Lennonism, like John Lennon
I've been working on a (hybrid) economic
system that values Health, Education, and the Environment. The goal is
no unemployment, no homeless, no commercials. Everything is
premised
on a person's net worth being a number on a screen (direct deposit,
credit cards); a number that could
potentially be manipulated/tweaked.
A Remedy:
Everyone keeps what they have. If
you are currently employed, you sign a contract with your employer
promising 40 hours of quality work a week (maybe we can eventually
change it to 35). In exchange, you will receive your current salary
(and/or a credit for hours worked), health care, schooling for your
children, and you will be taken care of after retirement (age 68?
70?), or if some debilitating illness occurs. Farmers continue
producing food.
No Taxes. Federal, State, Local –
none. "The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax."
-Albert Einstein. Instead, we give a “blank check” (or an Invisible
Hand, or "a black hole") to city and local
governments (or grassroots organizations) to hire everyone and anyone
willing to work for the
common good. It becomes a City Improvement or City Beautiful
Movement. If you want to help rebuild Missouri, go do that. If you
want to teach, (and meet the requirements) do that. If you want to
do cancer research at a public hospital, do that. If you are willing
to plant trees, do that. After verifying that you have worked your
40 hours a week, the city and local governments credit your account
(change numbers on a screen). Perhaps we can also give this
authority to a well respected local nonprofit or, perhaps, The Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation. All salaries from the “blank check” are public
information (listed on a website). (If we can print money out of thin
air, why can't we create jobs out of thin air?)
A moratorium on the stock market –
either by vote, a congressional resolution, or executive order. Or
we just pretend it's Good Friday and “the market” never opens
again. Every penny (except margin accounts) invested gets returned to the shareholders. (at
the current price, or if speculation occurs, the price on a specific
day, say 4/30/11 -the courts can figure out what is fair).
To compensate companies for market
capitalization, private companies get to "draft" (100, 500) workers who submitted resumes. All unemployed people enter the
“Employment Draft”. Starting with GE (largest market cap),
companies choose the workers who will be the most beneficial to them.
Jeffrey Immelt may choose the head of Goldman Sachs or Hank Paulson,
or he may not. Erin Burnett can cover it on CNBC or Erin Andrews can
cover it on ESPN 8 “The Ocho”. (or both, at the same time)(smile)
The best companies also receive priority in architectural
improvements etc.
Every two years(?),
workers feeling unfulfilled, disillusioned, or people wanting a change, may
reenter the draft and work for a different company and/or in another
industry. (a 2nd Round Draft, if you will)
Medicine:
Highest priority placed on Prevention
and Early Detection. Medical ID cards for everybody (like a credit
card). Heavy focus on research (at least 10 years of “delibrate
practice”) and maybe we can beat death. (harvested organs, stem
cells, maximum nutrition, etc.)
Advertising
No more advertising. Not on TV,
not on radio, not in magazines. (Maybe an exception for the Super
Bowl. Maybe). Massive expansion of Consumer Reports and Zagat
websites keeps consumers communicating and well informed.
Entertainment Industry
Media companies get a “blank
check with a limit/salary cap” (what they are currently spending on
talent). Actors/People in the Industry will receive a credit to their account, either
negotiated with management or based on ratings.
Sports
Same as Entertainment Industry.
(Sports are considered a public good.) Owner of team has a “blank
check with a limit/salary cap”. Players must be clean of
performance enhancing drugs and submit to regular blood testing. If
they don't like it, they can retire or work in another industry.
College athletes will be paid
(accounts credited by the university) commensurate with TV ratings,
playing time, and jersey sales. They will also be required to take
blood tests. No compliance, no compensation. Other student
performers will also be paid by the university (musicians, theater
performers etc.) commensurate with attendance and/or TV ratings, if
applicable. Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery do the Final Four.
Insurance industry
None. Ideally, the entire industry can
transition into Safety and Preparedness – making sure levies are
built properly, bridges are earthquake proof, nuclear power plants
are out of harm's way. “Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail.”
-John Wooden
Schools:
Universities will be the center of
our society. Universities will help run/improve K-8 and high school.
School will be year round. Teachers will have summer off (or a
different season off). All classrooms, school grounds, and day cares
will have video cameras enabling parents to monitor their child any
minute, hour, second of the day. We make music a priority.
Pricing:
We pass a law requiring product
prices to accurately reflect labor. Beers at the ballpark will not
cost $9. Manolo Blahniks will not cost $645. Popcorn will not cost
$6.50.
Eventually we can (slightly) adjust
hours worked to more accurately reflect their importance to society
(i.e., 1 doctor hour equals 3 hours cooking - but we can decide that by vote, or like
the NFL, in a courtroom). That way doctors can own the best real
estate. But I have an inkling that musicians will be our most
treasured asset.
We can vote on all other issues or
let the Supreme Court decide. Ideally all decisions will foster
Health, Education, the Environment, and quality Journalism.
In short, I'm trying to Maximize Labor. Maximizing Labor will compensate for the loss of taxes and private sector motivation.
Thank YOU for Your Time,
Julian (Lennon) Accornero
