"One way to solve it would be to simply put everyone who is unemployed to work on government infrastructure projects, new bridges, more roads, passenger train-lines, etc.."
It would be ineffective. When you take into account that a large part of those unemployed are not motivated or cunning enough to the jobs you force them to do.

You need a very large bureaucracy doing only bureaucracy. Those people otherwise do valuable things in other jobs. Add to this every bureaucracy has its own corruption to face and people will hide not to work.

You will use more resources to build those things, increasing the prices of those resources.

"Include for the worker all benefits imaginable: health, dental, housing, food subsidies."
So those workers will use a lot of resources an money.

"Raise taxes on everyone,"
That has always been proven impossible. Mostly the "heavy taxes on the rich" only affect some or mediocre players in this game.

"Use funds to pay back the debt ASAP.  We could do so in a matter of years rather than decades."
But you are going to make new debt for those workers, so how then? If you raise taxes so high, people will starve.

"And let free-market capitalists have another go at it; this time police them better."
They are already policed a lot in a criminal way that is the cause of many problems we face today: artificial Monopolies inflicted by the state, Incompetent managers that remain in power with tax money, companies that have advantages they shouldn't have and ruin better more healthy companies...etc

I like Needles idea as well. (whats in a name eh?)

Alternative plan:
If you have enough money, you can create a big company that exists solely on borrowed money.
Then make the company loose to much money on you and your friends by clever constructions.
Finally let it be "saved" by obama so you get even more.

You pawn Stalin if you're good.

Oh, don't forget you're not supposed to actually lead the company, or achieve something with it. In that case you entirely missed the point!!

"And about history lessons here, Greece past doesnt give any privileges to its  modern people.
Just as second world war and the holocausts dont give us any right to accuse Germans living today.....past "favors" by civilizations wont obligate us to do any favors to its modern people. People living today, are individuals...whose responsibilities began at their birth.

If that was the case, we would all be pouring all our money and efforts into Africa, the cradle of life."
Well said!

Justinian,

This kind of fictive scenario is hard to predict, as we don't know the circumstances. If you had the power to brainwash people long before you had absolute power it would be a complete different scenario  as a sudden coup d'etat. At this point in time, the biggest part of US citizens believes in democracy and is paranoid about the state intentions.

So I add a few points
1.) Your army would consist of people from US not wanting to shoot US people.
2.) Your army could consists of high officers believing in democracy or not wanting to shoot own people
3.) You can't nuke a place as big as Texas without having to go to the nuke shelter yourself. It would be economic suicide.
4.) the people would be armed by foreign powers.
5.) you need a temp replacement for the oil
6.) other states might revolt as well
7.) you have to maintain and pay your army, while your opponents don't
8.) You got hills in the middle of Texas, its not all desert
9.) you will be very unpopular outside of the states

An authoritarian hardly ever in history had full power. The successful few balanced and kept the initiative that's all. Stalin did it by paranoia and quick power changes.

That's an easy question to answer (whether they're right or wrong), because they are more afraid of terrorists and criminals still.

"Look at American gun crime rates, look at gun crime rates elsewhere.
Logic fail."
"I don't need a link, i have common sense."
If you have common sense like you say, you bring up a link or arguments for your statement. If you're right as you claim, how difficult can it be?

I vote Zarf as well.

"It's also important to note that the last Byzantine Emperor, Emperor Constantine XI, chose to die defending Constantinople rather than accept the offer of exile."
No its not. Its only important if someone makes it important and nobody does. It had little consequences.

@justinian:
in that light US, Canada Australia etc should invest as well in Greece. All people who lived at BC are dead I suppose. That can't impossible be a good reason to fund or not to fund.

lol@ yell

@ zarf:
saving is desctruction but...I want them set free.

@justinian:
The gov can play a major role in the grabing for resources. Secondly, what they spend money on is very important. The US doesn't spend its military money wisely. They could even cut the budget a little and have a far better, more efective military. Eisenhower knew that long time ago.