Suggested Discussion Outline

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johnkarls
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Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:43 pm

Suggested Discussion Outline

Post by johnkarls »

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Suggested Discussion Outline

“No Ordinary Time” is just to mammoth to cover adequately in only 105 minutes!!! So perhaps best would be a free-flowing discussion.

I. FDR’s ECONOMIC FREEDOMS (FOR REFERENCE):

1. The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

2. The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

3. The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

4. The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

5. The right of every family to a decent home;

6. The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

7. The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

8. The right to a good education.

II. A JOBS PROPOSAL:

I was struck by the recommendation (p. 196 of “No Ordinary Time”) of Walter Reuther (an U.A.W. leader who had gone to work for FDR) to convert automobile plants for building warplanes!!! And later in “No Ordinary Time” the description of how effective this was!!!

It strikes me that our “Inside The Beltway” leaders are only thinking “inside the box” these days about job creation – tax reductions/credits, another stimulus bill, interest rates.

Nobody is thinking about the Federal Government EMPLOYING LARGE NUMBERS OF IDLE WORKERS like FDR did with his WPA (Works Progress Administration) and his CCC (Civilian Conversation Corps).

And even on the rare occasions when they do, it is “inside the box” thinking about infra-structure projects traditionally undertaken by government – roads, bridges, etc.

Are we brain dead??? Our most pressing problems (next to job creation) are clean energy, reducing imports, eliminating political dependence on Middle Eastern oil suppliers, etc.

So why don’t we “kill four-plus birds with one stone”???

1. Condition unemployment compensation upon working in a manufacturing plant to be created in every locality with significant unemployment, to manufacture solar/wind equipment – with the Federal Government running the plants in a WPA/CCA/TVA-style program.

2. The length of the unemployment compensation never terminates – everyone continues to work until s/he is hired away by private industry for higher compensation.

3. The Federal Government is now recouping a good share of the cost of unemployment compensation because now something worthwhile is being produced with those expenditures.

4. The Federal Government could require the owners of the best solar/wind technology to license their technology for reasonable fees.

Although not essential to the proposal, the Federal Government which already funds virtually all basic research in America, should increase the funding for improving solar and wind technology.

Another thought which is also not essential to the proposal =

If an employer wants to close or significantly reduce employment at a plant, why not have the Federal Government require the plant (or the unused portion) to be auctioned off under “eminent domain” – and if the auction price is sufficiently low, purchase the facility as a nearly ready-made solar/wind manufacturing facility with its old work force starting ASAP to manufacture solar/wind equipment???

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