Here is a hypothetical: Suppose we suddenly created 34,000 new millionaires

[Jackpine Radical]

in America overnight.

What would that do to our economy? That would be almost 700 new millionaires in each state. Assume that all of them started out relatively poor--poor enough, in any case, to have elected to sell their bodies and souls for relatively poor wages and a good chance of getting killed or maimed.

700 new millionaires in your state, each with a whole new lifestyle to outfit. What would that mean to your economy? Well, it wouldn't be enough to end the recession, but it would surely be enough to give the local retail economy a nice little push. Some of them would want houses; some would be marrying their sweethearts; a lot of them would be buying really nice new cars, new clothes, new Chinese junk to fill their new houses with; some would be getting their teeth straightened, and many would be enrolling in local colleges and trade schools.

Sound like a nice pipe dream?

It's something we could afford to do.

Screw the surge. Just take the $1 million it would cost to send each troop to Afghanistan for a year and send him/her home with it.

[jgraz]

1. Or, 34,000,000 people with an extra $1000 to make ends meet

If you really want to stimulate an economy, give poor people money. They'll spend it.

[Go2Peace]

2. I recommend your post. +1

I would not approve of making people millionares on my pocket any more than I approve of the amount they are spending on military on my pocket.

[CrispyQ]

3. This is a truth that our elected officials don't want to hear. --nt

[jgraz]

4. Of course. Cuz poor people don't *deserve* money

We should only give truckloads of money to the rich.

:sarcasm:

[Romulox]

5. Wait. At what point do my banskter cronies get massive taxpayer funded bonuses in your plan?

Because those bonuses are sacred, man!