My opinion on how to fix the economy.

[wisco]

I feel that the economy is going to continue to decline. The recent spikes in the stock market and employment a merely a result of QE, the underlying problems still remain. The general consensus is that 200,000 jobs need to be added per month for a number of years to get back on track. I just don't see that happening under current conditions.

So I started thinking with the business half of my mind. How do we put millions of people back to work? I've given this a lot of thought, and I think I have the perfect solution.

Re-ignite a space race, and set a target for Mars within the next 10 years.

Sound crazy?

We have the ability, and we've had a viable plan to do so since 1990 - Mars Direct. NASA is the epitome of American ingenuity. Many people don't even realize how many every-day items were invented by NASA during it's golden years:

scratch resistant lenses
water filters
cordless tools
smoke detectors
ear thermometers
shoe insoles
cat scanners
microchips

The list goes on and on - officially about 6300 patents. Think of how many jobs were created by these inventions. Think of how many more inventions (jobs) would be created to complete such a massive undertaking as going to Mars, and beyond!

Cost is certainly an issue, but probably not to the extreme you may have been lead to believe. The Mars Direct plan was estimated in 1990 @ $55 Billion. Chump change compared to the massive bailouts of today.


SO..... there's my thoughts. What are yours?

[SANE-A30]

interesting........ .......... that you just sat there and thought this up...... the way things are going MARS might be our only escape route.... I say shoot for the stars

[uicipher]

I'm for just about anything that pumps money into science and technology. The US used to be the best in the world, now we're behind most of the world in this sector. However it might be nice to invest in something that is potentially more useful. For example, working solar panels (not the %5 efficient crap they're producing now) would be massively beneficial. If environmental technology isn't your thing, how about an effective missile defense system? If you just want to live longer maybe we could fund health care research, lets actually cure cancer! If you're a nerd like me we could invest in a new super computer, that would have astounding effects on every industry. My point is that there is almost an endless number of projects we could invest in that would pull us out of the depression. Of course I don't really care about the economy, which is why I'm a political science major .

[SANE-A30]

I'm not big into "fixing" the economy either due to my personal beliefs ..... but I admire those that try to think of a "change",, trying is always a good thing and succeeding is even better

[Curt581]

I feel that the economy is going to continue to decline. The recent spikes in the stock market and employment a merely a result of QE, the underlying problems still remain. The general consensus is that 200,000 jobs need to be added per month for a number of years to get back on track. I just don't see that happening under current conditions.

The bottom line issue is "confidence" in the markets. The biggest companies are sitting on close to a trillion dollars. They could, today, hire enough to cut unemployment in half, but they won't because they're afraid the markets will take another plunge. So they're sitting on their money and they're waiting.

The trouble is, waiting is going to turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. You worry the market is going to drop, so you hedge. They're hedging so much, they're going to cause the drop.

I blame the 'day-trader" mentailty. To them, the future is five minutes from now. Instead of watching trends and long term growth potential of a company, they base buy/sell decisions day to day market fluctuations. Today, a bad fluctuation can kill a company, no matter what it's long term viability is.

[SANE-A30]

The bottom line issue is "confidence" in the markets. The biggest companies are sitting on close to a trillion dollars. They could, today, hire enough to cut unemployment in half, but they won't because they're afraid the markets will take another plunge. So they're sitting on their money and they're waiting.

The trouble is, waiting is going to turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. You worry the market is going to drop, so you hedge. They're hedging so much, they're going to cause the drop.

I blame the 'day-trader" mentailty. To them, the future is five minutes from now. Instead of watching trends and long term growth potential of a company, they base buy/sell decisions day to day market fluctuations. Today, a bad fluctuation can kill a company, no matter what it's long term viability is.

genuine feedback

[Cat_Doc]

I think we should stimulate the economy by purchasing more beer and tipping more strippers.

[Kristen-]

I think companies that outsource jobs should pay higher taxes. That might help the economy out a little.

[SANE-A30]

I think we should stimulate the economy buy purchasing more beer and tipping more strippers.

I suppose that is one job that will never be unattainable..... :P

[SANE-A30]

thanks I think I just got blinded for life..... ummm more like "PAY TO STAY AWAY".... lol... that is scary...he could get a job as a circus freak though ;)

[Trip]

I think we should stimulate the economy buy purchasing more beer and tipping more strippers.

Especially at a time like this...people need to chill. Btw, Chief, did I tell ya what a hunk your boss is? Just saw him on the tube in his blue uniform.....uhh, get me some water somebody....

[Curt581]

I think companies that outsource jobs should pay higher taxes. That might help the economy out a little.

Not gonna happen. Companies cover corporate taxes by passing the additional costs on to their customers.

What we need to do is repeal trade agreements like NAFTA, that allow US based companies to open factories in countries with $2 a day labor, then ship the finished goods back to US markets. Ross Perot predicted that manufacturing jobs would move to Mexico if NAFTA was passed. He was right.

Anyone remember the media firestorm back in '96 when Kathie Lee Gifford was accused of using Honduran sweat-shop labor to produce her line of clothing for Walmart?

Why does this seem to be a perfectly acceptable business practice today?

[Trip]

Not gonna happen. Companies cover corporate taxes by passing the additional costs on to their customers.

What we need to do is repeal trade agreements like NAFTA, that allow US based companies to open factories in countries with $2 a day labor, then ship the finished goods back to US markets. Ross Perot predicted that manufacturing jobs would move to Mexico if NAFTA was passed. He was right.

Anyone remember the media firestorm back in '96 when Kathie Lee Gifford was accused of using Honduran sweat-shop labor to produce her line of clothing for Walmart?

Why does this seem to be a perfectly acceptable business practice today?

Uh oh, Curtsie, you and I are gonna disagree here.....I did an entire graduate thesis on trade agreements......which means I read every single paper written by someone else at the time, on all sides of the spectrum, before I had an opinion, and I see it a little different For one, once China becomes a more mature economy, even they will have to start repeating the same cycle (of finding banana republics where the labor is cheap). The fix is retraining people into the scores of areas where salaries are higher, more information based, where more know-how is required to include vo-tech. But encouraging Americans to become less skilled for their futures isn't good for them or the economy. In my humble opinion. Also the short-term pain we feel from trade agreements - which is a lot - is far outweighed by the tremendous uplift it's caused to the entire world economy over the past 25 years. People who are experts in trade agreements look 30 years ahead and take into account the long term gains as well as the short term pain we are feeling like in the present. (Which btw used to just be the position of Republicans but is now the position of Democrats and Republicans alike...because of the overwhelming data that shows the up side of trade agreements.) The other thing is Administrations should also be negotiating a whole lot harder on a day-to-day basis with countries like China but because we're spending too much as Americans, we have lost some of our bargaining power. Everything leads back to a need for more fiscal discipline.

We also have one of the highest, if not the highest, corporate tax rate in the world....which is only an incentive for the majority of all big companies to be doing a whole lot of things outside of the US, to include operating plants, etc. That's why one of the best fixes of all is to lower the American corporate tax rate. Which was recommended by Obama's Debt Reduction Commission and heartily supported by the Dems and Reps on the Commission.

[tex13579]

I'm not big into "fixing" the economy either due to my personal beliefs ..... but I admire those that try to think of a "change",, trying is always a good thing and succeeding is even better

How is it that you're not big into fixing the economy? The state economy affects everyone, everywhere, including you and especially your children.

I'm no economy expert but I think the economy would pick back up if the fed. gov. got its spending under control, cut all the stupid entitlement programs and lowered the tax rates (you know, ENCOURAGING business to come TO America instead of encouraging business to LEAVE America)

[SANE-A30]

well ...I guess I should clarify what I mean , I do care what goes on in this country.... BUT.... I am a firm believer that it is a loss cause there is no fixing what is bound to happen read the book of revelation and you will understand more what I mean to each his own...sure I think the economy sucks my dad has been out of work for over a year and his unemployment is about to run out, yes it would be nice to get this country under control but IMHO people focus to much on politics to run this country , their lives.... maybe I'm crazy... but that's just how I feel.