A Chicken in Every Pot

Yak, Yak, Yak...



All we are hearing these days is about this bailout or that rescue package. This industry will fail or the entire country will fold if we don't save such and such a company.



Probably true but how about an alternative.



Say, for example, that Moe at Ford puts fenders on some car on some assembly line in some plant somewhere in Michigan. And say that Moe can't do anything else. He doesn't do something on the side; roofing or veterinarian's helper or gardening. Nothing but fenders.

And for this Moe makes $50,000 a year.



Say that if Ford goes under Moe will be out of work and fall on very hard times.



Now think about the billions being proposed by Congress to give to the automakers to help salvage their companies.



Why not give the money to Moe directly. But instead of very few strings how about one simple string, or lifeline if you want.



The string is education.



Moe will have his year's salary, paid monthly, so his family and his house won't go under.

But Moe has to go to school. Moe has to learn a new skill. Moe has to transition from the 20th century into the 21st. Moe has to become competitive in the global economy. Moe has to become a part of the solution.



I don't know how much labor costs are at Ford. But if you divide the amount of Ford's share of the bailout money by the number of employees that will be affected by a closure across all of the companies that will be affected and you give them that amount of money directly we just might improve our chances internationally and get the economy back on track.

Just thinking...