American history has shown that the combination of the government and the business sector, in certain unique and critically important situations, is the best and only way to get them off the ground and running. Government has the obligation and responsibility to act in any case where conditions in this country are such that the private sector can't or won't take up the challenge to develop new ventures on its own.
How was the U.S interstate roadway system created? It was almost 100% funded by the federal government, not by private capital; but the private sector and American commerce have continued to reap massive benefits from its creation. Where would we be without President Eisenhower's vision and conviction on this matter and associated government funding?
Just think of how this country could change for the better and head into new, exciting directions if we would see these two very important initiatives pursued -- the repair and rebuilding of the national infrastructure and the development of new sources of energy. This would not be another one of those senseless stimulus programs or the bailing out of banks, where there is no real return or any kind of job creation; this would represent a new American revolution.
Spending hundreds of billions on these programs would prime the pump of creation and innovation and here's what would follow: millions of new, good paying jobs, millions of Americans coming off the unemployment rolls, no longer needing food stamps or other "government forms of welfare"; these same Americans spending their paychecks on cars, appliances, clothing, food and other essentials; paying more local, state and federal taxes. The revenues of local and federal governments would rise substantially.
This is a no-brainer; this is how capitalism, aided by its government, is all about; making investments to receive a substantial return; versus failing to invest and getting no return. Those who create and innovate use this kind of logic and reason; those who block attempts to achieve these kinds of successes are no more than fools and laggards. Anyone who makes the same old worn out statement that "government can't or shouldn't create jobs" or labels this kind of job creation Socialism, has no concept of what a competent, functional government should be doing in this day and age.
This current slow-minded Congress simply needs to plant the seeds that will grow and produce a harvest of millions of new, good-paying jobs.
But, hold on; there is a third way by which millions more jobs could also be created. Let's do a "what if" analysis to see how this could materialize. What if a minor revolution happened and the leaders in this country, from the president, to the members of Congress to the CEO's of the major U.S. corporations, awoke and realized that they had to do something collectively to restore this country's stability? And what if they decided that they needed to assemble an aggressive, high level group to work together to find the ways to restore this nation's manufacturing sector?
Suppose their agenda included the following objectives: to begin the process of overhauling this country's entire system of taxation, to include the business sector as well as individuals; that corporate tax structures would be changed so that corporations would be fairly taxed to make them more able to compete with foreign producers? And, at the same time, the Congress would institute appropriate safeguards to prevent corporations from evading taxes by using overseas tax havens and other similar tactics
These three initiatives, together, represent a way for this country to reenergize itself, stop the deterioration of its infrastructure, open the door to the development of new energy to power America into the future, reduce carbon emissions and resultant global warming, and lower the costs of energy for businesses, homes and autos. It would revitalize manufacturing in this country; and it would be a classic example of how working together for common goals can return positive and constructive results.
America truly needs a revolution that will unleash an era of creativity and innovation in order to emerge from its current state of lethargy. This opportunity for the government and the business community to come together to solve this nation's deepening problems and set a new course for the future is there for the taking; and so are millions upon millions of jobs for Americans.
Michael Payne
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