I’m so inspired. I guess I'll risk everything and present the Baker Economic and Social Political Plan for saving the United States and hence the world.
No, this time, it does not require immediate resignation of all Republicans and Democrats and the total replacement of all members of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate… not even the State of Michigan House and Senate.
Frankly, I’ve given up on our elected representatives and their controlling masters and our current crony-capitalist-dominated system. (For a outstanding descriptions of what is happening, see: "Crony Capitalism Comes Home," The New York Times, Nicholas D. Kristof, 26 Oct 2011, and “Did You Hear the One About the Bankers?,” The New York Times, Thomas Friedman, 29 Oct 2011, and, “Panic of the Plutocrats,” The New York Times, Paul Krugman, 9 Oct 2011,)
Well, the plan this morning includes ten major “pillars” and identifies several “found” revenue streams, any one of which will restore financial health to the nation and put millions of us 99ers back to work. So, here it is:
- Tax and penalize harmful activities
a. Sugar consumption – move toward an emphasis on creation of a preventative health care system by placing a tobacco-industry-like tax on all processed foods which include sugar. That would include foods sold through fast food restaurants as well as those sold at the grocery store and bring billions of dollars of found revenue into the federal treasury. Additionally, this tax alone will drastically cut healthcare costs and place the spotlight on ending our society’s sick dependency on sugar. We have known for decades that fructose and sugar in any form is poison. Still, the food industry continues to use it because sugar-laced foods sell. Go here for the medical rationale presented by Dr. Robert H. Lustig, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology >>>
b. Prosecute and fine the soft drink industry, in the same manner as the tobacco industry, for “sugar poising” and facilitating major illnesses upon billions of soda drinkers. The diseases include: diabetes, obesity, heart disease, hypertension and possible many common cancers. (See reference above.)
c. Penalize the financial industry (the major banks and Wall Street firms) for the worldwide financial disaster they created. (No reference required.) - Adopt the progressive consumption tax concept proposed by Dr. Robert Frank, economics professor at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management. Go here for more>>>
- Tax CO2 emissions by U.S. industries and the petroleum industry and fund development of green energy industries, such as solar, wind and geothermal>>>
- Tax CO2 emissions by U.S. industries and the petroleum industry and fund modernization of the U.S. electric-power delivery system and emphasize development of “smart grid” and distributed electrical power generation “systems” for millions of homes and businesses. Go here for more >>> and Go here for more>>> (Stand by, I will be publishing more about multisource mini home power units.)
- Emphasize green autos / trucks and fund modernization of national mass transit (high-speed rail) using drug taxes and the CO2 / petroleum industry taxes revenues,and create jobs.
- Actually begin to control and manage the Defense Department budget and turn the spotlight on black ops funding, so that we know what is really being spent (No reference required.)
- End the war on drugs. Legalize drugs and make them available for purchase, and taxed, through state liquor stores and supervised medical clinics and create jobs. Release the nonviolent drug offenders from prison and cut costs. (No reference required.)
- Using revenue generated through the sugar consumption tax, the soft drink industry tax, the drug taxes and the CO2 / petroleum industry taxes, fund major public works programs, e.g. FDR-era programs like the WPA, and concentrate on rebuilding the US infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, rail systems and create jobs. Run the programs through refunded, revised and reinvigorated VISTA - Volunteers in Service to America - Corporation for National and Community Service, renamed "AmeriCorps*VISTA”, and SCORE - to utilize their energy, talents and experience in service to the nation. Go here for more>>>
- Using revenue generated through the sugar consumption tax, the soft drink industry tax, the drug taxes, the CO2 / petroleum industry taxes and penalties levied on the Financial Industry, reduce and align the mortgages of millions of American homeowners with the current market valuation of their homes, create consumer spending power, invigorate the economy and create jobs.
- Do not allow the crony capitalists to dismantle President Obama’s healthcare program and/or Medicaid / Medicare. Instead, extend it and refine the programs to include all U.S. citizens in a true preventative-focused, health care system and create jobs.
Those are just a few thoughts to help make a difference today.
What are your thoughts?
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