My concept is borrowed from the game of basketball.. When one is down in points, one gambles on applying a full court press.
For my plan to work, as a nation, we go “full court press”.
What does “full court press” mean? That is a legitimate question for non basketball players to ask. It means that you pressure the other team up and down the entire length of the court to force a turnover; you try everything you can; you expend every amount of effort; the opposite of what one usually does, which is to conserve energy by pressuring the team only underneath one’s own basket and underneath theirs.
On a broad scale here is what we need to do. Short term.
1) Jump start the economy. Put money in the hands of purchasers.
2) Pay some type of compensation to those out of work.
3) Rebuild our infrastructure, (green energy included).
4) Re-establish some type of manufacturing base back inside this country.
5) Open access to short term credit; it needs to be readily available, even if just for the daily business transactions that often go unnoticed, but are essential for the running of our economy.
Long term:
1) We need to spend within our means, both personally and as a nation.
2) We need to pay down the deficit, reducing our national interest payment.
3) We need to control our spending on entitlements: Social Security and Medicare.
Despite the gloom there are some exciting bright spots in our current mess.
One, we have proved beyond a reasonable doubt that privatization of Social Security is a very, very, very, very bad idea. That argument, by today’s events, has been proved to be extremely dangerous.
Two, we are now given unlimited opportunities to fix long term problems that before seemed insurmountable under the old system, because back then….. we had to play by “old rules”.
Three, we have historical accounts of what did and didn’t work in a previous Great Depression and we have at our finger tips a vast information system, allowing anyone to bring forward the next “great idea” which just may turn the tide.
Four, we have at the top of our government, an extremely gifted group of individuals who are each charged with bringing major changes to bear in their respective areas.
Five, we finally have a Congress working in sync with the Executive Branch in order to pass the necessary changes required by today’s events.
So let’s jump start the economy. There are several ways to do so.
One is a tax check to spend at will. Most of which will go to pay bills to stave off bankruptcy and do nothing to generate new manufactured products or services.
The second is have the mortgage companies contribute their part. Figure out how, and run a three month moratorium on paying off the mortgage.
The third is to have banks again guarantee loans to businesses at very low rates, so businesses can spend freely without fear of going under.
The final, is to have the government get directly involved in large massive projects giving some good employment opportunities to work on projects that if left to free enterprise, would never get done because of the low rate of return on their investment.
This is organized as outlined above.. Click the links above to go to the chapter for further detail on that topic.
Hopefully our search of big, bold ideas will need to go no further than the words on these pages. (all 59104 of them.)
kavips 
20 comments
Comments feed for this article
March 6, 2009 at 9:56 am
kavips
Done for the memory of Chip Smith, who would have turned forty five on this very day. 3/6/9
March 6, 2009 at 11:20 am
meatball
I guess this explains where you’ve been. Thanks. Will read and digest later for today is a rare alignment of my birthday and a day off.
March 6, 2009 at 12:52 pm
kavips
you guessed it…. what a relief. lol.
March 6, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Steve Newton
kavips
You officially win the award for longest, most substantive post of the year–possibly the decade. And I speak as a master of long (some say interminable) posts.
It will take me several days of available time to digest this, but I promise to do so and react substantively, either here or at my place.
In the meantime I am steering you traffic–if only to allow people to view the blogosphere’s own version of Mount Rushmore:
http://delawarelibertarian.blogspot.com/2009/03/now-i-know-where-kavips-has-been.html
March 6, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Tyler Nixon
WOW, k! Great effort. I will do my best to get through it all and offer any constructive comments I can.
When does your campaign kick off?
Will there be beer??
March 6, 2009 at 1:32 pm
kavips
LOL… Beer is required… (unless kids are present, of course)
March 6, 2009 at 2:22 pm
pandora
Oh my! Give me a few days as well. Good thing I just finished my nightstand book… Now I have my bedtime reading! (I’m going to print this out and take notes. 🙂 )
March 6, 2009 at 2:51 pm
anonone
Kavips – can you put it into a pdf file for a single download?
How about an audible or podcast version? 🙂
March 6, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Kilroy
Kavips, what we need is to take our country back.
“A government out of control is only a reflection of
the people not in control” Kilroy
Richard Henry Lee Feburary 27, 1766
FIRST: We declare all due allegiance and obedience to our lawful Sovereign, George the Third, King of Great Britain. And we determine to the utmost of our power to preserve the laws, the peace and good order of this Colony, as far as is consistent with the preservation of our Constitutional rights and liberty,
SECONDLY: As we know it to be the Birthright privilege of every British subject (and of the people of Virginia as being such) founded on Reason, Law, and Compact; that he cannot be legally tried, but by his peers; that he cannot be taxed, but by consent of a Parliament, in which he is represented by persons chosen by the people, and who themselves pay a part of the tax they impose on others. If, therefore, any person or persons shall attempt, by any action, or proceeding, to deprive this Colony of these fundamental rights, we will immediately regard him or them, as the most dangerous enemy of the community; and we will go to any extremity, not only to prevent the success of such attempts, but to stigmatize and punish the offender.
THIRDLY: As the Stamp Act does absolutely direct the property of the people to be taken from them without their consent expressed by their representatives and as in many cases it deprives the British American Subject of his right to trial by jury; we do determine, at every hazard, and paying no regard to danger or to death, we will exert every faculty, to prevent the execution of the said Stamp Act in any instance whatsoever within this Colony. And every abandoned wretch, who shall be so lost to virtue and public good, as wickedly to contribute to the introduction or fixture of the Stamp Act in this Colony, by using stampt paper, or by any other means, we will, with the utmost expedition, convince all such profligates that immediate danger and disgrace shall attend their prostitute purposes.
FOURTHLY: That the last article may most surely and effectually be executed, we engage to each other, that whenever it shall be known to any of this association, that any person is so conducting himself as to favor the introduction of the Stamp Act, that immediate notice shall be given to as many of the association as possible; and that every individual so informed, shall, with expedition, repair to a place of meeting to be appointed as near the scene of action as may be.
FIFTHLY: Each associator shall do his true endeavor to obtain as many signers to this association, as he possibly can.
SIXTHLY: If any attempt shall be made on the liberty or property of any associator for any action or thing to be done in consequence of this agreement, we do most solemnly bind ourselves by the sacred engagements above entered into, at the risk of our lives and fortunes, to restore such associate to his liberty and to protect him in the enjoyment of his property.”
March 6, 2009 at 4:30 pm
RSmitty
Holy crap! My moment of clarity with my post on slow-pay suddenly feels like such a miniscule speck on the ass of an elephant. I, too, would like to delve into this…when life allows me, but I will make time!
Now, we need to get decision makers to read it, too!
So far, I only read this part of it and Chapter 10 (since you linked that into the comments of my post). If you don’t mind me asking, did you do this solo, or was there a team effort? Just asking, because it appears so well thought out and prepared at a glance, I would be very impressed if it was done by a single person.
March 6, 2009 at 4:38 pm
liberalgeek
Wow. There goes the weekend. I will actually be printing these out and work through them tomorrow (I’ll be offline). We have missed you, but it is as if a friend went on a 2 week vacation and brought back a phenomenal amount of souvenirs, all with a story to go with them. I can’t wait to see what you’ve got.
March 6, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Kilroy
Kavips sorry for the of the wall response. You put a lot of time and effort into this post and thank you.
Of course as usual I see things in my own distorted way. This country has a lot of internal issues related to government lack of oversight and laws enacted to cater to political bedfellows tied to major industries. Government for years prior to even George Bush has operated in a way as not to serve the interest of the people and America’s future. Also, Americans have a hand in their own demise.
Far too many jobs have been allowed to be exported overseas and on the flip side far too many Americans continue to purchase foreign made goods.
Major manufacturers shipped jobs overseas blaming union however; the same so-called victims of unions victimizes workers overseas with substandard wages, long hours, unsafe working conditions and near slave labor including young children. While at the same time these American companies reap billions. No why were unions organized in America?
The only reason World War II helped jump start our economy especially after the war was because Europe and Asian manufacturing capabilities were bombed to dust! If there were no World War II there would have been no expansion and prosperity as we know it. America supplied Europe and Asian the technology and machinery to pull their economy out of ruins. America however created the merciless beast that devours us now.
The money spend on war and protecting Middle East interest for the sake of oil could have been spend on the development and pulling online alternative energy innovations. This in itself would reduce the demand on foreign oil. Our government knew dam well the technology was there to support increase fuel efficiency and could have added federal tax on unnecessary high performance energy consuming vehicles.
Your post is amazing but though what we need to do can help our economy is a master piece. It is what we need to do to get our manufacturing jobs back in America takes Americans to say no for foreign goods and the American government to impose duty tax on an eye for an eye basis against those country with such trade barriers.
Furthermore, the American government sold out a “major” portion of our economy to China. Why ? Because, getting China’s economy addicts to tapping into the American dollars restricts China’s desire for confrontation with America. It’s like give the schoolyard bully a dollars a day for safe passage and not to kick your ass. So now they have our money and our ass is weaker position in the event if we need to defend our-self from China.
Remember what happen at Jamestown when the natives decided they couldn’t supply the settlers with food supplies? The settlers killed the Indians and took it! The American economy is near bankrupt and cannot feed the beast called China.
Clinton says U.S. debt to China threatens security
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/americas/2008/03/31/149593/Clinton-says.htm
“China currently holds about US$490 billion in U.S. Treasury securities and has foreign exchanges reserves totaling more than US$1.5 trillion”
“The U.S. trade deficit with China soared last year to a record US$252 billion even as the U.S. trade gap with the rest of the world decreased.”
“What we need to do” is address the internal (domestic) factors and the external (foreign) factors to rebuild our economy.
Kavips :
“ America could always declare bankruptcy… That would put our creditors on hold, while we sorted out our priorities and assets…. Since bankruptcy has a bad connotation, we could call it by it’s euphemism: restructuring.
Yes, stiff China and see what happens? Who knows maybe the U.S will yield on Taiwan in trade for paying off our debt to China.
Again sorry for all the rants but the United States government failed to live up to liberty, freedom and prosperity secured by the American Revolution. As you can see the date I cited re: Richard Henry Lee’s Stamp Act protest of February 27, 1766 was 243 years ago and surely by 2066 American Revolution part II would have past or will be due!
Your plan is amazing however; it’s only providing CPR to a dying patience who sold a kidney to Japan, a lung to China and half a brain to Malaysia!
I look forward to your sequel, Bringing America’s Economy back to America!
March 6, 2009 at 11:10 pm
delawarerepublican
On a broad scale here is what we need to do. Short term.
1) Jump start the economy. Put money in the hands of purchasers.
More important is to increase the “velocity’ to keep money moving through the economy. Short term purchases do help but long term purchases of ‘value’ matter more.
2) Pay some type of compensation to those out of work. Unemployment insurance does and adequate job but as you point out it doesn’t cover many workers. Who picks up the cost for such largesse?
3) Rebuild our infrastructure, (green energy included). Amen on the green energy. For infrastruture make sure the projects are like the new I 35 bridge with wireless/digital technology to monitor structural integrity and that bridge also has heating techonology for the winter.
4) Re-establish some type of manufacturing base back inside this country. You need to change the tax system to re create incentives for American businesses and establish cost effective universal health care.
5) Open access to short term credit; it needs to be readily available, even if just for the daily business transactions that often go unnoticed, but are essential for the running of our economy.
The credit markets will not be restored until the liquidity crisis is met and overcome. Obama has failed pretty badly here. The sooner the analysis is made on which banks can survive or not the better.
Long term:
1) We need to spend within our means, both personally and as a nation.
The recent trillions of national debt and ongoing budget shortfalls for the near future show the President has no plans for living within our means.
2) We need to pay down the deficit, reducing our national interest payment. A Taxpayer Bill of Rights?
3) We need to control our spending on entitlements: Social Security and Medicare. Given Democratic screamers like Pelosi and Reid I doubt it but yes a bi partisan independent review needs to happen with an up or down vote by Congress.
Despite the gloom there are some exciting bright spots in our current mess.
One, we have proved beyond a reasonable doubt that privatization of Social Security is a very, very, very, very bad idea. That argument, by today’s events, has been proved to be extremely dangerous.
No one ever proposed privatization but voluntary personal accounts and there would have been no effect on current or near term retirees. Perhaps investing in government backed securities only?
Thanks for the thoughts.
http://www.delawarerepublican.wordpress.com
March 7, 2009 at 7:40 am
Kilroy
Delaware Republican do you think Obama will have the honor of having 2 terms to repair the damage of the Bush Administration caused in his 8 year?
March 7, 2009 at 9:51 pm
kavips
Answers:
Rsmitty; It was a cast of thousands who were responsible for the information. However, one editor did have final say.
Meatball: Happy Birthday!!!
Rsmitty: Actually that was a very good post on a certain topic… You saw a problem, and went after a solution.. I, …. did the same….
LiberalGeek: It’s not worth ruining a weekend. … I really do not think bloggers will ever get the time to absorb the impact of the entire book. Lol. Our attention spans are wired too short…. The book was developed for wonks residing both in the press and in drafty offices across state and international capitals…
As with any new product, the sales job has to be made, then after the representative walks out the door, the internal discussion begins… I hope by starting discussions we are able to get minds to open a little wider…
After you read this, you can see: this financial crises can be licked. We have to open our minds a little wider and try some things that have never been thought of before… on a scale before unimaginable…
As you will see, I believe after looking over all the hardware, that we have the tools we need to fix our problem.. I hope my persuasion skills are sufficient to allow you to see the same, as our group tried to think(rare huh?) its way through the problem…
But no man is an island, and no island can stand unexplored for long… Here is where I need you: each reader…
I need you to talk it up.. That is what I of course will be doing over the next few months.. But instead of having one prophet yelling at rocks in the wilderness, …(lol)… it gives much credibility if he has a large audience yelling with him….
Just use your political connections and zap an email to anyone who is involved or to who you know personally… Ask if they have read this or if they could appoint someone on their staff to look it over…. After about the fifth request, their interest will be piqued.
Political figures are puppets… It’s their staffs who run the show… That is to whom this was written. That is to whom will lead us out, or back into the wilderness..
Lol…
March 7, 2009 at 10:20 pm
kavips
LOL… I noticed a mellowing in Mike’s tone with his comment above, regarding my posting of my plan to fix the economy.
Good. It seems to be working…
March 8, 2009 at 11:49 am
delawarerepublican
Well thought out ideas are always welcome to the public arena, well done.
The era of inflated assets, too much spending and enormous debt at all levels is going to haunt us for many years.
March 16, 2011 at 4:48 pm
Gordon grant
Simply stated, kavips…i would say that you are dumber than a tree stump but then that would be unfair to tree stumps.
Your so-called “economic plan” makes that clear. Really…is it possible that there is a person who is as CLUELESS as you are?
If you were of any importance whatever, I would spend the time to rebut your inane theories. But as I just stumbled upon your rants during a web ramble, I will shake my head in amazement as I affirm your God-given right to expostulate your misconceived notions and I go on seek those who actually have a clue.
BTW….Your anonymity demonstrates your cowardice. Why are you afraid to own your blog?
March 16, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Gordon grant
Simply stated, kavips…i would say that you are dumber than a tree stump but then that would be unfair to tree stumps.
Your so-called “economic plan” makes that clear. Really…is it possible that there is a person who is as CLUELESS as you are?
If you were of any importance whatever, (apparently 3 people follow your blog) I would spend the time to rebut your inane theories. But as I just stumbled upon your rants during a web ramble, I will shake my head in amazement as I affirm your God-given right to expostulate your misconceived notions and I go on seek those who actually have a clue.
BTW….Your anonymity demonstrates your cowardice. Why are you afraid to own your blog?
March 29, 2011 at 2:41 am
kavips
Obviously, you lack the knowledge necessary to understand pure English. Had you read the posts you’ve commented on, your statements would not be here. I feel sorry you put that embarrassment out for all of us to laugh at you. For we are. Anyone who accuses someone else of being clueless, yet completely lacks the capacity to explain why, obviously is arguing their case from an indefensible position. You have made your statement, and you have made me appear even wiser because of it.
Others far more intelligent than you have tried to argue against me and failed. simply because this is a good plan.