Two Birds, One Stone
I have been thinking about how to bail out the big 3 without giving them the cash outright. My goal is to make sure that the money doesn’t just get spent for executive compensation, dividends or private planes. I want the companies to remain competitive with foreign automakers and I want them to thrive.
Here is what I think we can do to make this work. We take on the healthcare liabilities of the automakers by offering national healthcare to UAW members. I don’t know if we use an existing program (like the coverage that Congress gets) or build a new plan altogether.
This will give us a start on the implementation of a national plan that we can migrate all Americans over to in the course of the next 8 years. We can use this large pool to work out the bugs in the system.
Our auto industry would immediately become more competitive, even compared to domestic production of foreign cars. And once we have a solid plan for nationalizing healthcare, we can have a huge uptick in entrepreneurial activity, as Americans with good ideas realize that the activation energy required to start a new business has just dropped. No longer will they need enough revenue to afford individual health insurance. No longer will they have to put off hiring because they cannot afford the health insurance premiums of an additional employee.
This can be an opportunity disguised as an obstacle. We have the opportunity to save one of our largest manufacturing sectors, start the process to fix our healthcare system and lay the groundwork for a massive expansion small businesses.
Okay, as long as we don’t cover rascal scooters. Those UAW guys are lazy enough already.
Oh my… you have been thinking. Keep it up! 🙂
“And once we have a solid plan for nationalizing healthcare, we can have a huge uptick in entrepreneurial activity, as Americans with good ideas realize that the activation energy required to start a new business has just dropped. No longer will they need enough revenue to afford individual health insurance.”
You are an idiot. Money does not grow on trees. Companies would pay the same amount of money (if not more) in taxes to provide for national health insurance that they are currently paying to provide for private health insurance. The barrier to entry for new enterprises would remain the same or possibly increase.
A modest proposal:
There is one industry that is wildly profitable, has lots of cash on hand, and owes its fortunes to the Big Three:
Let the oil companies bail out the auto companies.
As for health care:
If you give it to the Big Three only, the rest of the corporations will hire a swarm of lobbyists for their own industry, and we will have national health care before summer break.
Medicare for everyone!
Funny, Tom… sure seemed like money grew on trees for the last 8 years.
National Health Care is not the answer for what ails the auto industry. A fundamental shake up at every level is what will save the US auto industry.
I agree health should be universal and I offered a plan this year but don’t buy the auto industry propaganda.
I will bet $100 Pres. Obama will do nothing in the next 4 years on National or Universal Health Care.