No Corporate Bail Outs, Lift up and support the Middle Class.

I am possibly a conflicted capitalist.

I believe in free enterprise...

I have a view towards self reliance and determination...

I believe our individual financial success rely's greatly on self...

That said... Life is not without it's shades of gray.

I also...

Believe in corporate citizens doing what is right for the common good along side our human citizens.

I also believe that our society must have safety nets and it is in moments like these that those safety nets should be deployed for the sake of our nations people and our individual and national economic prosperity. Not handouts, just help from the unseen.

Today we face unprecedented circumstances...

We face something that has become a common threat to not only our physical heath but also our economic health. It is times like this that requires the circling of the wagons for all.

Fear is a destructive force. It causes people to withdraw and move to a survivalist mentality. Too much fear... pervasive fear is not good for a civilized society. It creates derision and tears the fabric of "We the People".

It is not only the virus that must be defeated, we must also defeat fear. People, right now, are making decisions out of fear. Fear based decisions are seldom great decisions over the longer term. The ancient part of our brain dominates and it squeezes our the rational part of our thought processes that can potentially allow us to make decisions in our best interest.

It takes courage to set aside fears and see through to the other side of the unknown,

Here we are three weeks into this new and hopefully temporary paradigm. With the markets in panic mode. Legislators, trying to work together. Each of us, wondering what is next for our health, our jobs, our families. The future at the moment is absolutely hazy.

I have always been a glass half full person. Able to acknowledge the bad stuff, but focus on what blessing I have regardless of how small. It is the way I have always gotten through the hard times. As I speak to other fellow human beings, it is very apparent that there is an uncharacteristic feeling of vulnerability. It does not matter the reason for it, it just is. The fact that the feeling is there could make this crisis, this common enemy more pervasive and harmful.

Human beings have common desires. Safety for themselves and their family. Comfortable shelter. Enough sustenance to feel satisfied. Unfortunately, many are having to choose between their safety (possibility of contracting-the virus) and working to maintain the other two needs. In this age of the largest gap between the haves and the have-not's, it is important that we place the safety net where it will do the most to good... Small businesses. Actually the people behind those businesses and the people that work for those businesses need the safety net the most. Many are woefully unprepared to make it through a crisis like this on their own.

As our government officials look to support the economy (which is essentially you and me), fight the virus. I hope they attempt to focus on the middle class...

Here are some ideas. I am no expert and they may not be totally feasible but it would be interesting to try and figure it out.

• No Bailouts. Invest. The point of saving an industry or company is the people behind those industries, whether they are patrons or employees. Place restrictions on the investments to large corporation to make sure that the employees behind these corporations get the spoils of the aid. I think it would be pretty neat, if the profits from any equity stakes taken by the government were shared in a special dividend back to the middle class after the government was paid back. The last crisis showed that it is possible and probable that profits can be made from this kind of support during challenging times. It would be nice to see the middle class participate in the resurgence that will occur on the other side of this crisis. This should not be a tax payer issue.
• Set up stock options to employees if they take investments or help. Allow the non-equity holders participate in the potential resurgence. It might help the psychology of employees if they knew they were going to be able to make it through this period with their job intact, maintain shelter, safety and sustenance and have an option for growth in the future.
• No stock buybacks. Use the prosperity on the other side to benefit employees first. Then once the financial help is paid back then they can run the corporation as they see fit. The reason, I believe, there is a crisis in corporate america, is that survival was not prioritized. Survival is important for the employees, that should come first. Take care of the people and then absolutely take care of the profits. They must work hand in hand.
• Set up a sovereign wealth fund for America and use our position of prior and future economic strength to invest some of these flagging industries. Put some of the best and brightest. To have the ability to invest like a Warren Buffet and take both equity and debt investments in an industry or company would be great for social security funds and all of the money the government is set to print. Why not offer a preferred stock position with an eight percent dividend to be paid until it is retired by the corporations. To prevent the government from "choosing" a particular company, make it a pool that any company can utilize. For those worried about investing the social security funds and the fear mongering of loss, those funds could still be backed by the US government. At last there would be an opportunity to make an investment in the future recovery.
• Make grants to small business. Not loans. I am not sure what the qualification should be but just give them the money. Whether it is done through taxes, payroll or direct grants. The point is to allow the biggest provider of jobs and one of the cornerstones of individual economic prosperity have the ability to to make it to the other side of this without their future growth being shackled by debt. Make it so they do not have to worry about survival. There is only a need to weather the storm in many cases. If the government can keep the small business owner going, they will keep their employees going. Make it easier for them to not have to choose their families financial well being over their employees financial well being.
• Issue long term bonds, 50 plus years and rebuild America's infrastructure. This is long over due. It should have been done in the last downturn. There will be jobs lost. There will be businesses that close. Have an ability to not only put those people to work, but also get a return on what is borrowed and spent in an effort to prevent this crisis from turning into something more financially painful for the country.
• Use this time to fix our nations finances. There will a financial reckoning at some point... it may even be now. The reason for being responsible and diligent with finances is so that self reliance is possible. Our government is not responsible for itself; for itself. It is responsible for the people... We the People. We as a people should demand that our governance maintain hands off of our freedoms, but they must work together and be smart to maintain those freedoms. Financial mismanagement reduces choice and reduced choice reduces freedom. We as a nation are a global citizen. Things will occur in the world that is out of our control. Financial and economic strength is a cornerstone of being able to protect our citizens.

The point of any action should be to help make it easier for the people of this country and in particular the middle class to see the half full part of the glass. To be able to see hope through to the other side rather than focusing on the drip... drip... drip of seemingly never ending bad news.

One thing I believe adamantly is that we as a nation and as a people will triumph. We will rise again and push through to better days. In the mean time, all we can do is control our self within our circumstances, because control of our circumstances is not possible in many instances right now. Try and maintain a cheerful and hopeful eye to the future.

Be safe, enjoy your families and I will see you on the other side of this.

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Lewis B. Walker Jr., is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ?, professional dedicated to the education encouragement and empowerment of individuals.

He uses the perspective from his journey of going from financial insecurity and five figures in debt to financial stability using hard work and an attitude of one hundred percent responsibility for his circumstances. He believes that money and all that goes with it begins first with the internal game and through commonly used tactics anyone can work towards becoming less financially insecure and find success on their terms. With his twenty plus years of counseling success he knows that money alone does not create true wealth, but with better money comes better lives. He writes about his perspectives on what he believes are the five realms of a truly wealthy life: Physical, Intellectual, Social, Spiritual and Economic.

He is a Financial Consultant with LPL Financial. For more information about Bob or hiring him to speak or assist with finances, send a message through LinkedIn.

The opinions are that of the author and are not indicative of LPL Financial or any other affiliations. Markets are extremely unpredictable and nothing in my post should be construed as advice or a prediction in any form. Securities are offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC. The investment products sold through LPL Financial are NOT FDIC insured. These obligations are not obligations, nor endorsed, recommended or guaranteed by any government agency. Insurance products offered through LPL Financial or its licensed affiliates. The value of the investment may fluctuate. The return on the investment is not guaranteed. Loss of principal is possible.                   

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP?, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER?, CFP? (with plaque design) and CFP? (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.

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