virilio

Want Lower Oil Prices? Fix the Dollar!

instead of dumping 150 billion into a "let's hope the consumer spends this small check fast" economic stimulus packages to boost the market the fed could buy merrill lynch while it's down: call it a nationalized low-fee brokerage service and use $150 billion stimulus package to buy and hold IRA's of $800 in indexed funds for all americans with a SSN. Suddenly Merrill/govt. can actually make money in fees, and create a bailout without having to actually let go of the money.

All that money would go into the market, pulling it up, and convincing people that a.) the bailout worked and b.) stocks are a worthwhile investment and that they already have a stake in the game. Why not encourage doubling down with matching contributions for those who want more in the account than the stimulus amount?

then govt doubles down ...moving paycheck deductions for social security payments into the system, so young people didn't feel so cheated out of their social security "contributions".