Local Man Confident He Could Fix the Economy If Someone Would Just Listen

Gary Pluth has the answers. He has had them for a while now. He has written them down, in some cases on the back of a Denny's placemat, and he is prepared to share them with whoever is in charge.

"It's not that complicated," said Pluth, cracking open a second Diet Mountain Dew. "You just stop doing the bad stuff and do more of the good stuff. I don't know why they don't teach this."

Pluth's theory, which he calls "Common Sense Economics," draws on a number of sources including a podcast he listened to most of, a Facebook post from a friend of a friend, and a general feeling that things used to be better.

"The problem is the people at the top don't want it fixed," he explained. "Because if it was fixed, they couldn't keep doing what they're doing. Which is the problem."

Economists who were read a summary of Pluth's proposal declined to comment, citing "an appointment they had."

Pluth remains undeterred. He plans to email his congressman again this week and has already drafted the subject line: "PLEASE READ — IMPORTANT."