Bailout Math Funnies

The November 21 Best of the Web Today reprints a letter to the editor of the Tallahassee Democrat:

Being a veteran of World War II trying to save this good old U.S.A., I find after 65-plus years it should be saved again.

This time, it takes a lot of thought instead of lives, so people, start thinking!

How's this for a start?

For the automobile industry, don't give it a grant, get something in return. Give each college graduate a coupon for a new American-made car. Most of them will surely need it as they will be in debt because of paying for their educations. This would allow them to get their student loans paid sooner--it's a win-win situation.

For the retail industry, no bailout. I am losing faith in CEOs. Give to each high-school graduate who passes a drug test and does not smoke a coupon for the purchase of American-made clothes. We have to get rid of the drugs in our schools, and this incentive might help.

For the money-hungry, give these people who steal unreal amounts of money by the position they hold automatic life sentences in a prison located in the middle of a swamp. Let them chop wood to stay warm.

Last but not least, end the war and get our troops home where they should be.

VERNON KOPPERUD
Alligator Point

 

I've read in the Jamestown Post Journal how two people wrote about a plan that would bail out the economy, and their plan is good but not right. One wrote, take 87 Billion dollars and divide it with 200 million people 18 years and older. Each would get $425,000.00 [sic] but really each would get $425.00. Another wrote, take the $784,000,000,000.00 used to bail out the insurance companies and banksthat [sic] were in trouble, divide that money with the 200 milliom [sic] people, that each would get about $3,900.00. This is good, but it would not stimulate the economy much.

Now I've never gone to coolage [sic] and I'm not good with math but I do know that $784,000,000,000.00 is a great deal more than 200,000,000. Why can't the government take $100,000,000.00 and divide this among the 200 million people that filed a tax return like the last stimulus package, each woud [sic]receive $500,000.00 [sic]. Now this not tax free, you would have to pay taxes on this money, what ever the tax percentage would be. The one person figured about 30%. So 30% of $500,000.00 each person would end up with $350,000.00 [sic], this would fix a lot of problems.

People would be able to pay off the mortgage on their home, student would be able to pay for collage, people would be able to put money in the banks, so the banks would have money to lend. People would be able to buy things, so jobs would call people back to work to make the products for the consumer. Job problem solved.

As I said, I'm no wizard, but with a plan like this, the national debt would not have to be as big as it is. The taxes each person pays for this money could go towards paying off the national debt and a lot of problems would be solved. So why can't the government see this and figure it out. If someone has and anwser [sic] to this, I would like to know.

Robert Frederick
Warren

 

Oh ... now I understand why teaching macro is getting harder each year.