Possibility?

       Economy – The Engine that Sustains Us All

            Job creation for all ages, interests and cultures

            International trade that enables full global participation; shares the

                wealth

            Adaptive to changing demographics, cultures and technologies

            Quality of life spread to all; equal access to economic benefits

            Invest in creativity, innovation, technologies, sciences, etc.

            Broad understanding of economics and political policies 

On December 28^th, 2011, I posted a blog on the Key Issues or topics we have before us to work on, settle, develop future options for – all that stuff! For the good of the nation we have work to do. Building blocks remain with us – those are the key issues I refer to.

Today I will deal with the last one left on my ‘to do’ list. The Economy. The Engine that sustains us all. For America to be sure; and much of the world as well, I think.

The other day I posted a piece that mentioned a local meeting of the Chamber of Commerce with a local state representative. My concern at the meeting was the cataloguing of ailments our state of Illinois has on its ‘to do’ list. And how horribly difficult the ailments will be to correct. My patience was strained because I had heard this listing of problems before; a hundred times before; maybe even more than that! And my patience was tested; my frustration at this pointless task of listing problems was matched by my colleagues at the meeting. Finally I challenged the state rep: Either fix the problems, or move on to address the future. Make it happen!

Of course he wanted to know how to do that. I’m afraid he may be willing, but he doesn’t know how, or even willing to learn, I think. So I threw out this important fact: enlist the aid of the business community including the non-profits. They will engage in what they understand and know: creating jobs to get important work done. Get out of the way and let them do what they do best.

Of course, if they are successful, tax revenues will pour forth to the state and municipalities, dollars which will then be available to fix the problems the state government doesn’t appear able or willing to do. The economy will take on the work and provide the resources at the same time. It is what it does. The markets will work if they are left relatively unfettered. 

Of course, we need monitors for those markets less greed for money and power distract the state from solving its problems. That goes for the nation as well. Federal regulations keep the beasts of dishonesty and greed at bay. Not perfectly; but manageably. Regulations are needed if we are to reap what we expect. We have had plenty of nasty results with poor or lax regulation; surely we know we need safeguards. 

Armed with the guideposts and monitors, the economy will do well. 

What we need most of all are goals clearly stated. Some of these will probably be:

• Gross Domestic Product of a certain size, annually. $12 Trillion? What is sustainable?
• Unemployment goal; 7% in so many months; 6% in two years? 5% sustainably by 2015?
• Our national competency will be what in 10 years? Here are some to ponder:
• Energy self sufficiency on a national basis; new energy sources created
• Career education for all who need it; life-long employability; adaptability
• Innovation in science and technology
• Engineering solutions for ecosystems: water, air, soil, noise
• Growing standard of living and household incomes
• Our leading exports will be these in 10 years:
• Education systems to spread wealth to all corners of the globe
• Energy technology to the globe to reduce oil dependency and geopolitical tensions
• Growing quality of life shared with the global community; they are our fellows, our markets, our labor pool
• Food and health care shared broadly with the global community
• Health care will be available to all in USA by 2020?
• Medicare will be solvent with growing reserves by 2018
• Social Security will continue to be solvent, but reserves will grow to cover expected future benefits by 2020
• National debt will be managed to lower levels:
• $12 Trillion by 2020
• $10 Trillion by 2022
• $8 Trillion by 2024
• $5 Trillion by 2025
• Thereafter use debt in reasonable amounts to accomplish shared goals and meet emergencies 

We can’t do all of this at once, but we can start to work on all of them at once. We will need to sort out which ones come first, which later. We will need time to see results and manage them for more and better results. But setting the goal; that is what we have not done! 

John Fitzgerald Kennedy got it right: Place a man on the moon by the end of the 1960’s. We did it a year early. We didn’t know how to do it when we started. But the goal made us think in new ways to accomplish the end result. 

Along the way we discovered a lot about ourselves. We can do much. We can learn much, discover many things. We can learn how to apply what we learn to solving immediate tasks. We can build a plan into the future to complete unknown tasks using unknown technologies. We created new technologies. Those still are emerging 50 years later. The Moon Shot accomplished great things. But most important of all was our self realization. 

We can do it again. I suggest this goal: by 2020 create energy sources that essentially replaces oil. Use your own imagination to list the benefits, both intended and unintended. The possibilities are endless. Peace is one of them. 

The possibility. Just think of it.

February 21, 2012