‘An Ideal Medical Clinic;’ by YOU - My Thanks, and some additional statistics 

First, Thank you Dr. Pamela Wible for addressing your concerns regarding the US Healthcare System and your passion to focus on the patient’s desires and needs – first and foremost.    I agree that the best solution is a “bottom-up” plan where the people are allowed to have a voice in its reform    I applaud your efforts and I will continue to support “your movement” @ www.IdealMedicalPractice.org.  It certainly takes someone of your unique background and expertise to create the necessary vision and solution platform for this problem that continues to get more and more out control.

In preparation of our ES Radio Show Interview, I was truly amazed with the lack of knowledge the people of the United States have with today’s US Healthcare system.    In fact, I was personally surprised that the United States ranks 37^th – (at near the bottom of list amongst Western Industrialized

…

An ‘Ideal Medical Clinic,’ by YOU: Medical Profession Behind the Times

When I walk into either my doctor’s office or the dentist’s office, something immediately strikes me — and it doesn’t inspire me with confidence. Behind the receptionist is a huge wall….of paper files. Now, every other business I interact with from the local hardware store to Staples to you name it has computerized. Why is it so hard for the medical world to do so, almost 30 years after the first PCs hit the market? I know it affects efficiency. It certainly affects accuracy — just try to read one of those handwritten paper files — and it makes the interchange between doctor and patient worse in many ways. Come on, medical profession. Get up to speed.

Weekend Forum III Open Thread

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Monday: Time for a New RTC?

Is it time to nationalize troubled banks?

Tuesday: Defining America for a New Generation

What does it mean to be an American… for you, your parents, and your kids?

…

After Dr. Wible’s fantastic appearance on the ES Radio Show this morning, I felt inspired to repost this video.  Seriously fun, and directly on target about what it takes to change the world.  Check it out.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, we had one of those “angel sent from heaven” incidents with a doctor substituting for my regular.

It was the first time Jeff, my hubby, had come with me to the doctor.  My doctor wasn’t there that day, and as we walked back to the room we met an extremely tall soft spoken man in the hallway who simply said, ‘hi’.  So we waited in the little room for a few minutes and the same soft spoken man walked in and introduced himself as Dr. Dantzler.  He then spent a long while talking to Jeff and myself about his past work with inner city mothers, Africa (where Jeff lived for awhile) and his opinions on health care etc.  Point is, he talked to us.  Somewhere in there he started the examination but we didn’t noticed because we were so blown away by this wonderfully calming presence and conversation.  When our visit was over (after Dr. Dantzler had shaken Jeff’s hand and given me a hug and closed the door) Jeff and I looked at each other, dumbfounded.  In unison, ‘I like him!’ was all we could say.

So a few painful months go by and…

Your Fantasy Healthcare

[Editor's note: Reader comments on this post will be emailed directly to Dr. Wible, who has requested that we give her the opportunity to respond. Please, if you have thoughts or questions for Dr. Wible, feel free to leave them here.]

Thanks to everyone who participated in the show this morning. Let’s keep jumping out of the box together. Thought I’d keep dreaming with you by responding to the comments from the morning.

Shantyhag wants to be reminded by the nurse to bring the magazine into the exam room, but how about. . . 1) Like the magazine? You can keep it! We order extra copies of our inspirational reading material for patients to take home! or 2) Never have to wait. No time to read the magazines!  or 3) Actually, I have patients who arrive 30-60 minutes early because they like to read the material I have in the waiting area where they can lounge in peace before their appointments. Any other out of the box ideas??? Keep’m coming!

Brett Estame wants a simplified experience. Agreed! It is frustrating when insurance companies have no problem collecting premiums, but resist paying for care! Here is what we have done. 1) I no…

Ideal Medical Clinic Open Thread

Imagine your ideal medical practice… what would you like to change about going to the doctor?

Dr. Pamela Wible asked this of her community, and the results were astounding.  Now she’s teaching her methods to doctors all over the nation.  So how about you?  What would you tell your doctor if they asked you the same question?

Think big, and tell us here!  Comments require OpenID or registration.  Registration requires no more than 2 minutes and a valid email address.  WE CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY!

What’s a Poor Minority Member to Do?

OK, so we’ve all heard the story by now. The GOP balked and resisted many of the elements of the stimulus, including supplemental funding to the states (idiotic, but based on a Gallup poll that showed only 49% of Americans supporting this use of funds, the lowest support for any major portion of the measure); the supposed “$200 Million for contraception,” which was to support family planning and programs to prevent the spread of STD’s, which coincidentally proves to cost less than not funding the program.

They demanded-and were offered-additional business tax-cuts, despite the fact that many economists (including Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman) believe that spending has a far better stimulative effect on the economy.

In short, President Obama bent over backwards to embrace a bipartisan approach to economic stimulus. The result… zero Republican votes.

Two things:

1) I do think that it’s important, despite the obvious numerical non-necessity, for the White House to reach across the aisle. I still remember Pete Domenici’s “You’re not even going to be in the room when the decisions are made” comment from 2001, and how absolutely wrong it felt. I…

‘The Loyal Opposition’ Open Thread

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I don’t pretend to understand all the ins and outs of our financial and housing debacle, but one thing is clear.  The Congress has distributed enormous sums of money to the banks other financial firms with very little sense of how the money has been spent.  And credit, which is the carotid artery of the economy — especially for small businesses and households — has not improved much at all.  Where has the money gone?  What do we have to show for it?

Any step, then, which appears to help the people who are actually suffering — taxpayers, you and me, small business owners — is welcome.  Could giving a little more power to bankruptcy judges be any more of a gamble than that which has already been tried and found wanting?

Bankruptcy Judges and the Housing Mess Open Thread

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As my story goes, my parents were a tremendous influence in my life.  They shaped me and taught me how to trust my brand and those around me.   But the roots of my brand stem from my Spanish ancestry, my Cuban upbringing and my American nationality / pride.   I am so fortunate to have a multicultural perspective on life.  It has allowed me to view life uniquely and share perspectives that are traditional in values and non-traditional in approach.  

But to be an American, one must honor “that brand” responsibly.   I, for one, am appalled that we had to reach such crisis - for people to rethink what it means to be an American and the duties/ responsibilities that we have to enjoy the privileges of this great country.  But, on the other hand (as I told a colleague of mine today),   part of me is glad that we are in this mess together.

As anyone that has enjoyed “real success” knows, you have to hit rock bottom to appreciate the great pleasures of life.    What this crisis is redefining for all Americans - is what it means to be an American.   This crisis will redefine not only America, but the world…

Heritage

Your question brought back some childhood memories.  One was of my confronting my German American paternal grandmother after I heard about the Holocaust.  I was in elementary school and just assumed that I was giving her news.  She assured me that she was aware of the atrocities and she devoted some time to assuring me that not all Germans were bad.   My grandmother’s grandmother entertained her (and educated her about her heritage) with stories of the castle in her German town.  The castle was called Hoenzolllern Castle and my grandmother’s maiden name was Zoller.  I’m sure it was especially important to immigrants to make sure their children and grandchildren had an appreciation of their background.

Another family story that I wish now I had pursued was from my mother’s side.  It involved the Johnstown Flood which her ancestors had endured and survived.  Last summer I read David McCullough’s The Johnstown Flood.  I was stunned and so disappointed that I hadn’t asked questions.  My mother mentioned it frequently, but I’m not even sure if it was her father’s or her mother’s family who lived there. I never heard any stories specific to her family’s survival.  I called my

…

The Foundation is Family

Our parents lay a foundation.  Each individual chooses what to do with that foundation.  My siblings and I were fortunate enough to receive a foundation of love, trust, faith, commitment to education and freedom to explore our own interests.  And each of us have built differing lives on that foundation; none wrong or right, but different.  We have, in turn, begun to build the foundations for our children in conjunction with our spouses.

About fifteen years ago, I read a t-shirt that said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” This mantra has stuck with me since that momentary encounter. I had heard many times before and since about getting priorities in order, but this tag line gave that thought more focus. For me and my husband, family is our main thing. This is the legacy we want our children to inherit from us. We want them to value their family and its members. We both believe that our faith, community, volunteerism and education are also vital, but when our schedules and to do lists get out of control, we return to the mantra…our main thing is family.

To be an American, one must both invest something of one’s self in the success or failure of America, both as a functioning entity as well as an ideal, as well as demand a fair share of the fruits of that investment. In a nutshell, being an American is all about rights and responsibilities.

 Rights and responsibilities are somewhat abstract concepts when applied to the over arching ideal of America. The “sea to shining sea” view of America is like looking through a telescope from the moon. One can see that America, from way up there, is a land of opportunity and equality. There is an egalitarian feature that becomes clearer the farther away one gets. For the most part, this is true. Compared to many other countries on earth, America is a beacon of strength, integrity, hope and security.

Of course, the closer you get, the uglier things appear. It is a little messier close up, a little dirtier. Come down from the moon, land on American soil, put away your telescope and pick up a microscope and you will find the view much different, much more complicated. Life is often complicated, politics and the law are often messy. Up close, one can see that…

To Me, American; Past, Farther Past, and Future

I remember when I was a child, my family was returning from a vacation somewhere, and I was in an Airport arcade playing video games with a boy slightly older than myself.

‘Where you from,’ he asked me.  ‘Houston,’ I replied.  ‘Ooooo, you’re my enemy then, I guess.  I’m from Pittsburgh.’  He was kidding, and had to stop to briefly explain his joke; I being too young or too ignorant to immediately draw on the football rivalry that seemed to take over our two towns year after year in those days.  Oilers versus Steelers for the AFC Championship.  Anyone remember the Oilers?

It stuck with me though, for before I understood the joke, I had to try to assimilate this idea of my new friend as an enemy based upon the answer I’d just given.  Kids don’t make enemies easily, at least not around something as silly as geography.

But this was during the cold war, so it wasn’t long before I was taught the importance of maintaining geographical enemies.  The Soviets were evil incarnate, we were the good guys.  I still believe that (they were a totalitarian state), but it wasn’t long before I started…

Open Thread, Defining America for a New Generation

Here is a link to the original article from Bloomberg. Tell us what you think about what it means to be an American, and what it will mean to your kids.

This is an open thread, so Readers, let us know how you feel. Registration or OpenID are required to post, but it’s a really painless process so please, jump on in.

Daily Topic Open Thread

The idea of “Nationalization” carries hugely negative connotations to most Americans, but it’s a word that’s being tossed around a lot these days.  The NY Times leads with it today, wondering if it’s time to start thinking about more government intervention.  Bloomberg argues that we’re already there.  Even the ‘Deal Journal’ over at the Wall Street Journal is debating the relative merits of nationalizing our troubled banks.

Our Quorum will ring in throughout the day.  In the meantime, please tell us what you think.  This is our Daily Topic Open Thread.

Originally Published in the ‘Economic & Business Review,’ Dec 2008.

ENTREPRENEURIAL FIRMS PROSPER WHILE LARGER FIRMS CRUMBLE

BY PRADIP SHUKLA

Recent business journals’ headlines point to great concern about our financial difficulties and distress as several large decades established firms have not been able to survive the national and global economic downturn recently.  Many larger firms have implemented hiring freezes and expenditures are more carefully reviewed for approval.  Despite the doom and gloom, many aspiring entrepreneurs see a market niche unfulfilled and are ready with business plans in hand and prepared fast pitches for capturing these market opportunities.  Our Alumni entrepreneurs with annual sales over $5 million speak about growth prospects for their firm and the need to add our graduates to their staff.

These sharply contrasting views of the business world remind me of a passage from A Tale of Two Cities, a historical novel by Charles Dickens, set in…

Welcome to the Open Thread at the Weekend Open Forum

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Please consider the comment section of this post your Open Thread.

Have fun, All, and have a great weekend!

I have had the pleasure of reading the mentioned featured article from the latest issue of O Magazine and found myself thinking of my personal “serendipidous” story. The way I met my husband has been called many things by many people. Most have described it as a “great love story”. And that it is. Yet to us, it’s simply serendipity.

After much contemplation, I can assure you that our meeting began several years ago. Six years ago, to be exact, I went to work for a company based out of Orange County, CA. Although I worked in Florida for this company my numerous visits to California during my tenure with the company had me dreaming of living in Southern California one day. Little did I know then that I would go to work for a rival company soon there after. Two years later this company promoted me to work in their headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ. The story takes a turn here. A few months before my relocation to Scottsdale took place I began dating a man that lived in Los Angeles. We travelled between Scottsdale and LA for about a year. Due to my relationship at the time and my passion…

10,000 Hours

I am currently reading The Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. It is a book about the very successful and what they have in common. In the “pure luck” area are birthdays (months for some and years for others), access to good schools and parentage.

In the “earned” area is the magic number of 10,000 hours. Over and over Gladwell demonstrated how 10,000 hours of work or practice seems to be the entry requirement. This held true for star athletes, Bill Gates or The Beatles.

Glenn’s book profoundly and elegantly lays out the argument for earning your own luck.  Few entrepreneurs would want to argue against the idea that ‘chance favors the prepared mind,’ yet we all tend to fall into lazy habits of thinking, saying to ourselves things like, ‘If only this would happen, then I would……”  Glenn’s book puts the action right back on us and compels us to look seriously at all the efforts we’re making in work and life and ask ourselves if they’re the right ones, and the best ones to achieve worthwhile goals.  Can good luck be earned?  Yes, it can.  Most emphatically.  But it’s easier to say than do!

Serendipity in action?

Yes, we know that this is an entirely self-serving Daily Topic, but still, we think it’s really cool that ‘O’ Magazine is featuring, on its cover, this subject.

So, sound off and tell us what you think!  Please consider this the Open Thread.

I love today’s topic.  A most relevant topic!

Today I spent 8 hours with 4 different clients discussing the shift in brand messaging, positioning and communications.  The theme:  the Obama Impact, whose central theme is Change and Hope!  Needless to say,  the “Obama brand” has become a global brand with immediate global relevancy.  Why?  Because society at large is experiencing a massive identity and trust crisis.

The self-serving approach to branding is no longer relevant.   With the foundation of society changing, new standards for brand responsibility and performance are being born; for both individuals and organizations.   Their roots are being sown and grown from the core principals of Trust.    Brand performance is more dependent than ever upon how a brand sees the desires and needs of others BEFORE IT’S OWN.     It’s time that we all learn from Obama (who according to the latest polls has an 80% approval rating).  Powerhouse brand like Pepsi have -  and others will soon follow (in droves).  But the question remains:  will repositioned “Obamaesque brands” be true to their message for the betterment of community…

From 1989 to 1996 I worked in print advertising in San Francisco.I remember a day in late May of 1995 when I had to go out to an off sight printer who was doing a run for us to check some specs the client wanted verified. I remember standing there watching the printed material coming off the press, the same image flew past me over and over and over and I began to realize the image (a brand logo) made me feel oddly happy. It had to be the logo because the job was a nightmare and the client very difficult. The image itself was soothing.

We on the print side of this campaign were not responsible for creating an image that made people happy just by seeing it. We were responsible for getting that image plastered all over the bay area. But I began thinking a great deal about how the feeling was created, and then associated with the product, and the product with the company that produced it. This association will stay with me as long as I live unless something very powerful occurs to change it.

This country is faced with adversity equal to or perhaps, in some ways,…

Branding and Messaging in a New National Era, Open Thread

Here is the day’s Open Thread, where readers are encouraged to sound off about the Daily Topic.  As always, please feel free to participate through comments on any of the Posts as well.

The Practical Effect of Consensus Building

Should Obama and the Democrats seek bipartisan consensus on issues, or should they go it alone?  The answer, I think, is both.

A time of sacrifice will require said sacrifice to come from across the political spectrum.  Americans are not only Americans; they are Democrats, Republicans and Independents.  It is not only a United States of America; it is a Red and Blue America.

Barack Obama has proved to be incredibly adept at blurring the lines between the two.  It is his stated intention to be a consensus-builder; and for better or worse, he has occasionally defied the wishes of his strongest supporters in favor of views that jibed more with the political right than the center or left.  Personally, though I supported him in many ways, I stopped giving campaign contributions to the President after his vote on FISA and telecom immunity.  Though my contributions were but a pittance in comparison to the massive amounts of money raised by the best fundraising team in the history of politics, it says something that he was willing to risk the ire of those that supported him.  Like it or not-and I don’t, in this particular…

Imagine a Unified White House

The new president has a tall order ahead of him. He is a gifted man with unique skills and somebody that has shown he can unify and bring together. He appears to be able to rise above the fray.

I’m inherently an optimist but he has a momumental task.

Imagine if you were just put in charge of approximately 500 employees at a company. For years, The Company allowed the employees to set their own wages. These employees were also rewarded by their own family members by voting for them to keep their job. Their votes are often determined by how much they were able to take from The Company coffers and bring back to their families for things like home improvement, piano lessons, private school, etc. etc.

The more bacon they bring home, the better job they are doing in the eyes of their family members. Imagine that!

Now imagine that The Company is now bankrupt and you have to explain to these employees that all the policies of the past have to be changed because The Company has no money! How many of those employees would be willing to change their “compensation”

…

Open Thread

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Post Updated, Below.

Sound familiar? 24 Jan, 1993.

I wanted to get this up yesterday, but I had a devil of a time finding it… still, it seems more than a little on the nose.  I guess that history repeats itself should be no surprise.  It kind of gets to Glenn’s questions about hype and expectations.  Are we asking too much, too soon of our new President?

For those that can’t read the blocks (and, I’m sorry, I can’t get it any bigger), I’ll repeat them here:

Frame 1: “It’s a brave new world, sister.”

Frame 2: “Flush times ahead, Honey!  Full of angles to work!”

Frame 3: “Our time has come, JJ!  Time to put up or shut up!  Time to turn this country around to reclaim its greatness!  God go with you, Mr. C!”

Frame 4: “Don’t you feel like it’s a new dawn, BD?  Like the planets are in perfect alignment?”  “Uh-Huh.”

Frame 5: “Ready to roll up your sleeves?”  “Are you kidding?  My whole life has led up to working for this administration!”

Frame 6: “Get ready for Pride,…

Never before have so many expected and anticipated so much from a young leader. Many new milestones have already been reached with the election of Barack Obama.

Obama can be a both a leader and uniter. He has already shown he can make decisions outside of party lines. His position on taxes and tax cuts have been adjusted as new information about our economic situation comes to light. Even to the dismay of his own party. Likewise, as he becomes increasingly educated about the other American issues here and abroad (the war on terror and other threats against our country), he will likely find himself embracing many of the policies adopted by earlier administrations that may have been unpopular.

He will also find that we have a country near bankrupt from failed policies and programs, whose costs can no longer afford to be borne by the taxpayer.

I believe that Obama’s has the wisdom to be objective. Many difficult and unpopular decisions will have to be made in the coming years and he will need the support and understanding of the entire country to be successful.

My hope for him and our country is that the Senate and Congressional

…

I consider myself fortunate in that I have friends and relatives on each side of the political spectrum. Some are so far off to one side or the other that I occasionally have to send out a search party to find and recover them. And although I agree and disagree with all these folks on some issue or other, the debate is often lively, sometimes heated, but always friendly and the individual is always respected.

I, naively it turns out, expected, however, that everyone, all my friends, co-workers, neighbors, relatives, the community at large, would stand in support of our fresh faced and freshly sworn in president. Whether you voted for him or not, whether you agree with him or not, whether you like him or not, I thought you would all support him. At least wish him well. But as this day wears on I am still hearing people bad mouth him.

I don’t mean the people who are unsure as to whether or not he was the best choice for president, or the people who think the task of turning the economy around, repairing our relationships with the world’s nations, and dealing effectively with Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Israel and Gaza,…

As I watched the Inauguration Ceremonies and listened to Obama’s Speech, I reflected about my gratitude toward my parents and the people that I have been so grateful to meet in my life’s journey.    Needless to say, I was inspired.   As a Cuban-American, raised in a small California town (Azusa, CA, 35 miles east of Los Angeles), I remembered the days I would come home from grade school asking my parents “why” I was being ridiculed by others just because I was Hispanic.     My parents responded, “don’t pay attention, they mean no harm, they don’t know any better, don’t forget we love you.”   

It was my parents who first taught me to trust others; helping me, from my very earliest days, to lay a foundation of faith and hope.  My parents-and you will all know this soon enough-inspired my book, not only by sharing their wisdom but by first living, then sharing, their journey as Cubans who lost their country and rebuilt themselves.  It was they that instilled in me a firm belief in the power of education and hard work.   And it was my parents who, perhaps most importantly, taught me that in order to achieve my dreams I must…

Like many people around the world, I’m tremendously excited about the change in administration.  Hope is in the air, and expectations are high.  To what extent will those expectations create the reality of the next weeks and months?  People only do what they believe they can do.  Over the past six months, as we’ve watched the economy free fall, and heard endless news reports telling us that the economy is free falling, I’ve begun to wonder how much the expectation of disaster created one.  I’ve talked to many people about this and the response I usually get is, “well, I’m still working, thank goodness, in spite of the horrible economy.”  That’s anecdotal evidence, but it’s telling.  If a company’s executives believe that the economy is tanking, the rational thing for them to do is to cut back on investment, employment, purchasing, and so on.  So the expectation creates the reality.  We need hope because people act on it, and in order for us all to thrive, we all have to believe that things could be OK.  So that’s my message today:  a rising tide of belief lifts all boats.  Let’s get to work.

Inauguration Open Thread

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Please, as always, consider this an open thread on today’s Daily Topic.

Utopia… of ‘If Stephen J. Smith Ruled the World’

I have a dream, perhaps not as focused nor as urgent as Dr. King’s, but it is noble nevertheless.

My dream involves an amalgamation of an ideal past-America that, I’m certain, exists only in my mind, and a future world in which I am certain most do not believe or foresee.  Thus is the natural state of cognitive dissonance which exists almost by definition within a civil libertarian.

I imagine a world where the Bill of Rights is an absolute, not subject to the political whims of the day; a true Lockeian social contract.  I imagine a world where prejudices have been eliminated, both institutionally and culturally, by the realization of community; the fight-or-flight reflex to the unfamiliar being replaced by an ingrained, inherited and widespread sense of family.

In my dream we will live in a world where government does not feel it has the authority to legislate personal morality or on the contents of a person’s thoughts; and in a land where there was no need to conceive such laws.

I have a dream where we will one day live on a planet where nations…

This morning my husband and I sat our five year old down and watched Dr. King’s speech.  Which I recommend everyone doing by the way.  For Jeff and I, it brought us to tears at the same moment.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

It gets me every time.  Our daughter doesn’t see the past when she looks at her classmates and friends.  She doesn’t see the grainy black and white video of assault and demonstration in the streets.  She doesn’t see the generations of hate.  She doesn’t see the difference.

She has on one occasion only, asked me why her friend Allyn didn’t look like her.  She is African American Skye.  Her ancestors were from Africa (where daddy lived for awhile).  ‘But why is her skin dark?’  She has more melanin in her skin than you do.  The amount in your body is passed down through parents just like eye color and nose type.  ‘Like that’s why I have brown eyes like daddy and you have green?’ Yes.

We tried during the speech to…

Barack Obama on Race, from the Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA

Given on 18 March, 2008

We considered, today, it being MLK day, making the topic about the role of race in modern America.  For a variety of reasons, we opted not to do so; choosing instead to focus on the Hope endemic both in MLK’s speech, and the election of Barack Obama.  But as I was re-watching the MLK speech, I was reminded of this brilliant bit of oratory from the primary campaign where our next President tackled these issues head-on.

This was one of the finest speeches that I have ever had the great pleasure of watching, and I share it with you as a reminder of how very far we’ve come.  It seems to me that ‘Hope’ is expressed here better than anything I could hope to write.

Dr. Nick Morgan on MLK’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech

We were very fortunate to have one of the nation’s leading communication experts, Dr. Nick Morgan, on the ES Radio Show this past friday.  The archive of the whole show will be available at the Earning Serendipity site soon (it wasn’t up as of this morning), but he mentioned MLK’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, and I thought his insight fascinating.  Rather than regurgitate it, I thought I’d let him tell it in his own words:

(Requires Apple Quicktime Player or follow this link for Windows Media: dr-nick-morgan-on-mlks-i-have-a-dream-speech)

Video from Dr. King’s entire speech is in the Open Thread, below, and I posted the full version so that readers could pinpoint what Dr. Morgan was talking about.

Open Thread

Good Morning, and Happy MLK Day!

Above is video of the full-version of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr’s generation-inspiring ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.  If you haven’t seen it in awhile, it is worth re-watching.

Readers, please consider this an ‘Open Thread’ for you to chime in on the day’s Topic.  Of course, your comments on individual posts are welcome as well.  Registration is required for comments, but it is a quick and painless process.  We do this simply to help eliminate automated spam being posted within our comments section.

TOO BIG TO FAIL? TOO BIG TO COMPREHEND!
was watching Gov. Schwarzenegger’s state of the state address the other day and was struck by its brevity and solemn tone. There were very few pauses for applause. Turns out the state of the state can be summed up in three words: broke, broke, broke. When I hear that California is $40 billion in the hole, I am not moved. The fact is, the number is simply too large for my little human mind to comprehend in any real way. I t is like the number of stars in the Milky Way, incomprehensibly large and abstract.

I began looking for someone out there who could put it into perspective and I found this from Thursday’s (01/15/2009) San Jose Mercury News:
“California’s shortfall is larger than the entire yearly budget of every other state except New York. It exceeds the gross domestic product of more than 100 countries, including Syria, Costa Rica and Kenya.Closer to home, it’s 40 times the size of San Jose’s general operating fund, which pays for most of the city’s basic services. And it’s a devilish 666 times the size…

Obama and the Inauguration Ceremonies:   Historical Event or Rock Star Concert?  Maybe a bit of both.

Over the past several weeks, I have noticed the hype surrounding the inauguration ceremony for President-Elect Obama.    I think is a great thing that people are rallying to support our new young, charismatic and (what appears to be) authentic new President.   While I am a supporter for the message of hope & change; I certainly “hope” that we are not overextending Obama’s welcome into the Presidency.

We have all heard of the saying “under promise, over deliver” - I certainly hope that the media’s hype (that has further extended into merchandise and “collector’s items”) does not result in a communication strategy that “over promises and under delivers.” 

In many respects, this reminds of me of the “hype” surrounding the election and inauguration of Mexico’s President Vicente Fox.  Like Obama (and please let me note that I am not comparing the two), the election of President Vicente Fox was welcome with a tremendous amount of hope and change for a country that has been experiencing corruption and revolution for years.   The people felt that Fox (because of his Westernized learning as a former Executive at the Coca-Cola Company)…

I wanted to get to this topic yesterday, and we had some great input from both Contributors and Readers, but unfortunately time ran out of the day. Good opportunity to put our new Open Forum section to the test… I hope many of you do as well.

I think the problem with hoping that Obama’s Justice Department pursues criminal investigations of the Bush administration is that the Washington establishment has very little incentive to want to see that happen. Salon’s Glenn Greenwald has an excellent piece exploring this in great detail, but what it comes down to is this:
“First, Bush officials didn’t commit these crimes by themselves. Virtually the entire Washington establishment supported or at least enabled most of it. It isn’t merely that leading Congressional Democrats were, to one degree or another, complicit in these acts and are therefore hamstrung in investigating crimes of which they were aware and did nothing to stop, though that is true. The enabling of all of this extends far beyond the leadership of the two parties.
“As confirmed accounts emerged years ago of chronic presidential lawbreaking, warrantless eavesdropping, systematic torture, rendition, “black…

Welcome to the Open Thread at the Weekend Open Forum

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Have fun, All, and have a great weekend!

It is vital that the Obama administration focus its attention and resources on solving the pressing problems that have resulted from the Bush administration’s poor management of foreign and domestic policy issues. Whether or not the Bush administration ought to be investigated is not a question that relevant at this time.

Please don’t read this as a defence of Bush, it isn’t. His administration’s and his handling of this country can be likened to a large car wreck. My training and experience with the CHP may begin to show here a little. The wreck must be addressed first, collateral damage minimized, the injured attended to, and the wreckage cleared from lanes in order that traffic might begin flowing again. Evidence is collected along the way, but only after the situation is returned to normal does the investigation begin in earnest.

The Obama administration must repair years of damage to this country’s reputation, relations with other nations, economy, infrastructure, health care system, education system, etc. After watching excerpts from the Holder hearings yesterday, I am certain the president-elect has made a good choice and that Holder will be instrumentalin helping to repair and/or replace Bush policy choices, primarily concerning torture, Guantanamo, and the…

While there may be reason to believe that crimes were committed, solving the problems facing our nation are more important than dredging through the last 8 years. 

I continue to tell people that President-Elect Obama is creating an administration and aligning himself with people to slowly but surely “piece back together” a country that was once aligned and integrated.  In many respects, Obama is trying to teach people the importance of “earning serendipity” by instilling the 4 core skills:  the art and science of “seeing, sowing, growing and sharing” as a nation.

Institutional criminality is and has been part of “the system,” an embarrassment that we live with even on the Federal level.   It’s time for our nation to become more accountable; and for people to become a part of creating solutions for the future of America and its role in the Global economy.     While Obama should empower the newly appointed AG to investigate yesterday’s crimes, what is most important is to re-create the infrastructure that avoids and minimizes further occurrences.

It’s been said- - even here today, by our own Mark DeBellis- - that no one is above the law; that is and should be true.  But I believe the imperatives facing…

I’m sure we’re all in agreement that Obama and his new Administration, including Eric Holder, have PLENTY of astronomical issues to immerse themselves with.  Pursuing the Bush Administration for “waterboarding” seems a bit ridiculous at this point in time. Are we to focus our efforts on fixing the imperative issues facing this country? Or are we to pursue rectifying possible “criminal acts” on terrorists during war? I believe most of us would like our new President and his Administration to immerse themselves with, what will inevitably be, the lengthy process of turning this economy around. I am more than fond of our New Administration and in agreement with Holder as Attorney General-elect yet do not find it appropriate nor necessary to persecute our past Administration for decisions based on protecting our nation. I do not believe anyone is above the law yet will not judge the actions that may or may not take place during war. I have been fortunate enough to not have any close family members or friends in the military yet hold those who do in the highest esteem - not to mention our soldiers - our true heroes.

I believe that nobody is above the law. That includes the President of the United States. However, circumstances of conflict (war on terror) dictate tactics that in peace time might be considered extreme. The use of “aggressive interrogation” tactics by the US on terror suspects fall within the category of necessary steps to unseat a hostile enemy.

We live in a dangerous time. This is war. All is fair.

The President is sworn to uphold the constitution and protect the citizens of this country. To hold him accountable for some definition of a “war crime” against terror suspects/combatant during this campaign against Islamic terrorism, while also expecting him to protect, defend and hold our country safe, is disingenuous and misguided. 

I hope our new leaders and administration wisely spend more of their legislative time finding a way to unravel the Washington machine that is trying to control every facet of our lives…instead of chasing down the well intentioned efforts by those sworn to protect the citizens. Is that a pig flying?

Open Thread

OK, so we live and learn as we go along.  Each morning, when I rise early to create the Daily Topic, I also must create a Post to make the Topic live.  I have been doing this with essentially filler, a brief note.

What hadn’t occurred to me was that I was leaving our readers little in the way to express their own opinions, and we want to hear from you too.  From now on, though I will still generate a daily post of my own, the opening Post will encourage Comments from our readers.

So, please, feel free to jump right in.  Today’s topic is Political, and that’s sure to enflame some opinions.  Keep in mind that The Thresher is entirely non-partisan, though our Contributors are not.  Whenever we post a Daily Topic, we expect opinions from a variety of view points.  This holds especially true for political topics.  All we ask is that you be respectful, be honest, and be passionate.

Have a great day!  Can’t wait to see what you have to say!

Steve

My most rewarding moment volunteering had to be when I was at a point in my life where I had almost nothing of my own.

In a little no-named village somewhere between the towns of Brikama and Kalagi in the tiny African county known as the Gambia.  I was in Africa, ostensibly, because I was opening an African art store in West Texas, my partner a native of this country.  He remained in Lubbock, while I ventured to Gambia in search of goods.  But more than that, I had just gone through what was one of the most terrible romantic breakups I have known in my life.  The hemisphere was no longer big enough for the both of us.  When the opportunity came to flee, I did.

I had, since arriving, become friends with a communist by the name of Momodou Sarhou; Dumo for short.  Dumo had only recently been allowed to return to his home country from Sweden, where he had been a political exile until a bloodless coup by five leftenants in the army had toppled what had been one of the most stable governments in Africa for 30 years.  Stable, but corrupt, and the coup was widely considered to be…

Growing up with an elementary school teacher as a mom I found myself being passed around the grade levels as a ‘whatever you need her for’ to fill my time after school until my mom was ready to go home for the day. I’d grade papers and update bulletin boards for the next holiday, etc. Throughout my youth the how-can-I-help frame of mind seeped into my relationships and I was usually one of the first to offer up a ride from school, homework help, or sure I’ll carry your books…you’re on crutches. And eventually it lead me to seasonal work with food banks. I was a natural as a waitress since it is subconsciously a daily job of mine to please everyone…much to my dismay some days.

But overall I think it ingrained the simple essentialness of wanting to be the one to offer help. This strengthens not only your own self worth but relationships with the world around you. As Glenn said in his video, it’s wanting to help your neighbor. They say the family that plays together, stays together. Maybe the same is true for neighbors…the people who help their neighbors…

Volunteerism is important at all times, but especially during times such as we’re living in right now.  Non-profits are hurting, just like everyone else, and the little extra that they can pull out of their stretched budgets by having people come in and lend a helping hand can make the difference between staying alive and shutting their doors.

But as important as Volunteering is, I think that it’s almost equally important to do so without keeping score.  Give of yourself freely, to the extent that you are able, and the world will be a better place.  It’s time for us all to give for the betterment of a healthy whole.

Today’s topic comes to us from Thresher Contributor Cynthia Sue.  Thank you, Cynthia!

I’ll be back with my own post later on today, but in the meantime, have fun with this one.  A lot of space to write something great.

Steve

I read an article in the Economist a couple of years ago citing a study that looked at the root causes of innovation and invention over the course of the 20th century. The study looked primarily at necessity as the root, after all, necessity is the mother of invention. Those conducting the study looked at what it was that would cause an individual or a company to invest large amounts of time and resources in what could very well turn out to be a fruitless venture. Their initial thought was that the need, the necessity must have been so great as to justify the expense and the risk.

The result of the study was, I thought, surprising. It turns out that many, in fact, the vast majority, of inventions, innovations, and improvements did not arise out of any need at all. The technology being utilized at the time of the invention was generally widely accepted and adequate. There is rarely an immediate, pressing problem that is faced by an entire market crying out for a solution. the invention does not follow the market, the market follows the invention.

Often inventions and innovations are developed that have no immediate application or obvious value to any…

I thought that I’d take a few minutes to discuss my take on Corporate Entrepreneurship, and the mindset that must prevail in private enterprise if we are to once again get the economy moving in the right direction.  As of the time of this writing, the video is still “processing” so if it’s not apparent to you when you log in, please check back.
Glenn

It’s been a fun first day here at The Thresher.  Above is my take on today’s topic, getting value out of life.

Thanks to everyone,

Glenn

Thought that I’d take the time to welcome you personally.  Thanks for being a part of The Thresher.

Glenn

The downturn in the economy over the course of this last year has had an impact on my family, but, so far at least, the impact has been a good one. Many of us, in anticipation of more difficult times to come, have been cutting back on our travel and entertainment spending. As a result, we are spending more time at home with each other.

Where as in the past Julie and the kids and I might go out to eat at a restaurant, we now go over to one of her many sisters’ houses and we all cook together and eat together. We spend time together we might not have otherwise. Rather than spend a small fortune traveling to San Diego, staying for a week and visiting the zoo, the wild animal park, and Sea World, as we have in the past, we are instead spending more time locally. We’ve purchased a family pass to the Santa Barbara Zoo, our local zoo, and are finding that now that we have a family pass, we go much more frequently. We are taking advantage of much of what our local department of parks and recreation has to offer, and in so doing, are discovering a…

I have never been to Costcoor shopped in a warehouse store, because I am suspicious that I would end up doing too much impulse buying thus defeating the purpose of saving money.  I do, however, believe in economies of scale.  I plan out two weeks of meals at a time, and make one master shopping list for two weeks.  Each of those meals I make that are freezer friendly(i.e. hamburgers, meatballs, chili, enchiladas or casseroles) I duplicate or triplicate so that I can stuff extras in the freezer.  This helps me save time ultimately and keeps me from wondering the aisles of the grocery store when I am hungry wandering what is for dinner.  It also serves as a good back-up plan for when I am not feeling up to cooking or we get snowed in, and I can’t get to a grocery store.  And while I LOVE going to our local farmers market, I often place my grocery order online(peapod.com for my area) for staples that I cannot get at the farmers market.  While the delivery charge is $5, I can easily make that up in coupons(which is a difficult task to manage in the store with my children…

I have to admit that raising a family in the middle of fashion and status conscious Orange County has always been an expensive proposition. While my wife and daughters have always been responsible with finances, we never have been truly challenged to watch our budget.

With all the concern over the economy, and our own circumstances requiring that we reduce consumption, I’m really amazed at how little we really need and how little is really missed.

We started reeling in our spending behavior in August/September of this past year. We made a commitment to reduce consumption in anticipation of a greater, future reward. Because things were tightening, we realized that if we wanted to take a vacation next summer (2009), we’d need to save aggressively to justify it.

The rules were simple, each of us would actively contribute to the vacation by pooling our collective savings and/or earning additional income and we would actively reduce spending and then apply the money we didn’t spend to our future vacation.

Within the first 2 months of our journey we had reduced our monthly credit card bill by $1500! Even in December and all of the Christmas spending we were reeling in our consumption.

The girls have already contributed hundreds…

We have embraced chickens. Luckily, we live on a small farm. This wouldn’t work in an apartment.

Last spring, we bought six chicks. One got iced by the dog down the road, but we still have five. We allowed our six-year-old son to name them. He dubbed them Jeff, Steve, Spot, Will and Grace. He doesn’t get the whole hen-is-female thing yet.

After months of our patient feeding, the chickens began producing eggs. We now get so many eggs daily that we are packaging them for friends in octagonal containers adorned with a quote from Thomas Paine (”What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly”).  

We’ve come to realize that all of those chicken-related cliches are true. That ain’t chicken feed . . . the pecking order . . .  ruler of the roost. 

We’re going to triple our number of chickens next month. We’re considering selling eggs at the farmers’ market and perhaps creating a new revenue stream.

The egg thing — our first true venture into farmhood other than five acres full of critters — has worked out well. It worked out so well that we spent last week tilling one of our horse paddocks and planting corn, potatoes, carrots, onions and…

Creatively dealing with tough financial times, and not feeling as if you’re losing your mind, can be tough.  The comments and posts we’ve seen so far are indicative of the everyday things that people can do to make their dollars go farther: dinners at home, walks in the park.  Reasonable efforts, to be sure.

Thresher Contributor Cynthia Sue emailed some tips to me that she found in the latest Earthlink Newsletter.  It included this cute piece from Jay McDonald, entitled “10 Reasons to Love a Recession,” as well as tips for lowering your heating bills and links to some free online word games from Merriam… the assumption being that we’re not going to give up our broadband connections.  (Thank you, Cynthia!)

And that’s probably smart.  For most of us– those that can afford to keep our broadband connections– being able to access the internet probably means savings well above and beyond the cost of the service.  In my own office, we have increased our bandwidth and switched our phones to Vonage VOIP service.  That alone has saved us hundreds upon hundreds of dollars a year.

And speaking of phones, my family also made the slightly more painful decision to terminate one…

Over the past year or so our family, like so many others, started buckling down, making little changes here and there along with the ever tightening of our belts.  While we are not yet to the point of raiding the nearest McD’s for little ketchup packets; we have, almost subconsciously, started simplifying our lives.  We cook together at home and play games instead of eating out every night and take walks with our dogs instead of going to the movies.  We are still learning to turn off lights after we leave the room (but I swear I’m getting better) and we keep our heater at a slightly less than comfortable 65°.

With two professionals living in one house with a five year old, driving one car does make us seem like participants in a case study of ‘pick-your-battles’ at times.  For the most part, though, we have grown closer.  We both get to take our daughter to school, and it is nice to have a sounding board while going to work instead of mindless chatter from the morning talk show drowning out those pesky little sparks of genius.  We have managed for about a year now and I’d say we are…

Over the weekend, NPR did a story on food trends in 2009.  They alluded to belt tightening, and the fact that Gourmet Magazine had a picture of Spaghetti and Meatballs on the cover this month.
I wanted to include the links to the above.  The Spaghetti Dish looks amazing.
I’ll be back with a full post on this topic later on today, and can’t wait to hear what the rest of you have to say!

Steve

I hope this works. The Works Project Administration worked well to get us out of the depression, while building the basic infrastructure which grew the southern and the western US. In the 1930’s the WPA grew America while putting 8,000,000 people to work. The program built many public buildings, projects and roads and operated large arts, drama, media and literacy projects. It fed children and redistributed food, clothing and housing. Almost every community in America has a park, bridge or school constructed by the agency.

But this was before environmental impact studies, community hearings, strict zoning laws, etc. Obama is asking for “shovel ready projects” but do enough of those exist? Will we build based on “ready” and not “worthy and effective”? And how long before we get bogged down in accusations of pork?

The idea is the right one. How we implement is the problem. But the devil is always in the details.

With a nod to Steve Benen, over at Political Animal, here is a link to the President-Elect’s You Tube address on exactly this subject.

I like the fact that he’s thinking ambitiously about what’s needed now, but keeping an eye on eventual debt reduction. Economists, notably Krugman and others, have said repeatedly that the big mistake FDR made was in trying to balance the budget too early. No one is saying that he shouldn’t have thought of it at all.

The administration is using the current crisis to implement long needed reforms which will also stimulate the economy, but recognizes that the long term prosperity of our nation, the economy that our grandkids will inherit, will require that spending be brought back into line with revenues. That’s third-leaf Strategic Focus in action. Watering the seeds that need growing now; planning for the health of the national soil in the future.

The American economy is built as much on attitude toward risk as it is on liquidity and availability of credit.  Confidence, or a lack there of, is everything. Americans must be confident that the bridge to the economic future is structurally sound and will remain so. The federal government can throw billions of dollars at consumers, small businesses, and/or large corporations and it will do nothing to stimulate the economy if these entities do not have the confidence necessary to spend/invest those dollars. Americans must be confident they will have jobs tomorrow, next week, and next year. If they feel they are secure they will be more likely to buy those new flat screens or a new car or new kitchen which in turn helps to secure jobs involved in the design, manufacture, and sale of home electronics, cars, and home improvement/construction. When American consumers are confident and spending, small businesses borrow and expand and innovate. Large corporations invest and hire. Confidence in a strong and growing economy is as much a result of America’s confidence in its leaders and their policies as anything else.

Of course, the converse is true as well. American lack of confidence causes fear and uncertainty to build; consumers stop spending,…

…

My life has been blessed; I am the first to admit that fact. The life of a son of a first generation immigrant is often full of hardships, but my family was no ordinary family. Like everyone, everywhere, our life consisted of ups and downs, but it was hardly typical.

My father, Frank Llopis, was born and raised in Cuba during the Batista era, and had the good fortune that many of his fellow countrymen did not. First, he had the opportunity to be schooled in the US; attending the prestigious Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia before being accepted and completing a degree in Chemical Engineering at Cornell University.

He then returned to Cuba where he plied his trade as an engineer in pursuit of bettering his homeland. This, in and of itself, would be an inspiring if not all together uncommon story: immigrant comes to America, immigrant works hard, immigrant makes good and returns home to help those who have not

…