My Stimulus Plan

I find it very unsettling watching how the government is working to put together a stimulus package to help us out of our economic rut.

While I think that everyone wants the result to be a kick-start to our economy, I can't find two people who agree on how it should be done.

My little brain thinks that having the government spend money is a good way. I think this for a couple of reasons.

First, the money gets spent. It flows into the hands of companies who will rebuild our infrastructure, provide for some number of new construction jobs and we'll be left with tangible output - better roads and bridges. We can all argue whether the roads and bridges are in bad enough shape to spend money on repairs, but given last year's infrastructure bell weather in Minneapolis, I say go ahead.

I think rebuilding schools isn't a bad use of the money either. After living through many local referendums on school repairs, expansion etc, this is a perennial area where local residents never agree on investing the money. Now might be a great time to shore up our crumbling educational infrastructure - how about wi-fi in every school classroom (after we fix the roof)?

I know nothing about Smart Grid technology. Sounds like a good idea (based upon its name alone). If computers can route energy across the country in a manner that uses it more efficiently, that sounds like a good idea to me. Give me one of those.

Investments in technologies to get us off gas and oil also seem smart for both environmental and security reasons. I would love to be alive on the day we no longer import any oil from foreign countries.

Heck, I'd also invest in re-supplying the military. By that I mean creating better up-armoured vehicles and equipment that works, just in case we actually have to go to war. Unlike Rumsfeld who says that you go to war with the army you've got, I'd actually like to see us become battle ready before we send our kids into harm's way. And while we're at it, let's build some more drones to keep pilots out of harms way. Maybe we could have these patrol our southern borders as well instead of posting border agents every 10 miles or so.

I'd also love to see us build/expand a national rail grid, so we can move goods more fuel efficiently across the country. As some recent rail ads point out, one can move an 18 wheeler's worth of goods 425 miles on one gallon of fuel, when done by rail. Along with improved rail, we'd need improved distribution centers - operated like Asian ports. Instead of box cars, most rail cars would be flatbeds with stacked containers, easily picked and placed on local trucks for transportation to their final destination.

Spending money to migrate our health care system to computer based records and spending money on migrating all of government as well, could save us tons of costs in the future.

I'd also invest in upgrading radar and ground traffic control at every major airport in the country. Much of this infrastructure is well past it's end of life and frankly, many of us are living on borrowed time, when we hope that plane to warmer climates. Perhaps we can create a few jobs by having people scare away the birds from the end of our runways, while we're at it!

How about developing a foolproof voting system, that provides for electronic vote counting and two printed receipts - one which can be placed in a ballot box (in case of electronic failure) and one which the voter can take home as proof of who they voted for. Then perhaps the greatest democracy on earth wouldn't be held hostage to poor printing practices (butterfly ballots), sloppy handwriting, hanging chads or poor mail delivery for absentee ballots. Then force every state to use the same process (at least for federal elections).

Develop a foolproof, tamper evident identity card that would reference a database, that would contain your photo, name, birth date, blood type, DNA, fingerprint and retina scan information. People could voluntarily sign up for this card and optionally tie it's use to credit card or debit card usage. So, when someone steals your credit card, when scanned, the user might be forced to validate the transaction with a fingerprint, or be denied. It's not perfect, but it could help with fraud and identify theft. Oh - and perhaps it could be tied to a trusted traveller program, that would allow vetted people carrying this card, to bypass security at airports.

I'd also fund or subsidize converting taxi's, buses and short haul delivery vehicles to more eco-friendly fuels or perhaps electric.

While it's definitely not a short term investment, build a nuclear power plant or two. Migrate away from coal powered plants. In Europe, they've found ways to recycle spent fuel rods and we should look towards any energy generation that doesn't put crap into the air. By the way, regardless of what those folks in Kentucky tell you, there's no such thing as Clean Coal. What doesn't get spewed into the air generates coal ash, which as we've recently witnessed, is pretty nasty stuff. Nothing like having heavy metals in your drinking water.

Tomorrow. Stimulus I wouldn't do.