Americans do what we do best: problem-solve
From Denny: At our house every day we pause in the morning and again in the mid-afternoon to enjoy a cup of coffee or green tea. We start our days around 4 to 5 AM when deep thinking is the easiest to access after a night of sleep and dreaming. The mind is just primed for that kind of problem-solving. At that time, we discuss the world news developments. Then, we set about solving all the problems of the world - until the next day. :)
Maybe I should give this "think time" a special name like Denny's Think Tank. And it's time to open up the free membership to this new think tank. Feel free to offer up your good ideas and thoughts to help solve problems in the world. Feel free to offer up solutions for how to help the American economy. You, my cool and dear readers, are now officially inducted into Denny's Think Tank. I'm "feeling the Love" as Chef Emeril Lagasse declares and somewhere down the road there will probably be a charitable foundation start-up. Why wait for someone else to do it?
I've been doing these kinds of "think time" since I was three years old. Guess that comes from growing up around the military and intelligence communities where every day of The Cold War (and other wars) they were on edge and discussing developments at home and a flurry of phone calls even on weekends. Their stress levels were high and never cooled off.
Most small children's first words beyond Mama and Dada are words like "cookie." Mine? Well, cookies were part of vocabulary from the womb, big cookies. My words were odd ones like "thermo nuclear dynamics, periodic tables, exponential curve." The atmosphere was ripe with a chemical engineer father who worked on the early government nuke projects and an uncle who was a physicist-mathematician who also worked in government research and development.
As a young kid I found it amusing they never took me seriously because I was a kid and, most of all, because I was female. They were convinced all women were stupid. Arrogance is like that and a weakness. As a result, they and their colleagues talked a lot around me.
When they were stuck on a problem, suddenly the conversation stopped and all eyes in the room riveted upon me. I was waiting there all along as I knew from their tension they needed someone to think differently than they did. They would look down at me, explaining the issue in simpler terms. I would first ask a series of rapid fire questions, frustrating the hell out of them. I was purposely pushing them to jump past the typical scientist analytical surface logic to open the door and access their spiritual level. Driving them totally crazy was a successful strategy to push them off their usual balance and comfortable - but much too small a thinking box - control freak environment. It was necessary so they could access their "Smart Center."
Then I would finally start the process of giving them answers. I would process all of what they gave me and spit back out the obvious answer that had been staring them in the face the whole time (at least by my estimation). They would ask a few questions to qualify the answer and then start thinking out loud about the steps necessary to solve the problem. I would monitor their progress to see if they would slip backwards into "Stinkin' Thinkin'" and interject when needed. In the end, they solved big or small problems and went back to being ingrates treating me as "just a stupid female." And, so, I went for a walk with the dog, leaving the idiot adult world of intelligence community Drama Kings to work itself out. Problems solved and bad situations averted. Worked for me.
Of course, this is the very reason why you need more than single-focused experts to solve problems in the government, the military and the intelligence communities. You need at least one generalist for every pack of howling experts, jockeying for status, puffing out their annoying egos who are more interested in advancing their own agendas than solving the problem at hand. That's my life experience and opinion of truth. Now that you have the back story let's move on to identifying and solving today's economic and political issues. Tall order, I know. I don't shy away from tough life challenges or the big scope necessary to solve them satisfactorily.
There are four problems to be identified
So we can all be on the same page, let's start with identifying the problems facing America at the moment.
* President Obama wants to be re-elected in 2012. The Democrats want to get re-elected or elected in the November 2010 elections. Obama's popularity is well below 50 percent because of legislation passed that have failed to affect positive change for the majority of the country: the middle class. As a result, middle class wealth is fast evaporating and the anger faster rising to loud howls to tar and feather every politician, CEO, attorney, banker and lobbyist known to man.
* Avoiding the World Economic Depression - As a result of the G-20 meeting, the indications are high we will jump off the cliff and dive into a deep depression like what was seen in the 1930's. Only America has faith in the Spend Money economic model. All the other countries have decided it's every man for himself. Let me share a thought with you, come this next G-20 meeting the majority of those leaders will no longer be in office. The Obama Spend Money model is the only model to prevent America from getting completely flushed down the toilet. Not putting money into the economy stops the economy dead in its tracks.
* High Unemployment - Another thing that stops the economy is huge job loss and it's time to do something about it. When people don't have enough money coming in to pay bills, buy food or put a roof over their heads then the last thing they do is buy anything unnecessary. They slow down the economy because they are judiciously choosing where to spend their money. They want "the most bang for the buck."
* America's Energy Grid and Transportation - Our energy grid is a crazy patchwork that breaks down continually. Time for an overhaul to update, renovate and innovate. As to transportation, the way we move people is not efficient and causes excessive use of fossil fuels.
The Bold Plan
Political statement from the President: It's time we put back to work 20 million people in this country. It's time for bold action on our part. It's time for a massive project of which this country has never seen. The time is now.
Note: Currently, there are 15 or more unemployed, some for as long as two years. There are another 15 to 20 million who are underemployed - whose wages have been cut significantly or cut in half - and they are unable to meet their financial obligations without hardship.
The Projects:
* Transportation networks covering the entire country
Transportation like new trains to carry passengers across the country, paralleling interstates. Comprehensive bus lines to tie in remote areas to the cities.
* Energy grid rebuilding
Out energy grid was built back in the 1950's and '60's, not seriously updated for the information age on the level we need. Energy consumption is high and the current grid cannot keep up with the demand. This is where we can get serious and introduce what works for alternative energy to fossil fuels.
Geographic Regions of New Employment
There are millions of people in need of going to work. America is in need of infrastructure repairs for bridges, highways, the energy grid, public schools and more.
Create at least 10 geographic zones throughout the country to put people back to work. There are abandoned military bases where we could create start-up businesses, factories or house workers temporarily until they have enough paychecks under their belts to re-establish themselves after bankruptcies and home foreclosures.
Much of the mountain desert western region of America could be turned into solar farms. Tornado alley could be turned into wind farms. San Francisco already has a wave energy technology and that could be used to harness wave energy on the Atlantic Coast, off Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico, even the mighty Mississippi River has very strong currents and perhaps it could be employed there as well.
It's time for the government to step up and put America to work
Centralize our energy efforts and quit placing them into the greedy hands of the private sector that has proven time and again they are not trustworthy. The government can create many businesses which can be sold off later in another decade or so after the economy stabilizes. Another option is we could sell the stock to the employees or the American people.
Any way you look at it the only hope for American workers is for the government to create the jobs by creating gargantuan scaled work projects. Yes, the Republicans will howl because their Big Business handlers will fret they are getting undercut in the market. In the end, after all the political grand standing, they will comply and join the parade just to get a piece of the action.
During the 1930's and the Great Depression, President Roosevelt agonized over the same dire straits unemployment statistics. FDR was a complex man who was not perfect. He was often stubborn and reticent about engaging in the tough issues of his time. Yet, even he realized the country was going down the tubes fast if he didn't create jobs by using government monies. He was fiercely opposed by the obstructionist stingy cheap Republicans back then.
You, Mr. President, should you decide to boldly step forward to help your people in their time of need, will also be fiercely opposed. Worry about the lawsuits and attacks on Presidential power later. This moment in history America is at a cross roads and the country is requiring emergency measures.
Take stock of the resources you do have and hit the ground running with a staff of people who are expert organizers that can set up structures in a flash. There is no more time to consider for it is time that you and your team are wasting. Step up and step forward, Mr. President, and you will be remembered along with the greats among Presidents.
*** Update Saturday 3 July 2010: The President announced this morning in his weekly radio address that he has awarded $2 billion to solar plants to create 5,000 jobs.
"We're going to keep competing aggressively to make sure the jobs and industries of the future are taking root right here in America," President Obama said.
In Arizona the solar plant company, Abengoa Solar, will build one of the world's largest solar plants right here in America. That will create 1,600 construction jobs.
Abound Solar Manufacturing is building plants in Colorado and Indiana. Between these two solar plant projects there are 2,000 construction jobs created. More importantly there are 1,500 permanent jobs created.
Obama Awards $2B for New Solar Power Plants
Good going, Mr. President, this is a step in the right direction. Now multiply that 100 times because there are thousands of people homeless and jobless. We must understand we will have to temporarily house them - much like moving the military - as we put them back to work. But this solar energy award is an excellent first move for America's future, both in jobs and alternative energy technology. Add these kinds of projects as quickly as possible for the public needs hope there are jobs for them too.
*** See Also: Why Obama Is Failing Miserably At Running America
*** Tattered flag photo by Beverly & Pack @ flickr
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