No sex today: my taxpayer rescue plan

Memo to President Bush, the Presidential Candidates, and Members of Congress

From: Citizen Donna Marie Williams

RE: My Taxpayer Rescue Plan

When it comes to the current economic crisis, there is no such thing as a democrat, republican, or independent. As you know, many democrats agree with republicans and vice versa on the best way to resolve this matter.

Partisan politics makes me sick. It's fake. It's about winning the rhetorical debate, not telling the truth. Cut it out.

The Taxpayer Rescue Plan

I'm not an economist or accountant, so I don't know enough to go into a lot of detail about the current economic mess. I do know, though, that the framing of the debate has been all wrong.

You call it a bailout plan when it really should be a taxpayer rescue plan. Only lip service has been paid about the taxpayer (a.k.a. Main Street), when it's the taxpayer who should be the focus of this recovery since it’s taxpayer dollars that’s coming to the rescue.

The taxpayer/consumer is the heart and soul of the economy.

The hell with Wall Street. The hell with Fannie, Freddie, AIG, WaMu, Wachovia, and the others to come down the road. Let them fold or be bought out. It's clear that we're witnessing the greatest flea market in history, and the result will be a consolidation of power. Fewer banks, investment firms, etc. will hold more of our money. I don’t like it, but I get it.

For once, since it's our money, let taxpayers get in on the action. In my plan, the taxpayer is the centerpiece of the recovery. Not the companies, not the banks. Not the privately held Federal Reserve. And definitely not the CEOs and their political cronies. Put them under the jail.

The following are the broad strokes of my taxpayer rescue plan. I’m sure I’ve left some things out, but you guys can sort through the details upon agreement that the premise is sound.

1. Taxpayer dollars must strengthen the following pots: FDIC, social security, Medicare, Medicaid, and public education. I like the idea of raising the FDIC limit on protected accounts to $200,000. The taxpayer must come first.

2. Accountants must go through the books of the failed companies line by line. The purpose of this exercise is to locate and rescue all the pension funds. We must make sure that the pension promises that were made to our parents, grandparents, and future retired selves are kept. No compromise. Allow financial institutions that have been excellent stewards to bid for and take over these pension accounts.

3. If we bail out the failed, corrupt companies (which I don't want to do), then the taxpayer must become a voting shareholder (via referendums?) of the corporations. After a reasonable amount of time, taxpayers will begin to receive dividend checks. For the first time in the history of this country, the wealth will be spread out among the taxpayers as it should be. This is not welfare, socialism, or communism. This is economic reciprocity. If we have to pay, then in due time we must receive a return on our investment.

My approach will take time, but better that than to hurry up and sign a bill that will put future generations in further back-breaking debt. Better that than to pull an arbitrary number ($700 billion) out of thin air. Under my plan, we'll get a handle on how much is truly at risk first, then disburse the funds to minimize taxpayer risk.

4. There must be meticulous oversight of the process. One man cannot be allowed to allocate dollars as he sees fit. Too much money makes psychopaths of us all. Instead, I strongly recommend that a consortium of independent accounting firms takes over the process of assessment, disbursement, oversight, and shareholder/taxpayer payouts. It’s not a perfect system because we know how Arthur Anderson was a player in the Enron mess, but we’ve got to start somewhere. Maybe also include an ethics advising committee of some sort.

5. Yes, predatory subprime lending was a factor in the collapse. It's so easy to blame the working poor and middle class, but what about the fact that housing prices have been overinflated for years? Home ownership is part of the American dream, yet with sky high prices, the working poor and middle class didn't stand a chance until subprime. Take a holistic look at the industry—for example, redlining and the over inflation of property assessments. Many factors go into establishing housing prices, and it's not an exact science. There's a lot of room for creativity, if you know what I mean. Anyone who has attempted to purchase a home knows this to be true. Look into the myriad of practices, not just subprime lending, that has corrupted the entire industry.

6. And another thing: the rules and regulations of the credit industry suck. I hate how, when you're applying for a loan, the mere inquiry goes against your credit rating. You need to fix all those laws that hurt the taxpayer. Also, your corporate benefactors exported most of our manufacturing base overseas. That really didn’t help the situation at all. Not only are they exploiting people in developing nations with slave wages, you let our own people down. And stop selling off our highways and ports. Are you crazy? And why can’t Ford sell their 65 mpg car to U.S. citizens? Is a trade agreement with the Japanese involved? Why is it that only Hollywood celebrities get to drive the coolest green cars? We need the savings more than they do.

I'm acutely aware that my plan will bring more pain and suffering in the short term. Thousands, maybe millions, will lose their jobs. I'm so sorry about that, but that's what happens when a nation makes mammon its god and when we trust psychopaths to handle our money for us.

I truly doubt if the plan Congress is mashing together will save jobs or rescue taxpayer dollars. Why? Because the taxpayer is not the focus. Facilitating the consolidation of corporate power is the focus. At least my plan stands a chance of true economic recovery because the rescue mission is targeted where the true danger lies: within the solvency of the American taxpayer.

As a communications strategist, I've been downsized, laid off, and let go more times than I can count. When it first happened, I was terrified. The last time it happened, I was a homeowner with major surgery pending. I went into foreclosure, then filed chapter 7, which went completely against my moral code, my sense of personal responsibility. As a single mother with two children to take care of, I felt at the time that I had no choice.

I learned in my own personal Great Depression that you can’t keep pouring money down the black hole. Recovery takes great discipline and sacrifice, and it is painful. But I’m a witness, you do come out better and unencumbered on the other side. You begin to enjoy a freedom you’ve never felt before.

That's it. That's my plan. Again, I'm no financial expert, but that's the taxpayer focus upon which the recovery must be based.

Thank you for your time.

Donna Marie Williams

www.sensualcelibacy.blogspot.com

www.motivate2educate-k12.com

Teen girls, reluctant doctors?

I just heard the most disturbing news from one of my sisters. She said a gynecologist told her she's no longer taking teen patients.

"Why?" I asked, incredulous.

"Because," said my sister, "so many teen girls had been coming in with not just one STD, but multiple STDs to be treated in one visit. She said it was nasty."

Nasty? Is that a term they learn in medical school?

I knew that the STD rate had been increasing in some youth populations, but I'd never heard about this issue with doctors refusing to see certain patients. Was this a trend among doctors?

I called my business partner, Alfred "Coach" Powell, and told him what I'd heard. He called a contact at a college clinic. What he found confirmed at least part of what I'd heard.

While this particular clinic isn't turning patients away, young women as well as gay men are seeking treatment for multiple STDs in one visit.

This is the most educated, informed generation around sexual issues, but behaviors are slow to change.

College campuses should purchase copies of my book Sensual Celibacy in bulk and give them away for free to young women. And I've known one or two gays who benefited from the wisdom included in its pages.

If you have teen children or work with them, don't give up on them. Contact me at info@acoachpowell.com to purchase our latest books: Girlfriends Journal #1 and Journal for Young Men #1 (Real Talk, Real Thoughts about Love, Relationships, and Sex).

These guided, abstinence- based journals are powerful eye openers for teens who are trying to work through turbulent emotions. In our workshops, there's never a dry eye in the house. Get these life-changing books today for yourself or someone you love. They may heal a heart or save a life!

Somewhat off point, but not really

Okay, I know this is a blog about not having sex, but I just can't resist putting my two cents (literally, I'm on a budget) into the fray about our current economic crisis.

In my book Sensual Celibacy, I wondered how celibacy impacts the GNP (gross national product). After all, if you're not having sex, chances are you're buying copious amounts of chocolate and Kleenex, renting tons of DVDs for those Friday and Saturday nights home alone, and shopping way too much for shoes.

Come to think of it, shoe shopping is the one thing celibate and sexually active women agree on.

The point is, when you're suddenly single or single by force not choice or even willingly single, there are times when the aloneness seems unbearable. What to do?

In a capitalistic society, instead of meditating or praying, we spend money. Spending money is the way we escape from the pressures of life – although spending money often creates new pressures. We've been trained to whip out the plastic to buy things we don't really need, and at least for a moment we feel better, even ecstatic.

A few years ago, I lost everything – my job, my house, my knees (double knee replacement surgery). I thought I was losing my mind.

I read the heartfelt stories about women who had endured a crisis with their husbands at their side.

Well, hell, I didn't have one of those. Made me feel worse.

Normally, I would go to the bookstore and buy tons of books and books-on-tape to self-medicate, but with no money, I couldn't depend on the old shopping therapy to soothe my battered soul. At least not in the way I had before.

Somehow I got through my dark night of the soul, and I've learned to live on a lot less. A lot less. In fact, it's become a game to see how much I can save and still receive a modicum of enjoyment from life.

The country's going to have to learn to live on a lot less to get through this crisis. We also need to reestablish our manufacturing base. Not only did these guys have sticky fingers, they exported practically our entire manufacturing base overseas. Just plain evil.

Don't wait for someone else to create a company that actually makes something useful. Do It Yourself! Check out Etsy.com for a model of an online DIY community. The DIY revolution could very well turn out to be our economic salvation.

It will also give you something to do while not having sex.

So when I hear all the moaning and groaning on Wall Street and all the finger pointing in Washington, I point my own finger at all of them.

When I needed a bailout, only my family was there. Why should my taxes go to helping these rich guys when, in their insatiable quest for money, they never cared about building in safeguards for their employees and the society as a whole?

How can these CEOs, who ran their companies into the ground, get more money than a developing nation? Or was it the plan all along, to drop a bomb on the economy? Follow the money. I mean, either there's widespread incompetence or obedience on Wall Street and in Washington.

And if we must bail out these fools, then I want part ownership in the companies. I want to see dividend checks from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, and Iraqi oil (don't get me started on that).

The problem with capitalism is that money can become your god. As we've seen recently, money is a piss poor excuse for a god.

I'm still trying to sort through fact from fiction, but I'm beginning to suspect that the meltdown was calculated. Corruption and greed were the usual culprits, but there's a bigger agenda, as there always is with these things.

Follow the money. It's all about the consolidation of power. Fewer and fewer corporations are setting up to run more and more of our lives.

So I'm no different from anyone. I like to spend money, and in my more honest moments, I'll even admit to using money spending to self-medicate. But as I mentioned, I've learned how to live with a lot less. I pray and meditate a lot more.

How do I get my money spending fix during hard times? I go to the thrift shop.

More on a celibate woman's adventures at the thrift in later posts!!