Grassroots change

America is in trouble.  From where I sit, the President and Congress have lost the ability to make the fundamental changes required to restore stability to the America.  Too much political will and influence has been squandered on saving face, jockeying for position, and trying to capture (or re-capture) the White House in 2012.  Wake up folks.  The prize isn't the White House.  The prize is a country that continues to function responsibly.  If America misses the present opportunities to show real leadership, I fear it will be a long time before the balance of political and economic power sways back its way.  If there isn't a sense of urgency about this among the American people then a huge opportunity is going to be lost.  Throughout history, major change was accomplished, not by the ruling class, but by small groups of discontented citizenry.  Although a corrupted form of capitalism has seemingly trumped democracy in America, the majority still holds more voting power than the ruling elite does.  Americans at the grassroots can still make a difference in this present situation.  In fact, making a deference isn't optional.   

John Kotter (2008) argues that for any change to take place a sense of urgency needs to exist.  To the Baby Boomers who hold a tremendous amount of power and influence, I urge you to use these assets to make sure that there's an America for the next generation.  For the X, Y, and Millennials, we need to work with the Boomers to face the challenge that few generations have faced before - the restructuring of a society and culture.  In 1862, Abraham Lincoln said to Congress:

The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate for the stormy present.  This occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion.  As our case is new, we must think anew, and act anew.  We must disenthrall (set free) ourselves, and then we shall save our country."  

Those words were spoken in the middle of the American Civil War.  The country was divided over philosophical and moral differences about where the country should go.  The country is again divided over philosophical and moral differences.  This time, the war isn't being fought with guns but with money.  The country is struggling over where it will go in the future.  No country has ever survived for long with out a robust middle class.  When the divide between rich and poor becomes too great, the country disintegrates.  This is a defining moment for America.  The middle class has been gutted.  It seems that they are waiting for a political saviour to rescue them.  Guess what?  That's not going to happen.  The Tea Party cannot fix this issue, nor can the President or the Republicans and Democrats in Congress.  It's an issue that needs to be sorted out at the grassroots.  I think Lincoln's words provide us with some good advice on what we should do.  We need to think and act anew. 

Vote everyone out of Congress

This is a radical and revolutionary idea.  Kotter (2008) suggests that first tactic to bring about needed change is to bring the outside in.  The present Congress has shown that their experience counts for nothing.  They have been unable to call upon what they know because they learned it in a world that is vastly different from the one in which we now live.  This occasion is piled high with difficulty and it requires us to think and act in new ways.  We don't need experience in Congress; we need people who can think for themselves and for their constituency.  Elected officials are not there to build a career and lifestyle for themselves.  They are there to represent your interests.  If the American people can call and write to their elected officials in record numbers and still have Congress do the opposite - then its time for them to be shown the door.  I saw a billboard on the CNN website that said: "You can't fix stupid, but you can vote them out of office."  The current Congress doesn't know what to do because their experience has them trapped in the past.  What worked yesterday isn't going to work today.  

Identify someone YOU know to run for the office

The current political system requires those who run for office to receive an endorsement from the party.  This endorsement usually means that the person has jumped through all proper hoops; they've put in their time.  But a person who has spent this much time trying to impress the king makers is hardly going bit the hand that puts them in office.  From the grassroots levels, we need to start identifying people we know and trust.  People who love the country and want to see things change for the better.  This isn't about Republican or Democrat; but about finding Americans who will serve their country out of a sense of duty.  These people will be hard to find, but they're out there.  It's not impossible.  Their primary ambitions shouldn't be to become life long politicians, or to win re-election.  They should be dedicated to rescuing America from its current crisis - or to die trying.  These people should not only think differently, they should act differently.  

Do something - ANYTHING!

Apathy isn't going to change anything.  Neither will giving up on doing good and making a difference locally.  The system may be broken but it can be fixed.  Too many have been distracted by the consumerist lifestyle.  We're busy trying to pay the bills and keep on top of the everyday things of life.  We're too busy to get involved.  We need to make it a priority to save the democracies in which we live.  If we've enjoyed the life we've had in the land of the free, we need to ensure that future generations can continue to do the same.  I recently read two quotes in Tom Peters, The Little Big Things (2006).  

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.  Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." - G.B. Shaw, Man and Superman

Whenever anything is being accomplished, it is being done, I have learned, by a monomaniac with a mission." - Peter Drucker

Don't adapt to the world any longer.  Stop doing things just because that's what others do.  Moreover, get a mission for your life.  If you don't know what your purpose is, find it!  

Works Cited

Kotter, J. (2008). A sense of urgency. Boston: Harvard Business Press. (Amazon)

Peters, T. (2006). The little big things: 163 ways to pursue excellence. New York: Harper Studio. (Amazon)

Power and responsibility

With great power comes great responsibility. – Ben Parker, Spiderman’s Uncle

Opinion – Usually when I write these posts I wake up with the thoughts fully formed.  This usually happens on a Monday morning.  So yesterday when I woke up with nothing to write about I was concerned.  But this morning it happened.  Like and email that instantaneously appears in your inbox, this post popped into my head. 

The collapse of News of the World has sparked a sensational wildfire of accusations and resignations throughout the UK.  The crisis has become so severe that Prime Minister David Cameron is returning early from a trip to South Africa to ‘deal with the scandal’ (Reuters, 2011).  When power is concentrated in the hands of the few, whether in media, politics, or business, corruption will surely manifest.  

For ages powerful people have hand picked those who work for them.  They create an inner circle in order to keep them close and under tight control.  But in an interconnected world this perceived ability to control is fleeting.  The public values transparent processes because in our minds it is fairer.  But I have been around long enough to know that even these ‘transparent’ processes are often used as a way to legitimize the handpicked few.  

We need men and women in business and politics who will step up and wield power wisely and individuals and groups who will accept the responsibility that comes with power.  But as the saying goes, ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’  In an age of globalization and conglomeration we have seen the devastating effects of absolute and concentrated power.  If a minority holds the key there will always be the temptation to lock up the majority – but they’ll be so cunning in the way that they do so that the majority will think that the minority is doing them a favor.  

No one, and no country, is immune from this type of behavior.  It was reported this morning that Earthquake Recovering Minister Gerry Brownlee handpicked a committee to review decisions made by CERA, the Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Authority (RadioLIVE, 2011).  Labour has called for a review of the selection process, which I think is wise.  There may be nothing to it, but in times of crisis we have to be particularly vigilant.  In our need to seek out security in uncertainty we will turn to anyone who looks or sounds like they have our best interest in mind.  When we bestow such power on individuals and organizations we must ensure that they wield that power responsibly.

Simple thoughts on avoiding America's credit default

OPINION – The Republicans and Democrats have been fighting over how to handle America’s debt crisis.  Moody’s has warned of a possible downgrade of America’s top rating if the issue isn’t resolved (Mason & Sullivan, 2011).  The Republicans want Democrats to reduce spending while the Democrats want to raise taxes on the ‘rich’. This is an old ideological battle between these two parties.  It has always been a way of scaring the American people. 

I have some solutions that might help the politicians out of this dilemma and allow them to avoid the downgrade.  These solutions are not new, but they will require politicians on both sides to actually lead the country instead of playing games with its future. It will also require Americans to exercise their rights and demand these changes of their politicians.  Leadership requires sacrifice.  Leadership that tries to avoid sacrifice is just self-serving.  I propose that the government cut spend and raise taxes. 

Raise taxes

I’ve read and heard over and over that the majority of the countries wealth resides in the nations top 20%.  This is Pareto’s 80/20 principle. Depending on which source you look at (you can Google it for yourself) you’ll find that between 70-90% of America’s financial wealth resides with only 20% of the population. Raising taxes on the top 20% means that the other 80% – the hard working and unemployed middle class will be spared.  Call or email your elected representative and demand that they do this.  Exercise your democratic right and don’t let the minority be the only ones that make the rules.  

I would suspect that most politicians are fundamentally opposed to tax increases because if they raise taxes on the richest 20% most of them would be affected.  The base salary for a US representative is $147,000 a year.  This is just over $100,000 more than the median annual salary in the United States.  I suggest in this case that the majority should actually take a stand and demand that taxes be raised on the riches 20%.  

For those who are afraid that this might hurt the economy or be bad for jobs take a look around.  The economy is already in the tank and many of the wealthy individuals who pushed America to the brink of the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 have done well for themselves at the expense of the 80%.  Americans in general need to stop waiting for their government to get them out of this mess.  Average Americans need to call on that entrepreneurial spirit that settled a continent, tamed the West, and created a country that the world wanted to come to (not destroy), and initiate opportunities for themselves.  Why shouldn’t the average person look after the interests of their families?  The government is busy looking after their own? 

Cut spending

Politicians might not want to raise taxes because it will impact them personally.  But if they were to raise taxes at the same time they cut their salary to the national median, they wouldn’t have to worry about paying more taxes.  There are 432 members in the House and another 100 in the Senate.  American taxpayer would save roughly $53,000,000 a year if Congressional salaries were pegged to the national median income. By taxpayer I’m referring to the 80% who pay most of the taxes because the top 20% have found ways of avoiding it.  We could also look at their health care benefits, to make sure they’re getting what the average American has access to.  If your company does well in the finance sector you get a big bonus. If our Congressional leaders got a pay raise when they enacted changes that helped to raise the median income they might actually get something done. If pay for performance works in industry – why not for our government officials?   

There’s more money to be saved in the lobbying industry too.  The health care lobby alone last year spent $123 million lobbying the government over Obama’s health care reform.  That’s $123 million of your insurance premiums that didn’t go to providing you with better health-care, it went to trying to make sure that that the health care companies were able to make more money from you. In banking, there are three lobbyists for every member of Congress – that’s 1,600 lobbyists paid by your bank fees and interest on your credit card and mortgage.  They’re lobbying Congress for ways to get more money out of you.  So let’s get more money out of them by lobbying Congress to pursue banking reform that will actually help create wealth for America – not destroy it. When was the last time you spent any money to lobby your Representatives about the things that matter to you? Invest some time in making a phone call or sending them an email this week.  Send them your suggestions about how to save some money. 

I’m sure there are more things that we could think of but I’m going to stop here.  Like I said, none of this is new.  These steps alone won’t keep America from defaulting on its national credit card, but it would save a few hundred million dollars, and that’s got to be worth something.