Halloweens

I don’t remember a Trick or Treat of my California years. Our family moved to New England on my 11^th birthday so there are memories of California, just not Halloween.

In Massachusetts sure. I was in 6^th grade and a neighbor family helped me with my costume; a king’s robe and headdress from the Orient. We giddily dressed for the big day, arrived at school and took part in a costume parade for each other, the teachers and for the few parents who came to witness the spectacle. I remember feeling a part of something, of having fun, of getting out of my own skin. This was a pretend moment that has stuck with me. It is a lasting image of Halloween. Odd I think.

I remember more New England Halloweens, maybe because those were my early encounters with chilling weather, snow storms and becoming more aware of life beyond the family. I recall trick ‘n treating in dark and damp Halloweens, scuffling through fallen leaves or some years scuffling through small snow drifts or wet rain with ‘skiddy’ leaves.

By the time we moved to New York I was past the age of Halloween. Now it was door bells ringing and young kids on the doorstep peering in the door and hoping for a treat that out shined the last house.

Then, many years of no Halloween memories, not until married and having kids of our own. Our first house was on an Illinois residential street with overarching maple and walnut trees. Spooky shadows, darkness shrouding the small bands of kids roaming the neighborhood on the prowl for candy and oohs and aahs from admirers of their clever disguises. So much energy to be different than everyday. So much fun to traipse to so many houses and actually get a handout of candy! Who thought up this magical tradition?

And then the memories are of our kids taking up the tradition, followed by the grandkids avidly taking on this ‘new’ tradition.

In all I have experienced 68 Halloweens and I don’t remember very many. I remember my own excitement as a general feeling, which then moved on to the excitement for my children and their growing memories. But I really don’t attach a lot of meaning to this odd holiday tradition. I wonder why that is?

Now I think of the very young trick ‘n treaters in their cute costumes tentatively knocking on the door. And I imagine elders who look forward to seeing these young neighbors venturing out but also concerned that their treats won’t measure up to those offered elsewhere, or if older tricksters will be out to do mischief.

I try to think what the holiday originally meant. All Hallowed Eve of All Saints Day. Back in medieval times, no doubt. Back 2000 years when we honored the dead in fear of retribution if we didn’t? Seeking spiritual and ghostly representatives to protect us? Was that it? What part did this have with the church? Not much really.

Halloween was a pagan thing but it stuck in popular culture. So much so that Pope Gregory III in the eighth century designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day. It was a day to honor all saints and martyrs. The eve of All Saints Day retained the tradition of costumes and visiting others in disguise.

Maybe it’s the disguise that captures the imagination? The chance to be something you are not. Maybe we do this to try on a different personality, to see how it might feel? Perhaps I’m reading too much into this. Maybe it’s just a fun thing to do.

However you observe Halloween this year, enjoy it and be safe!

October 31, 2011

More Economic Theory

I know this is boring to most but economic policy is one of the most important public policy arenas with day to day consequences for us all. If it is handled well we benefit. Each of us. If policy decisions are done poorly, the economy misfires and affects us all in a bad way.

The economy works in balance. This is called equilibrium. Actually the economy constantly seeks equilibrium much like water seeks the lowest level. Many variables affect equilibrium. We will look at just a few today.

Supply and demand basically controls the pricing function. Price is the mechanism that seeks equilibrium of supply and demand. When demand exists for a good or service, a price can be set for its sale to a buyer. The more a product (good or service) is perceived to be needed, or perceived to be in short supply, the higher the price can be.

If there is no competition from other suppliers, buyers will pay the stated price as long as they think they can afford to pay it. This is pricing in a monopoly situation. If only two or three suppliers exist, then pricing is more competitive but still controlled by a few. This is an oligopoly market. In a heavily supplied market, prices will be very competitive. Buyers have many alternative sources to choose from.

When a product is new to the market there is no competition due to uniqueness. Price is thus high and rewards the supplier for creating the new product and bearing all the cost of research, engineering, invention and start-up costs for production and introduction to the market.  Think Apple’s I-Phone.

These early periods could be months or years but the seller has the opportunity to recapture start-up costs and build the market. Once competitors enter the market, prices will drop somewhat depending on supplier profit margins required to first break even, and second reward the supplier sufficiently to continue offering the product.

As competition increases with more suppliers wishing to chase the profits of this product, prices will decline until a new balance is established. Pricing must cover the cost of producing and distributing the product. Sellers must feel rewarded for their investment risk and work. If not, they will exit the market, lessening competition which then results in a changing point of equilibrium.

Supply and demand. Seems simple. It isn’t because the facts of each product and market situation is highly variable. Here are some of the variables:

• Advertising or marketing creates awareness of a product’s existence
• Marketing creates interest among buyers to buy the product
• If buyer perception is high that this is a needed product, then price can be set higher
• If a product is perceived as being unique or ‘best,’ prices may be set higher
• If a product is viewed as mundane and of little difference from one supplier to another, it becomes more a commodity and is priced lower, especially if it is of plentiful supply
• If technology adds new functions or features to the product, prices can be raised
• If technology changes the need for your product, the price may drop to zero

That’s enough variables for one sitting! Let’s look at some other elements that relate to overall pricing function.

The cost to produce the product adds to the price equation. Raw materials and labor are the two largest components of product cost. As long as both are plentiful the cost to produce a product remains affordable and pricing is easy to set. As a product gains use in the market, i.e. the number of buyers willing to buy the product grows regardless of the number of suppliers in the market, supply issues are added: are raw materials still readily available at stable prices, or are supplies getting tight and higher priced? If the latter, production costs rise and pricing will need to follow to maintain profit margins.

Supply of labor and its costs follow the same supply and demand factors as raw materials. If labor costs rise then prices will need to follow.

Any producer that can produce the product at lower cost has a competitive advantage and can price accordingly. Competitors may be squeezed out of the market under these circumstances.

Additional production costs include space, utilities, distribution expense, advertising and marketing costs, sales expense and administrative overhead. The latter includes planning, accounting, research and development, engineering and executive management.

A basic understanding: if variable costs cannot be recaptured, the producer will lose profit and may go out of business entirely. Thus supply and demand is one competitive factor; another is pricing components each of which embraces their own supply and demand issues which further affect price.

We will examine later how the above factors interact in specific industries and products:  housing (real estate prices, mortgage costs and rents); automobiles; energy; agriculture; and technology-based products.

Until then examine closely why you buy a specific product. Has the basis of your decision to buy that particular product remained the same or changed? Has your need for it changed? Has your ability to pay for it changed?

More in the near future; much more. Stay with me on this topic. It is important in understanding many current events.

October 30, 2011

Political Ideologies Resolved

The arguments, discussions and heated exchanges which count for public discourse these days invariably revolves around conservative, liberal and middle of the road ideologies. I’d like to focus a bit on this.

Let us begin with some definitions:

• Conservative: less government is better; protection of the individual is paramount
• Liberal: quality of life is paramount; access to it and respect for each person is central
• Middle of the Road: borrows ideas from both liberals and conservatives to build sustainable programs that meet society’s needs

These labels will retag from time to time such as right wing, leftist, centrist, and many other variations. Sometimes the labels take on inflammatory coloring but those are rhetorical gimmicks.

At any given moment these three ideologies slip all over a wide spectrum. They shift continuously. With 310 million residents, America has a lot of opinions, all changing along a varying line of debate. It is difficult to keep up let alone understand what all of these people are saying-demanding-fuming!

I know the definitions I offered are basic and brief. I might have missed nuances but the danger of adding those increases the odds that the definition is inaccurate. So let’s remain in the basic definition mode for now.

One common thread all three share is the centrality of the individual. Conservatives desire protection of the individual. Liberals avow respect for each person. Middle of the roaders share ideas from both so they must also maintain support for personhood. That’s a lot of shared value among the three camps.

It makes me wonder why each works so diligently to separate themselves from each other. Why all the drama and debate? You believe in freedoms of the individual. You adhere to the Constitution and its Bill of Rights and guarantees of freedoms. Why the heat and passion? Why the ranting rhetoric?

Means to ends may be part of the answer. Conservatives believe government carries too large a role in our daily lives. Liberals believe individuals will pursue inclinations of greed if they are not regulated or curbed; that’s where the government role enters their picture frame. Middle of the road folks seem to say both sides have a reason for concern so let’s find a way to satisfy most of each side’s concerns.

If this nutshell view is basically correct, then what’s the problem? Why are American ‘politics’ so gridlocked? Why are we so angry at each other?

Perhaps the emotions are contrived by purists to keep their politics pure and starkly different from the others? Do these emotions cloud public reactions? Distract us? Are reactions in kind lured into being thus creating heated exchanges? Are we being scammed or is this an honest ‘debate?’

Whatever our national discussion is cannot be fairly named a debate! A debate has rules of engagement and a process built in based on fairness. It is a challenge of wit as well as logic and informed communication. What’s raging on the public stage is not debate but rather senseless noise that is distracting the public from clear and factual discussion.

We need that discussion. We need to prove to each other that we are respectful and logical and informed. We need to inform each other. We need to feel for each other’s sensibilities. That’s where respect is found and shown. Can we rise to this level of communication? Can we seek shared meaning which may lead to constructive compromise on critical issues?

Life is not black or white with the exception of death. Life is filled with gray tones. Lots of gray. And that is OK. It’s a good reflection on the diversity of American culture.

Ours is a very diverse culture. That diversity includes a broad spectrum of age, a polyglot of languages spoken and written, enormous ethnic diversity, religious differences, multiple cultures blending into one, and many political experiences and values rubbing against each other.  One major difference is gender. And that is pretty much a 50/50 proposition! And unalterable. And we get along after all these millennia because we have to. Still we have tensions between male and female. But it is accommodated in America. Not always perfectly.

Why do we have such trouble accommodating all of the other differences? We are a melting pot of diversity. Certainly this will have consequences politically, but nothing that we can’t manage over time. So let’s do just that. Let’s focus on our shared values rather than what differences we have among us.

Might this be the starting point for fruitful dialogue going forward? Are we ready to do this? Are you?

October 29, 2011

Being Inventive

First we recognize a need to fill. Then we gather resources that could fill the need. Next we consider the method to fill the need. Finally, we implement the actions which fill the need.

But what happens when we recognize the need and have no ready method to address it? At that point resources are not the question. Means is.

The presence of a void emerges.

Filling the void becomes a new ‘need.’ We will have to invent the process which will be used to address the original need.

Imagine what our country did to place a man on the Moon. We knew the objective (the Moon), we knew the complexity (keeping men alive to reach the Moon, and return to Earth), and we had accumulated scientific knowledge (astronomy to locate the Moon, rocket propulsion for speeds needed to travel the distance, engineering to keep man alive in an artificial environment, materials to withstand the trip, etc.). Deductive reasoning told us what we didn’t know. The tension of the unknown pulled our minds into creative mode to fill the gap, to relieve the tension.

The rest is history. We filled in the knowledge gaps. We solved problems one at a time leading to the final burst of creativity that led to placing men on the Moon on time.

Collateral discoveries were enormous but the largest of all was finding our ability to achieve an “impossible” mission.

Many discoveries of the Moon Program led to the expansive Space Program, which produced scientific knowledge and product development of immense importance. These, in turn, led other people to develop new technologies in computing, telecommunications, and materials. These led to further advancements in medical technology (fake blood, fake bone, fake organs and tissue) as well as the application of those technologies. Entire new industries emerged.

People were inventive. Individuals and teams produced results. Resources were made available to support research, engineering, prototype building, manufacturing and education. But first there was something very special required to make all of this happen.

A priority was identified and made into a goal: Place a man on the Moon.

Our nation accepted the challenge, made it a goal, and used inventiveness to complete the objective. We succeeded. We can do it again.

And we need to. This time around we need to accomplish these goals:

• Restore household incomes to sustainable levels
• Provide education to each person to fulfill their potential
• Remove petroleum as an energy source
• Provide clean drinking water to all global residents
• Provide accessible and affordable medical care to each person
• Reinvent housing to meet changing personal needs while minimizing eco-impacts

These are basic goals. We have ignored them because we have been distracted by other things. We have allowed social, political, and other nonsensical distractions to waste our time, money and resources. We have not been attending to our core needs.

We need leadership to get back on track. We need clear cut priorities and goals.

We have the talent and ability. We have the accumulated knowledge and the means to discover more. And we have the national wealth to support these efforts. In fact they will create new sources of wealth.

But do we have the will to redirect our mind and effort to what is important? Do we have the leaders to take on this challenge? If so, where are these leaders now? When will they step forward? Are you one of them?

October 28, 2011

 

Learning to Dream

I need to dream. I refer both to dreams experienced during sleep, and the yearnings of the future. I want to address the latter.

I have spent over 30 years helping organizations create a sense of their future and then to create plans that reach for that future. I learned that client groups have a difficult time creating an image of their organization’s future. They tend to be in tune with current problems and the need to solve them; however, focusing too much in that thinking zone obscures long-term issues of great importance.

To improve group focus I asked these simple questions:

·         If everything were working properly in the organization what would your organization be 

       doing?

       ·         What would be happening in your industry or marketplace?
       ·         Describe your organization in 15 or 20 years; what would it look like?
       ·         What measurements of success would be applied to your organization? What achievements or
              numerical guideposts would be then current?

This is really an imaging exercise. The key is forcing our minds to press forward far enough into the future to allow us freedom to dream. We can’t make that future come to life immediately, but we can work towards it with a series of tactics, strategies and measureable actions. Those are the details needed to make the dream come true; for now it is merely important to play with the ideas that we hope will describe our organization’s success far into the future.

We can’t get to where we want to go without first identifying the destination.

The same is true for a society as it works with its institutions of culture, leadership and government. It deals first with what is immediately with us. Today’s tasks describe what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. What is our purpose or mission? Why is this important for us to commit energy, time and other scare resources to it?

This is really the bones of an organization’s Mission Statement. It needs to be perfected so we clearly understand what we are about. But it also needs to be fluid in order to adjust to changing needs and environments.

The long-term results of our mission successfully performed should yield to the dream of where we want to go long into the future. And that is the objective of strategic, long-range planning.

Some quick images would be helpful here.

• Railroads lost sight they were in the business of moving freight and people; they viewed themselves as being in the ‘railroad business;’ that wasn’t enough. Highways, trucks, shipping and air transport diluted the role and need for railroads.
• Auto manufactures believe they are in the car business. Actually they are in the business of personal transport both local and long distance. User options include size, economy, luxury, safety and utility. Merely making cars will cause manufacturers to lose out on important changes the future will bring. But will they adapt quickly enough to save themselves?
• Oil companies see themselves as producers of oil and derivative products. If they fail to see themselves as energy producers they will lose hold of their industrial might.

Mission and Vision coupled enable vital planning advancements. This is true in companies and governments, as well as non-profit agencies. Even churches.

Units of government would benefit from these efforts. The smaller entities for sure. What is their purpose or mission? How well are they meeting the mission? What needs to be fixed so the unit functions more fully to meet the needs of the mission? What long-term dream should we be working toward? How adaptable to change will it be?

Larger units of government will encounter political problems. Think of state legislatures and Congress! They can barely agree on the time of day to have a meeting let alone the priorities which are most important for them to attend to. How refreshing would it be if the State of Illinois established a priority list of key issues in need of attention, then set out the process to manage them appropriately in that priority order? Extend the same to Congress. The mind reels at the possibility of our representatives actually sitting down to work constructively on an issue and arrive at a working consensus.

It all begins with constructive dreaming. What’s your dream? What dreams should we ask our elected officials to be committed to? Dare we ask?

October 27, 2011

The Andy Rooney Syndrome

For years I watched “60 Minutes” on CBS Sunday evenings. If the news depressed or rankled at least I knew the icing on the cupcake was the commentary by Andy Rooney at the end of the broadcast.

I was saddened to view Mr. Rooney’s 1097^th broadcast on 60 Minutes three weeks ago as Andy signed off for the last time. He is 92 years old and still a clear writer and commentator.

Now we learn he is very ill in hospital suffering from a complication from minor surgery. We pray he recovers soon and continues his wise presence among us for many more years, even if we no longer hear new essays from him on air.

Andy Rooney. His eyebrows. His somber face. Stolid. Serious. His voice: raspy, with minor tones of whine, a bouquet of sage, and a nose for tang.

Andy asked questions with few answers. He posed points to wonder and for ponder. He allowed us to pause and consider ideas. Some funny. Some pointedly poignant. Others hilarious.

I often ‘hear’ Andy’s voice in my mind. If a simple declarative sentence pops to mind on a news story, I re-voice it as though it came from Andy. Somehow it makes it seem more true, or begs for more analysis! A beginning smirk comes to my face as I hear Andy Rooney’s voice. I’m preparing for delight and a serious point to take with me to bed before going to sleep.

Like the really great commentators of our times, Andy rarely told us what to think. But he challenged us to think farther because the simple was often not the final thought. We continue to need his deft reminder to think seriously on current events and culture.  And not to take ourselves too seriously!

Get well Andy Rooney. Get well!

October 26, 2011

Economics 101 and 102

It is time to share some basic information on economic theory that most people have never heard let alone understand. You may be surprised to learn how the economy actually works. It is very different from what your media stars claim, or our elected officials.

First, there are two ways to view the economy. The first is micro economics. This is the economy of the individual or family or small business.

The second is macro economics. This is the economy on a national basis. It refers to a nation which makes its own decisions and sets its own economic policies, including printing money, managing currency, operating the national banking system, and much more. Think of it as a closed system. All individuals, families, and companies participate in the economic system but do not directly control it. Neither do states nor national regions exercise control over the system.

An important point needs to be made here. Most European nations operate within the European Union. This means that monetary and currency policies are shared among their nations and no one of them can act unilaterally without damaging the system. Witness Greece. Their fiscal policies destroyed their credibility in the minds of the rest of the European Union. Hence the other nations are in the position of bailing out Greece to maintain currency value of the Euro. Portugal and Spain pose a similar threat but of lesser severity. I mention the Common Market countries because they gave up some of their sovereignty to share unified trading markets and currency. The US retains entire control over its currency and economic policies.

Micro Economics describes how we earn income, pay living costs, save and invest. It teaches us how interest rates affect our choices and each other’s decisions as a result. The concept of market enters the picture which explains how relative values are developed for goods and services traded in the marketplace. The elements of compounded interest and investment gains are covered. The cost of debt and how it affects other financial components of the individual’s balance sheet is explained.

Explaining the economics of the ‘firm’ is usually based on a proprietorship or small company, not a large corporation. The latter has influence well beyond its walls which affect national economics and that is the province of ‘macro economics.’

Macro Economics is based on a large scale. Think of all income from all individuals taken together within the nation; also their tax payments to governments; their living costs taken en masse, the accumulative effect of millions of decisions made by individuals, what effects these have on overall pricing of goods, services, labor rates, interest rates and the supply and demand for goods overall throughout the economy. The purpose of Macro Economics is to study and understand what decisions can be made at the national level (government and the Federal Reserve Bank) that will have desired effects on economic outcomes.

If the unemployment rate is low, how is the economy supported to remain that way? If labor costs are too high and inflation seems likely, how can labor costs be pushed down and inflation tamed before it starts? How much inflation is bad, and how much is good? At what level is unemployment too low, or too high? Are interest rates too low or too high? Is there enough investment activity occurring in the economy that creates new jobs, new products, new technologies, all of which will keep the economy functioning smoothly? Is our monetary supply adequate to meet the needs of exchange among the consumers and producers? Are prices stable? Or are they inflationary; perhaps deflationary? Which is desirable at this specific time? What are the prevailing conditions we are encouraging or discouraging. These are constant concerns with oversight by the Council of Economic Advisors, the Federal Reserve System (banking authority) and various Congressional committees.

There are a myriad of economic control levers that can be operated to produce a smoothly operating economy. However, these same levers can be manipulated by those charged with the oversight authority. That’s when political and ideological skirmishing enters the picture. I’ll leave this discussion for another time. For now just know this is the point of political intrigue and trouble making!

A final thought before closing today’s blog: International Economics and Trade is a separate arena of economic science. It is where national economies meet and do business with each other. Their national economies heavily dictate the terms of trade based on how well their respective economies are functioning. Pricing, currency values and balance of trade issues enter the picture here. Global interest rates and commodity pricing central to international trade grows large in their effects on the economic well-being of other nations. So, each country is not alone. How well we do at home affects how well we do across borders. More on this another day!

October 26, 2011

Simple Steps for Regular People

Battling big banks or huge corporations? Irritated at their policies, pricing and fee structures? What can each of us possibly do that might make a difference?

Making a difference can happen only with accumulative effect. This occurs when you and I do small acts in concert with millions of others. Here’s an example: close your big bank relationship and open a new relationship elsewhere.

Three alternatives pop to mind. My preference is to build a total financial relationship with a credit union in your community. They offer all consumers loan products the big guys do, plus they have electronic banking, checking accounts, credit cards, debit cards and much more. The ‘more’ is often in the form of a person who actually cares about you and meeting your needs.

Most people don’t know about credit unions so here's a little background. They are financial cooperatives in which depositors actually own the institution. They are member-owners. You elect the board of directors. Interest paid on your deposits is usually higher than banks (savings, IRAs, Certificates of Deposit, etc.). You pay low or no fees compared with banks, and service pricing is lower than banks almost always. Interest rates charged on credit cards and loans are also low to bank markets. So you win in three ways: low cost, personal ownership and higher rates of interest paid to you on deposits. The national motto of credit unions is “Not for profit; not for charity; but for service.” Believe it.

A second alterative is to build a banking relationship with a local community bank. They operate with local interests in mind. They provide business loans for local businesses, they help develop the local economy for diversity and financial stability, and they do all of this after studying the local community in detail. They are not taking local dollars and shifting them to other regions or states. They retain investments in local markets to strengthen them. Also, their consumer pricing policies are similar to credit unions although they usually are higher.

The third option is a locally or regionally owned bank with a home office in your own community. They have much of the same positives as the community banks but their dollars are likely to bleed out to larger markets unconnected to the welfare and growth of your own local economy.

If consumers at big banks moved their relationships away from them to the three options mentioned above, you can be sure that Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo and Chase Morgan will take notice. They can’t help but notice! Think of a billion dollars a week moving out their doors to smaller institutions. Bank pricing would change quickly. Meanwhile there is much to learn about your new relationship with your new institution.

I have had a primary financial institution relationship with credit unions since 1965. They have financed all of my autos; most of my mortgages; most of my credit cards and other specialty loans. Meanwhile they have my checking and savings. I am retired so I have no IRAs or other retirement accounts in a depository institution.

I’ll suggest other practical steps we individuals can take to counter the corporate mentality so prevalent in our nation today. Taking these steps brings power back to the consumer. It also reminds the larger institutions just where their power comes from. Us.

October 25, 2011

Looking Back

This blog is 3 weeks old. What have I learned by doing this?

First, my inner turmoil has lessened. Second, I think things through a little more fully. Third, I continue to connect issues to one another; life is interdependent and rarely stand-alone. Fourth, I still get passionate (ok, angry even!) about some issues, usually political items. Fifth, it is easy for me to get carried away. Sixth, writing one post per day is hard to do. Seventh, working ahead one or more days is neither easy nor timely. Fresh material is just that; it must be new during the previous 12 hours; it makes the issue ‘immediate’ and more compelling to write about.

I continue to ponder my motivation for writing the blog. I think they are these:

• Many interests have become a tangled mass in my mind
• Tangled masses makes logical thinking more difficult
• I need order; an ordered mind clarifies ideas and conclusions
• Writing a blog helps me achieve some of that
• New ideas emerge from this process
• I like fitting practical ideas to solving or easing problems
• I hope to motivate others to think and take action
• I hope to spread positive attitudes in others
• I want to help unleash American creativity and action

These are NOT my motivations:

• Running for political office; I’m too old and independent minded
• Looking for employment, although the income would be nice!
• Boosting one political ideology over another; they all have major problems
• Supporting one political party over another; they are all flawed

I hope to write in a way that helps others think clearly on matters that are of interest to them. I want my readers to think for themselves, come to workable conclusions, and take action that will help push our nation forward.

I feel we citizens need to do out part. We need to vote in each election. We must be well informed on each election. We have to understand the long-term stakes of each election and who will provide leadership for those desired results. We must be willing to learn about things we don’t always understand. This takes effort. Trusted partners in research and writing will make this easy; but caution: developing trust in these partners takes time and effort, too!

We have allowed politicians to define our ideologies for us. They are hardly the ‘trusted’ partners we need because the stakes they pledge allegiance to are their own power and influence. It is in their interest to create false arguments and issues to distract us from the work that most needs doing.

I think the American People have painted themselves into a corner over the past 25 or 30 years. They have been so busy enjoying pop culture they have lost sight of what is important. They have enjoyed earning higher incomes and buying fun travel and luxuries to the point that they have been distracted from the higher values of our culture. Along the way we have delegated decisions to people who are looking out for themselves, not us.

Democracy is a high maintenance form of government. It re quires informed citizens committed to holding elected officials accountable. That means we have to understand what is going on around us. There is no easy way out unless we wish to delegate our freedoms to others.

We must invest the effort to keep our nation’s dream alive for future generations. It is up to us, not somebody else.

October 24, 2011

  

  

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Unemployment is 9.2%. Underemployment is probably at least 9% and unreported unemployment (retirement, giving up, etc.) is at least another 5%. We have a problem. It needs to be fixed.

Every pundit in print and on the Internet agrees. What we don’t agree on are two things:

Who or what is to blame for this problem? And, how do we fix it?

I suggest there is another question to be asked, and that is: How do we fix the problem in the short-term, and how do we develop ground work for fixing it for the long-term? I think we can do this if we don’t get hung up on the ‘who’s to blame’ game.

In addition to pundits we have politicians. We hear their voices in the media a lot. Unfortunately, we don’t get clear answers from them. They have other agendas: power, votes, and egos. Those don’t solve problems; they frustrate them! So let’s ignore them for now.

Yes folks, if anything is going to get done these days it’s up to us. Unfortunately we have some obstacles in the way: government processes, Congressmen, Senators, political parties, to name just a few.

President Obama proposed a middle of the road solution in his Jobs Bill. The Republican controlled House of Representatives declared it a non-starter. The Senate took it up and attempted to pass it but the arcane world of Senate rules requires a two-thirds majority so Senate Republicans have the power to block any vote on any issue. If they think it will embarrass Democrats or the President, they vote to block. And they have; often.

Thus, no solution to unemployment is enacted. State and municipal governments throughout the country are firing workers, teachers, and fire and police personnel. This not only threatens human safety, but retards key functions which reduce our society’s ability to prepare for the future. Infrastructure that needs renewal, major repair or replacement, let alone expansion, is left to crumble. In the short term the economy and its people suffer; in the long run our ability to innovate and compete within the global community is damaged.

Another component of this complicated issue is needed capital that sits unused: corporations are sitting on an estimated $2 trillion waiting to be invested; banks are sitting on another estimated $1 trillion of idle funds waiting to be invested. Apparently the money is not the problem; it is the willingness to invest that is the problem.

The stakes are high. Too high to leave them to politicians who are self serving and narrow minded. We have four possible steps we can employ:

            First and easiest, support the Occupy Wall Street protesters; they are more right than not; let your support be known to neighbors and the news media; and

Second, notify your congressman and senators that you are displeased with them for failing to fulfill their responsibilities; regardless of party, the same problems exist and are getting worse because they cannot work well with each other; and

Third, find new representatives who will actually do the will of the people; this will take time and effort, but it will work if we are ready for the next election cycle; don't focus on ideology but describe what you feel the country would look like if we were free from our current problems; and

Fourth, write, call or email large corporations and banks that we know they are sitting on trillions of dollars that are sitting idle; urge them to invest in new energy and technology that will get the economy back to work; if we all are unemployed or underemployed there will be no marketplace in which we can afford to buy their products and services.

Right now these steps will send a signal to the politicians that we the people are ready for a new beginning and are willing to begin solving problems in the most expeditious manner possible. We’ll smooth out the details later, thank you!

This is not a liberal/conservative/centrist issue. This is basic governance. The economy is not in the control of an individual or group. The economy operates in a relatively ‘free market’ environment but the mechanism is supported by government banking and currency policy at the national level. Moving the control levers of the policy and banking mechanism alters economic outcomes. Employment is created in this fashion. Jobs are destroyed by poor management of the policy mechanisms.

Congress has oversight and veto power over the mechanism. Doing nothing at a time of crisis makes the crisis worse. Politicians generally do not understand the finer points of economics. (They think they do; but they don’t) Even economists argue over policy; but for the most part, economists can operate the system much better than politicians who have ideological axes to grind. That’s where the real blame resides.

We don’t have the time to referee a political debate or empty, ignorant arguments by politicians obligated to industries, wealthy or special interest groups. We must take action now before more people lose their lives and livelihoods to stupidity and greed. Those are ugly character flaws of our American psyche. Please let us not let them destroy our nation’s future.

We really need leaders who will use our resources wisely and solve problems. Along the way we need to side-step non producers who have blocked our forward progress. But this situation will not change if we don’t ask for change and demand it. We elected the right person for President. He is working to solve problems at many levels. He is leading but followers are not following. And who is to blame for that? Not the leader; it rests with us, the followers.

Are we ready to lead by following? Are you?

October 23, 2011

Forming a New Challenge

I won’t pretend to be an expert on the oil industry. However, I think I can discern several points we should be interested in as a nation. The pluses and minuses for America regarding the oil industry are these:

Pros:

• Diverse players and integrators of oil products and byproducts
• Vertically integrated: we discover resources, drill for them, refine and distribute
• Horizontally integrated: we create industrial spinoffs from energy suppliers to chemical producers, lubricant equipment systems, energy systems and ever widening engineering applications
• Allied with associated energy production such as natural gas
• Research and development in alternative energy sources: shale oil, tar sands, solar, wind and thermal

Cons:

• Drilling pollution of landscape and aesthetics
• Shale oil mining pollution and aesthetics
• Pollution of soil, water, air and global temperatures
• Underwater drilling perils: Gulf coast and delicate coastal areas
• Volatile pricing markets: shrinking reserves, limited future resources, environmental restrictions, quality of life boundaries, geopolitical issues
• Foreign disruptions from monopolies and oligopolies (OPEC, etc.)
• Foreign policy sensitivities: Middle East, Russia-China bloc nations
• Terrorism threats

Over several generations we fully integrated oil into our lives. We discovered chemicals and materials which have vastly improved our standard of living and quality of life: plastics, exotic lubricants, paints and coatings impervious to wear and tear, new fabrics and cosmetics and medicines. Also, agricultural applications increased the spread of petroleum applications. The array of products derived from oil is phenomenal.

The economic benefits have been tremendous. So are prices and market volatility. The slightest threat to any of the above creates huge oil price swings often destabilizing to  governments and the global economy.

Once we were anchored to the Gold Standard. It faltered during World War I but was finally abandoned in 1933. From that time national currencies are allowed to float based on their own intrinsic and trade-based values.

Like gold, oil is a commodity. It is highly valued throughout the world and has become a de facto standard of international trade. Think of it as the Oil Standard.

For those investors who own any part of the oil industry, or trade in oil products, they are wealthy and likely to become more so. They win. All others lose unless you are employed or supply those industries.

If there are big winners, however, there are bound to be big losers. Think consumers and everyone else who has no choice but to pay larger prices for the goods and services tied directly to the oil standard.

There is an alternative we could pursue: create alternative energy resources.

This means finding ways to lubricate our machinery or eliminate the need to lubricate. It also means, finding ways to power our cars and trucks, trains and planes and all other transportation forms. Heating and air-conditioning energy alternatives are needed, too. Generation of energy from non-petroleum sources would be helpful. In short, replace the use of oil in as many ways as is possible. The results would be these:

• Conserve oil reserves for uses which cannot replace oil as the key element
• Increase supplies of energy at lower cost thus stabilizing price and cost of living
• Lessen geopolitical tensions over the power and control of oil resources
• Birth new industries which will provide jobs, new technologies, innovation, production efficiencies and international trade
• Stability of international power and foreign relations

If these are noble goals to reach for, why haven’t they surfaced before?

The short answer is: they have. Discussions on these topics have been present among scientists, economists, government policy makers and academicians for years. But the research and development machinery is stymied by some natural guardians of the status quo: oil companies and automotive industry. They think they have much to lose if the oil standard is abandoned. To push us off they pretend to do research and development in alternative energies. They issue press releases to that effect but have you noticed any major new supply of alternative energies? Not really.

President John F. Kennedy challenged us to put a man on the moon. We accepted that challenge and invented our way to the moon. We had a lot of the elements already in hand but we lacked a strategy and key engineering knowledge to make it happen. We created those to meet the challenge, and ahead of schedule!

I’m suggesting we should do the same with energy. Create energy alternatives to replace 75% of the current use of oil, or more, by the year 2020. We can do this and re-energize America at the same time in more ways than one!

You know we can do this. Who will lead us in answering the challenge?

October 22, 2011

Right and Wrong

We learn to live with others while growing up. We are get ‘rules’ handed down by parents, siblings, grandparents and other family, as well as a host of rules from school, church and society at large. Each of us absorbs and adapts to these rules or social mores differently and at different speeds; but eventually we all get the message.

Over thousands of years, one basic rule prevails: Treat others as you want to be treated. Depending on the culture in which you were raised, this rule goes by different names. For Christians and Jews it is known as the Golden Rule.

It has become a core value of American culture; each religious heritage in America gradually came to recognize this value.

Other shared values in our social interactions are related to the Ten Commandments. These came from the Old Testament of the Bible and were handed down thousands of years ago in both Greek and Aramaic texts and are embedded in both Jewish and Christian faiths.

The Commandments are: One: I am the one true God; do not worship any others; Two: Do not create any graven images or idols; Three: Do not take the Lord’s name in vain; Four: Keep the Sabbath holy; Five: Honor your father and mother; Six: Do not murder; Seven: Do not commit adultery; Eight: Do not steal; Nine: Do not lie or bear false witness; Ten: Do not covet your neighbor’s property.

All in all a good set of rules to live by. Whether a follower of faith or an atheist, these rules hold well for most of us. In the case of an atheist, the first four commandments would fall on deaf ears but there remains some vestige of guidance in them still.

Common Law came to America from England. It is the ancient law of England based on social customs as recognized and enforced by judgments and decrees of the courts. They  are the general body of statutes and case law that governed England and the American colonies prior to the American Revolution. After our Revolutionary War, American courts built case law based on our Constitution coupled with the common acceptance of applicable Common Law concepts.

The Common Law, Ten Commandments and Golden Rule, then, are basic values we accept in society to guide our lives as we live in common. This keeps order and a basis upon which to build more complicated laws and an ethic.

Where do we go with this from here?

Many thoughts spring to mind. Our ethos (or shared core values) is helpful in determining right and wrong. We get help from our ethos to discern between fact and fiction, or truth and falsehood. It is much more difficult to apply in the real world of course. Our lives in the social context encounter complexities layered on top of complexities. Public discussions reflect that complexity as ideas and points of view are aruged endlessly.

Religious debate runs the gamut from freedom to tension in a hurry. Political debate descends rapidly to noisy clashing of ideologies whetted with religious fervor. No wonder it is difficult to keep our bearings in this environment!

I have an idea, simple really, maybe too simple?

What would happen if we stopped talking and listening when someone makes a statement of certainty based on religion or ideology without the necessary proofs? Could we really do this without letting our tempers flare? Could we discipline ourselves well enough to make this tactic work?

What would be the likely effect if we could be this disciplined?

Maybe the following would occur:

• We would think well before uttering a statement
• We would be prepared to offer proof of our statement’s truth, historical fact, etc.
• Yearning to be heard and understood, we would be more careful about listening to our conversants; what are they trying to say; are they making sense? Can we help them make their statement clearer and more factual?
• Can we be selfless enough to help each other understand our points of view?
• Might this growing understanding lead to more creative opportunities to address common problems?

You get the idea.

Right now we are talking at each other for the most part. We are whipping each other’s hot buttons to get a reaction, whether avid support or bald rejection. Either does little to enlighten our discussion.

Communication is a delicate act of sharing meaning between two people at the minimum, and a vast audience at the opposite pole. Either situation requires trust and cooperation to allow meaning to transfer from one party to the other. I think we take this for granted without being conscious of it. But we must become alert to it. It may be the only path toward a better social life.

I want that. Do you? Do we? If the answer is yes, what must we do to make it a reality?

October 21, 2011

Getting it Right

I Heard Senator Grassley of Iowa interviewed on CNBC this morning about the Republican presidential candidate debates. He used every opportunity to position the candidates’ arguments as ‘excellent’ as opposed to the failed economic policies of President Obama. He even went so far as to state his support of his fellow party men that the President should not be “campaigning” at this time when he should be in Washington DC doing his job. That’s a good jumping off spot for today’s blog!

First, when Republican politicians begin to talk about economic policy, watch out! Every time they do so, two things happen. First, they demonstrate their illiteracy of Economics, and second, they manage to create fallout for the middle class and low income populations. Throughout the Bush Administration (GW’s), household income collapsed; it is still in free fall, and that’s mainly due to the recession begun under Bush's policies. That and continued Republican obstructionism has frozen Congress’ action to fix the recession, so the same people continue to be hurt.

 
Another plummeting statistic is the percentage of Americans owning homes. Home ownership has fallen disastrously in recent years, so much so that rental markets are booming and rents have inflated making it difficult for victims of foreclosed mortgages to find alternate housing.

Under Republican economics, senior citizens have watched their 401k and retirement investments dwindle sharply, in many cases disappearing altogether. Pre retirement employment has slumped, and replacement jobs for those over 55 years of age very difficult to find; this group of Americans has been devastated, and Republicans do nothing except to complain “the other guy is responsible.”

Bosh! If Republican economic theory is correct, why haven’t they used their congressional power to broker corrective policies? If tax breaks for the rich create jobs, where are they?

A dark truth is evident: fixing the recession now means it would occur during the Obama presidency and they are afraid he will garner voter credit for the solution. That doesn’t fit with the Republican goal of making Obama a one-term president.  It’s beginning to look as though they have “thrown the baby out with the bathwater” and that’s us! All to support a political agenda that’s very anti-American. And it looks like they are getting away with it!

There is a reason why the Occupy Wall Street movement has legs and is growing globally. Most citizens live close to the result of failed policy. They know what it is like. They know when it started. They know who caused it but don't very much care.  All they want is for it to be repaired. Now!

As Republican candidates dither over meaningless attacks on each other or posture against President Obama, they appear more foolish in the eyes of the electorate, Republican, Democrat or independent. The only people who don’t seem to understand this are Republicans and the Tea Party. Seems their skills of representing others are sorely lacking. How ironic.

It is distressing to observe what used to be a sound, economically sophisticated political party with the heritage and wisdom of Lincoln stumble so badly. And they don’t see it. How tragic.

President Obama has to respond because economics is not a hard science. It is a soft science reliant on perceptions and confidence of the public. If those two elements are shaken, the economy performs even worse than it is currently. So someone has to bring reality to the foreground. With Republicans in a full court press seeking voter support well in advance of the 2012 elections (they started their campaigns right after the 2008 election results were announced!), the President has an obligation to respond. I hope he responds with his own agenda and once again outclasses candidates from the opposing party.

Free speech is one thing. Ignorant broadsides of poor taste, and mock concern which hide dangerous public policy is another. I for one welcome Mr. Obama back to the campaign trail. Perhaps this is where the voters will show Republicans how ill-chosen their tactics are; at least it will be in a language they understand!

Meanwhile we can only laugh at the Republicans. Once again they waste their power while harming innocents.

October 20, 2011

Eyes Wide Open

We have a great country. I am a patriot. I am also a realist who delights in creating visions of the future. The latter would be day dreaming if the realism were lacking. But my eyes are wide open. Hopefully the visions are possible, even probable.

To achieve that we must be honest in seeing our country fully ~ all the good and all the bad ~ so we are dealing with the real world.

To do that we must be willing to note our liabilities and faults. Here are some to consider:

• We  claim our bold historical significance without telling the back story; we took the New World from the American Indians, the indigenous tribes who predated the European newcomer by thousands of years
• The railroads were authorized to settle the western frontier in order to build their intercontinental routes. To do that they were given vast acreage of the wilderness. They were the law and slew tens of thousands of Indians in the process. They imported thousands of Chinese laborers and abandoned them as spent slaves when the construction projects were completed
• Mexican settlers who had settled hundreds of years before the white man were tossed off their land and subjugated
• Raw materials were ripped from the earth leaving behind dangerous tailings and marred landscapes
• Water was both dear and wasted at the same time; the EPA was needed far before its formation
• Millions of workers were maimed, killed or abandoned while the industrial revolution was born and matured; this, long before OSHA was created
• Yes we have discovered oil reserves throughout the globe and installed infrastructures for those nations to bring their oil to market, making them rich in the process; but we have plundered the world’s oil markets in the process and created international power tensions over the control of those markets. The Middle East is a tinder box and has been for generations. Not because of them. But because of American interests; us!
• We are the home of religious freedom but are intolerant of Muslims and Jews. Lord, we are even intolerant of Christians who don’t follow our denominational or ecumenical dictates!
• We allow people to bully, like the Wild West, physical power and nerve at the OK Corral!
• Guns are allowed because a bunch of people are afraid the government might overpower them? Or are they really into the sport of hunting? Or are they really saying they are afraid of the mindless mobs who might take away their belongings? What does this say about our nation’s internal sense of safety?
• We build fences to keep out immigrants? Really? Does this work?
• We are a nation of immigrants and proud of it; just not the latest batch entering our pristine land?
• We exported ‘derivative investment products’ and collateralized mortgage packages to the world markets. Those same investments were going sour in the USA yet we sent them to our friends throughout the world and then wonder why the global economy entered a recession when the banking and investment institutions failed large enough to destabilize governments?
• We exported huge numbers of manufacturing and technology jobs and wonder why our work force is unemployed?
• Ok. Ok. I’ll stop here. You get the idea. We lack humility and honesty.

We are not perfect from a long shot. We are good.  We are resilient. We are inventive. We are generous. We are blessed with many good characteristics. But we are not perfect and we need to be honest about that before we can do anything about solving our problems.

This is about realism. This is about resourcefulness. This is about possibilities. This is about our future. It will come regardless of what we do. But, how well it happens and benefits the most people is up to us to make happen. So let’s get down to doing something practical.

We will need to do some heavy lifting because a lot of junk is in the way:

• Do nothing politicians. If they are complaining and not providing answers, then they are in the way and need to be sidestepped (in time we can replace them with public servants who want to get something accomplished but until then we have to ignore the useless ones and do this work ourselves)
• Ignorance of basic economic concepts. Economics 101 and 102 are basic to a working understanding that allows us to work creatively; not understanding economics (but thinking we do!) really needs to be cleared away from our creative workplace
• Lack of belief in the talent of our workforce. We are blessed with the resourcefulness of the American people and their willingness to work hard and smart. They need to be made a part of our recovery, not an obstacle
• Greed of corporations and the wealthy. They are allowed to lobby, donate and bribe their influence and power throughout the federal and state power structures. This must stop. If corporations and the wealthy cannot win their arguments with logic, they must not be allowed to buy power away from the people
• Distrust of educational research and scientific discoveries. We have invested trillions of dollars in educational institutions, teaching, research and accumulated knowledge. We must use it intelligently. It is a golden resource. Why do we leave problem solving to politicians when it is the academicians who could provide much better answers?

Let’s start our work by removing the junk. Clear the way for progress!

At the same time we need to get started on the future building process. 

October 19, 2011

Stepping Up To The Plate

Ours is an inventive culture. We conquered a huge landmass formerly known as the New World. We did this by spreading our population throughout the land via covered wagons, building railroads across the prairies, over swamps, mountains and deep canyons; we engineered vast water works that brought water to arid areas, and ready water supplies to rapidly growing population centers. We built massive dams to create hydroelectric power.

As we progressed we developed a world class automotive industry. A superlative national highway system. We reached for and attained the moon. We expanded our exploration of space. We created massive research and development projects which fueled innovations in medicine, delivery of medical services, discovery of miracle drugs and we spread these gains throughout the globe. Our educational systems expanded from local to national and back again for a doubling of opportunity and access for all who cared to expand their horizons. We invented new technologies that stormed the world and created whole new industries which further revolutionized culture around the globe.

The benefits of this society were shared throughout the country and household incomes rose, homeownership rose, business formations soared and entrepreneurial interest expanded exponentially. The magic of the “American Model” appeared invincible. Unstoppable. We won world wars. We partnered with other nations to meet the needs and crises of the world. We were generous and gracious in our assistance programs.

We have much to be proud of as a nation. We have experienced good times, very good times indeed.

But where are we today?

Where do we start to answer that question? Besides being huge, it has many parts to consider. Among them are:

1. We are broke; $14 trillion in national debt and growing
2. We are over 9% unemployed; probably another 9% underemployed; maybe as much as another 5% or more who have given up or retired early; what a waste of talent!
3. Governments raise taxes and fees to keep afloat, making the situation worse for the less fortunate
4. Governments lay off their employees deepening the unemployment numbers
5. International markets captured American markets further reducing employment opportunities
6. Financial systems faltered; many banks failed; investment banking firms failed; international trade patterns failed and were reshaped and still sputter along
7. Educational systems continue to produce students under prepared for their life careers
8. Infrastructure crumbling in more ways than we can count (roads, bridges, dams, airports, railroads, water and sewer systems, etc.)
9. Over dependence on foreign oil as proven oil reserves continue to shrink
10. Scattered and ineffectual alternative fuel source programs
11. Political gridlock in the seats of power (states and national throne rooms!)
12. We lost national competitiveness in manufacturing of all types of industries
13. We lost automotive supremacy; our autos are not the world standard; German, Japanese and Korean products are
14. This long list can be extended much more, but let’s get back to more productive ground

What we are really good at is innovation and invention. We have proven again and again that we can perfect those two characteristics into world wide industries and standards of excellence. The real question is what are we doing about regaining this leadership and pre-eminence?

I don’t care that the world has become our labor pool to make our products. What I care about is we have lost sight of how we innovate and invent for the rest of the world but retain ownership and employment benefits along the way. The latter provides the markets and labor/talent pool for future innovations and expansions.

To build a dynamic economy that fills the needs of its nation of origin requires innovation and invention constantly renewing and expanding upon itself. It must do so faster than population growth in order to fuel job opportunities which support standards of living which grow to meet expectations. Unknowingly we did that many times over throughout our relatively short history. We have entered a stagnant period. Duh! But what bothers me the most is our lack of doing much about it! Are we waiting for someone else to do something? We didn’t before. Why now?

Are we feeling defeated? Why?

It’s easy to seek others to blame for this. But that doesn’t do us any good. Even if the blame is well researched and accurately laid at the feet of the people most responsible for the problem, the problem remains…unsolved. Blaming may make us feel good for awhile, but it uses up valuable resources for very little gain. [Blame sometimes provides good information on the how and why we ended up with the problem; that may help us avoid it in the future; but history doesn’t suggest this is a likely outcome!]

Bottom line: we have problems that need to be fixed and championed. Who wants to be on the team to do that? What talents do we need to address specific problem areas? Whose expertise is critically required to do the job right? What resources will we need to identify and use to fix the problem? How do we pay for these? Over what time can we allow these problems to exist while we find a solution to them?

May I suggest that our politicians are not capable of helping us out of this at the moment? They are part of the larger problem we need to attend to. But for now, who will step up to the plate so we may all regain our national pride sooner rather than later?

Maybe we should start with two key visions to fuel our rebirth? If so I suggest these:

• Create a new fuel standard that completely eliminates oil; use remaining oil stocks only for lubricants or chemical derivatives as needed; transportation, heating, cooling and electrical generation or its replacement to be derived from the new energy source
• Space exploration goal with these benefits: propulsion technology gains applied to common day life, chemical and material innovations, technology and medical discoveries

Both of these visions require replacement of education and infrastructure models. Accomplishing these will help reduce unemployment and stagnant household incomes while we are building a prosperous future.

Who among us is ready to start on this pathway?

October 18, 2011

Obligations and Responsibilities

We pay our rent or mortgage, mostly on time. We use and pay for utilities, again, mostly on time. We clean our homes with regularity (well, hopefully!), and we prepare meals two or three times a day, clean up the kitchen, wash the dishes, and move on to other things.

We follow a daily routine. Work or leisure (depending on employment or not, retirement, etc.) continues on some regular pattern. If something breaks we fix it, have it repaired, or toss it (or do without). If a problem arises in the family we try to do something about it, sometimes successfully, sometimes not.

Tasks, chores and…responsibilities? I define that as: a duty to perform.

What are the boundaries of these “duties to perform?” To what are they attached?

The sense of ‘obligation’ enters the discussion at this point. We have duties to perform because we have ~ or feel we have ~ an obligation to that which needs a duty performed. What might some of these be? Let’s build a partial list:

Voting; we have an obligation to vote because this is our democracy on every level (national, state, county, township and municipality)

• We have an obligation to vote with knowledge so we need to understand the issues we are asked to vote on
• If we have kids we have an obligation to raise them with intentionality; that requires us to know their needs, meet them as best we can, and be involved in their expanding world view. Education is a family affair, not just the schools.
• Elected officials must make decisions based on the relative priorities of the issues to one another, but they need to understand those issues clearly, and also need input from the electorate on what the priority order is; we must take a role in this
• We have an obligation to speak out when we don’t agree with decisions being made that affect us, or demean others, or make matters worse; we should understand the underlying issues better and then air our ideas; that’s basic to our very democracy
• We need to speak up when our institutions are failing us; these include government units as well as privately owned businesses and corporations
• We need to understand the Bible we spout from
• We need to understand the US Constitution before stating what we think it means
• We have an obligation to use our mind and body productively; don’t be afraid; engage in searching for meaning and understanding
• We have an obligation to reconcile our differences with others; it helps them and us be more fully human

Perhaps the core of the list is a sense of ‘owing’ to a broader world, as well as engagement with others to seek better understanding of the issues that affect us all. If we do that with openness and honesty, maybe we can create a dialogue that informs rather than beats down? Should we try this?

If we agree this means reading newspapers and asking them to inform rather than opine, to research and share the data with us, and to apply what we learn and know to the issues and events of the day so we better understand them. They will respond well if they know we are serious in our quest.

Do the same with your local units of government. You may have to focus your energy on one or two while others focus their attention on different ones.  I pay close attention to the City Council and the Park District Board. I wish others would take on the School Board, the County Board and perhaps the Library and Fire Districts.

What do we do with the state legislature and US Congress? Good question! What do we do with them? We could spend a lot of time on these two alone, and perhaps we will. Let’s let our discussion and blog take shape over time to see where we go with it. But clearly there is not much that is right with both the Illinois Legislature and US Congress. Both have much to be ashamed about. They seem giddily engaged in gridlock. I think they will continue in this manner until you and I convince them otherwise.

 
This is our community, our state, our region, our nation. We have an obligation to understand it and engage in actively monitoring and directing it. One voice may be weak, but millions have strength when working together. Somehow we need to do just that.

Occupy Wall Street is gaining momentum precisely because it has simplicity and logic on its side. The message is clear. The Internet is being used constructively by those ‘occupiers’ and we need to do the same. Is the blog world part of that answer?

Time will tell. Check back here tomorrow to see what our next mini step in the quest will be.

October 17, 2011