Our
new President Barak Obama and his administration
and the new Congress have came into office
by a combination of substantive and rhetorical
agenda and loss of hope in eight years of
failed policies by the Republican administration
and their slogan of "You are either
with us or against us."
Now there
is an immense level of expectations not
only by the American people but almost in
every country in the world. With the celebratory
euphoria subsiding, most economist realize
that there is no instantaneous easy solution
for the challenges our country faces and
since we are confronted with a collapse
of confidence in the banking system, now
the global economy is experiencing the pain.
The challenges before us is indeed huge.
There is no doubt.
However, President Barak
Obama has indeed reinvigorated a sense of
optimism by having presented an ambitious
set of promises to the populace, beyond
the traditional constraints of selecting
loyal party members. In particular, his
decision to keep Secretary of Defense, Mr.
Robert Gates is a prudent decision.
Here are a list of policies
(many of which Obama is proposing or is
in agreement with, only if the Congress
approves) that would make sense to take
this country into a new direction that can
address our challenges and unite our strengths
for overcoming our obstacles:
It is time for a new program to create millions
of jobs by making the single largest new
investment in our national infrastructure
since the federal highway system of the
1950s. This will entice state government
to invest tax dollars in roads and bridges
or they would lose the money. This would
modernize and upgrade school buildings,
government buildings, connecting libraries
and schools to the internet, improving sewer
systems, mass transit, electrical grids,
dams and other public utilities. It would
also include ensuring hospitals are connected
to each other through the internet and focus
on modernizing the health care system by
making doctor’s office and hospital
use secured electronic medical records to
improve patient services and prevent medical
mistakes. However, there needs to be an
accounting audit procedure in place to make
certain that this investment is not wasteful
as government usually is.
There needs to be an ambitious plan to expand
the definition of traditional work programs
for new-era jobs in technology and green
jobs that reduce energy use and global warming
emissions. This would also include investing
in jobs dedicated to creating alternative
fuels, windmills and solar panels, building
energy efficient appliances, or installing
fuel-efficient heating or cooling systems.
It is time to guarantee every American a
college education and wiring the entire
country for Internet and once again projecting
United States forward so that it can benefit
from major systemic advantages in the competitive
global economy. Fewer and fewer student
attend college because of the enormous cost
of education in U.S. while in countries
like China and India, education remains
a priority for future growth and prosperity.
Affordable education is essential to make
America competitive again in the world market.
It is time to end the apartheid that the
"state of Israel" is conducting
against Gaza, West Bank, and the Palestinians.
And it is time that the US government stop
protecting the bullying foreign policies
of Israel and stop sending our hard earned
tax Dollars to them to carry out their Apartheid
policies. I do not hate Israel - not even
a tiny bit. They have every right to live
and have their country. But our governments
unrestrained support for Israel has convinced
and encourage them that we will support
them even when they committ atrocities against
civilians. We pay $12 billion a year to
Israel and the least they can do is to be
responsible to International laws and regulations
and disclose all nuclear weapons an adhere
to the IAEA regulations. And stop screaming
anti-semitism and ask us to remember the
Holocaust to make everyone feel guilty.
Obama should tell Israel to stop playing
with the lives of American people. Three
members of my family have served in both
wars against Saddam, and the real beneficiary
has been Israel, not U.S. This is not fair
to American people. If Israel wants peace
with it's neighbors - then maybe it should
learn to behave peacefully and honestly
with it's neighbors, starting with the Palestinian
people that they continue to displace and
kill (specially
children - stop killing the kids). And
if the US truly wants to regain standing
amongst the world nations, then maybe we
as individuals in this country need to start
insisting to our politicians that we want
that fairness to begin now. I like to see
America respected again. Israel is the obstacle.
Obama and his new administration must reintegrate
the tens of millions of immigrants and naturalized
citizens who have been alienated since 9/11.
This diverse community bears some of the
most talented and intellectually competent
individuals who, against all odds, have
contributed immensely toward making America
a better place for all of us. We need to
allow them to take more ownership of this
country as therefore, believe that
this really is their country also.
Ultimately the goal to improving
the economy is to re-build the American
confidence and this cannot be done by the
old Republican school of thinking that if
we invest in progressive programs it would
result in increase government debt, bonds
falling, currency de-valued further, and
another inflation bubble in the housing
and commodities markets.
This way of thinking is
as illogical as thinking the corporate America
can regulate itself (like Enron, Arthur
Anderson, Mortgage industry, Banks, and
the credit market).
With rates at an effective
rate of zero, it is much easier to combat
inflation than deflation, and deflation
is the nearer and greater threat. Most people
incorrectly think of government debt in
the same way as they perceive personal or
business debt. Government debt is essentially
borrowing from country and once the economy
is doing well on its own, we can start to
pay back and strengthen the functioning
national system. Without these measures
we will not be able to reverse the current
economic problems which is mostly the result
of dwindling 'confidence' issues rather
than real fundamental economic problems
of the Great Depression.
For instance, houses are
losing their value (and hence people losing
their equity) because the credit market
is so tight that virtually nobody is lending
and therefore all those that have moderately
good credit cannot buy and only those that
have exceptional credit are allowed to buy.
As a result more people are waiting to see
further reductions in housing pricing which
leads to further reduction in housing pricing.
It is a vicious circle.
President Barak Obama's
plan is smart and it will work. It is not
perfect, and it will have some waste and
some mismanagement (inevitably) but it will
build the confidence and improve every sector
of the U.S. economy and the financial markets.
It makes logical sense. |
(last 30 days)
