Giving Thanks through Gratitude Letters

Gratitude is a powerful mood elevator.  At least that’s what psychologists, neurologists, as well as anyone experienced in fighting back from disappointment will confirm.  It seems that thinking and caressing thoughts that count our blessings actually makes us feel optimistic and positive.  Once the gratitude centers our brain awaken they mix up a batch of warm brain chemicals that energize our entire body that animates feelings of well-being.

In fact, this “optimism effect” is so powerful that renowned psychologists such as Martin Seligman, PhD. are prescribing gratitude letters as a way to fight depression, anger, and hopelessness.

How to Write a Gratitude Letter

1. A gratitude letter begins with thinking of a person you deeply appreciate.  Someone who may have gone out of their way to help you, offer encouragement or given you an opportunity.  It may be someone far back in your life history, a teacher, a coach, or a grandparent who said or did something that made a positive difference in your life.
2. Once you identify the person you write a letter detailing exactly what that special person did and why it had such an impact on you.  Try to be as specific as possible.
3. To maximize the mutual impact of a gratitude letter you don’t mail it at first.  If the person lives nearby you make it a priority to see them in person and read them the letter.  If they live far away you read it to them over the phone.
4. Then you give or mail them the letter.

Gratitude is Life Changing

The mutual impact of a gratitude letter can be life changing for both the giver and the receiver.  At a minimum, it’s life affirming.

And today there is nothing more important than affirming life and its amazing opportunities.  Yes, I know that what’s happening in our wider world is threatening, unfair, and the joint product of towering amounts of stupidity and greed.  But we don’t live day-to-day in the wider world.  We live in our world.  And no matter what, and I mean no matter what, we can make our world better today and tomorrow.

I have personally met so many people whose outer lives were destroyed by war, poverty, divorce, bankruptcy, illness, joblessness, betrayal, or natural disaster that simply refused to let their trauma’s define them.  Their subsequent victories are the direct result of their inner strength.  Their commitment to string together a chain of positive decisions to make today better that led them to live inspiring lives.  I am thinking of two close friends who survived bankruptcies to become millionaires doing work they love.  I am thinking of two divorcees who were betrayed by spouses who remarried and are living happily ever after.  I am thinking of a girl who lost her mother to a tragic death who started a foundation to mentor parentless children to live a happier life.  I am thinking of Abraham Keech, one of Southern Sudan’s lost orphan boys who grew up, earned a college degree, and has recently built a school in his old village in Africa.  All of these people are like you and me.  No one gave them permission to be extraordinary.  They just choose to be.

Of all the things I am most grateful for, it is perhaps our unique ability to imagine a future better than our present circumstances and to choose to do something extraordinary.  That may be our greatest gift.

Of all the great things we can do at this Thanksgiving, maybe the greatest is to write and deliver a gratitude letter.  And then as our moods are lifted to imagine what we might do to make tomorrow better.  And just start.  That’s how the world changes.

Will Marre

(Feel free to post your gratitude letter for all to read.)

ChangeING

I just finished a two-day leadership workshop for ING, the giant Dutch global bank, insurance, and investment company.  They were pretty calm despite the carnage of the financial services industry over the past six months.  It’s hard to rattle the Dutch.  They’ve endured everything:  World Wars, depression, and the great tulip bubble.  Their mantra is “steady, steady…now breathe.”  It’s a refreshing change from the shrieks and howls of Wall Street crybabies.

What struck me about ING is that they are on another planet (literally) about Corporate Social Responsibility than most American firms.  Just go to their homepage (ING.com) and click on Corporate Responsibility and prepare to be impressed.  As a huge international concern with 135,000 employees they are dedicated to educating the illiterate of our world with their Chances for Children program.  They hooked up with UNICEF to provide volunteers in places like rural Brazil, India and Ethiopia.  They are a serious player in microfinance, and they participate in just about every environmental heal-the-earth campaign around the world  (The FTSE 4 Good Index, Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the Carbon Disclosure Project, The European Academy of Business in Society, Equator Principles, Global Reporting Initiative, Oikocredit, Round Table on Climate Change, Amnesty Round Table on Human Rights, UN Global Compact, and several more.)

They also have a great start at integrating sustainable strategies to spur market growth and distinguish their brand.  In Europe they lease cars that rolls in fees to offset the cars CO2 emissions.  But their biggie is their social and environmental risk policies that they apply to every lending decision.  Loans will only be authorized if the purpose of the loan meets social and environmental criteria.  Huh?  I am sure like all big companies ING is not perfect at implementing its lofty ideals.  But that’s not the point.  What is amazing is the speed of the sustainability revolution.  When huge global organizations create policies and strategies aimed at creating a sustainable future we are witnessing the first energy pulses of a massive wave of change.  And it’s only the beginning.  But at least it is.

Insuring the Uninsured

Yesterday morning I helped the board of a Phoenix based non-profit develop a “business” plan to grow during our economic crash. Right now many non-profits are sucking air because people and businesses are thinking about their own survival and hanging on to their money.

This non-profit, the Keogh Health Foundation, is a master at doing the most good with very little. Their goal is to make sure every Arizona resident has health insurance, especially women and children because they are the most vulnerable. They go to poor neighborhoods and enroll at-risk moms and kids in one of the many underutilized public assistance insurance programs available. They’ve developed a simplified enrollment process that gets qualified people insured in 30 minutes via a laptop and Internet connection.

The Keogh Foundation is led by business people with a purpose. They’ve seen the statistic that insured poor children are sick far less than the uninsured. Yes, insured children cost taxpayers less money, and they do far better in school academically (68% better). It turns out that our massive number of uninsured, costs us far more when they finally do get health care than if they were enrolled in assistance programs already funded. And talk about an efficient non-profit. The average cost for the Foundation to get someone access to health care is $6. That means for every $6 raised by the foundation, another mother or child is covered. The Foundation also teaches seminars helping people understand how to get job training, apply for a job and of course get health insurance. What we did this morning was develop sources of sustainable funding to expand their program and create strategies to involve college students as volunteers to help enroll the uninsured.

Whenever I help smart people with projects like this I am greatly encouraged at the quality of our civil society. This Foundation is run primarily on brainpower. Its budget is tiny and its impact is huge. The real capital that supports this organization is vision, intelligence and energy.

It was started by one woman. A woman who just decided to do something about the uninsured. She started without a formal plan but with a noble idea and practical view of reality. The reality of, “How do we erase the barrier of bureaucracy to get the benefits of our tax dollars used for what they are intended for.” Then she surrounded herself with knowledgeable colleagues and just started. One thing led to another and last year 72,000 people got access to health insurance that otherwise would not have because she did something. 72,000!

So what’s the greatest thing we can do…whatever you’re waiting to do when the time is right.

The time is right. Just start.

Opposition to New Bailouts (An Open Letter to Congress)

Dear Congressmen:

 

I am writing to urge you to vote no on the proposed bailout of the auto industry. 

Prior to the initial bailout being past we heard the following statements: 

“…There is the possibility that there will be no economy on Monday.”

-Henry Paulson 

“..If we don’t get it solved next week, I may have to go back to delivering papers.”

-Warren Buffet 

Despite promises of transparency, no golden parachutes for executives, infusions of money to revitalize the credit markets, we have received none of these things. In fact the bailout appears to be one of the most expensive scams ever pulled on the American people.  Now we want to bailout the auto manufactures? They continued to resist new fuel standards, and safety standards. In some cases they covered known safety defects, and have used their power to destroy smaller, more advanced and efficient newcomers like the Tucker that could have revolutionized the industry. 

Are these companies too big to fail? I would suggest that perhaps they are too big to succeed. 

If these companies truly have something to contribute to our country, they will find the way to reinvent themselves.  Or they will die and make way for smaller more nimble companies like Tesla motors. 

Bailing these companies out is the multi billion dollar equivalent to repeatedly buying an expensive new cell phone for a careless child. Having learned that there are no consequences for the behavior, the will continue to repeat it, and drain the resources of this country. 

I am very aware of the consequences that the death of one of these giants could have.  I would suggest however that bailing them out will be like handing an alcoholic a bottle of alcohol to help them, and us, avoid the immediate pain of having them face facts. The answer to this nations problems lies not in supporting unsustainable industry, but by encouraging smaller industries that are innovative and efficient. 

Please vote no on the bail out (amendment of existing bail out) of the auto manufacturers and focus on the long term good of the country. 

Sincerely,

Tim Snodgrass

Any ideas or comments we should add prior to sending?

Life From the Ashes

As a tragic fire rages just north of Los Angeles I am reminded of another fire (The Cedar Fire) that swept through the San Diego area in October of 2003.  For those who find themselves in the pathway of these destructive behemoths, their lives will be changed in ways that many of us would prefer not to contemplate. Many people will wake up having lost everything they had spent years working to build, homeless, and without possessions, reliant upon the kindness of family and strangers alike.  Life will offer the survivors of this current fire a choice; wallow in the memory of what was, or build a new life, richer and more beautiful than the one that preceded it. The second choice is a daunting one, but ultimately the most rewarding.  In our lives we may never have to face the literal flames of a fire, but there are other events that offer us (individually and collectively) that same choice; wallow in the memory of what was, or build something better than what existed before.

As I picked up the newspaper one day as fire fighters fought bravely to bring the Cedar Fire under control, I recall reading about the desperate plight of a handful of families living in a very rural area in mountains above the Barona Indian Reservation.  Overnight, winds had whipped the fire in to a frenzy, and pushed the flames through the valley below their much faster than anyone would have believed. The families living in it’s path woke in the middle of the night to an oncoming wall of flame with almost no warning. They fled with only minutes to spare, and many found themselves cut off from the main road as the flames cut off their only path to the main road in the valley below. Eight of those people lost their lives on that perilous night. I did not realize it at the time, but I would soon come to count two of those survivors amongst my dearest friends. 

The years that immediately followed the fire were difficult ones for them, but they never gave up faith. Thanks to the efforts of wonderful organizations like the Salvation Army they were able to return to their mountain home a couple of years later. I went to visit them on their property shortly after they were able to return. Bushes and shrubs were sprouting up amidst the fire stained landscape and leaves were beginning to shoot up from the burnt oak trees. The occasional bird flew past, and from time to time a squirrel would stand upon a rock to survey its surroundings.  Like my friends, nature was beginning to make a comeback. Today humming birds flit to and fro, squirrels and rabbits dot the landscape, and the blackened husks of oak trees have resurrected with thick green foliage. An afternoon on the property is enough to erase every care in the world, as though to say everything is right in the world. It is a magical place.

It is not fire and the resilience of nature that I wish to discuss however, but the resilience of mankind, and the lesson that nature offers to us. Death and rebirth is a theme in nature and in history as well. Sometimes the flames that we face are not actually flames at all, but a personal tragedy, or sometimes they are a global economic breakdown that causes people to lose their homes, their jobs, or both.  It is likely that the global crisis we now face is the tip of a much larger iceberg that will sweep through the global economy like a wildfire.  It was made possible by the dry brush of greed and failed economic policies, and it is likely that it will tear down whole institutions as it sweeps across the global economy.  The immediate consequences are tragic, and we must find the strength to unite behind those who find themselves in its path. At the end of the day however, we have a choice; wallow in the memory of what was, or build a new and glorious future, free of old dry brush. Are we going to cling to our burning institutions, point fingers and complain, or are we going to clear them and build something better. We can be the burnt out structure that never gets torn down, or we can be the oak that reaches skyward with new life from an old burnt husk. 

What is the greatest thing you can do to build a better future?

How to Save General Motors

It is time to think differently.  The argument that all our large enterprises, banks, insurance companies and automakers are too big to fail is simply a way of rewarding failure.  And the rewards are large.  Giving billions to bankroll the leaders who created failure to keep them gambling with our money is stupid.  Outrageous.

In the late 1980’s I led a retreat of executives from General Motors.  At the time their manufacturing quality was in crisis.  They were literally re-assembling Buicks in the parking lot of the Flint Michigan plant because the cars coming off the assembly line were not screwed together.  I said to them, “What unique value do you bring?  If you went out of business, would anyone care?  Or would they just buy Toyota’s?  They looked at me as if I was from Mars.

I also worked with executives at Saturn just previously to its initial launch.  Expectations of the car were very high.  It was touted to be revolutionary as sort of a Jetson’s speeder.  The cars’ production had been delayed and delayed and the GM brass was agitated.  The problem was they hired 700 engineers to design one economy car.  Sure there were many innovations especially in the manufacturing of the car but 700 engineers?  So Skip, Saturn’s CEO, finally selected 22 engineers to finish the project.  It was a last second act of common sense.  In 1993 when oil was $22 a barrel Toyota decided to build a hybrid Prius.  With the same facts GM decided to build big SUV’s.  Today, Toyota is the world’s largest automaker and GM is burning through cash faster than a teenager with her mother’s credit card.  What’s wrong with General Motors is the inbred thinking.  They live in an unreal world.

Here are some problems and solutions:

1. New car development, manufacturing, sales, use, and disposal are some of the most wasteful industrial activities in the world.
2. Consumer research says buying a car is one of our least favorite activities.
3. Nearly all safety, efficiency and anti-pollution improvements in domestic autos have been mandated by law.  Without regulations we wouldn’t have seatbelts and we would have smog belching exhaust pipes guzzling more gas than we can import.
4. The U.S. auto industry has been failing since the oil embargo of the 1970’s.  Market share of GM, Ford, and Chrysler has steadily declined as consumers have found better value from foreign markets.  (Internally, Saturn’s goal was to make a car almost as good as a Honda Accord.  No, I am not kidding.)
5. The J.D. Power Quality ratings are twisted.  Last year Buick was rated top in the first 90 days of customer quality as rated by customer complaints.  But the average age of Buick buyers is somewhere close to 100.  And guess what?  Older folks drive less and complain less.  A Buick has higher quality than a Lexus or a Toyota?  (Actually the two car companies that have the fewest repair technicians per car on the road is Toyota and Honda.  No surprise.)
6. General Motors is loaded with talented design and manufacturing people.  They are strait jacketed by incompetent leadership and a stifling and non-sensical bureaucracy.  The biggest problem is that GM leaders think they’re entitled to succeed simply because they’re General Motors.

Solutions:

1. First of all no government loans should be offered without the top management fired without financial parachutes.  They have failed miserably in virtually every way.  In fact I would start with the top 10% of GM management being fired with an invitation for those who are most competent to reapply.
2. Revolutionize the way cars and trucks are designed to be light, safe and efficient.  Cars and trucks don’t have to be tiny to be efficient.  Actually according to safety experts, the safest vehicles are big and light.
3. Make the car buying process and supply chain more efficient.  A lot of people would hate this, but we ought to buy cars directly from the manufacturers and cut out the wasteful overhead of an old fashion dealer network.  We simply don’t need big dealers with acres of cars that require financing and take up space.  What if instead manufacturers had smaller showrooms in malls or mall parking lots with a few cars to test-drive.  Then we ordered our cars from the showroom or our homes via the web.  Our car was then made and delivered to us in 10-14 days and our trade-in picked up.  Our cars would be serviced by independent, certified repair centers.  The amount of wasted overhead we would take out of the business process could reduce the cost of cars by about 20% while increasing profits and consumer satisfaction.  (Of course we’ll need to re-train all the people who lose their jobs to do something productive.)
4. Finally, we need to think about personal transportation in new ways.  The world cannot sustain billions and billions of people motoring around ribbons of concrete wrapped around our planet like a ball of string.  But one thing is for sure.  It’s stupid to give more to failed leaders.  Stupid.

So what’s the greatest thing you can do? Drive less.  And when you do buy a car, buy the safest most fuel-efficient car you can.  If you want your Congressmen to know how you feel, it only takes a minute. We have a new feature on the home page of the American Dream Project site powered by Congress.org.  Enter your zip code to retrieve your elected officials contact/email information.

Also…comment on our blog, and we will send the best ideas to Congress each week.

Observations from the Voting Booth

As I left the voting booth my mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts. This election was different, not just because of the historic ramifications, but different for me as well. For me it carried with it a sense of great importance, like no other in which I have participated, and I sensed that many people felt much the same way. I was struck by three thoughts in particular:

1. Voting requires the courage to say yes and the wisdom to say no.
   At least one of the propositions (dealing with criminal justice) on my ballot expressed (in essence) reforms that I have long felt are needed in this country. I was surprised to find that it was very difficult to vote for. There were of course, the typical concerns about the implementation, and if it would be done correctly. What would the consequences be if it were not implemented correctly? I hesitated, and then asked myself, will change ever occur in this country if we are not brave enough to take the first step, and voted yes. The proposition failed, and I may never know for sure if my decision was the correct one, but sometimes positive change requires the courage to say yes.

   In yet another case, one of the propositions on my ballot (dealing with alternative energy) attempted to enact reforms which I feel are vital to this country, and I found the opposite approach to be necessary. I agreed in great detail with what the proposition was attempting to do, but I felt the cost was much too high in a time of economic crisis. I looked at it over and over, trying to find a realistic justification that the benefits which would be derived would more than cover the cost, and for all my effort, I could not. Ultimately (for me) it required the wisdom to say no.

   One person’s courage to say yes may be another’s wisdom to say no. What is important is that we vote with courage and wisdom, regardless of how we might feel that they apply.

2. Know what you vote, vote what you know.
   It is of vital importance that we exercise our right to vote. It is the first step in alerting our elected officials that we care how the country is run, and we are a voice that should be listened to. Beyond simply voting however, we need to be informed and to know what we vote. The political process preys on the uninformed with brief descriptions that hide the real intent and cost of the propositions we vote for. When I first started to vote, I felt that I had to vote in every category, no matter how informed or uninformed I was. I have since come to understand the subtle damage that comes from voting in that way. While it is important to vote, and preferably on a wide range of issues, there is wisdom in passing on those issues in which we feel we are largely uninformed and letting more informed voters control the outcome on those particular issues. Know what you vote, vote what you know.
   
3. Democracy doesn’t sleep between elections.
   The greatest thing about the electoral process is that it inspires people to stand up and be counted like nothing else. The more heated or passionate the election, the greater the number of voters. Far too often however, we (as a society) cease to exercise our democratic rights in the wake of those elections. We let the process run itself, content to wait for the next election, frequently ignoring the lesser elections that do not involve a presidential candidate. Democracy does not sleep, and we should not sleep in our exercise of it. As we move in to a new chapter of history, make sure your elected officials know what you want.

   Now is the time for revolution! A revolution, fought not with weapons, but with words and ideals. Fire the first shot by making sure your elected officials know what you expect of them.

   Many of you have seen Will’s letter to President Obama, or perhaps you have seen my previous post If I were President. I will be sending the contents of that post out to my elected officials as well. Whether you choose to copy and paste, or write your own, I urge you to do the same. Write your President, your Congressman, even your city and county officials and let them know what you expect.

What is the greatest thing you can do to influence the direction of our country?

Letter to President-elect Obama

Dear President Obama,

First of all, congratulations on your historic victory.  Your election is a vivid affirmation of the American Dream.  Anything is possible in America.  Truly.

Now let me offer you a word of caution.  Please don’t misread your election as a mandate for the traditional Democrat liberal agenda.  What we want is real change.  Change that is not a swing to the left.  We don’t want a refried “Great Society.”  We just want change that gives everyone an honest chance to be self-reliant and contribute to our common good. We want change from the increasingly narrow and corrupt view that creating a class of super-rich would somehow benefit all the rest of us.  We don’t want to have a foreign policy based on fear.  We don’t want an economy based on buying stuff made in China.  We don’t want to be lied to.  What we do want is a President we respect.  We need to trust your judgment and your character.  We hope we can.  Just be what you say you are.

Here is what I’ve heard from Americans across the country over the past five years:

1. We want an economy built on innovation, production and creating a sustainable future.  We want to lead the world in invention and quality.  (We are sick about leading the world into a world-wide recession based on a few people’s greed.)
2. We want universal health care for all Americans.  We don’t want a European or Canadian version.  We want a uniquely American best-in-the-world answer of quality, affordability health for all.  Of course it’s going to be hard, but that’s why you were elected.
3. We want a strong, wise and good foreign policy.  We want the world’s respect.  We want to be moral leaders with moral authority.  We want to respect all cultures and promote local solutions to local problems whenever possible.  We want real strength against terrorists, sound intelligence and a campaign to promote pluralism, tolerance and civilization around the world.
4. We want clean, renewable energy now.  We want you to promote a broad-based investment to create a world-wide solution.  We should lead the world to sustainable non-polluting energy.
5. We want a fair, legal and smart immigration policy.  We don’t want to exploit undocumented workers or build an economy that requires us to.
6. We want free, quality education for every child and every student in high school and college.  This is the greatest investment in our future we can make.  We want education that is efficient, relevant, and engaging.  We must have the best education in the world.  No excuses.
7. We want wise regulation to promote the healing of our environment, corporate governance, safe food and drugs and protection from financial corruption.  We want to trust our banks and business leaders.

Well, we are pretty sure you know what we want.  Now that you’re off the campaign trail and the immediacy of voters in your face, we want you to remember our voices.  Please resist the pressures of special interests.  Don’t listen to those who agree with you.  Least of all those who praise you.  Always reach for a higher solution.  Please bring us together to create a new future.  This could be a great new era for America if you make it so.

Please be the leader you’ve promised to be.  You simply must.  Our future depends on it.  If you do your part, believe me, we will do ours.  That’s something you can depend on.  “Yes you can!”

It’s a great time to be an American if we make it so!

Will Marre

Feedback or additions before I send it off?

If I were President…

There is no job in all of the United States as closely scrutinized as that of President of the United States. Even the celebrity scandals with which much of the country seems to be so completely obsessed at times, can not compete with the scrutiny on this one job. Leadership is the glue that binds us together. Whether or not we realize its value, the effects of its absence are unmistakable. Leadership is more than a title, and there are many who have held the title but failed to lead. Since I, like many others, will be closely scrutinizing the actions of the next President, it is only fair that I answer the question.

What would I do if I were President?

Domestic Policy

The establishment of an aggressive national energy policy.

1. An aggressive national energy policy would be the keystone to my administration. Americans believe in and want clean renewable sources of energy that can be produced here in the United States, but the government needs to create an environment that is friendly to innovation and provides incentives to buyers and producers to make this happen. Up to $700 billion dollars a year would be brought back in the U.S. economy (potentially more with the sale of clean energy technology overseas), jobs would be created, the environment would be cleaner, and we would eliminate the threats to national security that are inherent to depending on foreign nations for a vital resource. Perhaps, most importantly of all, however, is that this is really something we could use to energize the country to work towards a common goal. For more information about the need for a vital new energy policy consider Will’s post Oil Dependence and the Energy Crisis.

2. Formation of a service for education program.
   America has earned its economic standing in the world through innovation: electricity, the automobile, the computer, and the Internet to name a few. We also have a need for educated individuals to serve the community as doctors, nurses, and teachers to name a few. Throughout the years, many young men and women have turned to the military as a way to build a future for themselves. Service to country has prepared many of our youth to become responsible citizens and instilled in them a love of country that is necessary in a healthy society. Education, when offered openly to all who will take advantage of the opportunity, has the potential to be the keystone to balanced equality in our nation. Expanding the definition of service beyond the military and creating structured opportunities for community service in exchange for education would be a priority in my administration. For other great ideas about expanding education, see Will’s “Free Education for All.”
   

3. The establishment of a state/locally run national health care program.
   In a country like the United States, it is inexcusable that working men and women are unable to obtain quality medical care for themselves or their families. If a man or woman works to be a productive member of society, surely they have earned the right to real medical care. We are not talking about taking from the rich and giving to the poor; we are talking about giving people what they have justly earned. Such programs have met with tremendous opposition because we have lost faith in the government to spend our money wisely. I am very sympathetic to this argument.  In order to ensure that people have the kind of medical service they deserve without another bloated federal program, I would work to ensure that the program was implemented at the state or local level. The federal government would require a program meeting basic standards and would provide oversight, training, and support. There would obviously be expenses associated with such a program, and extensive research would be conducted to ensure that they would be minimal and fairly divided. It would replace the Medicare program, and the expenses which currently go to that program would help defray the cost. Participants in the service for education program listed in item 2 would also play a key role to keep expenses down.

Foreign Policy

1. Push for massive reform in the United Nations.
   The U.S. can no longer afford to be the world’s police force. Our adoption of this role has placed an unfair economic burden on U.S. citizens and has done unnecessary harm to our relationship with the global community. Although we can not, and should not govern ourselves by foreign opinion, we should try and maintain fair and amicable relations wherever we are able. We need a global body that attempts to resolve disputes between countries, and that when required, can act to enforce the peace between them. These actions need to be a community decision and need to respect the sovereign status of each of its members. I do not believe that the U.N. is currently up to the task, but I believe the answer is to push for reform that puts reasonable bounds on their authority and seeks to remove corruption from that body. A well run United Nations will free us to focus on making a better life at home, while discouraging the types of aggression that led to World War I and World War II.

2. Heavy reduction in non-humanitarian foreign aid.
   According to the National Debt Clock, the current debt of the United States government is $10, 542,780,984,853.05 or approximately $34,563 per person. I have intentionally left every digit in the sum to convey just how enormous that debt is. Foreign Aid spending adds approximately $15 Billion a year to that sum, with the Cato Institute estimating that number at closer to $50 Billion and heavily opposed by the American people. The United States should be a good neighbor, particularly where disaster relief is concerned, but it is irresponsible to spend such a large sum of money on foreign aid while we are so deeply indebted. This is especially true in those situations where the aid is being used to buy influence. I would not eliminate foreign aid, but I would cut it deeply.

3. Heavy reduction in U.S. military presence abroad.
   The purpose of the military is to defend our way of life. It protects our freedoms, and in a larger sense, our prosperity. Its ability to perform these actions is vital to our well being. Economic vitality is also of fundamental importance to our well being and we must be careful to balance these two competing priorities. $644 billion was requested for military spending in 2008, more than the next 10 highest spending countries combined based on a Reuters release and can be seen clearly on this Wikipedia chart based on the 2006 budget. The military plays an important role in protecting our economy, but we must avoid the danger of the military becoming the economy. Economic instability poses a serious threat to our national security. Heavy reduction in U.S. military presence abroad would be a good start at bringing these numbers under control.

Government Reform

1. Tax Reform
   Taxes should be simple, and loop holes found in fine print should not exempt people from paying their fair share. One solution which has been proposed to this dilemma is the implantation of a flat tax. A true flat tax seems like a good idea on the service but lacks fundamental fairness. Taxation should never cut in to the ability of a person to provide for their most basic needs, and those who are fortunate enough to reap the greatest benefits from our economic system should have a greater share of the responsibility. In accordance with this I would seek the implementation of a three tiered flat tax. I would also seek to identify non productive behaviors that distribute wealth upward, not by productivity, but through control of markets and money flow. The non productive upward distribution of wealth takes hard earned money out of the pockets of working Americans and needs to be stopped. Special taxes, not applicable to most Americans, would be applied to those behaviors in order to discourage them and repair the damage they cause. Every American deserves a chance at the American Dream, and our taxation system should help, not hinder, their efforts. Check out Will’s Voting for the American Dream and Business Model for Corporate Social Responsibility. I would also commission comprehensive studies to look for innovative ways of taking income tax out of the hands of the federal government while still allowing it to function effectively and meet its obligations. I do not know if a workable strategy could be found to do this, but it is worthy of exploration.

2. Massive reform to the U.S. banking system. The current Federal Reserve System gives private banks far too much influence over U.S. monetary policy. Thomas Jefferson so feared the role of banks in the U.S. economy that he uttered the following words:

   “The [privately-owned] Central Bank is an institution of the most deadly hostility existing against the principles and form of our Constitution…if the American people allow private banks to control the issuance of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.” Current events are bearing out his words.

   There are those that would like to return to the gold standard, but I do not believe this is an accurate reflection of our productivity. Our money supply needs to be tightly affixed to a set standard that allows it to maintain equilibrium in the world currency market, thus protecting the buying power of private citizens. I suspect that government and private banks are guilty of abuses in this area. Our currency needs to be released in a manner that provides strict safeguards to keep private banks, corporations, and the government itself from skimming off the top. I would assemble a team of visionary economists to advise me on how best to go about this reform. Also check out Will’s ideas on the Financial Bailout and Slaves to Debt.

3. New ethics rules to eliminate special interest money from the political process. Money and politics do not mix. A system that requires candidates for Federal office to raise millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars from private contributions, compromises them from the very start. A system would be set up whereby candidates are blind to the identity of their financial contributors, and strict penalties would be imposed if a candidate took money directly from a contributor. Tight limits would also be imposed to the total amount of money a candidate would be allowed to receive as an added precaution. In light of the strict financial cap, Presidential candidates who are able to demonstrate broad based support for their candidacy, based on pre-determined criteria, would be given a forum upon which to make their case to the American people. The parameters on this process would be constructed so as to insure that leading candidates from independent parties are included in the process and are able to run on a level playing field against Republican and Democratic candidates.

4. Establishment of new vehicles to remove ineffective politicians.
   The voice of the people must be first and foremost on the minds of our elected officials. We honor them with the offices which they hold to represent our needs and our dreams, and they must be held accountable. We deserve not only good leadership, but great leadership, and I would work to make sure that happened, but giving people the ability to get rid of ineffective leaders. For further information on this subject check out my earlier post, Removing Ineffective Politicians from Office.

5. Reform the Electoral College to give citizens a greater voice.
   I do not believe that the Electoral College works as intended. The number of electoral votes that is carried by powerhouse states such as California, Texas, New York, and Florida dwarfs that of most other states in a winner takes all contest, with no consideration of those who cast the losing vote (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:US_Electoral_College_Map.PNG) . The electoral system was initially implemented to keep the voice of smaller states from being overwhelmed by their more populace neighbors. The voices of the smaller states have dimmed as our population as migrated toward coastal states and large population centers. I believe that we might be better served by constitutional reform that breaks those votes down into their respective congressional districts. Smaller states and individual voters, would have a greater voice in government as a result of this action, and events such as the 2000 Florida recounts would have had significantly less effect. In light of the fact that this would be a Constitutional reform, it would have to be considered with great care, and with great attention to the voice of the people and the states.

6. Establishment of a decentralization program.
   The federal government has an important role to play in the well being of its citizens, but it was never intended to wield massive power over the states. Centralized power in heavy concentrations is an ideal environment for waste, inefficiency, and corruption. The federal government should lead, but it has no business managing the states. I would carefully examine each federal program, cut wasteful programs and spending, and return the implementation and management of several of them over to the states, provide training, and ensure that they had the resources and skills to do so. In a decentralized environment, some states would develop innovative ways of dealing with problems that centralized control does not allow. Effective strategies could be observed and taught to other states and the government as a whole would benefit.

   My administration would be one of innovation, guided by the people, visionaries, and philosopher kings. It would seek to make sure that the voice of the people was heard above all others. Each committee and cabinet would have a citizen’s advocate who could be depended on to be strong and impartial, who would interface with real people and represent their voice in each meeting. It would not be afraid to take bold new steps, but would do so with due caution. It would lead through inspiration and post these words prominently throughout the walls of the White House, so as never to forget its responsibilities:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” – The Declaration of Dependence

What is the Greatest thing you could do, if you were President?

**Special thanks to the Dan Carlin’s common sense podcast Episode #136 Confronting The Hydra for his insights on Medicare and military spending.

This Election is Only the Beginning

This weekend I flew up to Las Vegas to meet my wife and her father and mother.  Debbie’s mom and dad were making their annual trek south to Arizona to get relief from arthritis.  Her dad is 80 now and his willingness to drive 12 hours a day is a little scary.  And speaking of scary, Las Vegas on Halloween night is downright frightening.  What people seem willing to do when they are anonymous is a little out there.

We were up early on Saturday morning and made the drive to Phoenix.  What I found was a state buzzing about the Presidential election.  It seems even here in John McCain’s home state the Obama-mania has hit hard.  Not so much that he’s likely to win the state but more from a everyone’s-talking politics: the economy, energy independence, foreign policy topics.  I mean everyone.  I cannot remember a time when so many people have opinions, hopes, dreams, and fears about an election and we’re open and willing to discuss them.  What’s great about it is the civic energy it’s produced.  No not everyone is well informed.  And yes many people seem to make decisions based solely on emotion, but at least we’re awake.  At least we’re engaged in a civic discussion.

The important thing is that the candidates have spent the past year or two traveling the country and listening to us.  When you want to be elected you really listen.  But then what?  As soon as whomever is chosen they become insulated from real people and are shielded by handlers, sucked up to by sycophants, and hounded by lobbyists.

If we are going to move in the right direction the election must be our starting place.  What’s important is what we do to make our voices heard during the next four years and beyond.  Otherwise we can just go back to shaking our fists instead of advocating for real solutions.  The only thing that will make our government honest is our voices.  The best thing we can do is to get to know our congressmen and senators’ email address.  Let them know what you think and that you’re watching.  Make some noise America!