How To Put America Back To Work Without Raising Taxes!
By Jim E. Reames (05/07/03)
President George W. Bush is precisely what most Americans want as a political leader. He is brave, honest, capable, and he has honor. He is equally humble. He expects and demands the same of others. It is only the Democrats, the liberal press, and the Hollywood elite who want to make him appear inept and, also, appear as being insensitive concerning America’s middle and lower class. But nothing more is further from the truth. When they tried to paint him as less intelligent than them, he out foxed’em. When they said the war in Iraq would be a failure, he proved them wrong. Now they claim him to be a horrible guardian of domestic economic policy. So here is what President Bush ought to consider doing. He should go on the attack!
When we look at our free market economy an educated observer will come to the conclusion that the government is pretty much limited at what it can do to create new jobs except to tax the employed for the benefit of the unemployed. We call that "socialism" which history has already proven to be a failure in spite of the fact most liberals and most Democrats just do not get the picture yet. They still want us all to believe politicians are wiser with our money than are the ones who earned it in the first place. They still exhibit that “...let us take from the rich so we politicians can give to the poor” mentality that has given power to a few who became ruthless dictators. Others use the carrot of socialism to buy votes and to build their own political dynasties.
In reality President Bush cannot use the stroke of his pen to create new jobs like a magician creates magic from smoke and mirrors. Or can he? What we Americans tend to forget is the President of the United States of America personifies the Executive Branch of our government. Single handedly he equates to the same power as does the entire legislative or the entire judicial branches of our government, but just in a different way.
Most fortunately, President Bush does not need permission from a polarized congress and senate to be presidential!
Executive power is, after all, executive power. The time has once again come for President Bush to use his Executive Power just like a sharp double-edged sword grants power to faith. Because in a nut shell it is really just more faith that we Americans really need anyway. Rather, it is Wall Street that needs a little injection of faith., and a poke of the sword of White House executive power may be just the right thing. The value of our dollar, even the strength of Wall Street, are predicated on trust and faith. So if the president can prod those two variables into line then negative-gravity with will not fail him.
Since the President is serious about giving a tax refund to the citizens of this nation…and the congress will not fully cooperate with him…he might consider an immediate White House reprieve of all federal fuel tax charged at the pump for the next 90 days. Yes, of course, it is only pennies, per gallon. Rather, it is nickels, dimes, and quarters per tank of gas. It is money (instantly) placed back into our pockets that can be used to make other purchases with. It would stimulate both tourism and commerce. More importantly, it is an executive decision gesture of leadership, showing that the President truly connects with the working class. It is a warning shot across the bow of congress that the President is dead serious about what he wants, and that he will settle for nothing less.
He might also want to consider another executive order that authorizes the immediate clearing of over-crowded forests that, if not cut down and harvested, will become this summer’s forest fire fuel. A highly publicized out of the hat lottery could be used to grant low budget (next to free) foresting rights to the mills, where everyone gets an even shot at the number of trees permitted to be harvested, these permits that could be traded and sold to larger or smaller mills---a government give-a-way of 40 acres per recipient to reopen our 21st Century in the west. But he must move fast because the forest fire season is at our doorstep. Logistically, there is only time for a first step gesture, anyway. It is another timely “Photo op” that has teeth and power, and a good faith message to the lower and middle class, all the way to Wall Street. This is how the first transcontinental railroads were built. It is how the government got the west opened up. It is how we can conquer the outer space of employment.
An executive order of this magnitude would without question enrage many environmentalists, most of who are going to vote against the President no matter what he does. So he may as well use their anger and contempt to win the hearts of the undecided and the unemployed, to truly help stimulate the economy.
Such an executive order can be easily defended because for years we’ve all seen over-crowded (often times dying) trees going up in flames, especially in the west, where a new burst of inexpensive lumber can translate into the building of new homes across the nation. These homes will need insulation, driveways, windows, and refrigerators. Democrats opposing such an order are insensitive to the well being of our forests and equally insensitive to the need for a rejuvenated timber industry. They have no one to blame but themselves, driven by emotional tree hugger mentality that was not followed up by sound, common sense management practice. (Incidentally, I’m a tree hugger! I'd rather see our forest managed than left untouched to burn. I can not understand why environmentalists are so stubborn as to not recognize that lumber is one of America's renewable natural resources.)
Such a presidential order would greatly stimulate the economy of Democratically controlled Oregon and Washington and parts of California. Money from the sale of the trees could be used to hire people to plant new trees. When criticized, the President could say, “I’m putting this nation back to work. I’m actually saving our forests and the animals that live in them. What is wrong with that? Are you Democrats not interested in the health of our forests? Are you not interested in the survival of its inhabitants? I’m protecting the land and the water from post-fire mudslides! Are you not interested in the land and the water?”
He should capitalize on the televised footage of wild game running to avoid being burned alive, then shed a tear for having helped save them this year.
He could then challenge the Democrats, “…to either lead, follow, or get out of the way” and by doing so accuse the environmentalists of having exercised poor forest management. Those in need of jobs are going to vote for the employment and any president who gives it to them. Most Americans just want common sense government, instead of government by political action committee.
Bush should then fly out to the State of Idaho and be televised placing the blade of a chain saw to the first tree that would be used to help put America back to work. Then he should go to Oregon.
From the forest he should be seen riding in the passenger seat of a traditional logging truck (with Mt. Hood and the truck driver in the background), and seen again in the mill as the tree becomes lumber…more men working, and then photographed as the new lumber goes up as part of a new home, in a new subdivision, where concrete hauling trucks are coming and going, and where other workers are putting in sprinkling systems, and with the sight of a woman admiring her new kitchen cabinets.
The scene could then change with him helping a team of young adults (at the base of Mt. Rainier) planting new seedlings; with a message the future is theirs. Finally, President Bush should turn to the camera…with a voice of presidential power, while removing leather gloves and say, “Our economy has been wounded. But it’s not dead.” (This a deliberate play on words that were spoken on the USS Lincoln about the Al Qaeda.) “Don’t you agree? It’s time for America to go back to work!” And to reign in the ultra conservatives, he could add, “It’s time to make things the way they used to be, when our families were strong and our streets were free of crime and drugs.” The planting of the seedlings would be symbolic of re-planting old proven family values.
The news media would go nuts, as their political pundits place each word under their magnifying glasses and remind everyone the President equates the economy to his war on terrorism.
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