That's pretty clever - and says something about our times...
But actually, Jon Stewart had a pretty good idea (it has a few flaws, but I think it's one that it's actually worth discussing and building on):
Paraphrasing: Why not give the money to the people that owe the banks to pay back their loans? Then, you're bailing out the people at the bottom that need it most, and the banks still get capital to loan out and start the economy flowing again.
The most notable issues are a) enforcement - making sure people use said money to pay back said loans. And b) virtue - you're probably giving money to a lot of people who don't deserve it...
But who cares? Currently, we're giving money to people who don't deserve it anyway.
But yes, if you do the math, all the bailout money, in total, works out to over $5k per person in the U.S. Of course, not nearly everyone would even need that. Hell, just give it to everyone earning less than $100k or something, and all of a sudden you have a LOT of money flowing... again, probably far from the most effective use of funds - but definitely food for thought.
Personally, I think a modified version of Stewart's proposal, plus a complete transformation of the national energy grid (easily done with that money, and creating tons of jobs in the process) is the way to go.
no subject
But actually, Jon Stewart had a pretty good idea (it has a few flaws, but I think it's one that it's actually worth discussing and building on):
Paraphrasing: Why not give the money to the people that owe the banks to pay back their loans? Then, you're bailing out the people at the bottom that need it most, and the banks still get capital to loan out and start the economy flowing again.
The most notable issues are a) enforcement - making sure people use said money to pay back said loans. And b) virtue - you're probably giving money to a lot of people who don't deserve it...
But who cares? Currently, we're giving money to people who don't deserve it anyway.
But yes, if you do the math, all the bailout money, in total, works out to over $5k per person in the U.S. Of course, not nearly everyone would even need that. Hell, just give it to everyone earning less than $100k or something, and all of a sudden you have a LOT of money flowing... again, probably far from the most effective use of funds - but definitely food for thought.
Personally, I think a modified version of Stewart's proposal, plus a complete transformation of the national energy grid (easily done with that money, and creating tons of jobs in the process) is the way to go.