by James Brown

Created on: January 20, 2009   Last Updated: May 07, 2012

Mr. President, obviously your first concern will, as should be, the economy. The procedure for fixing the economy has been labeled and entitled, "The Bailout." This term in itself brings to image that the economy is sinking. On mere terminology alone, let's examine how you "bailout" a sinking boat. The parallels in these two are staggering considering the way it has been handled to this point. Picture yourself sitting in a boat and it is quickly taking on water. Your first instinct is to take your hand and begin frantically scooping water off the top and flinging it out of the hull. While water in fact is being removed, you must pause to ask yourself, how big is the hole? Is water being removed faster than it is coming in?

The financial experts, gurus, whatever you want to call them, noticed initially that the economy was taking on water and quickly began to attempt to remedy the situation by working with cupped hands on the top of the problem. By saving the financial institutions, it was thought this would free up lending and fix the economy. Saving the auto-makers was also thought to be a necessary patch to fix the hole, or at least to keep it from growing. Both, while somewhat effective, were and are insufficient to fix the economy. The Dow continues to fall, unemployment continues to rise, and apparently no one has realized yet just how big the hole is.

For just a moment, let's return to our proverbial sinking boat. You have tried the hand-cupping, water-flinging method, and now have realized the water is still rising. What do you do? You quickly grab your cooler there on the seat, with whatever was in it, cokes, beer, a head cheese sandwich. You dump the contents over the side into the water and feverishly begin lowering the cooler as deep as you can in the boat and bail. You realize the deeper you go, the more water you remove. Now you're making progress! Granted, it takes awhile, your shoulders hurt, and you wish you had keep the sandwich, but it works. You continue bailing until at last you can see where that water is coming in. But we shall return to this hole later.

Back in the town where your office will be as of the date of this writing, inauguration day, debate is underway on a huge economic bailout package. Which means the gurus have realized the hole is bigger than was initially thought and they have found the "cooler". The dollar figure the experts will arrive at, is not as important as how deep you put it in the problem. It is important to

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