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The United States government goes on a debt reduction plan for Debt  of $10 Trillion dollars.

While the nation is experiencing a serious recession the government is in a great position.  It can now borrow at 0%-2.3% and charge 8%-13% for having preferred share invested in banks and financial type businesses under the bailout.  It can buy distress securities for a major discount and hold them until their worth a whole lot more.  It is charging a premium for guaranteeing debt which provides additional revenues to the federal government with no cash investment upfront.

There are no investors waiting for a return and we all known government can wait out the down turn.    I wonder with these three options how quickly the payoff will take to reduce the federal deficit and provide for for the payoff of Americas debt.

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A few ways to make the American Dream a safe option.

1. If the government funds a bailout, then they should receive a percent return higher than any sale price.
2. Fines to credit bureaus and creditors for debt who are found to go after debt that is not legitimate.
3. Social Security tax on all income.
4. Can not evict renters who are currently defined as within 30 days of due date.
5. Required government assigned minimum true value price of an to asset
6. Flexible spending accounts to be able to pay for services from previous years.
7. Pay out retirement plans by 70 years waived.

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If complex financial structures prevent the financial markets from selectively resolving mortgage securities then pass a law that requires originators to buy back the debt and unbundled the mortgages.

Mortgages that can be shown should never have been approved, which means the financial institution was fraudulent must be required to take back the paper and be responsible to make the mortgage affordable.

Nonprofits need to push government to make the financial industry as transparent as they are required to be in order to protect the hard earned cash.

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Producing results matters!!!!!

If a person/friend makes $1.8 million for facilitating an outcome with government is it considered Lobbying if unreported.  Is it a gray area or Fraud?  Should any amount be the measure for reporting?  The measure of how much time a person spends should not matter but rather the amount of money earned in fees.

There is an easy way to perform an examination on relationships.  Unless the person is on the payroll they are a consultant and as such should be considered a person who is a Lobbyist.  Make it easier, hire the person as a part time or full time temporary employee and call them Government Business Relations.  If they produce results through their education of government on the issues important to the organization then that is how to measure their worth to continue their employment.  It is called an annual evaluation.

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Wasteful spending produced bad outcomes.

1. Instead of spending on rentals, they should have paid for Five thousand units of affordable housing $90,000 x 5,000 units =$450,000,000, who are still waiting.
2. Proud to say prepared when a storm gave them time and was not the expected disaster.  However, 500 buses never showed, 10 hour wait lines to evacuate, and people died waiting and being transported to the unknown.  Anxiety that was created by communication that failed.
3. Homeland Security relies on government for disasters but pay private security firms in Iraq at a higher rate.  Does it say Iraq is more important than American lives.
4. Bring the experts and the national guard back to the states where they belong. In Iraq the national guard equipment is working great.

FEMA has shown an inability to learn from the past. FEMA needs to learn how building in outcomes and priorities reinforces supports.  It is time to move over FEMA and give the money to nonprofits in the area.  The measurable outcomes for money should be by census track as the geographic grid.  Allocate money and resources and get out of the way.

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Who is responsible for economic hardships of being evacuated, losing employment, losing housing? Many of the effected individuals are still waiting for relief; to be exact, 290,000 people are awaiting it.

Using the local utility companies billing information and property records data it is easy to identify the eligible individuals effected on the date of the storms.

Send these people in need a check to rebuild using the FEMA funds already allocated instead of having FEMA coordinate it.  Let them buy their supplies and equipment.  This will stimulate the economy much faster than FEMA’s way.

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Annually there is a write up about professional solicitors and the fact that the charities involved only received a small portion of the donated funds. The context is always as if the money was stolen or obtained criminally.  I do agree that a nonprofit should not enter into agreements that has the solicitors making more money than the nonprofit.

If an organization is small they are probably happy to get whatever they can via telephone marketing.  However, fund raising is the one area where I think organizations should join together to utilize an efficiency that works and not pay high fees.  The special skills, time and effort it takes to raise money takes away from a nonprofits mission.  Joint fund raising provides for larger events and broader education of an agenda and a role for many.

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Honorably served and deserving of the support the money was intended to give. However, some organizations fail to meet their mission and should be terminated.

The National Veterans Business Development Corporation was created in 2001 as a nonprofit by congress to help veterans start and expand small businesses.  It has received over 17 million dollars from the federal government to date.

What has it accomplished to date?  Very little related to its goals.  A recent Senate report shows no audit since 2006, salaries far higher than the typical compensation, lack of board oversight, fund raising expenses in 2007 of $240,000 to raise $64,000, spending on programs not related to the mission and expenses not shown to be linked to any program.  According to the Senate report the organization states that it is not required to have an Audit.

I agree with the Veterans of Foreign Wars that this organization needs to no longer receive federal funds.  I would go further and say that THE TIME HAS COME FOR
National Veterans Business Development Corporation TO GO OUT OF BUSINESS.

Do not donate to this organization.  There are many others that will do a better job.  Check out Guidestar for a veterans group close to you.

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The economic problem is not expected to be solved tomorrow.  However, the taking of actions is expected to be conducted forthwith.

It is suggested to let each of us measure the action of the stimulus package.  It is not acceptable to have one that is secretive on what has been done with the money.

On the Presidents website, it requires every entity whom receives any funds from the stimulus be listed with an outcome.  Those whom received a lump sum to disburse, federal or state entity must be required to report on where the money went by state and by project.  If it did not go to a state then the federal government needs to report where the money went and what project it was spent on.  It is not expected that a huge purchase will be identified and there is no way to track the outcome.  If we cannot track it, then you cannot be expected to track it and it’s a waste of money.

Five measures for each project.
·    The date money was disbursed to entity.
·    The date project was implemented.
·    The % of the project completed, with a requirement that at a minimum it must be reported every six months until completed.   It is expected that a project will not take more than two years.
·    The numbers of jobs projected to be created or saved
·    The number of jobs actually created as of said posted date.

At all times the allocation must equal the whole amount of the bill.

That is the contract between the President and the people that seems reasonable for shouldering the stimulus package.  It would be nice to go back and do the same for the first stimulus package and create outcomes as well.

Nonprofits are expected to produce positive outcomes.  For profits should learn such reporting from the nonprofit business sector.

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A fuel assistance subsidy is most likely going to be needed year after year at an amount higher in each subsequent year due to raising costs.

By focusing on a regional approach of weatherization in conjunction to fuel assistance, there will always be a decrease in subsidy in subsequent years for a growing number of eligible fuel assistance homes. This achievement of building residential energy efficiency is a win for the environment, increases how many homes can be helped, reduces energy consumption and increases the likelihood of the US being energy independent.

It starts with winterizing one home at a time.   There are lots of folks looking for work, so why not focus short term on paying them to get the winterizing done on a massive scale.