4-16-09, 9:00 am

If you have some extra money, it may be time to sidle up to the table and get yourself some assets. President Obama and others have said that the “profit ratios are now such that it may be time to invest.”

Hmmm! Back down that road again?

There are millions of properties that are now owned by banks, the government, and other lenders that can be snatched up at bargain basement prices. Stock values of financially sound companies are available at half the price of 2 years ago! Lay down the cash and walk away with some great homes, companies, and stocks. Or, if you can leverage one of your hedged futures, please do so. Now! You may not have to part with any of your cash or other assets and still pick up a whale of a deal on a foreclosed home or two!

Hmmmm! Have we so quickly forgotten where that road will lead us?

The sparkle can be seen in the eyes of those who will weather this “down turn” with excess cash left in their wallets or sufficient assets remaining to leverage credit. They know the game and are waiting patiently just outside the circle of light as the foreclosures, lost retirement funds, and folding small businesses burn down to ashes. If allowed to, the cyclical dynamo that propels additional wealth into the coffers of those who are already the most well-to-do, will work its magic once again, and again, and again.

“We’ve got to make the best of this crisis”! The old adage has been tossed about lately, and it is a good one. From what I see, however, and from my perspective of where we should be going, the US of A is not making the best of this crisis. How many more “Booms and Busts” can we accept without much more than a whimper? Upturns with a grin and downturns with a sob! Bull and Bear markets with a nation of Sheep watching from the pasture. Baaa!

Here is an outline for two proposals that can help us to “make the best of this crisis”, while at the same time heading down a road that may help us avoid such crises in the future:

1. Create a single-payer universal health care system. 1. Get rid of the health insurance industry. It is an unnecessary burden. 2. Re-employ insurance workers in a publicly run health care administration. 3. Determine the present cost of health care without the insurance industry profits. 4. Project the cost of health care for all people who live in the US of A. 5. Re-work the pay structure for health care workers including doctors, nurses, technicians, etc., with industry wide negotiations, resulting in a more equitable distribution of pay. 6. Focus on achieving a healthy population through preventative care and education. 7. Fund universal health care, at least in part, with a graduated monthly fee structure based roughly upon the asset ownership of individuals. 2. Place banking services under public ownership. 1. No longer charge interest on home mortgages or small business loans. Rather, add a fee to the loan principle at closing. 2. No longer charge interest on credit card debt. Rather, add a surcharge to the principle at the time of each purchase. 3. Offer an appropriately calibrated interest rate on savings accounts and other cash investment accounts.

Of course, there are many more ways that we could reduce the greed driven functions of our economy while increasing the uplifting aspects of our “post crisis” existence. The way that we handle transportation, utilities, communications, energy, and natural resources are all areas that need reevaluation along similar lines.