If You Were The P.O.T.U.S.

 

If you were elected POTUS how would you go about handling the dire state of the U.S. Economy (i.e. First Step to a better economic path, Immediate Goals, Goals For the Future of the U.S. etc.)?

There are several factors to think about (including the fact that you may not have as much control as you would like or that you may need a second term, etc. But let’s say in an obviously hypothetical situation, that the people and politicians were all game for whatever economic plan and other proposed policies you were presenting).

Main reason I ask this question is because I would have no idea of where to start even if this hypothetical situation ever presented itself and I’d like to know what others (particularly Austrians) would do in such situation.

I'm pretty sure that if all the politicians and the people were game for anarchism (which is what people on this forum generally advocate) then an anarchist president would make it his priority to just disassemble the government.

Recall all troops, tell the fed no more free money except for expenditures within the executive branch, form a comission to write up a plan for orderly privatization. Privatize the diplomatic and intelligence arms as regional private intelligence services. Privatize the military as a multitude of homeland defense firms. Privatize the law enforcement branches as a multitude of private police agencies. Auction off all remaining public lands to US Citizens and use the money to pay towards the debt, then repudiate any remaining debt and throw the (symbolic) key to the nation into the potomac in a grand ceremony, then with cameras rolling I would start filling in applications and submitting resumes, basically looking for a job after firing everyone else then myself.

Yeah, this is along the lines of what I was looking for haha... anyone else?

Malachi:

Auction off all remaining public lands to US Citizens and use the money to pay towards the debt

No homesteading of public lands?

Besides that, anything else that I would do differently than you would be unwise to state publicly, especially on an internet forum.

Well thats why I appoint Judge Napolitano and Walter Block to a commission so they can tell me what should be sold (if any) and what should be opened for homesteading. Nice catch.

Follow-up question: if you were POTUS, would it be an aggressive act to depose the state governments?

That's a tricky question. I think theoretically it would not be an aggressive act, but good luck with implementing it without aggression. In other words, theoretically, it would not necessarily have been aggressive to remove Saddam Hussein from power (and kill him). But, is that what happened?

When it comes to removing politicians from power, having foreign powers doing the removal is more likely to lead to aggression than having the victims (or whoever they hire) doing the removing. But, I think it's theoretically possible to do it, no matter how unlikely it would be.

Gotlucky:

 Besides that, anything else that I would do differently than you would be unwise to state publicly, especially on an internet forum.

Reinstate guillotine? White house orgies?

I'd declare that anyone who doesn't pay their taxes for the next four years will be pardoned, and back this up by immediately pardoning everyone in trouble with the IRS.

HAH.

Then I'd repudiate the national debt unilaterally. Leading to government shut down.

And then I'd be impeached and they'd move on with my VP as before. So, not much would change. Lol.

Yeah, even the pres can't do very much radical without a movement behind him.

Reduce Government spending by an average of $500bn per year.
Restructure as much debt as possible, with longer and more spread out maturities, to allow interest rates to rise, without destroying finances.
Eliminate all unconstitutional and/or contradictory regulations, as well as regulations that cost more than they benefit.
Bring means testing in to medicare/social security, put medicaid entirely at state level control.

Plus a load of oher minor stuff.

I'm ancap, but I'd rather see the state dissolve slowly, rather than collapse. With collapse, there's always the chance that something much worse can come out of it (I know other ancaps disagree with this stance).

Seconding Anenome.

I'd pardon Irwin schiff on the first day as President and confer to him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I'd task him with the job of dismantling the IRS.

why are yall concerned with paying off the debt?  i lean more towards complete default.  Afterall who would you be paying back by settling the debt?  the very people who were profitting from the theft of our property.  i say screw them they knew what they were doing by making loans to the US.

If POTUS holds t-bonds, sectreas pays him back first

grant.w.underwood:

why are yall concerned with paying off the debt?  i lean more towards complete default.  Afterall who would you be paying back by settling the debt?  the very people who were profitting from the theft of our property.  i say screw them they knew what they were doing by making loans to the US.

True, the debt is illegitimate in the first place, as it and the treasury bonds stand as a promise to bilk funds from taxpayers. Debt repudiation is the libertarian solution, a voluntary and willing default.

Several US states have done repudiations, but not in the modern era.

Since politicians got us in debt, let them pay for it themselves :P We've never been given a vote as to whether the US should be in debt or not, and even if we had, the debt could only accrue morally to those who voted 'yes'.