Tonight is the Night

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Tuesday January 25, 2011 · 1:21 PM PST

2011/01/25 · 13:21

Tonight is President Obama's opportunity to present the State of the Union to the nation. Will he admit the the nation is suffering from two afflictions, high unemployment and a high deficit? Probably. Will he present realistic plans for dealing with these afflictions? Probably not.

To be clear we know how to deal with the deficit; cut defense spending, raise taxes on the rich, tax carbon dioxide producing products, and implement single payer health care. Spending freezes only reduce the growth of the debt. Yeah they reduce the deficit, but only slightly. Worse, spending freezes may cause more to lose their jobs. Yeah unemployment may go down, but only because even more will give up looking for work.

To also be clear, we know how to reduce unemployment. The answer is simple, increased government spending. The following would benefit us all:

reduce class sizes for K-12;
increase public worker compensation;
provide free health care for all citizens;
provide public housing, food, and internet service for all citizens;
provide free college, graduate, post graduate and continuing education for all citizens;
rebuild the nations infrastructure of railways, sewer systems, water systems, bridges, mass transit systems, tunnels, electric transmission lines and roads;
support green energy by giving tax breaks for reduced energy appliances, electric cars, reduced energy light bulbs, solar panels, wind mills, . . .;
increase digital communications and computer technology research funding;
increase green energy research;
research methods for methods to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and other methods to reverse global warming;
renegotiate trade agreements to only trade with countries that allow unions, have minimum wages and provide their citizens with benefits;
provide free sex education to all and free birth control to all; and
provide regulation and transparency for all corporations;
enable all who want to work to work.

Now this would be a plan. A plan that would realistically lower unemployment, increase prosperity, and make us all richer.

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