President-elect Obama has mentioned an economic recovery package and also mentioned the troubled American auto corporations. I have a suggestion:

Set up a federal division to facilitate the purchase of the individual auto manufacturers by their current employees, with at least the codicil that the new owners (the employees) then terminate every employee with an annual compensation package more than $950,000.

The revenue saved could then be plowed back into the auto manufacturer while retaining designers, researchers, developers and clerical and actual manufacturing staff.

Another condition of this facilitation would be the development of electric-drive vehicles that utilize a constant speed-drive alcohol-fueled engine that recharges the batteries as needed, as well as solar panels and other energy recovery systems, and batteries that can be recharged in minutes, rather than hours.

That would honor Obama’s pledge to create green jobs, lower the nation’s dependence on foreign oil and set a precedent to stop the revenue raiding practices of the highest paid executives in American and international corporations, who currently are compensated annually with millions of dollars.

Engaging in revenue raiding (compensations are considered expenses and, therefore, these millions of dollars are removed from revenue before profit is established), while claiming low profit or losses prohibits adequate personnel, adequate compensation for hourly workers, the provision of health care insurance, and pensions for hourly workers.

Randall Brotherton, Lewiston