jmc wrote: If you get rid of the debt, the Govs. cash flow is positive, quit worrying about the foreign investors . they would be paid off by the proceeds of the offering. Think creatively. Businesses do it all the time.
Are you aware of the trillions of dollars of debt? Maybe you are thinking of getting rid of the defecit?
To get rid of the defecit is what conservatives are clammoring to accomplish. Liberals will never get rid of the defecit because the more that they collect in tax, the more they spend.
At any rate, representative governments do not exist to make a profit. That notion is totally alien to a representative form of government. Maybe if we had a monarchy, the king could turn a profit. Our form of government is quite different from that. Revenues that are not spent are used to pay existing debt. After the debt is paid, any surplus tax is returned to the taxpayers. There is no "profit" in representative government.
At any rate, we have already hocked our natural resources and assets to foreign investors by taking loans from them. Your idea is a no starter.
jmc wrote: If the Gov. needs to act more like a biz.
LETS SELL EQUITY!
They only sell debt today why not IPO the gov (10-15 % of valuation) Assets are strong and appreciating. Biggest IPO ever.
Retire debt with the use of proceeds and pay a dividend. Variable rate.
I'd buy it. The States could do it too. A separate exchange , limited voting rights.
Overnight the deficit would be gone. Think about it but I know this too smart for the regulars. My expectations are low.
If it sells out ,I only want a small commission.
No sources my own idea.
Interesting idea but how is this any different or better than paying interest on a 30 year bond?
If its a good enough deal to attract investors its probably a bad deal for taxpayers.
Also the assets of the Government don't earn anything other than Royalties which are already collected now.
If you want to be, press one. If you want not to be, press 2
Republicans are red, democrats are blue, neither of them, gives a flip about you.
Would you buy into a IPO for a company that only ran a surplus a few years out of 200 plus and has massive liabilities in the form of debt, Social Security, and Medicare? Plus the people handing out benefits and assesing taxes aren't voted on by the shareholders....but if you changed the voting to public corporation style, want to vote for Obama? Buy a share of stock. Really like Obama? Buy 10,000 shares of stock. You would also then get to vote on every Senator and Congressman, long ballot!
Idea has merit. If the shareholders were allowed a say in who ruled them, the US would not spend nearly so much nor hand out so much.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
