Average American Bailout

Are you an average American like me? Then you too can all forget about getting anything from the bailouts that our elected officials are handing out to wealthy business executives.

While the fortunate ones are treating themselves to spa visits and bonus checks (just because they change the name doesn’t change what it is), I’ve been digging down under the cushions in the couch looking for fallen change. The $29.50 that I managed to dig up has to cover all my expenses for a while. Good thing ramen noodles are 10 packages for $1!

No, I’m not trying to sound like “woe is me”, I’m lucky in that I still have my house. There are many, many more people in worse shape than me. I may only be working part-time but I know lots of people who don’t even have a job. I see people standing on street corners who don’t even have a home.

It would be nice if the government would hand out some of those $700 billion dollars to us average Americans. Unfortunately, I don’t think that is going to happen. After all, the only way to get anything is to already have lots of money to begin with. If you can’t “donate” lots of money to a politician you’re not going to get anything from that politician other than a form e-mail/letter that basically says nothing.

The only one who is going to save the average American is the average American. We’ve got to take care of each other because we’re all we’ve got. Looking for an example: check out this story I saw on CNN about a local, retired, businessman who has bought back his old store rather than see his former employees turned out into the street. Because of his actions there are 17 people who get to keep their jobs.

From lots of single snowflakes an avalanche is formed. Even if you can only do a little to help someone (and helping yourself counts too), it is one more snowflake to add to the pile.

It IS the economy stupid

I came across this political cartoon the other day by Corky Trinidad and it got me to thinking about what this country would be like if all the Iraq war money went to something else.

First, do you know how much money the United States is spending on the war? zFacts has an interesting chart that updates continuously and a few frightening facts. Here is an excerpt from an article at The Coloradoan “The Iraq War is costing more than $400,000 for each troop in the field. We are spending over $240,000 per minute for this war. The war costs each American household $138 per month. By 2017, the United States will have paid $1 trillion in interest on money borrowed to finance the war. This nation deserves better.”

Now, what can you do with $1 trillion dollars? Here are some suggestions from an article in The New York Times :

• Public health: treat every American whose diabetes or heart disease is unmanaged plus a global campaign to immunize millions of children.
• Education: Universal preschool for every three and four year-old child in the U.S.
• Rebuild New Orleans
• Real national security: we could put into place all those recommendations by the 9/11 Commission that haven’t been done

All of this could be done and we’d have some money left over! Or, how about this? Instead of a puny little “economic stimulus” check (my $300 should cover about 3 tanks of gas, if I’m lucky) the government could send every American enough money to REALLY stimulate the economy!

Economics Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard Professor Linda Bilmes have published a book, “The Three Trillion Dollar War.” This book should be must reading for all of us because it details the true costs of the war in Iraq. The war is a legacy that will be with us for several generations as we deal with the debt the nation has incurred and the massive number of wounded veterans that will need continuous medical care.

As a nation we need to wake up and smell the coffee because someone has left the pot on the burner for too long. There is an election coming up in November. Let’s hope we can do some good then.