The American Spectator : It Can Happen Here

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It Can Happen Here

By Ben Stein on 5.14.12 @ 6:08AM

Those scenes in Athens? They could be coming attractions for Atlanta or Akron.

Thursday
So, I am watching my faithful old TV, and what do I see: Trouble.

Here’s what I mean. Have you noticed on TV the riots in Greece and Spain and the political tumult in Europe because of budgetary crises? Have you noticed how many nations in Europe have an intractable problem of slow economic growth, but they cannot play the stimulus game because their deficits are already excessive? Have you noticed how silly and at the same time scary all of those rioters look? Thank heavens we’re in America where things are bad, but calm.

Guess what. All of that bad stuff? It not only can happen here, but if the government in Washington cannot come up with a miracle, it’s going to happen here.

Once again, this spring, growth is anemic and what seemed like a growing rebound is more like a pitiful weak dribble. Once again, we’re already stimulating the economy to the tune of a roughly $ 4 billion per day deficit. And it’s not working. The patient is still in a coma.

We’ve run up a cumulative total deficit of $10 trillion since the beginning of the 21st century. It took 226 years to get to the first $5 trillion. We tripled it in ten more. We now have a total debt as large as the whole economy. That has not happened since World War II. And the debt is growing very fast, while the economy is moribund.

We are in a box. We really cannot do a lot more stimulus without begging fate for a genuine hyperinflation. We cannot cut taxes at all because we need the revenue. We cannot try austerity because Americans, like Greeks or Spaniards, will not stand for it. Have you seen the riots in Oakland? Imagine if the government cut Social Security or Medicare or welfare or food stamps or student loans. It would be Oakland in Omaha.

What’s the solution? I don’t know — and neither does anyone else and if they say they do, they’re lying.

I’m just telling you — those scenes in Athens? They could be coming attractions for Atlanta or Akron. Scary. Get the canned goods. And a can opener.

Friday
And speaking of which, a woman whom I am extremely close to called me today while I was buying Mother’s Day gifts for my wifey at the Palm Desert Brooks Brothers. She wants money. She lives near Santa Cruz, my old stomping grounds. She and her husband wanted a swimming pool. They bought the lot next door to their home. It had a serious slope. No problem, said the swimming pool engineers. We’ll put in concrete and caissons and beams and you’ll be all set. “We wanted gracious outdoor living,” said my pal. “Some space to relax. What we got was an out of control nightmare of expense putting in this pool. Beyond any possible prediction. An explosion of bills. Now, we’ve cashed in our retirement accounts to pay the contractors and we’re still short.”

“Time to refi the house,” said I.

“We can’t,” she said. “Too many bills because of the swimming pool.”

I knew what came next.

“I am just getting asked for money all day long,” I said. “I can’t handle it. This economy has been rough on everyone, including me.”

“I just need thirty thousand,” she said. “That’s all.”

That seemed like a lot to me but I told her I would think about it. I hate the way everyone wants money from me. I just hate it.

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About the Author

Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He writes “Ben Stein’s Diary” for every issue of The American Spectator.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (111) | Leave a comment Leave a comment

Appleby| 5.14.12 @ 6:40AM

Nice to know that Our Betters are still wealthy and as I slog off to my temporary job, that is all I can find and I'm grateful to have even that, and as I wait for Social Security to grind its wheels toward finally giving me the money it agrees is mine, I will take comfort in knowing that Ben Stein is still wealthy.

Alan Brooks| 5.14.12 @ 6:55AM

No one begrudges Ben his wealth- they wish he'd write better. He gives Jews a bad name.
When I read some of Ben's pieces, it becomes clear why Himmler became so powerful.

Appleby| 5.14.12 @ 7:01AM

Let the record show that I don't begrudge Ben Stein his earned wealth; I just think that in a time when so many people are suffering serious and threatening hardship despite the best that we can do to keep our heads above water, it is tasteless to make sure that everything he writes has a gratuitous reminder that he's still rolling in dough. Wealthy people I know are considerably more modest and circumspect.

Paco| 5.14.12 @ 7:27AM

Hola, hombres! The editors indulge your missing gray matter, but they should not indulge your bad taste. To Mr. A.B., especially, I would say you can offer intelligent criticism (although in your case, I suppose you cannot), but you should not be allowed to make anti-Semitic remarks.

TLP| 5.14.12 @ 9:11AM

It's not his fault. He suffers from an Acute case of Sh*t for Brains, complicated by an inability to accept the fact that he's not really a woman, not to mention, a wicked case of Carpal Tunnel, from writing his Phone Number next to all of the Urinals, in the Men's Rooms, where he lives.

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 10:51AM

Hiya, Paco.

Ben, how 'bout this---we encourage investment and entrepeneurship and LOWER taxes in a recession. That would work. And I am not lying.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, mook.

TLP| 5.14.12 @ 4:11PM

Unless your name is Bill Clinton.

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 4:32PM

Oww, ow, oww.

Richard Ryan| 5.14.12 @ 10:13AM

Why is it tasteless? How does knowing about one man's success harm you or anyone else? These feelings are the root of the Occupy BS. I wish him the best, I hope his wealth grows, just like I hope yours and mine do.

I only quibble with his statement that "we can't cut taxes because we need the revenue." What is this crap? Totally false statement based on history.

mmercier| 5.14.12 @ 11:46AM

Ben is aggrevating. Most of his writing bores.

This is his best piece in a while.

It is not a question weather or not Acron, or Omah will become Athens.. The question is when.

gardenbuzzy| 5.14.12 @ 1:20PM

Mercier, why do you read Ben if he bores you so much? Don't you have other, more stimulating things you could be doing?

beebop2| 5.15.12 @ 5:39AM

I think he suffers from a bad case of composit women. The only one who ever looks good in all of his columns is "big wifey" and what kind of compliment is that?

David T| 5.14.12 @ 4:36PM

RR-Ben thinks supply side is voo-doo economics.

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 4:50PM

No, I don't like Ben because he thinks raising taxes is the answer. Despite his high math SAT, he apparently never learned that if X= 3.28 Y, then .28X is greater than 0.70Y. (Dow Jones Index under Bush in 1989 was 2,753 versus Carter's 838 in 1979.) Tax rates are not GDP neutral, moron, and by moron I am referring to Ben. I am using the Dow Jones as a proxy for GDP here.

beebop2| 5.14.12 @ 6:56PM

I think it is a case of over compensating. Imagine how empty his life must truly be? All of that "sacrifice" of family time and properly raising a son and he now has to watch his wealth degraded by the current economy. He never knows whether he has friends or moochers. I find real karma in it to be honest ...

Jack in Wi.| 5.14.12 @ 7:28AM

I remember Ben here saying that this banking crisis was just a blip on the road to never ending wealth. Well it looks like he has finally, gotten the message. The gravy boat has finally sunk. His friend and a lot of other people are going to have a lot of sufffering. We have to make better decisions then swing pools on hillsides. It is time to tighten your belt and hunker down. Obama and Romney are not going to be our saviors.

Jeff R| 5.14.12 @ 10:06AM

You're a complete idiot. Dragging Himmler and, by inference, the Nazis, into what Ben Stein writes. A COMPLETE idiot.

Jeff R| 5.14.12 @ 10:07AM

I was referring to Alan Brooks' comment at 6:55 a.m.

AhiaGuy| 5.14.12 @ 11:40AM

So in addition to his racist Amos & Andy routines (never directed at Liberal blacks, only Conservatives BTW) we now find Mr. Brooks is anti-semitic to boot.

However, I suspect his comments are really done only out of boredom to stir up the commentators on this site. Troll much, Mr. B?

Trish| 5.15.12 @ 10:20PM

I guess the little pig farmer missed the biggest pig in the slop by a few decades. He should have waited for you.

Delta Zelda| 5.14.12 @ 11:51AM

Don’t get upset because Ben has more wealth than you and I do. He chose a career which paid well and he managed his money very well. Obviously you and I did not choose a career that paid us well. Did we spend more than we made? Those who are financially secure do not owe me or you anything. They earned it; they can spend it however they please. Quit griping and look within yourself for undeveloped talent. You might be an artist, writer, singer, or craftsman. We should be thankful for what we have; it could be a lot worse.

Willis| 5.14.12 @ 1:29PM

Well said. However, readers should note this applies equally to those who choose careers in finance.

Charles| 5.14.12 @ 12:12PM

I got something entirely different from this article: the message of the friend who wanted Mr. Stein to pony up $30K so she could have a swimming pool added to the lot she bought next to her home.
She could afford to buy another lot next to her home, and she felt that she was entitled to have a pool installed, even if she couldn't pay for it. And she expects others to pay for it.
Mr. Stein does "not want to wind up broke because I gave away my money to people who asked me for it. I have done way too much of that already".
It's a metaphor. He's given and given, and the problems that will be solved by redistribution of wealth somehow never get solved.
We need to stop encouraging people to expect a free ride.

killerman| 5.14.12 @ 1:29PM

Exactly..... his little educational parable.

Lesser Weevil| 5.14.12 @ 4:18PM

But Ben is in favor of higher taxes!

Anita| 5.14.12 @ 2:30PM

SS. Ha. Don't forget withholding taxes. Dwindles down real fast.

Chef Schnauzer| 5.14.12 @ 7:01AM

I hear you, Ben. I have lived below my means for almost a decade, since I realized that I was never going to see my Social Security. I probably won't see what is in my 401k either. I don't mind tempering my pursuit of happiness to provide for mine further down the road. I too have declared, "Enough", to those to demand I sacrifice my persuit of happiness to fund theirs. I drive a 10 year old car, I don't go on vacations and so on because I have values, goals and objectives. I work hard to meet my full potential - mentally, physically and spiritually. This is because I welcome and accept challenges I don't pan-handle around them. Stop the handouts.

TLP| 5.14.12 @ 9:03AM

"Nobody has a solution, and if they say they do, they're lying"?

I have a Solution. Roll back every single one of Cass Sunstein's Multi-Thousand REGULATIONS.

Reverse every single one of The Muslim's Executive Orders. Fire every single one of The Muslim's States Attornys, Bitch Slap the EPA, the Interior Department, and the Energy Department. Drain the swamps at the Department of Education, and the State Department, and get rid of the NLRB.

We need to stop the Double Taxation on Profits, made Overseas. We need to Cut the Corporate Taxes in Half, at least. We need Lower, if not, get rid of, Capital Gains Taxes.

We need to put NASA back on the Map, by building the Constellation Rocket. We need to Restart our Manned Space Program. We need to Rebuild our Military. And we can do it all, by going after the Trillions of Barrels of oil, the Trillions of Cubic Feet of Natural Gas, and the Mountains of Coal, that God, in his wisdom, saw fit to bequeath the Greatest Country the world has ever known. And, we can get that Canadian Pipeline moving, as well.

To my Union Moron Friends: How many JOBS do you think will come on line, that CANNOT MOVE TO CHINA, if we just did what I'm talking about?

Stop being Chumps. Stop being Suckers. Your "Leadership" is living the life, while you're Clipping Coupons. Stand up on your hind legs, and do what you KNOW, must be done.

The Marxist Muslim has got to go, or you will be on Unemployment for the REST OF YOUR LIVES.

Who says Nobody has a Plan?

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 10:52AM

TLP is correct, as usual. Damn, he's good. (No sarcasm iuntended, at all, TLP---you are a major reason I come to this site still. G-d Bless.)

Joellen| 5.14.12 @ 11:59AM

Amen Occam's Tool. Tim, who doesnt mince words, exposes the truth, shames the liars and always offers solutions. I too say GOD bless TLP.

Al Adab| 5.14.12 @ 12:26PM

I'll join in on this one. I would like to know however if anyone has calculated just how much the dollar has been devalued in the last three years. If the citizens catch on to what has happened to their equity, savings and incomes I may very well happen here. Devaluation is the governments way of papering over the debt.

play nice| 5.14.12 @ 4:06PM

"...if anyone has calculated ..."
2008 t0 2012 - inflation is 6.5%

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 4:38PM

Much higher---fuel costs not counted in that.

SUBVET| 5.14.12 @ 2:11PM

TLP....all that while riding a mower your the man.

God Bless and keep your ammo dry......brother.

TLP| 5.14.12 @ 5:20PM

RIDING a mower?

I wish.

Simon Templar| 5.14.12 @ 11:29AM

"Nobody has a solution, and if they say they do, they're lying"?

Once again TLP nails it. I too noticed this statement and it disturbed me more than the predictions of riots in America.

Why is this so disturbing? Because it is an indication that even those that fill the ranks of the successful, the elite, the educated upper classes have no idea has to how to fix this nor have any trust or confidence that there are any answers. Ben is quick, however, to give the impression and develop the image that he knows a great deal about other matters and will accept an invitation to appear on national TV networks as an expert on this or that.

This truly is a sign that this nation is being led by morons and people who really do not have a clue about anything but how to market themselves.
You know this is not an exaggeration as this government, including the incompetent GOP, attest to this fact everyday.

They do not even have the guts, brains, and fortitude to prosecute contempt charges on Holder and are afraid of being called racist.
What really irks me is the attitude that not only are we hopeless but we are incapable of even defining the problem. For Ben it seems so complex that a solution is unattainable.

He is not the only one that hold this attitude. You see it daily within the talking heads and politicians.

The amazing thing here is there are concrete ideas, plans, and solutions being developed daily by small groups and individuals who often are ignored and do not get daily access to TV appearances because they were cast in silly popular movies and TV commercials.

This attitude is precisely what will lead to our destruction as a Republic as Ben and others have answered Franklin's questioned, 'can you keep it.' Apparently, the answer is NO!

Johnimo| 5.14.12 @ 8:12PM

TLP, you are so correct. There are many solutions, they all involve some pain. A good dose of pain now is better than the phenomenal, gut wrenching pain that comes when democratic socialism (Europe) fails. So, listen up Ben: (1) Freeze all benefit payments at the current level less ten percent -- forever! (2) Get rid of the departments of Education, Transportation, Health and Human Services, and Energy (redirect the latter to site without delay safely built Nuclear Power). (4) Reduce Military Spending by 10% and learn the live with it. (5) Decrease corporate and personal taxes to competitive levels (18%). (6) Begin repealing some laws. (7) Allow third world medicine to be practices in the USA so that some of us can afford to pay cash for our healthcare. Get it Ben, we need a peaceful revolution, and that's no lie.

ebonystone| 5.16.12 @ 6:15PM

TKP, good points all!
Here's another: eliminate COLA for all federal wages, salaries, pensions, and "entitlements" -- including SS, SSI, food stamps, AFDC, etc. This would have a big impact after a few years.

Lawrence Boccardi| 5.14.12 @ 7:03AM

Just curious? Are you still on the "rich-should-pay-more -taxes" bandwagon. You lost me when you supported the Al Franken Senate run.

Bob Grant| 5.14.12 @ 8:44AM

Thanks for that bit of information. I would just love to hear the "conservative" Mr. Stein's justification for supporting a Senate run by the likes on one Al Franken.

Does Al have a nice, pretty wife?
Did Mr. Stein enjoy his stay at Al's spacious and luxurious compound in Minnesota?
Was it payback for some gig Al gave him back in the 80's?

Mr. Stein's vacuousness and utter shallowness is reason enough not to take him seriously on any matter, especially the important stuff like our economic crisis or who should be senator.

Beuller, Beuller, Beuller...

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 10:53AM

Al's wife is unattractive.

Tim the Enchanter| 5.14.12 @ 2:36PM

So is Al.

Bob Grant| 5.14.12 @ 3:39PM

Ok, I bet she's nice tho. I'm sure she made Ben feel right at home while guesting at their lovely compound. It was another wonder weekend for the Stein family.

That's the way he apparently rolls: make nice with him and his family and Mr. Stein will throw all integrity out the window by giving shout outs and endorsements in his articles.

I'm sorry but this PISSES me off. NO self-respecting conservative would get near this POS, assuming the allegation is true.

beebop2| 5.14.12 @ 7:03PM

Franken gave a family member a job on his campaign. At least, I understand that to be the case.

Ret. Marine| 5.14.12 @ 7:25AM

Look the only solution, and no one seems to care to talk of it is, STOP THE G.D. SPENDING of money we don't have, can't afford to borrow, or will never be able to pay back. Is this that hard to f-in understand. G-damnit, some one had better start listening to We the People, or, well, let's just say there will be HELL TO PAY IN FULL.
Yeah personal responsibility that's so yesteryears, I saved my megar earnings as a medically disabled veteran for some 21 years, and guess what, I don't have a mortage, and for a good reason, I refuse to pay 200K for a 35K home. I don't buy things on credit for a reason, my granddad once told me as a child, "guess what son, if you can't afford to pay for it in cash, you can't afford it, start saving, you'll eventually get there with dicipline" he was correct and for that I am thankful to this day because I owe no one for anything. yeah so yesteryears. Semper Fi

buckeyeman| 5.14.12 @ 11:21AM

BTW, the simplest way to do what you suggest is to refuse to increase the debt ceiling. But, whenever that is suggested the shrieks about SS and Medicare and food stamp funding coming to a grinding halt can be heard from here to Uranus. The supposedly "conservative" folks out there start screaming "Don't touch MY benefits". We are doomed when even a dimwit like Ben Stein can figure out that we are doomed.

Mike 3/505| 5.14.12 @ 3:22PM

"shrieks about SS and Medicare and food stamp funding "

Can we all please stop grouping these three items together. That's what Liberals do to confuse the situation. Social Security and Medicare are paid for by folks who have a right to a return on their investment. Foodstamps, MediCAID and welfare are charity.

Anyone "shrieking" about their Social Security, who has paid into it...has a right to shriek. If you don't want me to shriek, then give me back what I've paid in, lump sum & I'll handle the rest.

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 5:04PM

I buy things on credit cards which I pay off each week, Marine. I use the credit cards because it provides a nice easily printable list of my business expenses (books, mostly, as well as CME conferences), as well as points that can be redeemed for hotel stays. I also buy my texts from Amazon.com because it is cheap and also provides an audit ready list of my texbooks. Otherwise, totally agree with you. I have one 0% car loan and one mortgage on accelerated payment rate at 4.6% interest over 15 years that will actually take me 11 years to pay off (with mortgage insurance and 1 million in life insurance for the family above that---in 1 year, I will be vested in my retirement plan and my wife will be able to claim spouses benefits). All is completely stable.

I'm trying to teach my kids---my son gets it better than my daughter.

SPQR | 5.14.12 @ 7:53AM

Ben- when did you get the house in Rancho Mirage? I thought you only had a house in Malibu, Idaho and the Watergate in D.C. As for the rioters, I thought they were all against cuts in government pensions and cuts in government salaries. Never stand in the way of a government employees' sense of entitlement.

Keith | 5.14.12 @ 8:00AM

I know how to fix it and I'm not lying. Get rid of all Marxists in government and universities and return to the nation as founded: Individual Liberty coupled with free market capitalism. Done. (wiping hands and walking away)

Chef Schnauzer| 5.14.12 @ 8:09AM

Keith, you are correct - of a sort.... but define "Get rid of...." Until the skulls full of mush realize that only they, themselves can navigate their own way to success they will line up like dogs at feeding time. I propose no work no food.

Tim the Enchanter| 5.14.12 @ 2:38PM

Worked for St. Paul!

Old Soldier| 5.14.12 @ 8:12AM

As my IT friends always joke - it's a feature, not a bug.

The Leftists purposely created a permanent welfare underclass for this express purpose. Their votes are dependable for the left wing candidate.

And, if anyone tries to bring fiscal sanity to the government - they are expected to take to the streets with torches. Feature.

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 5.14.12 @ 8:31AM

Mr. Stein: Two comments:

First, we have had riots here already. Remember Rodney King?

Secondly, at several points in my life relatives/associates have hit me up for money.
True friends will never hit you up for money. One day a relative called me up (I hadn't heard from him in 30 years) and asked me for $50,000. I immediately told him I liked him and couldn't give him the money because I wanted to remain friends and if I gave him the money we both knew I would never see him again.

Learn to say that Mr. Stein and your troubles are over. Being a softy is one thing. Being a fool is another.

Lawrence| 5.14.12 @ 8:44AM

Ben Stein seems to think that government spending is the only think that can stimulate the economy, when it's only arguably stimulative in the first place. The foolish but conventional thinking that he is regurgitating is one of the biggest causes of the crisis we're in.

paultex| 5.14.12 @ 8:48AM

Ben:

I promise not to ask you for money. Just write more Spectator articles.

Dorothy Wynne| 5.14.12 @ 8:49AM

Why should you give money to someone who should have stopped construction on a swimming pool (hardly a necessary item) once things began to get out of control? "Only $30,000" shows someone who has no concept of money. Many people live on an annual salary of $30,000. If you lend money to someone, lend it to someone starting a business or overwhelmed by medical bills.

ksmedman| 5.14.12 @ 10:45AM

Mr. Stein seems like a very nice man, who has a good heart, though I don't always see eye to eye with him.
The situation he describes is the perfect metaphor for what is happening in this country... too many unnecessary expendatures, all running over budget. So who do they seek to tap to close the gap? Anyone with 'money.'
Replace 'swimming pool' with entitlement program, and 'friend' with government...

Cobalt| 5.14.12 @ 11:41AM

Replace "water for the swimming pool" with our blood, sweat and tears.

R Martin| 5.14.12 @ 8:49AM

So, Mr. Stein, you see trouble and don’t know what to do about it. First, stop starting sentences with “so”. Second, consider your swimming pool friend as a metaphor for the larger economic picture. The cost of your friend’s lifestyle has exceeded her ability to pay for it. Her solution: ask others to fund that lifestyle through “loans”, i.e. grants. What she really should do: forget the pool, sell that lot and live within her means. Sadly, as a Keynesian, you are considering funding her spending. Is that stimulus or compassion?

Then you fret about the moribund economy and suggest the only hope is a Washington miracle. Given the people who comprise the Washington you refer to, there will be no miracles. Which is not really a problem, because miracles are not needed. What is needed is a sense of history and a willingness to see what sort of economic policies helped create vibrant economies. First, tax cut do increase revenue: see Mellon, Andrew; Kennedy, John and Reagan, Ronald. Second, stimulus does not work and only compounds the problem, see Obama, Barack. Third, austerity does work; see anyone who lives within his own means. To suggest that austerity cannot even be tried because some people will riot over reduced handouts is to admit defeat, abandon hope and rely on, well, miracles.

Lift your game, Mr. Stein, and start with your panhandling friend. American is better than you suggest.

Pecos Pete| 5.14.12 @ 8:59AM

As well said above by several people: STOP the spending. Of course there will be riots, we will see one in Chicago soon with the OWS crowd.

Louis Jenkins| 5.14.12 @ 9:07AM

Get with it Ben. You don't have to loan out your money to keep friends. If that's what you have to do you're better off without friends. But I'll have to say, you're correct in the riot department. We will soon have riots, and marshall law in these states. Which one of your many homes is stocked? Are you prepped or are you one of the many who isn't? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Anthony| 5.14.12 @ 9:16AM

Getting rid of Obozo is solution numero uno pal!!! The rest is easy from there, albeit, it will take time for the economy to respond from the severe sickness inflicted upon it by the Muslim Marxist and his allies. But I guess learned economists like you and Krugman have your heads the same place Obozo does.
Also, it appears it's time for you to move Ben, you seem to be surrounded by shallow and vacuous people, (no suprise, birds of a feather, leftists and Beverly Hills, a bad combo) who have no qualms asking for money and other such things, in order to fill their empty lives.
Who builds a damn swimming pool and empties their savings to do so???
You appear to be an easy mark Stein, has your pal and hero DSK asked you to contribute to his legal defense fund?

tsd| 5.14.12 @ 9:35AM

The density level of this guy is amazing!!!

Not Special Ops Bill| 5.14.12 @ 9:38AM

It's hard to believe that you would seriously consider lending a friend $30,000 to build a swimming pool that they failed to do adequate homework on. I mean forget that lending $30,000 to my MOTHER is out of the question for me; my biggest problem is the fact that someone would actually ask you seriously for that kind of loan in the first place, then in the second place, for something so frivolous.

But Hollywood produces its own unique relationships. Just remember, "she's funny, wants my money, calls me Honey..."

JP| 5.14.12 @ 9:42AM

The GAO very quietly issued a report on our known oil reserves. We're not talking about shale, or tar sands, but real crude. Within an areas that includes parts of Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming sits known oil reserves that dwarf even the the reserves in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iran combined.

Ben, there is a way out of this fiscal mess and that is for the US to become the number 1 exporter of fossil fuels in the world (very doable within a decade). If you include our NG reserves and shale and coal, the tax revenues alone from the exports would be enough to pay-off our $16 trillion debt within 10 years.

Not Special Ops Bill| 5.14.12 @ 9:43AM

Oh, and one other thing: you probably know this, but it's not "the Ukraine," it's "Ukraine."

Frank Drackman| 5.14.12 @ 9:51AM

Again with the Blonde Fixation....
Who am I reading, Ben Stein or Alfred Rosenberg???
I know, only those Nazi Homos Jack/Clit will know who I's be's talkin' bout' Willis...

Frank

Anthony| 5.14.12 @ 11:00AM

Come on Frank, Stein's got a hankering for shiksa, the forbidden fruit that his mommy told him it's better to go blind, than marry!!

KyMouse| 5.14.12 @ 9:56AM

My siblings and I recently came up with a nice way to help someone who has never asked for help, but who needed it.

For many years, a woman helped our mother with cooking and other tasks, and helped another relative of ours as well. Now the woman is elderly.

Our mother's will contains a bequest for that woman, and we asked our mom if she would mind if we went ahead and gave it. She was thrilled with that idea, so we delivered a check to her former helper, who was even more thrilled. These are tough times for domestic workers, and we are so glad that we thought of this while the woman is still able to use it, either for bills or to do something nice for herself.

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 10:57AM

KyMouse: you are a wonderful lady and a sweet human being. I don't think you've been out to LA. Ben lives around low-lives and scum. I left there in 1993 and have never wanted to go back, ever.

KyMouse| 5.14.12 @ 11:41AM

Bless you, OT.

No, I've never been to LA -- never west of Idaho, Colorado and New Mexico. Perhaps I'm not allowed to venture west of states that end in "o."

I mentioned the early bequest to our mother's former cook because others might want to do the same -- for folks who have worked hard for a financial "thank you."

The woman in question was very important to me when I was a kid. When I had a wall calendar with photos of horses on it, I asked her one day which horse she would like to have.

She stopped cooking long enough to pick one, and gave it a kiss on the nose.

A half-century later, I still have that page from the calendar, with her lipstick mark on the horse's nose.

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 4:55PM

My daughter loves horses, too. Sometimes I tease her, Emily Littela like, about why she wants to "ride crocodiles."

Peppermint Tea| 5.14.12 @ 10:09AM

Buy friends?
Boxed in?
Finishing a swimming pool is the solution to financial problems?
IT'S THE SPENDING STUPID!
And the stupid spending.

JimP| 5.14.12 @ 10:28AM

Sorry, Ben, but cutting taxes will INCREASE government revenue via increased economic activity that is taxed. Reagan proved this and so did 'W'. The problem is spending as we all know, BUT don't blame me/us for refusing to accept cuts in government programs. Try these cuts just for openers: no more Solyndras and its cohorts; no more millions for refurbishing Mosques in the Middle East to make the Arabs like us; cut federal agency budgets to the '08 level or even the '10 level...... we all know the list of possibilies is virtually endless with the feds. What happened to that "Yes we can!" spirit? I believe Ben was one of the ones who said Obama would be a moderate. Well yes we can get unhooked from federal programs. At least try! Why do always hear that there is no way to get Americans unhooked from federal subsidies and programs? Horsefeathers.

What we need is some good old fashioned "voodoo economics" like Uncle Ronnie used to cook up in his cauldron and then apply Paul Ryan's first plan or one similar and we fat lazy American 'G' program receiving quasi-socialists will hardly notice the 'sacrifices'. Before you know it everyone will be asking where the problem went.

Retired guy| 5.14.12 @ 10:39AM

Ben,

Exactly right! Attitude of gratitude. That and forgiveness are keys to a happy life. Thank you for your article.

Anthony| 5.14.12 @ 10:53AM

One more thing Stein, you mentioned the Oakland riots, something the media has ignored. You didn't mention that the gang bangers stormed and looted the fair city by the bay.
I only mention this because vtwin will soon be hitting you up for money to get the hell out of Dodge.
You and vtwin have much in common.

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 10:56AM

Ben, I dislike your arguing to raise my taxes, pal. Hearing a lawyer agonize about money, especially one who advocates lawsuits against MDs, is always amusing.

somnolence| 5.14.12 @ 11:10AM

As for the headline? I'm at the point ladies and gentlemen where I hope that it does. This country was forged by revolution, perhaps another one may, just may knock some sense into the IRS, the Federal Reserve, all of our legislative representatives and their excessive perks and compensation, the caretakers and know-it-alls of culture, etc. And that is just a start.

Bill| 5.14.12 @ 11:55AM

The problem is not the entitlement programs, but the "broken" immigration system.
Immigration is a cancer to the American society. We have 20 million illegal amigos, stealing our jobs and abusing our welfare system, and only way to stop the broken entitlement program is to enforce the immigration laws, deport all illegals, and e-verify all job-seekers.

Obie Wan| 5.14.12 @ 12:44PM

At times Ben Stein kinda leaves me confused. I've seen him recently on various FOX shows cheerleading for an increase of taxes on the "rich", and then I read an article like this and I'm thinking he's all over the place. I personally am a free market capitalist and have zero problem with the "rich" keeping what they've earned. If they choose to give some away to people, it's their choice and that's the way it should be,not Washington or some state government going socialist on private citizens the way things are going these days. As for the national debt, there's no way we're paying that down,I don't care what you take from the rich. Stein's right on that point,we ain't going to be able to fix that. The right people get into office,we might be able to slow it down and that's about the best we can do with it !!!

Anthony| 5.14.12 @ 1:09PM

Well Obie that's because Stein is a putz who really has more in common with Paul Krugman then Paul Ryan.
Bob is right, Stein is Beuller, Beuller, Beuller.

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 4:54PM

Let's see, taxes on "the rich" is good, but loaning the same money to a female friend who might do the wild thing with your pasty bloated body when your wife leaves you for gawking at all the women you mention in your columns is "bad."

I'm having difficulty following the reasoning here, Benster.

Riff Raff| 5.14.12 @ 1:10PM

Hey, Ben! I need $30k too. Can ya spare some change?

OBSM (Occupy Ben Stein's Money)

Dave Williams| 5.14.12 @ 1:12PM

If only! A riot in Akron would wreak MILLIONS of dollars' worth of improvements...

gracepmc| 5.14.12 @ 1:16PM

Generally I benefit from these reads. Not this time. We will explode on the streets and there is nothing we or Ben can/will do about it. Ben's plan is to not loan money and be grateful for his lovely pool. I, on the other hand, am grateful for my mechanical can opener.

ronlsb | 5.14.12 @ 1:24PM

No, Mr. Stein, riots across America are not inevitable. In some places, yes, it is likely. But if you'll look at your commentary you'll notice the places they have occured and you expect them to have one common thread. They are all large cities dominated politically and ethnically by democrats and African-Americans. Sad but true. That's where your riots will be coming from and our sitting president will have no problem egging them on when the time comes. Just watch.

Cobalt| 5.14.12 @ 1:50PM

Just the reaction you would expect from a sitting president who is a devout disciple of Saul Alinsky.

cicero| 5.14.12 @ 3:19PM

Ben has decided that, in order to save the bacon, we will have to do away with Social Security and Medicare. Great! The only two programs that the recipients actually pay for, and he wanst those done away with. If you look at the individual contribution to Medicare over the working life of the individual, you will see that it almost exactly matches what would be the premium over his/her expected lifetime for private health insurance, if they could tailor to their actual needs. As for Soc. Sec., raise the elegibility age to a more sane 70, or 72, and the problem is solved. If you want to cut anything, try about 5 ot 6 Federal Departments, and about anything in state government that no one in their right minds would voluntarily pay for. This is a wealthy country. We have allowed our elected officials and public "servants" make us a silly one soon to be bankrupt.

Kingofthenet| 5.14.12 @ 5:04PM

Just TWO or THREE well placed Nuke's and our Middle East troubles are over....and No, I don't mean inside Iran.

spike59| 5.15.12 @ 6:10AM

you mean inside Syria?

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 5:07PM

King: I know you want to murder Jewish kids---this is because you are an ungrateful moron.

Kingofthenet| 5.14.12 @ 7:28PM

I don't want to murder anyone, but their issues aren't mine. They aren't American, they don't care about us, why should we care about them?

Occam's Tool| 5.14.12 @ 5:10PM

Ben: sell one of your houses and downsize, asshole. Cry me a river. By the way, I'd rather have spent time with Julie London in her prime than Ben Stein in his.

Cobalt| 5.14.12 @ 6:18PM

Yes, and Julie London was much prettier than Ben Stein is. However, we have never seen Ben in a nurse's uniform.

Bill| 5.14.12 @ 6:00PM

FL has a constitutional amendmend banning gay marriage (I'm a proud Floridian). Why cannot we have one in the federal level? Gay marriage is anepidemic and must be stopped.

beebop2| 5.14.12 @ 6:43PM

A woman who wants $30K for a swimming pool in California -- a state going over its own cliff. What a surprise. Those of us counting our pennies think she should sell her house -- even at a loss. "Gracious outdoor living." Seriously. Sounds like a 0bama supporter.

Kingofthenet| 5.14.12 @ 7:24PM

Sovereign Wealth is NOT like a families finances, What is the world going to do if we don't pay, break Uncle Sam's kneecaps? Truth is we are going to have to screw some people over sooner or later, if they don't want to lend to us again, so be it. If France and Iceland and Greece tell us ANYTHING, it's not to self-inflict misery on our own people.Besides after we inflate our way out of debt, we can just tell the world we NOW have a clean balance sheet and should be a good risk for the next 200+ years...

Dave Mayton | 5.14.12 @ 7:41PM

Ben, I agree with everything you've stated but one thing.... "What's the solution? I don't know -- and neither does anyone else and if they say they do, they're lying."

I have a solution. Implementation is the road block.

START OR SUPPORT A WHOLLY EMPLOYEE OWNED BUSINESS SYSTEM OF MASS EQUITY

Crazy right? It just doesn’t seem like a big fancy idea with a lot of bells and whistles, and it would take forever to work. Wrong. Employee owned businesses can easily be the solution to many issues humanity faces today, as long as they have a few simple principles written into their charter. Now if you’re still thinking to yourself “there is no way this could work, there are way too many obstacles” I tell you, say nay to the naysayers and yeah to the yeasayers. [OK, yeasayers isn’t a real word, but it should be]. Maybe you’ve been conditioned to need these kinds of big ideas to come from someone who LOOKS important to accept them as credible. Besides, I’ve always been told that the suit doesn’t make the man. As for the time it takes for this model to sweep the world, a familiar explanation of exponential growth is in order. Let’s say I offer you two different payment options for the same job that will take 30 days to complete. I will give you either $10,000 a day for 30 days or I can pay you a penny a day, and double the previous day’s pay for each of the 30 days. So day 1 pays a penny, day 2 pays two pennies, day 3 pays 4 pennies and so on. Which would you choose? At the end of the $10,000 a day option you would have earned $300,000. At the end of the doubling pay system you would have earned $5,368,709.12 This is the power of exponential growth! So finally, what are those simple rules I mentioned earlier, or as I would call them, the Principles of Humanity?

Let’s look at one through the eyes of the employee-owner. From here on out, if you don’t read the full article, the system in its entirety won’t make sense.

What would that look like?

From the first week employee to the 20 year veteran, all employees would have an equal share of profit in the company. In this way all employee-owners maintain equal motivation to maintain a good work ethic and police themselves, and thus refer only the people they know to have good work ethics. Now don’t confuse this at all with communism or socialism. When you have the freedom to go to any company, and each company has different profit margins (IE pay per owner-employee) there is nothing remotely in common with socialism or communism.

The company must never be available for outside investment of any kind (IE listed on the stock market), as that would create an additional owner in the company, though with a greater share than any other individual employee-owner. As well as equal ownership, and therefore pay, all employee-owners work the same number of hours with any unplanned overage minimized and compensated. The benefit for length of service will come primarily through position transfer. This means that the employee-owners throughout their employment will be given the option to bid on other available positions as they become available through expansion or other personnel changes. This could prevent mundane boredom in a position and may create the possibility for a progressively lighter work load as the employee-owner ages. All employee-owners must vote on reinvestment proposals at regular intervals. No benefits are offered through the company ( health insurance, dental, 401k, pension, etc). The decision to purchase these “benefits” should be left to the individual. If an employee-owner leaves the company they have no more investment in the company and are owed nothing. If these concepts of having no benefits or permanent ownership seem outlandish, consider this. The employee owned company has an objective of creating equitable work and pay for all, and prevents debt to itself by remaining fixed on producing its product, not making personal life decisions. For example, if by operating efficiently and dividing profits equally to all each employee made 3 times what their corporate counterparts made it would be quite easy for them to fund their own benefits of choice, with more options to choose from.

What would the job market look like?

Imagine that this business model has permeated society and you that you are a machine operator of some sort. You make good profits as an owner-employee at your company, but would like to earn a little more. You can either use whatever talents you have to improve the team you work with, or look to another company that has a higher profit per owner-employee. An employment ad might start with something like this. ABC Company- LQ PPO $26,450 This represents the Last Quarter Profit Per Owner, which was $26,450 for the ABC employee. So now I’m able to make an educated decision about what my best opportunity is. Either way I can grow my current company or I can grow my occupation. So the reward system is now built in, based on how well I do my job, not what job I do. If I were the best janitor in the world I might be an owner-employee at a company like Google. But then again, maybe I start my own owner-employee business.

People in general want to make a contribution to the betterment of their company, especially when they have a stake in it. When they have a stake in it they have motivation. When a group of people is motivated to share ideas freely for the mutual benefit of all, they become more innovative, productive and profitable. In fact, this work environment promotes friendship among all employee-owners, no matter their title or position. Let’s call this motivation internal capitalization. Once unleashed, this business model would soon start to take over all other business models based on several factors. One being that talented people at competing corporations will also want to be a part of a culture based on fair wages and lacks the stress that comes from political backstabbing that corporate structure promotes. The new model is more organic, and seeks to benefit humans rather than a balance sheet.

The final and most important rule of law we see at work in the charter is this. Since the employee owned business depends on suppliers of raw materials or other manufactured goods to produce its own product in most cases, a portion of the profit should be set aside to give birth to another such employee owned business to provide the needed materials or goods. Other options would include purchasing an existing company for conversion or doing business with an established business that has been certified as the same type of new business model. What would the cost to the employee-owner be to set aside this investment? Absolutely nothing based upon the gift they themselves received upon entry to their employee owned company. As the model states though, external partners of the new company are not allowed, and the start up gift must be free of obligation. In this way, another employee owned company is born of good will and benefit for others. This is a great way to promote not only the business model, but also promote good ethical practice through the internal working components or materials of the product produced by the company. Consider this the “pay it forward” business model if you will. Think of the possibilities and how the spreading of this simple model could defeat poverty and misery globally. It’s a big concept to wrap our heads around, but its humble beginnings can be sparked anywhere and spread like wildfire.

Bring on the attack campaigns

The attacks on this concept will come from the mainstream media, the wealthy (who own the mainstream media) and those who lack full understanding and buy into the media machines presentation. The wealthy would see this new concept of business as an attack against their wealth and try to kill it. Why does it pose such a threat to them? Remember, they can’t buy into your company as an investor since it’s not listed on any market. The wealthy don’t want to contribute by working, they want to reap through investing. They also would see their talent leaving for the better conditions at employee owned businesses and their own systems dissolved by means of the exponential growth of the new model. And finally, they could see wealth being distributed to the masses, which in their minds is reserved for the select few. They will accuse the system of being socialist, communist, fascist, Marxist and a whole host of other “evil” terms. In operation, if many or even all companies were based on these principles each company would have its own profit margins, and therefore pay scale. If you don’t make enough money at company A you can always go to company B. You’ll also hear things like “paying people fair wages is too expensive and won’t work”. If that statement were true, GM would have closed its doors in the 1940’s. If that statement ever becomes reality, we’re doomed. Like the inquisitions, the new model will be called witch and heretic by those who feel threatened by it. They will attempt to publicly flog the model with no trial. In truth, the new business model would liberate communities and people. With the stock market eventually gone there would be no skimmers. Demand for a company’s product would dictate its size more naturally through the masses rather than a corporate advertising campaign. Non-beneficial or harmful products would be replaced by new innovations for the betterment of all mankind. Laziness would be replaced by motivation, and self policing would keep the system efficient. There would be no reason to steal ideas to get ahead or step on others to climb the corporate ladder since one doesn’t exist. What’s good for one is good for all in this model! It’s not a political system, so all political arguments can be invalidated. It avoids the stock market, so the arguments of the wealthy become null against it. Its nature is liberating rather than oppressive so activism and reform can support it. If no one can find a valid argument against it because its construct is such that it attacks no one, it becomes an unstoppable force wherever it is introduced. Because of this all attacks against it must be either through ignorance of its operation or by means of false accusation. In this way the model could represent an innocent child that has the ability to walk right in to the midst of the current system un-noticed and make great change without the fear of legitimate attack.

A note to business owners

Here's a recent comment I received from a business owner who posed a somewhat valid argument before realizing the dynamics of the model:

“Of course socialism is going to be cried, that’s what it is [you are proposing]. I own a corporation but under your rules I would have to let my employees own it? They have no investment in my business and I don't want them to, I am my own boss and want it to stay that way. Why would I want to answer to someone else?”

My answer is this. Socialism creates unfair compensation or artificial boundaries for those who want to achieve more by working harder or smarter than the next guy. If I have the ability to work for any company I want to, and some pay more than others, where is the unfair compensation or artificial boundary in that? This model could work for your business if you were willing to make it so because you could envision what the vested interest of employees would do for productivity. There are some types of business structures that could be "converted", though new start ups would be ideal simply because most owners can't bring themselves to share the reins by having faith in their employees. If I owned a company and Warren Buffet applied for the job of running my company wouldn’t it make sense for me to give him the drivers chair? Of course if I didn’t know who he was and I put him in the mail room I wouldn’t realize his potential, and neither would he. The simple fact is that talent comes in all shapes and sizes, and often those talents that could benefit a company are never known, thus never realized. If you like your business structure the way it is, it can remain that way of course. I'm not proposing something mandatory from the top down. I always work from the bottom up, where historically all real change has come from.

An even bigger picture to look at in the future?

All of this does lead to a larger picture of course. Believe it or not, the simplified model of this employee owned business is not a far stretch from a citizen owned government model. As you know, the mechanics of government (especially here in the US) have become cumbersome, costly, chaotic and corrupt (the four C’s). Without a populous vote, the government does not follow the will of the people. The good principles of the founding fathers, though not perfect themselves, have become so twisted, wrenched and purchased by greed that there is no humanity left in the beleaguered system of government. In the end, how much government would really be needed if all of its people were happy? The answer is very little. It’s like a scale if you think about it. When there is less misery there is more happiness. Where does the happiness come from? The people, through the aforementioned business model, are given the essential ingredients for happiness in life pursuits and the full equal opportunity for employee ownership. So what happens when a citizen owned government, of much smaller size and scope, is actually implemented based on these like principals? Just as the employee owned business model was attacked by those who would stand to lose something, so too would the new Citizen Owned Government. In the same progression as well though, the new government model would eventually be demanded by the people of other nations as they witnessed its success and potential for humanity. By this point the new business model would have already been experienced in their country as well, showing it as a superior model to follow for the benefit of the many, not the few. As the current system goes, it’s a nonsensical concept to believe that the entire world is indebted to itself. If I were an alien studying Earth I would consider the animals to be the most intelligent life forms on the planet and the humans somewhere closer to the amoebas, although amoebas don’t consciously torture and destroy themselves so they probably have us beat.

OK, so since you’re STILL reading I assume you would like to see this “better world” become a reality, and quickly. Well, it all comes down to us and the things we do to START the process. It is much easier than you could possibly ever imagine to change the world, and once this ball starts rolling it doesn’t ever stop. It is the concept of self perpetuation in the long run. As you may be aware, revolutions and activism have become less and less affective because vast power (money) has become consolidated over time into the hands of the few, and the attempts to make changes are still pressuring from the top down. Real change can only comes from the bottom up. The only elements needed to make these Principles of Humanity a reality are a common organization, a simple plan, a few “flame starters” and a willing spirit. It will propagate itself through the peoples very desire to see it come to fruition, and better humanity in the process.

Recap and restate

The first step is to share this idea with others, and especially with those who have the ability to light the first flames with a gift to start the new employee owned business model. Earlier I stated that the wealthy would put up a fight against this business model, and almost all will, based on the fact that they would be supporting a less equitable position for themselves in the long run. There will however be the rare humanitarian who is wealthy and wants to make a difference. These are most often the wealthy who have come from humble beginnings themselves. If you are one of those people I implore you to get involved for the sake of humanity. Wouldn’t it be great to know that you were one of the founding Fathers (or Mothers) of the “pay it forward” model that changed the world for all humanity? One that gave the gift that started the fire!!

The second step is to start the business (or convert an existing one), and implement ALL of the principles described earlier into the business charter as irrevocable. If just one of these rules is changed the system will not work.

The third step is membership in an organization that promotes and certifies that the new business is indeed chartered on the Principle of Humanity model. If ALL of the principles are implemented, the company will be certified as such. The organization will promote the companies and educate the consumer and other companies about the ethics and benefits of this model. Since each business is encouraged to either create or buy out their supplying companies, therefore converting it to the same model, the growth of the new model truly is exponential and permeates all types of business and industry globally.

The final step is up to all of us as consumers. We can make decisions through our purchases and support a system for the happiness of the many, or we can support the current system of oppression for the many and provide happiness to the few who enslave the oppressed.

Footnote: This article represents an overview and provides no specific percentages for business planning purposes (ie reinvestment, wage and gifting percentages)

Contact Dave Mayton to share your ideas

A final thought on happiness through equitable society (and a little about the author)

Please allow me to describe the happiness that fair pay employment can bring to a community versus the sheer devastation that comes with greed. A condensed story of my hometown, Flint Michigan, is the best and most personal story I can relate to you. In 1909 Flint became the birthplace of General Motors, the largest employer the world has ever seen. The city has a very rich history of industrial innovations, and later social innovations. To condense this story even further, the greed of the wealthy General Motors owners created more grueling and dangerous working conditions than exist anywhere in the world today, and for slave labor wages. Speaking of slave labor, blacks were not allowed to work at the GM factories. As a result of these years of this oppression some of the workers formed the first union. It was a secret union, for fear of reprisal, and later became the largest workers union in the world, known as the UAW. The men devised a clever, though dangerous plan to lock themselves into critical portions of key facilities, effectively shutting down operations of the entire company. This became known as The Great Sit-down Strike of 1937. General Motors workers had finally won a battle that made tremendous gains not only in fair compensation, but in the deplorable and dangerous working conditions they endured. Workers everywhere now had rights, and those improvements trickled down to many other industries which formed their own unions. Today we can thank those courageous few whose efforts beat the system for the rest of us. Their efforts created a whole new class of people… The Middle Class American. With less worry about daily survival and decent working conditions the community began to flourish through citizen involvement, and an almost utopian society of the “how can I help” attitude permeated. Many new ideas came about and were implemented based on their benefit to the community as a whole. If you ever attended an after school activity of any sort, you can thank the city of Flint, where the Community School System was invented in support of community activity. The Board Of Education was created in Flint as well, and up until the early 80’s you could get a college education for little or no cost. The Cultural Center alone rivals that of any in the world! Flint became a shining example of what could be created by a happy community that had resources. The citizens were willing to give for the common good, and as for General Motors, they continued to have record profits for many years to come. Workers were no longer discouraged from talking to one another, but encouraged to share ideas that could improve operations. Flint celebrated GM continuously, and paid homage to the company that gave it life. Sadly, in the 70’s and 80’s the corporate laws of greed would again take the reins at GM and the UAW would be evaded and nullified. Though the company still had profits in the billions, it saw that by moving its factories to third world countries where workers rights didn’t exist even more profit could be made. After all, slave labor is more profitable, right? You may remember this story from Flint’s most famous resident, Michael Moore. His documentary “Roger and Me” painted an accurate picture of Flint and the devastation General Motors inflicted through its profit motive. This decision to “outsource” labor for the lowest price globally devastated many cities and supporting industries throughout the country, but Flint was the hardest by this tidal wave. Flint has now gone from a population of 200,000 with 80,000 GM workers, down to a population of 100,000 with 8,000 workers, and even those workers are being paid less. The company abandoned its birthplace and lineage. Thousands fled the “city of the unemployed, foreclosed and abandoned dreams”. Also abandoned were thousands of houses. Left to disrepair and vandalism, they litter the city like trash piled high. Many have caught fire as the homeless squat in these forgotten spaces, burning anything they can to stay warm in the bitter cold Michigan winters. The murder rates, violent crime, poverty, lack of education, drug use, unemployment, and debt of the city all rank in the top percentages nationwide. Over 30 years Flint had become no more the shining example of a community involved, but an abandoned industrial warzone. My hometown was now the complete antithesis of its former glory days, via the greed of the skimmers at the top. How many dreams broken and families torn apart one could only imagine. These are personal tragedies that have occurred on a massive scale that I hold corporate greed responsible for, and that greed starts with the wealth mentality of skimming (the stock market).

I’ll end here by asking a simple “what if” question about the past that may make a difference in the way things could be done in the future. What if instead of just closing down all the factories in Flint GM had decided to just give them to the employees under the proposed employee-owned business model? GM would have had the benefits of good rather than bad PR, the cost of demolition would have been nullified, tax and entitlement liabilities transferred and a portion of their customer base preserved rather than destroyed. As for the new employee-owner many of the benefits have already been described, though it would be an understatement to say that Flint would have been immensely improved today if the employment had remained.

Just Dave

I’m 43 years old, Married with children, and a lifelong musician and philosopher by avocation. I’m not a Republican or a Democrat, though at one time I thought I was both. I don’t hate anyone, including even the mega wealthy and the politicians they purchased (although I’d love to reason with them). I grew up on the east side of Flint Michigan in the 1970’s and 80’s and my family still lives in the outlying areas of the city. I attended Stevens Elementary (torn down), Williams Elementary (now closed) and The Flint Academy (also demolished). My brother went to Johnson Elementary (closed) and School of choice (demolished). My Dad went to Lowell (closed) and Flint Central (closed). My first teen jobs I worked for a painting company (closed), a landscape company (closed) White House Pizza in Rollingwood (closed). I sometimes worked two jobs and also worked at Gilroy's Hardware store (closed) and for a slumlord. October of 87’ I decided to clean myself up and get a REAL job. I got a part time, seasonal sales position at Things Remembered in the Courtland Center (Eastland Mall for you old Flintoids). On December 23rd 1987 I took a stroll down the mall on my lunch break and said hi to some guy that was working in a jewelry store. Turns out he was the owner, and that chance meeting would change my life’s path out of Michigan. I managed the store in Flint for a year and was asked to manage a new store in Canton Ohio. I got married in 1993 and moved to Pennsylvania 16 years ago. In 1997 I got into the insurance industry. I worked my way up the corporate ladder with naïve bliss, and found myself the District Manager of a large life insurance company. Times were good, so I though… I quickly discovered the hard way what corporate politicking was all about. Lesson learned.

I haven’t lived in Michigan for over 20 years now, yet every time I go back to visit I am saddened by its slow rot and disappearance. I long to return to my old hometown and my heart yearns for the city to somehow return to what it once was. There are masses of scattered expatriates who feel the same way about their old Flint. What an odd legacy for its citizens and scattered remnants to be left with. Although I’m glad to see some efforts at downtown revitalization projects and universities, I’m equally saddened to think that all of my memories could be torn down and boarded up, as so many others have already been. Experiencing a great society turn into total depravity overnight will do one of four things to you. Either you become depressed and unbelieving that you can make a difference, disinterested and denying a problem exists for you, angry and fighting a futile battle for change from the top down, or determined to make a difference from the bottom up by supporting the principles of fair wages, good working conditions and opportunity for all. If love was the law, this last option is what it would look like.

Kingofthenet| 5.14.12 @ 8:41PM

Holy Wall of Text, Batman... Sounds interesting i will look more into your idea when I am not imbibing Adult beverages...

Kingofthenet| 5.14.12 @ 8:54PM

Ok so a Doctor is like a Janitor in a Hospital PPO? That should go over well with the Med Students and their skills and Debt.Where is the Capital to start these so-called PPO's coming from? The Employees themselves? Wouldn't be easier to just reward management with Stock that they can't cash in for x amount of years that way they can't just 'temporarily' make a company profitable by gutting it, and reaping the rewards?

chuck| 5.14.12 @ 10:07PM

Holy Shit! You could give Ayn Rand a run for her money on long-windiness.

Seriously, no one reads shit that's that long.

spike59| 5.15.12 @ 6:10AM

after, admittedly, 'skimming' thru your screed, the words that come to mind are these:

"shut uuuuuuuup..."

seriously, you should market that as an imsomnia cure!

Jesse| 5.24.12 @ 12:48PM

Too bad, in order to make GM an employee owned company (or should I say Union owned), they had to steal from bondholders (most of whom were middle class retirees) who gave GM over $27 billion.

oldfart| 5.14.12 @ 8:44PM

Ben is right about one thing - this will be a long hot summer in more ways than one. And all we have to do is look how the AG is handling the situation in Sanford, FL to know that there will be NO helpful aid from the FEDS. More likely, the Chicago MOB will be prompting them on.

Petronius| 5.14.12 @ 9:27PM

It will happen here because the trust fund brats who command the street attacks of the Occupy movement want to be seen smashing bank entrances on the nightly news. 15 minutes and an interview with Charley Rose or whoever is #3 on PBS. Peter Finch where are you when we need you? Ben should stay out of this one.

POST American| 5.14.12 @ 11:22PM

-----Torah! ---Torah! ---Torah!

USURY remains the KEY CON and supreme
instrument of takedown, domination, control
and destruction.

"I put one dollar in the bank --so they can
lend out 9 --at interest? That --IS---- nothing
less than an act of magoic. Black magic."
-Informed Radio

----And that's in the old fashioned, regulated
form. We're almost a century into full blown,
utterly groundless, psychopathic CON--troll.

USURY is nothing less than numbers magic.

USURY 'efficiency cull-chore' is numbers
'Magi---ICK' ----ramped up into psychopathic
numbers worship.

"Understand, 'Free Trade', Globalism,
USURY and EUGENICS are ---AL:WAYS!
intertwined. ----------ALWAYS."
-Informed online

-Just on the face of it, this ever trumpeted
'ID---all' of 'Free' trade means the 'free
movement of goods and services
--and LABOR' across borders ---worldwide.

Just sit for a moment with the implications
of that on politics, culture, national
identity, security, corruption --even
the basics of 'sustainable' economy!

"---Swamp 'em with wampum!"

It's but a slo-mo race to the bottom,
and a slow resurrection of USURY's
archetypal shadow figure -----SLAVERY.

---Numbers 'Magi---ICK' ---ramped into
numbers WORSHIP.

And then the 'gods' of USURY begin to
emerge ---in the name of 'efficiency'
----'perrfection' ----'standardization'
sacrifices are demanded ----VAST sacrifices!
---------------ALLLLLL by the numbers.

BEHOLD the movers and shakers, and
'on the go' directors of Socialism and
'Marksism' last century.

DO they REALLY look like concerned and
caring individuals committed to mankind?

--------OR do they strike the discerning eye
as what they are? ---actuarial PSYCHOPATHS.

"The American Indian reckoned
the very act of counting itself to be
---a sadistic act."
-D H Lawrence
(essays)

"----------SO! --WHAT DID THEY KNOW
--and WHERE are they NOW?????"

Hence, the soul damning obsession with
-------------------SUCK CESS----------------.

THERE YOU HAVE IT! ---IN A NUTSHELL.

--------BEYOND HUAC/ Nuremberg 2012-----------

--Law of Moses!

-------------Acccept NO substitutes!

Tony | 5.14.12 @ 11:23PM

I bear in mind Ben here saying that this banking crisis was simply a blip on the road to never ending wealth. Well it's like he has finally, gotten the message.You might be an artist, writer, singer, or craftsman. we should always be thankful for what we have a tendency to have; it might be plenty worse.

spike59| 5.15.12 @ 6:07AM

should ObaMao fail to be re-elected, you can expect riots remiscent of Watts multiplied by the Rodney King roits

Robert| 5.15.12 @ 9:32PM

I don't want any money from you, Mr. Stein.

An apology for calling me a child molester in print will be entirely sufficient. From "American Spectator" 2006 :
"I hope it won't come as a surprise to anyone that a big part of male homosexual behavior is interest in young boys. "

Jesse| 5.24.12 @ 12:52PM

Yep, that makes as much sense as saying that I have interest in young girls because I am a heterosexual male.