Simple solution to economic woes

Kirsten Shearer, of Kendall Park
   Unemployment high, stocks low. Well, I’ve come across the solution to our problems. It’s pretty simple and admittedly not original. Forget forced redistribution of wealth with cries of unfairness from all sides and forget about adjusting spending habits. Instead, I suggest a voluntary redistribution of wealth and adjusting how we feel about our spending habits. That’s a tall order but simple to fill. Here’s how: Don’t blame our problems on money, after all money’s great and most will agree to that. Instead blame the taboo we have about money. Hear me out on this one.
   Do your relatives know your net worth? Do your friends know you’re broke because of that Porsche you shouldn’t have bought? Do you fold a one before dropping it in a donation box so maybe it will look like three? Does your company allow you to discuss your salary with coworkers? Does you’re your financial advisor give it to you straight? Do politicians voluntarily disclose their biggest contributors? Do you believe they’re telling the whole truth when they do?
   Four words underlie this taboo: Deception, distrust, exploitation and shame. How do we eliminate it? Simple. Make all finances and transactions completely public to anyone at any time. Apply this to the government, the private sector and even the individual. What would happen? Here are some ideas: Dissolving retirement funds and roasting books while pocketing millions might make you feel a bit ashamed, perhaps even make you reluctant to continue. You’d certainly feel like a sucker if you knew that your colleague earns 20 percent more for doing the same job. After you got that bonus you’d really think twice about giving a birthday card with a lousy $10 inside to your niece. It would be hard to justify paying or charging that much for a sneaker.
   When it comes to money we’re all skeptics and cynics with a growing belief in the worst of people, even ourselves. In our world it’s not hard to see why. Simply put, we hide our money in the closet next to our skeletons. Public opinion has the power make us police our own behavior. You don’t cheat when someone’s watching and you don’t lie when the truth is known. Bringing money out would at first be embarrassing, awkward and disturbing for most, but at least we’d all have company. Soon the many secrets that we’re all victims and perpetrators of would start to evaporate voluntarily. “Bad” and “good” guys would still be free to do what they want, how they want, but with the closet door wide open. Ultimately we’d create an incentive and opportunity to do the right thing all the time, on every level. Let peace of mind and good conscience handle the checks and balances. If you’re hostile to this idea ask yourself why. I promise we would gain more than we would lose.