Friday, September 26, 2008

Best Economic Solution

I got this email from my aunt and LOVED it...any idea how to get Washington to agree??

I LOVE THIS PROPOSAL !!



I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.
Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide adults in the U.S. Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00. My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend. Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let's assume a tax rate of 30%. Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam. But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?
Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college - it'll be there

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car - create jobs

Invest in the market - capital drives growth
Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive. If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate. Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't. Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work." But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC .

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

My favorite thing about fall...

I consider myself to have somewhat sophisticated taste when it comes to entertainment. I like Broadway shows, orchestra concerts, art galleries and museums. So it may surprise some to know that my all time FAVORITE thing to do during September in Idaho is attend the demolition derby.

For as long as my family has lived in Blackfoot we’ve gone to the derby associated with the Eastern Idaho State Fair. Some may say that this is a redneck activity, and they would be absolutely right, but until you have experienced the thrill of a derby, you just wouldn’t understand the appeal. Those of you who have never been to one just can’t see that it is more than cars crashing into one another until only one is running. That is a large part of the excitement, of course, but there is so much more. There is serious drama--i.e. when two cars get stuck together and can’t get apart...you wait with baited breath until they finally pull free or another car comes to their rescue; or when your favorite car stalls and sits for several minutes until it is about to be eliminated and then, out of nowhere, the engine comes to life again. The audience is actually very involved in what they are watching, there is yelling at the stupid cars that “showboat” around the arena avoiding all hits, or the referee who eliminates a car that hasn’t had enough time to get started again. There is cheering at the hard hits or the last minute rescues. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, happy one minute, angry or anxious another. You get a break from the craziness in between each round, when tow trucks have to come remove all the non-running cars from the arena, and then it all starts again. In the end there is one winner, going home with a rather sizable cash prize, and hopefully the cheers of the audience. It is really something you just have to experience. This year I went to three different derbies, three Saturday nights in a row. The BEST was in St. Anthony, mostly because the competition was less structured than at the fair. Girls drove in the same rounds with the boys, there were passengers, they didn’t wet the track as much and they gave prizes for the hardest hits, which meant some EXCELLENT crashes. They even had a round of pickup trucks! I also saw the truest rednecks there, mullets and Wranglers included. If you ever get the chance to go to a demolition derby, please take it. I’m not promising you’ll love it like I do, but I do promise you’ll have fun, and life is too short to pass that up!

Monday, September 8, 2008

It's always good to laugh...