(no subject)
I was going to write this back at the person at work that forwarded it to me, but it turned into a rant of sorts. *sigh* At least this was based on a real article and I didn't have to whip out the page on snopes.com to disprove it.
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From: someone@somenetwork.com
To: alotofpeople@alotofnetworks.com
Sent: Thu, December 24, 2009 9:22:17 AM
Subject: Fw: Fwd: Fw: The Fix
________________________________________
The Fix
There recently was an article in the St. Petersburg Fl. Times. The Business Section asked readers for ideas on: "How Would You Fix the Economy?" I think this guy nailed it!
Dear Mr. President,
Please find below my suggestion for fixing America 's economy. Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan. You can call it the "Patriotic Retirement Plan":
There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force.. Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:
1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed.
Um. No. Forty million retirees don't necessarily mean forty million positions available.
And would these new retirees be eligible for Medicare? Social Security? If yes, then congratulations, you're not saving money.
If no, and these new retirees have to live off their million dollars and pay for their own health care until they get to 65, they can blow through their whole savings with one car accident, or one serious illness, which, let's face it, is a lot more likely for older folks. If their savings runs out, we all get to pay for it when they show up at the emergency room.
Sure, some people could use existing retirement accounts to give more of a cushion, but $1000, even invested at a pretty conservative 3%, will grow to $1568 in 15 years. By making people tap that money 15 years early, they're being cheated out of more than 50% of their money. That's bullshit!
2) They MUST buy a new American CAR.. Forty million cars ordered - Auto Industry fixed.
Wow. 1983 called, and they want their bumper sticker back.
I'm paying my taxes, so I already "own" a Chevy. Since that industry wasn't keeping up with trends and kept cranking out fugly SUVs despite rising gas prices and a growing demand for hybrids, my tax money had to bail them out. Now we need to further support an industry that's clearly not working? I don't think so.
On the other hand, Toyota, Honda, and even Kia, Hyundai and BMW have manufacturing plants in the US, and they actually make quite decent cars, pay their employees fairly, and haven't had to be bailed out. Just because it's got a funny name, you xenophobic douche, doesn't mean it's un-American.
3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed.
Everyone buying a house or paying a mortgage at the same time will create a supply shortage, driving prices right back up. If I learned anything in the last few years, it's that housing bubbles are generally really bad. Especially when they inevitably burst.
It can't get any easier than that!!
One other point.
(40 million people) x ($1million each)
=
$40 TRILLION dollars added to the national debt.
Just for comparison, the national debt right now is at 12 trillion. You seriously want to quadruple it in less than a year? Oh HELL no.
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From: someone@somenetwork.com
To: alotofpeople@alotofnetworks.com
Sent: Thu, December 24, 2009 9:22:17 AM
Subject: Fw: Fwd: Fw: The Fix
________________________________________
The Fix
There recently was an article in the St. Petersburg Fl. Times. The Business Section asked readers for ideas on: "How Would You Fix the Economy?" I think this guy nailed it!
Dear Mr. President,
Please find below my suggestion for fixing America 's economy. Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan. You can call it the "Patriotic Retirement Plan":
There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force.. Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:
1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed.
Um. No. Forty million retirees don't necessarily mean forty million positions available.
And would these new retirees be eligible for Medicare? Social Security? If yes, then congratulations, you're not saving money.
If no, and these new retirees have to live off their million dollars and pay for their own health care until they get to 65, they can blow through their whole savings with one car accident, or one serious illness, which, let's face it, is a lot more likely for older folks. If their savings runs out, we all get to pay for it when they show up at the emergency room.
Sure, some people could use existing retirement accounts to give more of a cushion, but $1000, even invested at a pretty conservative 3%, will grow to $1568 in 15 years. By making people tap that money 15 years early, they're being cheated out of more than 50% of their money. That's bullshit!
2) They MUST buy a new American CAR.. Forty million cars ordered - Auto Industry fixed.
Wow. 1983 called, and they want their bumper sticker back.
I'm paying my taxes, so I already "own" a Chevy. Since that industry wasn't keeping up with trends and kept cranking out fugly SUVs despite rising gas prices and a growing demand for hybrids, my tax money had to bail them out. Now we need to further support an industry that's clearly not working? I don't think so.
On the other hand, Toyota, Honda, and even Kia, Hyundai and BMW have manufacturing plants in the US, and they actually make quite decent cars, pay their employees fairly, and haven't had to be bailed out. Just because it's got a funny name, you xenophobic douche, doesn't mean it's un-American.
3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed.
Everyone buying a house or paying a mortgage at the same time will create a supply shortage, driving prices right back up. If I learned anything in the last few years, it's that housing bubbles are generally really bad. Especially when they inevitably burst.
It can't get any easier than that!!
One other point.
(40 million people) x ($1million each)
=
$40 TRILLION dollars added to the national debt.
Just for comparison, the national debt right now is at 12 trillion. You seriously want to quadruple it in less than a year? Oh HELL no.