Tuesday, February 03, 2009

How to Fix the Economy

I know how to fix everything.  It's really simple.  Ready?

Have all the economists and other financial experts LIE and say we're out of this and things are getting better. 

Yep, it's that simple.  Why?  There are a lot of people and companies out there who listen to these experts and based what they do on what these people say.  Instead of being all doom-and-gloom, these experts should say something like:

"We've been talking about this for the last couple weeks, talking with everyone in our field.  After going over the data over and over and over, we have come to the conclusion that things are definitely getting better and we are heading out of this.  Our economy is soon going to be back and no one needs to worry anymore."

People would hear this and decide they no longer have to put off buying that new car, that new HDTV, that new iPhone, groceries, clothes, etc.  Companies would start buying the things they've been putting off, like upgrading computers and software, new equipment.  They would also start hiring people again.

Why do I think this insanely simple idea would work?  Because I blame these so-called experts for the dot-com bust.  Things were going really well, not a problem, and these experts said, "The economy goes in cycles.  Things have been going up and have been too good for too long.  We are due for it to come down and when it does, it'll come down hard because it was too good for too long."  And gee, within about six months of saying that, things started crapping out.  Then these experts were jumping back on the news patting themselves on the back saying, "See, we told you this would happen."

No.  They didn't know it would happen.  They MADE it happen.  Well, OK, it's not 100% their fault.  A lot of people and companies listened to these experts and put the brakes on a lot of things based on what they said.  Had they not said anything or people and companies not listened to them, there wouldn't have been a crash, or at least not as bad as it was.

We still have a lot of people listening to these same experts and waiting to do stuff based on what they say.  And what are they saying?  "Things suck and we don't see an end to it."  "We thought we'd be out of this by now but it looks like it'll last another year at least."  People and companies hear that and say, "Wow, we'd better hold off for awhile on spending any money."  No money is spent, jobs are lost, things continue to get worse, and the experts say, "See, we told you." 

So it's simple.  If the experts would just say things are starting to get better and we are out of this, people and companies would say, "AWESOME!  Let's go spend that money!  Let's hire those people!  Let's get busy!"

But they won't.  Why?  Not because it might be wrong or anything like that.  Nope.  It's because they have HUGE ego's.  Each one wants to be the one who says, "See, I told you so."  If they'd all do this, they could never be the one who called it, never say, "Yeah, we just decided to lie about it all to turn the economy back around."  They would have to live with the fact that THEY made the economy better - and no one would ever know.

A few ego's vs. millions of people around the world who are having a real hard time right now.  Some have even done horrible things like killing themselves.  Is an ego worth more than that? 

Anyhow, that's my plan.  I know a lot of people will give all kinds of reasons it won't work, but I know it would.  Too bad it won't happen.