How to Payoff the National Debt

Thanks to Anne Leslie-Binni’s Colorful Gadget Highlights XBRL’s Potential I think I have figured out a way to payoff the national debt. This new visualization of XBRL data from XBRL US shows that there was some $25 trillion (or is $25,736,711,207,100 a gazillion? – numbers never were my strong point) in corporate assets in 2008. So all President Obama has to do is mandate the retirement of all corporate assets as a one off ‘God Save America’ tax windfall and he’s done. What’s more this would trigger an unprecedented surge in demand to replace those assets providing a valuable economic stimulus not just for the USA but for the world (or as it’s now known, China).

xbrl-us viz

In the unlikely event that my suggestion is acted upon, my hot tip would be to invest in Dyson shares. Once all those assets are gone there’s going to be a lot of dust lying around offices and factory floors that needs cleaning up. So I expect a run on cylindrical suction devices. Even those like Mr Dyson’s that have a beach ball attached to the front.

I never bothered to get an MBA. Perhaps you can see why. And I’m sure this new XBRL data visualization can bring more value to the table than my humble country-saving suggestion.  If only I was smart enough to figure out what. Ted – got any ideas?


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  • http://twitter.com/AnneBini Anne Leslie-Bini

    Would a bottle of some of Ireland's best triple-filtered help you on the quest for inspiration? ;-)

    • Stewart Mckie

      Even that probably wouldn't help and anyway I'm up to my knees in empty bottles in my quest for inspiration to write these blog posts…

  • Ted Stavropoulos

    I like your idea, restarting the race would be interesting. With a Jamison!