Dubya says the economy has "Turned the Corner."
Kerry says the economy has done a "U-Turn."
I think the economy has turned the wrong way down a one way street!
Clearly, things could get much, much worse with the economy. Why?
Well we have used up all of the economic "tricks." Tax Cuts. Low
Rates. Free Trade. Productivity.
NOTHING IS WORKING.
Early on in this board I said we need a NEW KEYNES!
NOTHING SHORT OF A COMPLETE RE-THINK OF WHAT THE ECONOMY IS AND DOES
IS NECESSARY.
SORRY ADAM SMITH FANS! THAT WON'T WORK. THIS IS NOT THE 18TH
CENTURY, NO MATTER HOW BACKWARD DUBYA'S THINKING PROCESS IS.
My hunch is that we are going to need to revive the WELFARE STATE IN
A NEW INCARNATION.
Clearly, we can't "pay people to have babies" like we did in the
1970's. But some other combination of subsidies will be necessary. We are still paying for that mistake with unheard of high illegitimacy rates!
Perhaps, some NATIONAL HEALTH CARE to go with the globally low wages?
Perhaps, a NEW SOCIAL SECURITY to help out those NOW PUNK 401ks that
were basically Reaganesque Nonsense anyway.
Perhaps, we need to CONTROL POPULATION growth, hopefully, not the old
fashion way, through wars!
ONE THING IS CLEAR, THE NOTION THAT WE CAN GO BACK TO "NO-GOVERNMENT"
OR "LOW-GOVERNMENT" IS OUT OF THE QUESTION. The Republican "Starve
the Beast" program isn't working.
EVEN IN THE HEYDAY OF ADAM SMITH THAT WAS NEVER TRIED. Indeed, the
18th Century was always HIGHLY controlled by governments, right down
to the price of a loaf of bread!
Perhaps, we need to reject the FREE TRADE MODEL for PROTECTION OF THE
LOCAL ECONOMY.
INDEED, I HAVE SAID FROM THE START THAT: "ALL ECONOMIES ARE LOCAL."
But alas, no one believes it! Yet......
Perhaps there is more to the modern economy than PRODUCITIVITY.
PERHAPS THE ECONOMY EXISTS TO PROVIDE PEOPLE WITH "SOMETHING TO DO?"
POLITICANS TAKE NOTE:
A BUSY PEOPLE ARE A HAPPY PEOPLE!
NOW, IF WE CAN ONLY FIGURE OUT A WAY TO KEEP THEM BUSY; WITHOUT
STARTING A WAR!
Think about it....................., it's better than a bout of
ECONOMIC ROAD RAGE.
