Saturday, November 15, 2008

Economic solutions without costing $3 Trilion USD

So how could the $1.3-2.0 Trillion USD savings spelled out in the previous post on Government savings be spent to stop the recession and begin the recovery?
  1. Since banks are hoarding the money given to them under the ESA 2008, the Government should immediately rescind all monies given to financial institutions and put back into place the following financial procedures:
    • Re-enact Glass-Steagel Act
    • Remove the "mark-to-market" FASB/SEC accounting rules for mortgage operations
    • Re-enact the Resolution Trust Corporation
    • Rescinding of BHCA of 1956 to allow private equity to purchase GSE assets
    • Return to no paid interest on FRS required deposits by banks (reserves)
    • Dissolution of GSE's with assets sold to private equity & mortgage operations
  2. With the successful implementation of action #1, the Government without any expenditure of taxpayer funds have shown the banks that they will lose there place in the financial system to the Government since now the Government can take over foreclosed properties, auction them to the highest bidders or lease them to qualified investors.
  3. Guarantee mortgages to qualified buyers with 10-20% down payment and proper income requirements via the FDIC-RTC operations.
  4. Exchange regulation of and listing of all CDS (credit default swaps).
  5. Changes in corporation board membership and operation to provide transparency
    • The CEO and Chairman of the Board (COB) can not be invested in same person
    • Internal auditor function must report directly to COB not CEO/COO/CFO
    • Internal auditors' report summary must be made available to shareholders
    • The Executive compensation must be annually approved by shareholders
    • Option-based pay must be expensed annually as regular compensation
    • Executive performance must be "pay for performance" based & implemented
    • Golden parachutes must not exceed 3X average last 3 years compensation
  6. No bail-outs for private companies. Normal bankruptcy laws must be implemented.
    • Failed corporate business models must be left to bankruptcy procedures
    • Union contracts must be broken and compassionately renegotiated
    • Assets of failed companies sold to entrepreneurs and innovators (capitalism)
    • No government ownership of private company equities.

These actions will not have costs the over $2.5-3.0 Trillion USD that the current government operations are now moving towards, left the US as a capitalistic country, and reduced the size of the government largely expanded via the inept actions of the Bush-43 and Republican/Democratic Congresses of the last 3 decades from 1976-2008.

Solutions are simple, but not easy to swallow since most people in the US are not of traditional character, ethics or discipline. They have been swilled a steady diet of governmental hand-outs, welfare, and intervention. The US population is quickly adopting a "bread & circus" mentality which is the beginning of the end of the USA.

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