A List We Can ALL Agree On: How to Fix the Economy (unemployment, wages)

[clb10]

1. If the government would enforce laws like immigration, then maybe they would not need as many teachers or cops in the first place.
2. Do drug testing on those who receive welfare. If you’re doing drugs then you lose out on the benefits. You can afford the drugs, then you can afford the food.
3. If you are on welfare then you will need to be on birth control. This will be your choice either be on birth control or don’t receive welfare. It should not be the governments nor the tax payers responsibility to support you having more children so you get more money.
4. If you are on welfare for a certain period, then the government can call on you for labor. This will decrease the governments spending.
5. If a large corporation moves jobs overseas, then they will need to pay higher taxes to help pay for the unemployment for the people that lost their jobs. If they move their headquarters overseas, then a tariff will be placed on the items they sell
6. There will no longer be an earned income credit on taxes. Why should the Government pay those who don’t pay any taxes at all and why are we paying people to not improve themselves?
7. Illegal immigrants will be returned to their own country and their country will be billed for the cost of returning them. If that country does not want to pay then they will no longer receive aid. If they are letting their people come here then why are we giving them aid to help the people in their country?
8. The US government will now be required to purchase only Made in America items.
9. Lower the retirement age on social security back to age 65. This will take some people out of the job market and allow for them to retire at an earlier age. This will also help the tax base since more people will be working and more people will be receiving social security.
10. Offer tax incentives for companies to offer early retirement. The government will be able to recoup their money from the increase in the revenue collected from taxes. The tax incentive can only be collected if the company replaces the retiree with a new hire.
11. The government will no longer bail out private companies. This is a free market and there will be another company that is willing to purchase them. It is not the responsibility of the government to use TAXPAYER money to further fund a company that does not compete adequately in the marketplace.

Credit: This list is courtesy of Frank C from Yahoo! Message Boards

[Rggr]

You raise some valid points, and I can promise that you will find many on here who do not all agree.

[rbohm]

Originally Posted by clb10

5. If a large corporation moves jobs overseas, then they will need to pay higher taxes to help pay for the unemployment for the people that lost their jobs. If they move their headquarters overseas, then a tariff will be placed on the items they sell

this is the only one i disagree with, since the better solution would be to make the business environment more business friendly in the US by eliminating excessive and contradictory regulations.

8. The US government will now be required to purchase only Made in America items.

for the most part they are already required to purchase american made items.

9. Lower the retirement age on social security back to age 65. This will take some people out of the job market and allow for them to retire at an earlier age. This will also help the tax base since more people will be working and more people will be receiving social security.

retirement age has not been increased, so it cant be lowered back to 65.

11. The government will no longer bail out private companies. This is a free market and there will be another company that is willing to purchase them. It is not the responsibility of the government to use TAXPAYER money to further fund a company that does not compete adequately in the marketplace.

this is the best way to handle businesses that are in danger of failing. let the private system work and keep the government out of things.

[TempesT68]

I think it's a great list, unfortunately likely none of them will ever get done.

[Memphis1979]

Originally Posted by clb10

1. If the government would enforce laws like immigration, then maybe they would not need as many teachers or cops in the first place.

Immigration is a small problem, most of those that come in contribute more with less expensive work than they ever receive. Lets concentrate on bigger financial issues, like a military budget that is twice what the rest of the world spends.

Originally Posted by clb10

2. Do drug testing on those who receive welfare. If you’re doing drugs then you lose out on the benefits. You can afford the drugs, then you can afford the food.

I see no problem with this, unless they are prescribed medical marijuana, or some other drug by a doctor. Not that its a major economic issue.

Originally Posted by clb10

3. If you are on welfare then you will need to be on birth control. This will be your choice either be on birth control or don’t receive welfare. It should not be the governments nor the tax payers responsibility to support you having more children so you get more money.

Really, you're getting to intrusive into peoples lives. How do you purpose to do this? Again, focusing on things that are to small.

Originally Posted by clb10

4. If you are on welfare for a certain period, then the government can call on you for labor. This will decrease the governments spending.

That I've always agreed with, and found out recently, actually happens in some places.

Originally Posted by clb10

5. If a large corporation moves jobs overseas, then they will need to pay higher taxes to help pay for the unemployment for the people that lost their jobs. If they move their headquarters overseas, then a tariff will be placed on the items they sell

No, they are already having to pay import tariffs and other things. What we need to do is focus on innovating a new American product that is really only produced at home. People enjoy their cheap stuff. Start taxing companies who function over seas is going to make things worse, not better. As my Republican colleagues say all the time "Tax more, sure, they'll pass it off on the consumer"

Originally Posted by clb10

6. There will no longer be an earned income credit on taxes. Why should the Government pay those who don’t pay any taxes at all and why are we paying people to not improve themselves?

Why? The EIC was made to offset the cost of SSI payments for the extremely poor. While I think that standards should be state based, and not national (because poor in NY is different from poor in AL), we shouldn't do away with it. Again, small stuff, think BIG.

Originally Posted by clb10

7. Illegal immigrants will be returned to their own country and their country will be billed for the cost of returning them. If that country does not want to pay then they will no longer receive aid. If they are letting their people come here then why are we giving them aid to help the people in their country?

I don't care about that, but how are you going to enforce that? If they didn't agree to a treaty, then we can't enforce anything.

Originally Posted by clb10

8.The US government will now be required to purchase only Made in America items.

Stupid, you want to increase government spending?

Originally Posted by clb10

9. Lower the retirement age on social security back to age 65. This will take some people out of the job market and allow for them to retire at an earlier age. This will also help the tax base since more people will be working and more people will be receiving social security.

Again, you want to spend MORE money? How about people just start having less kids, oh wait, they already are.

Originally Posted by clb10

10. Offer tax incentives for companies to offer early retirement. The government will be able to recoup their money from the increase in the revenue collected from taxes. The tax incentive can only be collected if the company replaces the retiree with a new hire.

One worker is just as good to the government as the next, what does the age matter. Maybe the younger kids should focus on getting degrees they enjoy, instead of making them lots of money. Free market, its the best worst system we have yet.

Originally Posted by clb10

11. The government will no longer bail out private companies. This is a free market and there will be another company that is willing to purchase them. It is not the responsibility of the government to use TAXPAYER money to further fund a company that does not compete adequately in the marketplace.

Credit: This list is courtesy of Frank C from Yahoo! Message Boards

Worked pretty good for GM. I agree the banks should have been broken up into smaller pieces, complete failure would have resulted in a world wide depression, instead of recession.

Whats the difference in recession vs. depression? 1929 through 1940 vs 1980 through 1992

You tell me what was better overall?

I see little in this except partisan lines. While a lot of it you can agree with on concept, it again deflects attention to needless spending that should be pointed out, namely, again, a military budget twice that of the rest of the world combined.

[Mouser]

It would be a good start but sadly this administration
has it's agenda all set up and well on it's way

Close the government check book should be first on the list

[ovcatto]

I'm still waiting for a phone call, so I'll play...

1. If the government would enforce laws like immigration, then maybe they would not need as many teachers or cops in the first place.

Considering classroom sizes, the only likely benefit would be smaller classes.
Less cops? The crime rate, and particularly violent crime has been on a steady decline for years.

2. Do drug testing on those who receive welfare. If you’re doing drugs then you lose out on the benefits. You can afford the drugs, then you can afford the food.

I guess you could call that a stimulus for drug testing company and pee cup makers.


3. If you are on welfare then you will need to be on birth control. This will be your choice either be on birth control or don’t receive welfare. It should not be the governments nor the tax payers responsibility to support you having more children so you get more money.

Ah, sort of like the prescription drug bill. I'm sure Pfizer and Trojans would lobby for that law.

4. If you are on welfare for a certain period, then the government can call on you for labor. This will decrease the governments spending.

Labor to do what? The reason people are usually on welfare is because the have no job skills and little education. Of course there already is a jobs component of current "welfare", as we seem to keep having to remind you people.

5. If a large corporation moves jobs overseas, then they will need to pay higher taxes to help pay for the unemployment for the people that lost their jobs. If they move their headquarters overseas, then a tariff will be placed on the items they sell.

Ah, a stimulus for lawyers! The bar association of Delaware will be overjoyed as they parse the law trying figure out if a U.S. company moved oversees or if their foreign subsidiary just expanded a whole lot.

6. There will no longer be an earned income credit on taxes. Why should the Government pay those who don’t pay any taxes at all and why are we paying people to not improve themselves?

I suppose that there are millions of citizens are so exceedingly happy working for Wal-Mart and Target at subsistence wages that going for anything better is just a matter of changing the tax code. (can I send you my daughters tuition bills? Betterment ain't cheap!)


7. Illegal immigrants will be returned to their own country and their country will be billed for the cost of returning them. If that country does not want to pay then they will no longer receive aid. If they are letting their people come here then why are we giving them aid to help the people in their country?

Like Mexico, our second largest trading partner, the folks who provide us with more oil than Saudi Arabia? We are going to get in a trade war with Mexico? Why didn't I think of that?

8.The US government will now be required to purchase only Made in America items.

Sort of like we do now?

9. Lower the retirement age on social security back to age 65. This will take some people out of the job market and allow for them to retire at an earlier age. This will also help the tax base since more people will be working and more people will be receiving social security.

This one is even beyond my sarcastic skills.


10. Offer tax incentives for companies to offer early retirement. The government will be able to recoup their money from the increase in the revenue collected from taxes. The tax incentive can only be collected if the company replaces the retiree with a new hire.

See above.

11. The government will no longer bail out private companies. This is a free market and there will be another company that is willing to purchase them. It is not the responsibility of the government to use TAXPAYER money to further fund a company that does not compete adequately in the marketplace.

When if comes to "another buyer" see, Lehman Bros, and G.M.

Credit: This list is courtesy of Frank C from Yahoo! Message Boards

I don't blame you for pointing out that you aren't to be blamed for this. I do pray this will be Palin's platform in 2012!

PS - just to show that I'm not trying to be a total jerk, the simplest and easiest way for us to fix the economy is for everyone (who can), to buy **** not invest, but by ****, toys, cars, cloths, stuff you can take home. And the more money you have the more **** you should buy.

The problem with this economy is that DEMAND for goods and services are depressed. The more we buy, the more that has to be produced (SUPPLY), the more **** the more people are needed to make it, transport it, and sell it. The more people who are making, transporting and selling, the more people who can buy more **** from somebody else which leads to more making, more transporting and more selling. The more you make, the more you transport, the more you transport, the more you sell, the more sell the more we all make and at the end of the day, voila we have a recovery.

It is really just that simple.

So instead of thinking of draconian ways to penalize those who don't have a whole lot to spend, go out and buy something, a lot of something.

[Roadking2003]

Many items on the list are totally counter productive as many of you have pointed out.

Those that oppose off shoring, have you ever asked yourself what the price of your TV or Ipod would be if that work were not done off shore?

Do you know what your life insurance and car insurance would cost if insurance companies did not use off shore labor?

Your standard of living would certainly go down. Protectionism has been tried and it has failed for centuries.

[pvande55]

#2: Someone wrote a joking piece about the Million Worker March. Since you need to take a drug test to get a job, those on Welfare or SS should do the same. It was not televised because of the bizarre way they demonstrated.
#3: Will produce protests on reproductive rights.
#4: This would be a good idea, but I doubt the government will use many for labor.
#6: The EITC was designed to encourage the poor to work.

[Lakewooder]

Immigration is not a small problem when 1,000,000 illegals who don't speak English and have sixth grade educations (at best) come to your town!