angusthermopylae (36.94)

My Suggestions to the White House

October 09, 2009 – Comments (1) | RELATED TICKERS: SHO , VE , L

I came across this Fool article this evening, basically stating that the White House (more likely, some member of the staff) is interested in talking to the Folks at Fool about the state of the nation.  My comment is #145...I'm sure there are many others, by now.

Well, you know me:  I can't pass up a chance to jump into someone else's conversation.  After I was done, it seemed like I had summed up most of what I believe about how we got here...and where we can go.

So, without further ado, I present to you "My Plan for a Long-Term Unscrewing of Our Country." 

...try not to laugh too hard...

Some of my ideas are repeats, and some are in direct opposition to other Fools, but here goes:

1) Healthcare: Regardless of the current legislation passing or not, have the next round go with a simple, 3-page or less bill:

a) The establishment of a Department of Medical Regulations. This office would have three subdivisions.

b) The first division would be Enforcement, which would act like the SEC in that it would investigate violations, enforce laws, and recommend legislation to Congress ensure fair and even practices in the medical and insurance industries.

c) The second division would be Government Medical Program Management. Everything would be here that belongs here: Medicare, VA, and any future "single payer" options. It would also manage and handle prescription drug and treatment negotiations with suppliers and vendors...collective bargaining at its finest.

d) The third division would be Analysis, Statistics, and Planning. Budget management, % GDP spent on health care, industry best and worst practices...this would be the single source for "how we are doing" and "where we are headed."

e) Quarterly reports to Congress, with the first report due in 6 months.

That way, there wouldn't be the current fights over the "get it done now" that is so pervasive. Instead, the actions could be steered, adjusted, and modified through the life of our country. Both parties would want to make it work...if for no other reason than it will be their turn someday.

2) Strong dollar, not weak dollar. Tighten the money supply, stop bailouts, build a manufacturing base that actually produces something the world wants. Many of the current overblown businesses will falter or fail, but they are based on the high liquidity system that has grown and, currently, is under emergency repair. Remember, liquidity does not equal solvency!

3) Strategic vision: Everyone in the White House is old enough to remember how it was in the Cold War days. Everything was done to either forward US interests or inhibit Soviet interests. Since 1991, we've been flailing about without purpose.

What we need is a new, grand vision for the country that gets us looking outward, not inward. Instead of fighting two wars because we are scared of al-Quaeda, why not have a Grand Vision where we put colonies on the moon or Mars? Or get every single citizen a job, a la "Dave"? Or make every African nation safe for its citizens and our businesses?

As a group, humans in general (and, I believe) Americans in particular are pretty powerful if you get them all moving in the same direction. We've been missing that for 20 years or so, now. It's time to get it back.

4) The Constitution and the rule of law. President Obama was a Constitutional scholar; I had hope that this would be a big influence on the serious questions that have come up over the last 8 years on how we treat our citizens and the citizens of other countries. And, while there has been progress, our country is still deep in gray and murky territory when it comes to basic human rights and how our laws are interpreted.

This has to do directly with my third point, and it's also relevant to an economic discussion: Politically stable countries prosper much more in the long run than those that act on whims or according to political winds.

If everyone in the world believes that, in the US, everyone gets a fair shake, they will want to either come here or do business here. That means no bailouts or government ownership of failing industries to the detriment of competitors. Every person and company gets their day in court. All violations of the law are treated equally, regardless of social or economic position. Companies, as entities, are just as liable for violations of criminal and civil law as an individual...and they are also afforded the same protections.

Halliburton and KBR; Blackwater; GM and Chrysler; the perceived ties between the government and Goldman Sachs; Madoff's years of criminal activity; no-trial prisoners in Guantanamo; hospitals deporting ICU patients to Mexico; health care companies turning down life-saving surgeries for children...the list goes on and on.

What all these things have in common, though, is that they erode the belief that everyone is equal under the law. That belief still exists (and I believe it to be "mostly" true), but it has been weakened and damaged by short term, spurious changes and decisions made over the last two decades. Big companies seem to have more power and freedom than small individuals, and foreigners (people and companies) need not apply.

Bolster that belief, give everyone the same shot, hold everyone to the same rules, and you will create an economy that can't be stopped.

That's it. There's more (isn't there always?), but these are the things that are subtle and pervasive. Our country is great, and it's not too late to reverse the damage inflicted upon it by both circumstance and our own short-sighted actions.

Sincerely,

David in South Webster, OH