Ways to stimulate the economy
The financial writers over at AOL have their list of 13 "innovative" ideas . My favorite: The government should hold a nightly lottery and give away $1M each to 10 Americans. A million? Make it a billion. Or a trillion. Now is the time for big ideas.





Comments (8)
8
Give credit where credit is due. The Federal Reserve would be a lot closer to implementing its stated policy if it used TALF et al. to purchase PowerBall, MegaMillions and state lottery tickets. They want people to spend the money, but it's trapped in the banking system.
The could team up with Geico and leave stacks of money with googly eyes in various places.
Or helicopter drop it.
Or, re-enact the Joker's parade in Batman.
Published: April 8, 2009 8:14 AM
Dart throwing economic development.
Lets throw 13 or 1300 darts at a board and keep the highest scores and reject the lowest. The problem is the game itself. As long as folks rely on the central authority to give them rights that their creator already has bestowed then they will not be as productive and wealthy as they would otherwise.
As for suggestions, only 1 will produce an increase in freedom and thus an increase in longer term real wealth: Legalize Pot. The others are universally wealth transfer schemes. The worst are subsidies.
Published: April 8, 2009 8:21 AM
Deefburger
I'm working on this:
http://deefburger.blogspot.com
Individual Trust Exchange System - Laisse-Faire Capitalism for the common man.
Still working out the details, and then the code, but the system and the philosophy behind it appear sound to me, so far....
Comments anyone?
Published: April 8, 2009 8:59 AM
Eric
It completely baffles me how working a 4 day work week would "stimulate" the economy. Someone please explain to me how working less generates more.
Published: April 8, 2009 1:34 PM
dewind
Pretty asinine suggestions for the most part. I do agree that legalizing marijuana or ending the war on drugs, and eliminating the sales tax would at least be a positive thing. But it baffles me that by somehow subsidizing transportation for all would somehow save everyone money and stimulate the economy? Oh thats right, "Beautiful credit! The foundation of modern society! " - Mark Twain
Published: April 8, 2009 1:51 PM
fundamentalist
Did anyone catch the story on NPR yesterday about the explosion in gun and ammo sales? Obama has a stimulus he probably doesn't know about or intend. According to a gun shop owner in San Antonio, gun and ammo sales leaped 30% the day Mr. Obama was elected and have not slackened since. The owner said his store has come close to running out of inventory, but many smaller shops have sold out. He said a 69-year old lady called the other day and gave him her credit card number. She ordered a case of ammo for her AK-47.
In a related story, it was reported that the state of Oklahoma has the least restrictive gun laws in the nature. I'm proud to be an Okie!
Published: April 8, 2009 3:58 PM
GrapplerKe
2. Eliminate the sales tax
5. Legalize marijuana
6. Create new good banks (private ones)
7. Get rid of "phantom" insurance costs
9. Encourage immigration on wealthier, educated individuals
11. Reform the nanny tax
12. Remove subsidies for the large "farms" (don't subsidize small farms either)
6 1/2 of the 13 ideas are actually very good. Too bad the chances of 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 12 have no chance of happening.
The free public transportation, 50k for veterans, and especially the 4-day work week are just atrociously bad. With that logic, why not move down to 1-day work weeks? That will really stimulate and boost our economy!
Published: April 8, 2009 4:45 PM
George
It completely baffles me how working a 4 day work week would "stimulate" the economy. Someone please explain to me how working less generates more.
Well, if you cut government spending so that there wasn't any income tax nor SS etc, then wouldn't working 4 days result in more income than today?
Remember, it's not just your taxes which would be lower, no one you are buying from would be paying taxes either...
Published: April 8, 2009 6:29 PM