Reforms for a Square Deal. I.

I'll borrow the policy label that the great President Theodore Roosevelt used to describe his policies for the common man and woman: A Square Deal. They people deserve a Square Deal from the government and the Ruling Classes. The common people are the ultimate source of national sovereignty in the US, and the ultimate reason it survives. Their national cohesion makes the US exist. They fight the wars. Today begins a series advocating simple and not so simple reforms that will help move the US towards ... what ?

What do we want ? What is our End Point ? What is our metaphorical eschaton for the US ?

We want a happier society more consistent with the Preamble of the Constitution of the US and consistent with our inalienable rights to Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness. I've written elsewhere how this can be accomplished in a broad context of philosophy and also political economics. A happier society would provide near complete freedom for a great majority in the middle, a secure safety net for the poor and considerable regulations for the top - those budding aristocrats. The top pays for the safety net. Simple. I've proven that such a society would be happier [See posts of January 29 and April 9 of 2010]. Now what's the optimal path ?

Today and in coming days I will write about specific reforms that will move us there. First, a simple banking reform.

Banking Reform

There's too much vig in the system. The big banking corporations want a bigger and bigger slice of every transaction and everyone's pay checks. For what ? Nothing. The government provides deposit insurance at a non-profit basis. The Treasury prints the paper money and mints the coins. The debit card systems, the pay day lenders, the fees on bank accounts, the refusal to open accounts for the poor, the fees on every transaction: all are unfair vig the bosses want to loot from the people.

A reform: as a condition of having Federal deposit insurance, any bank or credit union must offer a transaction account for free that a person can use to deposit checks (electronically OR paper) and obtain cash or a debit card. For free, regardless of credit history (as no credit is being given). Now a person with any job can store his money safety and use it in the economic system. He can deposit a check for services rendered (whether from an employer or a friend), and get cash when the check clears. This rule would apply to small business accounts, too. And one more thing: the ability to get a bank check for minimal fee to pay for large expenditures that require checks (car purchase, etc.)

I don't have to suggest reforms for debit cards transaction fees since the Fed has already proposed new rules (after much research) to eviscerate the rapacious fees of the banks. Payday lenders could still exist ... to lend. The same for check cashing services. If they provide value or convenience, they could exist. But the poor could access the normal banking system and ... live freely without the parasites and vig paid.

Krypto Fund

My dog Krypto performed superlatively last year in her money management job. Krypto Fun made a 14.1% total return in 2010, better that most hedge funds. The S&P 500 total return was a bit over 15%; that's 100% equity, while Krypto Fund is less than 50% equity. Obviously Krypto Fund's risk reward is far superior. Good doggie ... here's your fee, a fine dog biscuit.

Word of the Day

"Gracile" - adjective [$10]
Gracile means 1. gracefully slender; 2. graceful.
Sentence: Attractiveness in ladies is not unidimensional: Audrey Hepburn was a gracile beauty; Marilyn Monroe was voluptuously gorgeous, but definitely not gracile.