size of banks.
AF
AbaddonFidelis wrote:well larger institutions def. make it easier to lend larger amounts of money in blocks.... I think we could still do it with smaller banks but it would be more difficult.... anyway yes I take your point about that. It's true bigger banks help with international borrowing.
Is that competitive advantage worth the risk of undermining our democratic government? The last time the banks got into trouble they handed us the bill and we paid it, despite almost universal hostility to the TARP program. If, for whatever reason, a private entity is strong enough to get its way in the face of that kind of popular disgust then its clear that the votes of a few banks matter more than the votes of millions of Americans. That should not be acceptable to anyone, but, ironically, the people who clamor the loudest about freedom - the tea partiers - are advocating the policies that undermine it, and decrying the policies - government intervention - that can sustain it.
As far as the smaller banks competing with the little ones, I agree - they cant do it. Since they cant compete with the larger banks, and the existence of banks of that size is not compatible with democratic government or national sovereignty, the solution seems pretty clear - pass legislation that limits the size of banks.
AF
well.... the people who spend their lives studying that kind of thing thought it was a good idea.... at least for myself I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, since I dont have the training or knowledge that they do.
AbaddonFidelis wrote:well.... the people who spend their lives studying that kind of thing thought it was a good idea.... at least for myself I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, since I dont have the training or knowledge that they do.
Thats not quite correct. Most of the majors were against it, hence JPM's and Well's open rebellion at the idea. The only major institution needing bailout money was Citigroup. The rest was a cover for that.
EDIT: I should note, I actually like the concept of smaller banks myself. I'm more interested here in the competitive aspect.
ummm.... I believe that the TARP and the govt involvement in banks were 2 different programs. TARP bought the securities, but what city group got was a loan at the price of part govt ownership. It goes without saying that the banks only want the govt to be involved to the extent that their bacon needs saving and no further. But thats the thing - calling in the govt is like calling in the romans. Sure they'll help, but will they ever leave? What I really mean by the people who spend their lives studying it is economic scholars, not bank officers per se.... people who work for a corporation have alot less freedom to speak their minds and stay true to the facts than do people who work for a university.
AF
AbaddonFidelis wrote:ummm.... I believe that the TARP and the govt involvement in banks were 2 different programs. TARP bought the securities, but what city group got was a loan at the price of part govt ownership. It goes without saying that the banks only want the govt to be involved to the extent that their bacon needs saving and no further. But thats the thing - calling in the govt is like calling in the romans. Sure they'll help, but will they ever leave? What I really mean by the people who spend their lives studying it is economic scholars, not bank officers per se.... people who work for a corporation have alot less freedom to speak their minds and stay true to the facts than do people who work for a university.
AF
TARP provded the funds.
Citi needed it. The other majors didn't and didn't want it for exactly that reason. They were strong armed into it.
Socialize Health Care, remove health insurance companies/ make health care non-profit.
Make plans for return/colonization of the moon, and manned exploration of the solar system.
Increase funding for the space program.
Educate people that religion/nationalism/racism/sexism are detrimental to the well being of humanity.
Reduce/cancel aid to Israel unless they stop illegal settlements.
Legalize prostitution, it's going to happen regardless and legalizing it will allow tax profit, and possibly easier tracking of disease.
Legalize Stem Cell research offer grants to promising researchers.
Promote research into alternative energy sources.
Institute a two child limit, the planet can only sustain so many people.
Ban mention of creationism/religion in public schools.
Remove the word "god" from the pledge of allegiance.
Close religious schools/churches/etc.
First thing as Supreme Dictator of Canada is pay-off all of Canada's financial debts (yeah I know boring ). That's all for now will come up with some stuff if I'm in the mood.
Probably the first thing I'd do is sit back and marvel at the mess we're in.
Step 1 would be to implement a stimulus that ACTUALLY repairs and replaces infrastructure. I was under the impression this was what the initial stimulus was for (Shovel-ready projects my ass), but it seems Michigan at least used it to plug budget shortfalls rather than actually build anything. High speed internet connections, sidewalks, and bridges would be the primary focus.
Step 2 would be to smack higher education on the hand and reign in the cost of public universities. Private can raise the costs of tuition and whatnot as much as they darn well please, but public universities shouldn't be raising tuition at the rate of 10% a year every year for a few decades. And no, I don't care how much student aid you give to compensate. This would go hand-in-hand with massive education reform. All calculators would be BANNED from elementary schools in an effort to increase ability in mathmatics. Students must demonstrate minimal proficiency in math, writing, and civics (I could be easily swayed to include science/history in here as well but I suppose I should start small). Failure to do so would lead to mandatory after-school/summer school remediation. Continued failure to succeed would lead to being transplanted out of your current enviroment to a boarding school. High school/Middle school would no longer subscribe to the creed of "Everybody goes to college". Emphasis would be placed on technical training/job training. Apprenticeships would the norm for senior and possibly junior years.
Step 3 would be to figure out how to disentangle ourselves from China. As I understand it, they've loaned us enough money that they could essentially kill our economy if they so choose (With the understanding it would also be detrimental to their own economy). I have no idea how this would work or what could be done. Part of me thinks repealing things like NAFTA and whatnot might be good, but I suspect it's only going to be good for the short-term and not the long.
Step 4 would be to open up primaries to all voters. No more of this "You can vote in one partie's primary" crap. This should have a mellowing effect on the candidates and reduce the partisan gridlock/nonsense we've had since the mid 90's.
Step 5 would be to gas the maximum security prisons. I'll probably be considered a monster for the remainder of history, but it would go a long way to smoothing out our criminal justice system, even if it was a one-time thing.
Step 6 would be to address health-care costs. I've always considered the insurance industry a sort of strawman for the actual problem. It's ridiculous if I go into an ER and need 4 stiches (which takes maybe 15 minutes of the PA's/Nurses time) and get charged $800 for the service. Set up programs where you can go to med-school on the government's dime. Successful completion of your training means you don't owe a darn thing. In return, health care prices will be regulated to something more reasonable. I suppose private hospitals can try and make a go of it and charge what they'd like, but they wouldn't be competing on a level playing field.
I would make everyone in the states take out a 10 dollar bill and burn it.
Then I would put america on the coal standard and prevent the burning of coal.
Then I would pass legislature saying that companies must pay the overseas equivalent of minimum wage. So if 1 american dollar is .90 non american dollars then they must pay (7.25 x .90) non american dollars.
1. Axe Obamacare and enact a universal Tort reform. Texas has clearly shown that tort reform is noting but a boon for the economy. Health care costs among doctors in Texas dropped from 21% to 50%.
2. Privatize Social Security. If there is one universal truth about politicians, it's that they will steal your money. Give the people the option to place their "Social Security" in private accounts that the gov cannot access. I honestly wish this hadn't been stonewalled a few years ago. As it stands right now, I won't have any of the SS that I've been paying my whole adult life. I'll have to solely rely on my pension, and other savings, while everyone else gets to rely on my dollar.
3. Lower corporation taxes so they stop fleeing overseas. We punish our own companies, while trying to entice foreign companies to come here. I say, why not have the best of both worlds. Make it so everyone, US or Foriegn owned companies has competitive tax rates that makes it enticing to keep the jobs in the US.
Thats just a start, but I think it would be a pretty good one.
djones520 wrote:
2. Privatize Social Security. If there is one universal truth about politicians, it's that they will steal your money. Give the people the option to place their "Social Security" in private accounts that the gov cannot access. I honestly wish this hadn't been stonewalled a few years ago. As it stands right now, I won't have any of the SS that I've been paying my whole adult life. I'll have to solely rely on my pension, and other savings, while everyone else gets to rely on my dollar.
unfortunately people trust the stock market even less than the govt...... the truth is you cant safely give anyone a gigantic pile of cash and trust them to not spend it.
AF
djones520 wrote:
2. Privatize Social Security. If there is one universal truth about politicians, it's that they will steal your money. Give the people the option to place their "Social Security" in private accounts that the gov cannot access. I honestly wish this hadn't been stonewalled a few years ago. As it stands right now, I won't have any of the SS that I've been paying my whole adult life. I'll have to solely rely on my pension, and other savings, while everyone else gets to rely on my dollar.
unfortunately people trust the stock market even less than the govt...... the truth is you cant safely give anyone a gigantic pile of cash and trust them to not spend it.
AF
djones520 wrote:
2. Privatize Social Security. If there is one universal truth about politicians, it's that they will steal your money. Give the people the option to place their "Social Security" in private accounts that the gov cannot access. I honestly wish this hadn't been stonewalled a few years ago. As it stands right now, I won't have any of the SS that I've been paying my whole adult life. I'll have to solely rely on my pension, and other savings, while everyone else gets to rely on my dollar.
unfortunately people trust the stock market even less than the govt...... the truth is you cant safely give anyone a gigantic pile of cash and trust them to not spend it.
AF
Actually, my 401k has grown over the last couple of years. I just kept all my money in the safest, but lowest growth investments. So while everyone tanked, I did fine. I'd do the exact same with my SS.
But the key point about this is giving the people the choice. I do not trust the government to tell me what is best for me, and no one else should either.
I start by abolishing any part of the federal goverment that was orginally called for in the US Constitution. I pay off the national debt and then lower taxes for those that currently pay taxes and dont get it all back. I install some sort of minimum tax payment, it will be a token sum, but this way everyone pays something.
Once the debit is paid down and my tax plan goes into effect I build a giant dome over the entire United States, with smaller domes over Alaska and Hawaii. Once the dome is finished I begin pumping all of the oxygen into the dome, while at the same time, putting all our waste and a steady supply of Agent Orange outside the dome. I wait 50 years and declare a planatary goverment.
djones520 wrote:
2. Privatize Social Security. If there is one universal truth about politicians, it's that they will steal your money. Give the people the option to place their "Social Security" in private accounts that the gov cannot access. I honestly wish this hadn't been stonewalled a few years ago. As it stands right now, I won't have any of the SS that I've been paying my whole adult life. I'll have to solely rely on my pension, and other savings, while everyone else gets to rely on my dollar.
unfortunately people trust the stock market even less than the govt...... the truth is you cant safely give anyone a gigantic pile of cash and trust them to not spend it.
AF
You can if they are legally obligated to do so...
whats legal got to do with anything?
You know that when you give a company money in exchange for their stock they go out and spend it right? Just checking...
AF
Automatically Appended Next Post:
djones520 wrote:
AbaddonFidelis wrote:
djones520 wrote:
2. Privatize Social Security. If there is one universal truth about politicians, it's that they will steal your money. Give the people the option to place their "Social Security" in private accounts that the gov cannot access. I honestly wish this hadn't been stonewalled a few years ago. As it stands right now, I won't have any of the SS that I've been paying my whole adult life. I'll have to solely rely on my pension, and other savings, while everyone else gets to rely on my dollar.
unfortunately people trust the stock market even less than the govt...... the truth is you cant safely give anyone a gigantic pile of cash and trust them to not spend it.
AF
Actually, my 401k has grown over the last couple of years. I just kept all my money in the safest, but lowest growth investments. So while everyone tanked, I did fine. I'd do the exact same with my SS.
But the key point about this is giving the people the choice. I do not trust the government to tell me what is best for me, and no one else should either.
All the people who didnt do well in the stock market will just vote themselves your profits through the tax code thats democracy.
AF
