Because I'm attending Roosevelt University, I decided to not be a total hack and do some research about the person that the school is named after, Franklin Roosevelt. And, thinking about Roosevelt and learning new information on the man led to a theory about some possible remedies for our current economic situation.
First, a piece of must-know information. One of the significant events that preceded the Great Depression was the Stock Market crash of 1929. The initial crash was on what some refer to as Black Thursday. The exact date was October 24, 1929. Exactly 50 years later, in a Las Vegas Hospital, yours truly was born. Yes. On the 50th Anniversary, October 24, 1979, Brian Fredrick Wright was born. I just Bo Jackson-ed (referred to myself in the 3rd person). So, there has to be some reason for that. And, I think it's this:
Most experts agree that World War II acted as a springboard to recovery for America following the Depression. Jobs were created based on the needs of the Military. Hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers were now full-timers, building vehicles and packaging food and printing papers and doing jobs that were born from the War. In the six years of World War II, unemployment went from over 10% to roughly 1.2% when the war ended in 1945.
Okay. So, what's the point? Some will say that we're already at war. Two wars, to be exact. But, I think we can all agree that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan don't create jobs (except for the elite companies chosen for contracts). But, there is a war that can not only create jobs, but build a universal pride in America, and put us back on the moral high ground in the world. And, this war will be short. Actually, I hate to even call it a "war" because the war part is the gateway to a larger, more efficient strategy of investment.
The war is in Sudan. I agree that there are evil forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, but on the global evil scale, President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir of Sudan is the equivalent of Adolf Hitler. Many have heard of the Darfur conflict, but most don't know that al-Bashir is directly involved in the deaths of roughly 400,000 people and the displacement of over 2.5 million people. On top of that, daily rapes of women and children and gruesome murders occur.
Is this a reason for war? Yes. I think so. The great, leading American minds on this don't agree with me. These heroes of mine want a peaceful solution. And, I admire them for that. But, 80s Arnold movies taught me that, sometimes, you need to kick ass and take name. But, like I said, this was will lead to something bigger. And, because the US has the most unbelievable military in the world, we can make this war short and sweet. Which leads to the the bigger deal. The Big Deal (yes, taken from Roosevelt's New Deal).
The Big Deal will start in a now democratic Sudan, and spread throughout Africa. One part of The Big Deal will be called InvestAfrica. The model will be Sudan. And, in Sudan, with a democratically elected President (which Sudan used to have until al-Bashir led a coup in 1989), America will invest in the infrastructure and people of Sudan. We'll build roads, telephone capability, power, etc. We'll create jobs. We'll make a now struggling country turn into the model country of Africa. And, other countries will follow. I'd love to speak to finance, infrastructure and government experts on this to really map out the plan. Until then, I'll push for the overall ideology. This idea could be a whole book. For now, it must live here, on a blog. But, hopefully, it can expand into policy.
Another huge factor in stopping the Great Depression was something so simple, yet so important to the fabric of America that we tend to forget about it. And, that's ending Prohibition. Prohibition lasted from 1920 to 1933. In that time, the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol for consumption were banned nationally. It was Constitutional law. So, what happened? Bootlegging rose hence crime rose. People were going to drink... no matter what. They visited illegal bars and speakeasies. They got their alcohol. And, organized crime blossomed and benefitted.
What is the 2009 mirror of alcohol in the 20s? Weed. Pot. Marijuana. That's right. The border problem we have with Mexico is not just illegal immigrants. We have major problems with violence spilling into US border towns form Mexican drug cartels. These violent drug cartels thrive off American consumption of their product. My idea works two-fold for this, and makes Mexican drug cartels irrelevant.
First, the national government must legalize marijuana - the use, sale, manufacture, and transportation. Decriminalize it. Then, industrialize it. Imagine the jobs created in the legal marijuana market. There would be farms, equipment, transportation, wholesale, retail - millions of jobs will be created. Much like alcohol in the 1920s, present pot smokers will smoke pot NO MATTER WHAT. So, why not fix problems?
We have to start thinking Green, too. But, there isn't a plain and simple answer to those problems. I wish there was. But, lifestyle changes are always gradual. I have ideas on simple ways to head in the direction of living green, but that's a different article all together.
So, what do you think? Problems with my plan? Holes? Would you approve of this new world where the economy flourishes and there's smiles on everybody's face?
