In simple terms, and your own opinion what is it going to take to get the economy to where you think it should be?

And we all know Obama is gone next year, so lets not use that excuse.

The easy and obvious answer lies in addressing the question “what worked in the past?”

And here is where we bump into trouble, because the political situation in this country has devolved to nothing recognizable from our past. What is erroneously described as a growing polarization between liberal and conservative viewpoints in the country is actually a fight between bland mediocrity and straight up undisguised irrationality. The result for governance (since both sides are in the pockets of the moneyed) is that the only remaining dependable function of the Congress is to serve as the nation’s corporate whorehouse.

The vacuous and feeble mediocrity now defining the democrats is of course the result of the need for ever larger piles of money. The resulting anemic defense of the nations’ interests from the (justifiably) sneering republicans should surprise no one. But the growing infestation of that party’s rolls by those who in former days might be charitably described as “certifiable”, leaves the country more or less ungovernable. The beauty of the setup (as far as the rich are concerned) is that the clown show serves as a reliable distraction from the whore house function and the shoveling of money to the elite.

So Squeek, I remain cynical. When this place was thrown together, the big discussion boiled down to “is a nation of dummies capable of self government?” That reminds me, it’s time to renew my passport.

The economy is already doing better here in the US, not that there isn’t room for improvement. In my mind economy, individual financial stability, lifestyle, and safety, all matter for people to feel optimistic, to want to spend, and to be happy.

My solution is higher wages at the bottom and not such extremely high wages at the top.

A task force to really crack down in the medical system and all the waste and extreme profit that is in there now. I prefer a socialized medical system, but I’m ok without one, just either way there needs to be some whistle blowers and some more regulations if market forces don’t do the job. If a Presidential contender talked about this in a very serious way they would get my vote.

Some sort of campaign to start changing the culture. More emphasis on family and friendships and time spent together in the community. Something to slow our pace and stress down. Also, much more information about family planning and birth control to young people.

Much more focus on helping high schoolers plan their steps for after high school.

It would be nice if there is more and more beautification of parks and streets. I think it helps to inspire people to care for the community and take pride in their surroundings. With this also crack down on crime. I feel like we need to help lift everyone up to a certain minimum level and living standard. Primarily wage is the most important thing, not handouts.

I want people to not expect the economy to boom, but be happy with a reasonable constant growth. This also includes business growth and profit. The pressures for huge numbers means we get bubbles and bursts. I’d rather take a gentle hilly road than a mountainous one with sharp turns.

1)
Adopt a decent education system from a country that has one. High school students elsewhere score higher in literacy and numeracy than American college graduates.

Link

Are you talking about the economy or are you talking about the growing inequity between rich and poor in America? Big oil and big corporations have boosted the economy but I see nothing but erosion of the social safety net coming for years.

Kill all the fat & ginger people, save a fortune & no one will mind, not really

I believe that gainful employment, especially jobs that serve the local community, would expand the middle class, reduce the tensions that marginal wages produce and decrease crime. However, this is unlikely since advances in technology decrease the number of jobs needed and an expectation of greater returns on investments can only be met by decreasing the cost of labor.

The problem of expanding the middle class is exacerbated by the consolidation of privately owned businesses in the whole food industry and independent energy companies into a few mega-corporations that all but eliminates competition and removes limits on the rate that prices increase.

While capitalism has been a major force behind advances in communication, production and distribution of goods, it also has diverted the flow of capital away from local communities that could be used to maintain and improve their infrastructure, which generates more employment that would be salaried by federal, state and municipal governments. Taxes provide the funds that governments can spend on materials and labor.

Progressive taxation increases the tax burden on higher income, however exemptions for upper class families and corporations, a form of welfare, actually creates a regressive taxation on the middle class. The working poor are dependent on welfare and other government supported social services, which further decrease funding needed infrastructure improvements. Revising the tax structure is unlikely as long as politicians who are dependent on money donated for their election write the laws.

These problems are worldwide. The desire for wealth and power is inherent in the human psyche. Empires and the profits derived from equipping the military forces to establish them increases both. This has been true since the beginning of civilization and I fear will always be so.

The above answers are sensible… So I will toss out an extreme one that I believe would actually work.
Fund mandatory abortions to unwed under age women who are or have been on public assistance during the previous 6 months.
Teenagers could finish school and get an education. Parents on public assistance do not become grandparents and great-grand parents on public assistance. They are free to work and contribute. They can spend more time and invest in the children they have.
Here’s the most radical part… If you are on disability, you are on public assistance and must follow the same rules.

Lastly a DNA test must be performed on any female who was underage at the time of pregnancy inception. The man must be identified and will be charged with an XYZ crime and must pay a fine – which will be used to fund the abortions above. If the man is more than 4 years older then he will be charged with Rape and fined much more including prison and/or public service. .

How much poverty would this reduce? Would this end the cycle of poverty in one generation?. What effect would this have in schools and learning?

Nobody should get something for nothing. If we accept a check we need to accept some responsibility.

That, and severely raising the import duties on chinese made products.

Boy @LuckyGuy your answer is going to get the religious right wanting to send lightning bolts in your direction, but I do see your point.

Lightning bolts hell, they’ll be after @LuckyGuy with pitchforks and torches. But I like the thought. I remember all the kids with kids in the collections area of the bank. In a similar line, a while ago they sent out stimulus payments to everyone. The rich people stuck it in their savings, the less well off spent it. It worked. Get more money to the lower income people and it will show up in economic activity.

I’m an engineer, NPR listener, with subscriptions to Scientific American, the Economist and other journals. I know how to work with numbers.
I believe we end poverty by ending the cycle. Yes the rich have too much. Increase the upper tax rate – it’s obvious. But let’s also make it so everyone feels a bit of pain.
Everyone needs to take some responsibility for their actions.

I forget how many billions are spend on health care for obesity and diabetes. I’d make it a rule that if you are on disability and/or public assistance and are obese you must reduce your weight by 5% in 6 months or the subsidy will be reduced by 10% for the next 6 months. If after another 6 months you are still obese there would be a further 5% penalty.

If your company provides health care that should be included in your income and be taxed.
I’d also make people pay into social security longer., increase the retirement age by 4 months per year for the next 12 years. Admit it we are living longer. I would reduce the early retirement numbers too. I’d make it a 10% penalty per year early rather than 8% .

If you are receiving unemployment benefits and have children in school then you are required to visit the school for 2 hours per week and attend class with your child in the subject that needs the most help. If you are on public assistance and not working then you must attend school with your child for 4 hours per week.

Handicapped spaces are for people with missing or broken legs or those unable to walk more than 50 ft without a wheelchair or walker. It should cost $50 per year to get a card. Anyone who visits a WallyWorld superstore and walks around for 30 minutes does not belong in a handicapped spot.

I’d better stop….

The bottom line is if we want to make the economy better, Everyone needs to feel it.

A lot of good ideas here. My focus would be on declaration of health care as a right, and no for-profit hospitals. And a strong prohibition against profiteering by Big Pharma.

@zenvelo great ideas but be careful you will have the right declaring you a communist with that kind of thought.

The simple things that would have worked back in 2009, won’t do it anymore. That ship sailed. The lack of spending from the lower gas prices demonstrates that. Gas prices have dropped almost half in the past year and that helps lower incomes the most. Yet we haven’t seen that translate into a booming economy. People simply lack confidence. when everyone is pessimistic about the economy and they end up with a few extra bucks, they don’t necessarily spend it. Consequently that money doesn’t find it’s way back into the economy. It will take time to overcome this pessimism.

We’ve spent 6 years growing this problem, higher taxes, more regulation, Demonizing businesses at all levels. What we need now is stability. We could do some obvious things like lowering the corporate tax rate, slowing the influx of new regulations, and those would help but it won’t be a silver bullet. We need time to recover and continuously manipulating economic conditions won’t fix anything. We’ve been doing that for six years. Give it a rest and see if we come back from this ‘Hope and Change’.

I’d also follow Sam Kinison’s suggestion to end world hunger . The funds saved would be used for birth control and abortions. That would reduce the numbers of child soldiers carrying AK-47s in Africa.

You put more disposable income in the hands of the lower income earners, they in turn buy items that in turn employ more people to make,distribute, and sell and GASP the economy starts chugging.
People get hired to make, distribute and sell the items the lower income earners are now buying and even the wealthy get in on this because HEY all of a sudden they have to expand and hire more people to meet the demand.
BUT no the wealthy can not see that, they want extreme profits NOW! and want to pay dirt wages, but then scratch their heads because their goods are not moving, gee I wonder why?
OH I know what will work, more tax breaks for the wealthy seeing how well that worked before. oh and of course keep wages so low the ones on it have no choice but to seek Government help just to put food on the table after a 40+ hour work week.

I would try doing nothing for a year and give people a chance to adjust.

@Jaxk To the contrary, raising taxes to stabilize the government budget process has worked well in California, while cutting taxes more and more has been an abject failure in Kansas and other states.

People lack confidence in the economy because of the disparity in income between the top and the bottom.

@talljasperman That has been done by the US Congress for the past several years. Where has that gotten us?

Standardize prices and wages wherever they are. Work to eliminate greed in pricing. Get rid of the “haves and have-nots.” True equality, in all aspects, is the answer (or, at least, one answer). Does that sound like socialism? Yes, but the world needs a type of socialism that works. Otherwise, no matter what gets done, we’re all screwed.

I have never noticed changes in the economy, only changes in my personal life, that didn’t seem to be related to the economy at all.

The only thing I can relate back to, is that my folks built a house in 1968, for $30,000 and sold it 13 years later for $150,000.
My ex and I, on the other hand, bought a house for $45,000 in 1983 and sold it 13 years later for $46,000.

My Dad worked at Boeing in the 60’s-90’s and he got a pension. Boeing doesn’t give pensions any more.

Maybe the mathematics of Game theory can help us with a solution. In economics there is the Ultimatum Game. “The first player (the proposer) receives a sum of money and proposes how to divide the sum between himself and another player. The second player (the responder) chooses to either accept or reject this proposal. If the second player accepts, the money is split according to the proposal. If the second player rejects, neither player receives any money. The game is typically played only once so that reciprocation is not an issue.”
Let’s do an example. I am given $100 and offer to split it with you 50–50. Do you agree? If you say “Yes” we both get $50 and walk away smiling. If you say “No” we both get zero and the game is over.
What would happen if I said “Split it 99 for me and 1 for you.”? If you accept, I will keep $99 and you get $1. If you say “No”, we both get zero.
Economics says you should say “Yes” and take the $1. That is better than getting $0. But that would drive you crazy. If you are average, you would tell me to take that $1 and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. After much testing it has been shown that deals with disparity below 70 – 30 will go through, and those with greater disparity will fail. That means people will actually work against themselves if they feel the other person is benefiting too much more than they benefit.

50 – 50 would be socialism/communism and not acceptable for many reasons. But perhaps the 99 – 1 split we see today is too great for the common good. (Actually it is more like over 1000:1 if we consider the typical CEO and the lowest paid employee.)
When I worked overseas the top dog at Toyota made $400,000 per year and the employees loved him and worked hard to benefit the company. At the same time the top dog at GM was paid $30,000,000 and you could not find one employee to say something nice about the greedy POS him. There was not a hint of loyalty
Toyota grew like wildfire and GM withered and burned like prairie weeds. There’s a lesson there.

A really GOOD lesson

While I’m on a roll and offending everyone…

From the US Census 2005 and 2010 figures:
U.S. Census Bureau Table 2 Age-Adjusted and Unadjusted Disability Rates by Gender, Race, Hispanic Origin:
2005 and 2010
All – 18.7%
White – 18.6%
Black – 20.4%
Asian – 13.0%
Hispanic – 13.2%

Really? Almost one fifth of our workers are disabled and can’t work? Really?! What is this, Bosnia? Afghanistan? Syria? Are our streets and parks hidden minefields? One fifth?! It is shameful.
Absolutely, we need to help people who need it. But I’d limit it a much smaller number maybe ¼ of what we do today. And while you are on disability, your job is to get off it. You can’t just sit back and just collect the check from people who are working. You have to do something for it: exercise, lose weight, physical therapy, counseling, volunteer… something. Do something for the people who are supporting you.

Let’s see who did I forget… Elderly! If you are over 80 and have a net worth of greater than $3 Million, that 18,000 per year from Social is not affecting your life. How about passing it one to someone you know who can use it?

Oh, I forgot LGBT! Mmmm…Let me think… ... ... Sorry, I got nothin’. Just don’t cry “gender disability.”

@LuckyGuy You feeling lucky today or you just like living dangerously? Disability is the new welfare. People that use to sponge off welfare now go to their doctor and get a disability claim instead. But the welfare rolls are down, so the Republicans must have been right.~

I’m not living dangerously. I didn’t make up the numbers. They are facts taken directly from the 2010 US Census. There is a problem when 18.7% of the population is living off the taxes and efforts of the other 81.3%.
Even if someone can’t walk or get to an office they can make calls from home and be productive. If you can turn on a TV or surf the internet you can be productive.

Heck! Look at Stephen Hawking! He isn’t collecting disability! He accomplishes more in a week than most of us will in a lifetime!

I didn’t make up the numbers.

No, but you are being careless and misrepresenting the situation. You are counting infants and children and elderly as “workers”:

About ⅓ of those on disability are under 18 or over 65.

From your link:

Of the 303,858 on disability…
...62,176 are under 15 years old
...12,000 (est.) are 15 to 17 years old
...38,599 are 65 or over

As someone who is acquainted with a person on permanent disability, I have to say it is not an easy thing to qualify for.

And I’m being careless, too.

Something’s wrong.

The Excel file I downloaded said 303,858 (IN THOUSANDS) in 2010.

303,858,000 was the entire US population.

Of the 56,672,000 “with a disability”
...05,218,000 are under 15 years old
...01,289,000 (est.) are 15 to 17 years old
...19,234,000 are 65 or over

1)
So 15,000,000 are too young or to old to be in the workforce.

2)
Of those with a disability, aged 21 to 64, 41.1 were employed

I’m not doing an in depth analysis.

I just wanted to say you can’t look at the 18.7% figure and say all those people are living off disability instead of working.

And that 18.7% was just for disability. It does not include: unemployment, public assistance, HEAP, SNAP, Section 8, and all the other programs.

The Census called the figures “Age Adjusted and Unadjusted Disability Rates by Race Gender.” See above link. I’m sure all the details are there. I did not look to see how they “Age adjusted” the numbers.
How can that many people be on disability? I guess there are a lot more people sitting at home than we realize.
You point out a good number. It said 41.1% were employed. We don’t know how much they make but at least they are employed. Great
But that leaves 58,9% who were not employed. And who provides for them?

@jaytkay I did not intent do do a complete study on this. I’m sure it has been done in the past the figures are there.
My point is if we want to help the economy we have to hit everywhere or nobody will take it seriously. If we don’t we will hear things like “Tax the rich but leave my disability check alone.” Or “Cut the payments to welfare recipients. but leave my bonus alone.”

We have too many people on welfare, too many on disability, too many with too much, too many kids having kids, too many people wasting resources on drugs.

How would you fix it? I made my suggestions. I’d love to hear from others.

Jsut for fun I looked up disability lawyers and found this group

Look at list of Qualifying Disabilities
“We have successfully argued for benefits for clients with the following disabilities:
Back pain
Arthritis
Anxiety Disorders
Diabetes with Neuropathy
Traumatic brain injury
Depression
Schizophrenia
Multiple Sclerosis
Joint replacements
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Heart attacks
Strokes and Aneurysms
Chronic kidney disease
Physical Disabilities – Do you have a long-term (over 12 months) physical disability that makes even the simplest daily chores difficult? Maybe even just walking is hard for you? If you have been diagnosed by a doctor, and are being treated regularly for your problem, you could be eligible for benefits. Our lawyers can use your medical evidence as proof that your disability is preventing you from working.

Mental Disabilities – Approximately 1 in 4 American adults suffer from some kind of mental illness. If you’ve been suffering for a year or more, you will know how debilitative and disruptive it can be. Severe depression is one of the more common problems, affecting one’s ability and/or desire to leave the house, do basic daily chores, and more. We can use your medical records to prove that your disability is currently hindering you from working.

Physical & Mental Disabilities – Often, a physical disability can lead to a mental illness. This is especially true for painful disabilities, such as chronic pain contributing to debilitating depression. We can use your medical records as legal evidence of your disability.”

With a list like that I’m surprised it is only 18.7% (in 2010).

How would you fix it? I made my suggestions. I’d love to hear from others.

If you’re not talking about cutting the Pentagon budget, you don’t care about cutting the Federal budget.

You care about the “wrong” people getting benefits.

@jaytkay Sure Id reduce that a bit too. But we all need to recognize that is a smaller portion of the budget.
Health spending is 17.9% of our GDP. (2013)
Defense spending is 3.7% of GDP! (2013)

As for the annual budget source
Social security, Medicare, Medicaide, CHIP.. is 48%
Defense and International Security Assistance is 18%
Other Safety Net Programs: 11%
Benefits for Federal retirees and Veterans is 8%

You can do a search and find much finer breakdowns. By far, the largest expense is Social programs. I don’t mind paying it. I just want it to go to people who need it. AND I want the people getting it to be responsible for doing something other than collecting the check.
Nobody should get something for nothing.

In case anyone was wondering, I consider myself a Liberal, NPR listener and supporter of women’s rights and the LGBT community.
In the newspaper today they were talking about the number of kids living in poverty in Rochester, Newburg, and other cities in NY. the numbers were pushing 50%. Terrible numbers! I say rather than giving more money, let’s not have kids for 5 years. That would have a huge effect.

Nobody should get something for nothing. That would help our economy.

I’m confused. It you’re disabled it means you can’t work. So how can a person be employed and still receive disability?

It you’re disabled it means you can’t work.

The census numbers are of people classified as having some disability for census purposes.

They are not numbers of people who are receiving payments.