Why the past affects the future and what your government can do to change this.
Introduction
The U.S. requires a stringent re-evaluation of its fiscal, international commerce, continental workforce and social policies. Changes that will uplift the populace with the explicit understanding that the inhabitants of the country, both of working and non-working age are fundamental components of the existing financial system as it stands today in the 21st century. Without an undeniable faith in humanity, the U.S. as an sovereign nation in areas of banking strength and commerce credibility worldwide will continue to falter and the strength that was acquired through exponential growth of capitalism based on industrialism and free market individualism (within our borders) combined with thrift will most certainly be a relic of the past. Ideas proposed in this paper can viewed as a starting point to lay foundation (valuable) in the diagnosis and self-correction of what can be marked as a lack of financial aptitude, consumer ignorance, predatory financing that continues to undermine the very federal reserve note that Americans are trained as a public to earn, spend, invest and fortify both our daily existences and futures.
Body
Proposals for this matter must be clear, free of bureaucratic, regulatory, and legislative jargon of an ambiguous nature. More often than not, the staple of any measure enacted to implement
change institutionally is tinted by those very aspects and in fairness to both the public which it serves and the government entrusted with an extreme measure of providing the standard by which an immense proportion of our lifetime's work will be based upon, several options need exploration in order to not only shift the failing paradigm, but, simultaneously open avenues that are quantifiable and tangible within this generation. This requirement must be upheld in order to view recognizable improvement, with increasing faith in an financial matrix that serves all without bias and protects the interest of the U.S. economic landscape as a trusted and respected entity by which others worldwide can view as an profitable and functional standard.
From the outset, we have to place some restriction on the notion and policies that are now known as " Free Trade", that is the starting point to making our economy one that we can genuinely participate and believe in. The creators of this theory were nearsighted in it's writing, too many times when looking for a solution, the long term negatives are missed and a perfect example lies in the economic crisis that we face today. Government regulation has opened U.S. borders for trade and expanded the reach of both Canada and Mexico with the creation of N.A.F.T.A. in the 1990's. Measures such as these have left the U.S. spending more on goods and services that could very well be produced within the country. Entire sectors of industry have been outsourced due to the greed of large businesses that would rather send jobs overseas than pay the workers that had been so beneficial to the success of these companies. Examples include the United States steel industry that was once a massive part of the economic infrastructure of the United States, which virtually ceases to exist today. Steel industries in the 20th century essentially created whole townships and generations of families found employment with companies such as Inland Steel, Bethlehem Steel and U.S. Steel. From the turn of the century the amount of steel produced in North America increased at an obscene rate-creating trickle down fortunes of men like J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie. As a country there has to be a return to that so the first idea that I would propose is to retract industries such as steel into the country, it would be called "The Retraction Act" in this piece of legislature, businesses would not only receive tax breaks in order to make the ideal of bringing large scale businesses back to the continental U.S., but these companies could also receive greater tax breaks depending on the amount of exports that brings globalized funds into the country and as well, there would be an additional clause that would give government subsidized insurance and severance packages to the first 1000 companies that desired to act on the proposal therefore offsetting operating costs all the while giving the workers higher wages allowing the citizens who happened to be employed by the company stimulate their local economies acting as a tributary to a international river of commerce. Ideas such as these have yet to brought to the forefront of national politics and probably will not, however pieces of this particular proposal are already somewhat in effect. According to Nguyen and Shear in, Green Economic Policies Will Improve the Environment and Promote Equality. "The establishment of legislation to create green jobs called the "Green Jobs Act." " A bill that if authorized will direct $125 million to green the nation's workforce and train 35,000 people each year for green-collar jobs." These are policies that we need to assist or agitate or government in the creation of rather than settling for what limited resources that they have to offer and one way to do this is to look for solutions that have a necessary synergy for the citizens and the government to regain some sort of footing on the pronounced economic failures that the country are privy to on a consistent and disheartening daily basis. Initiatives as the ones that are being proposed in this document and in Congress are reasonable courses of action for a country that was built and constructed under the premise being in favor of in inhabitants. That is the underlying thematic structure of this paper. Calling for the return to that form of governing in specific areas as the ones illustrated in the introduction of the paper such as but not restricted to: fiscal, international commerce, continental workforce and social policies.
Other options that can assist in the economic downturn that exists in the twenty first century are programs like those that are being implemented in New York City such as "Opportunity N.Y.C., privately funded by The Rockefeller Foundation, Michael R. Bloomberg, and several other donors where governments and civic corporations and philanthropies could make automatic savings deposits to individuals who engage in socially responsible behavior. Programs like these are required, and desired by the public, a public that is looking for a proposal that will change the daily stress of being underneath demographic poverty lines without a means to create middle class stability let alone independent wealth. What does the government propose? Giving money to "corporate types" in order to rescue them from the lack of professionalism that was shown in "hedging their bets" literally. The question remains, "who does this assist?" Where does responsibility and jurisprudence enter the equation for the minority as well as the masses in a manner that isn't lost in abstract theory that can be manipulated to injure more than aid. Concerned with the nature of existence in a 21st century monetary context, these appeals are not intended to usher readers of these opinions into a distant reality of inaction while locating the energy required to ponder, react and completely change current reflections of those very symptoms. Programs that inspire and encourage civic responsibility while benefitting those they exhibit that behavior along with eco-awareness that could re-generate positions of positive involvement through green economics are just a start. The very lending and savings industry that no longer encourages the customer current or future to use the time tested and respected trait of thrift in order to obtain what is of absolute need initially versus the impulse purchase that assist the bank or the credit lender but leaves the working person at the mercy of ignorant consumerism that is preyed upon in a sprawling and intricate system of money that has very little to do with the majority of human beings in the U.S. that make the same dollar refutable while being destroyed by it. Where does this consistent hypocrisy end? That is the true proposal of this document, find the hypocrisy as it pertains to the collective, and then taking the stand to put it under the microscope of what is judicial and fair and not in a ideal based misconception that will do nothing for them and the very frustration that most want to be alleviated from. Topics covered in this essay all deserve human solidarity of epic proportions if we do not expect to see the worst of what these social ills have to offer us as a republic and we will be highly disappointed to say the least if not shown to be literally expendable. First, while the government definitely be required to look at the initiatives that would bring large scale business back to the U.S., as well as restructuring banking and finance so both the intra-continental fiscal systems and the multi national corporations based in the U.S. can assist one another. However, a pressing problem within the U.S. borders has to be addressed as well. The issue that is most pressing is the youth of America, and in the same vein where pragmatism and practicality rule when raising children, the government can use the same common sense approach when creating programs for the youth of the country. This can be done by creating a branch of finance specifically for the inception of a National Savings Account on par with the programs that are already in existence in Great Britain, Canada, and Singapore. Instead of placing a fourth of the wages earned in the United States into social security coffers that some individuals never have the realistic option to receive, why not create a national savings initiative that is comparable to those previously mentioned. A program such as this one would give what is now considered to be "working class poor" a better chance for success. A savings account created for a newborn with tax breaks for the parents who invest into the their children combined with amortization and compound interest would be just as helpful as government assistance programs such as W.I.C. How is it that Canada and Britain understand this, and the ruling minority of the U.S. remains clueless or unconcerned with the problems the masses face each day? Legislation making universal savings account law in an industrialized nation that is based on capital gain is very conceivable. Citizens should question this, especially those of childbearing age. The problem, however, is the low level of belief and confidence in our bureaucratic system, most already have a defeatist attitude pertaining to what their reality is and what it could be, and all of the proposals that have been made in this essay could strengthen the belief in self for millions of people, but also the government trusted to do what is in the best interests of their constituents. The demographic that is known as the single mother needs to be viewed as well, with a quantifiable majority of these women receiving cash assistance, there might very well be a plan that could assist them while putting federal dollars to good use. Is it not possible to create a federal daycare system that resembles head start and does two things very well. Put these women to work, while issuing the guarantee that their children will not be abused, because the caretaker's of the children would have to be carefully screened, just imagine though, if it were a sought position to be a child care provider for the government. Really? Initiatives in same model of S.E.E.D. should accompany this policy proposition if any. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt was Commander and Chief of the United States he didn't stop his government overhaul with social security, welfare and things of that nature. He signed into creation entities such as the Civilian Conservation Corps, Civilian Works Administration, and the Works Progress Administration, all three of which created jobs for those that needed them. Where is that type of forward thinking today? There is no way to argue against employing people in a monetary based democracy, especially when you can find an entire workforce for most industries that can be started. The point if this proposal amongst others is the ability to find a problem and find people worthy and willing to be a part of the solution, that is where we are at, this is the dawn of 21st century and remaining true to a procedural m.o. that helps no one has to be re-evaluated and changed. Synergy is a definite requirement when you are looking to cure an entire established state of blemishes that are well within our means of correcting. Anytime, a country has reached the point we have as far as global power and the economic downturn that we now face that affects the oldest to the youngest, the only logical proposals to these problems have to be grand, innovative and multi-tiered. This in turn, leaves error for margin, creates viable solutions that can assist numerous generations and provokes the average person to assist in the correction of what is flawed. Why not give single mother's and father's jobs en-masse as day care teachers and pay them consistent and steady wages as well as give their children the benefit of having more resources at home. These mothers would save exponentially, and once again money earned could be spent within the borders of our country. One of the most expensive and on going costs a parent can face takes the form of childcare. When an idea or concept is presented to offset both the issue and cost of childcare, why hasn't the public as a collective questioned this while simultaneously providing first person solutions? Do we no longer feel that our government should or can be held accountable for the programs they do or do not create? Granted, this is a country that is based in personal responsibility, and has a rich tradition of those that exemplified traits associated with this, however, we have went beyond the point where all solutions can truly be found within because at some point we crossed a line where we as a public became dependent on the government. This is truth. What this proposal is, is a call to both personal responsibility and the bodies that govern us to return to the thought processes that made is a global power and allowed families to be created and maintained all the while making the currency that we use the standard around the globe being a trademark of stability.
Conclusion
These proposals are intended to stimulate thought as it stands in the current day and era that we as American's exist in. For a population of over 300 million, answers are required. Sweeping answers should not cause upheaval considering the society we live in leaves little to no differentiation for sexual gender, and social mores that were once akin to commandments are now looked at as being staid or archaic. While people are looking to express their individuality they should also be concerned with the pressing issues that bother us both consciously and sub-consciously everyday. However, problems such as financial stability and what will the world we live in will eventually be like for our children are not given the credence that they deserve and that is a problem that will one day hurt them more than we care to realize. Granted, the government as we know it is not responsible each circumstance that affects us in our daily lives, yet, the more thought that is given to that particular idea, you realize that government has a tremendous effect on those that it serves and to think that we couldn't stand fiscal revisionist policies for the world we currently live in, since the ones we function with are pretty much as archaic and staid as the mores we so frequently reject, then our priorities are confused and we may not suffer today, but God forbid tomorrow remains stranded in political greed and fiscal ignorance as our today, because it may be as bad as those apocalyptic movies predict. And that is something no one wants to see.
Works Cited: "The S.E.E.D. Policy and Practice Initiative"
http://www.cfed.org/focus 11/14/2009
"America Is Now A Defeated And Conquered Nation." Thomas Heffner, with video by Craig Harrinngton/ Published 11/5/09
http://www. EconomyinCrisis.org
"Green Economic Policies Will Improve the Environment and Promote Equality." Preeti Mangala Shekar and Tram Nyguen Opposing Viewpoints: The Environment. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009.
"Top 10 New Deal Programs"Significant New Deal Programs to Combat the Great DepressionBy Martin Kelly, About.com Guide
About.com American History
