StooltimeCounseling's Posts July 2007
Jul 16, 2007 | 1:57 PM
Category:
News
The following story, circulating around the e-mails, metaphorically describes the hate and resentment between both major political parties in America. Do we need more than two major political parties with credibility? Two are better than one, but based on the performance of the two we now have in our country, perhaps a third one is needed.
Michigan Man had a post on July 8th, 2007 entitled, "Reform." Tim, I acknowledge the time, energy and thought your article reflected about starting a new political party called, "Capitalist." The following short story emphasizes your overall, big-picture point: We need something different in America if the leaders of the Democrats and Republicans continue to decide to divide the population. Evidence of this is rooted in the deep seated resentment (chronic anger) between the two major parties. Competing with each other for votes is one thing, dividing the United States Of America from within is another. In the world of an athlete, it would border on unsportsmanlike conduct.
I've heard talk about a new party trying to make an appearance on the political scene called, "Unity 08." The name itself sounds more promising than the divide we now have between the Democrats and Republicans. We'll have to wait and see. Here's the story:
A woman in a hot air balloon realizes she is lost. She lowers her altitude and spots a man fishing from a boat below. She shouts to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man consults his portable GPS and replies, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude."
She rolls her eyes and says, "You must be a Republican!"
"I am," replies the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," answers the balloonist, "Everything you tell me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you're not much help to me."
The man smiles and responds, "You must be a Democrat."
"I am," replies the balloonist. "How did you know?"
"Well," says the man, "You don't know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and now you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but, somehow, now it's my fault."
My comment, "What a country!"
STC.
Jul 12, 2007 | 12:06 AM
Category:
News
I describe freedom as an oasis of excitement, and responsibility as a desert of boredom. To be free is very exciting. To be responsible can be very boring. Freedom is fun, responsibility is hard work. Can one exist without the other or are the two interdependent?
I believe society is beginning to grapple with that question as evidenced by radio and TV talk show hosts like Bill O'Reilly making references about people behaving responsibly or not as he bloviates on a news story. People like O'Reilly take a chance talking about responsibility and accountability as some people meander about in our no-fault society. It is my contention that more people need to get in on the discussion. Where's the media when you need them to support my contention?
It has been a joy and a frustration to belong on two committees with the Statue Of Responsibility Foundation. The Foundation wants to organize people to privately fund the building of a new national monument that could expand the national dialogue on the theme of people thinking, feeling and acting responsibly. This already sounds boring. It's no wonder most of the media dismisses the need to cover it.
The joy for me is doing something for which I feel passionate. I have the opportunity to meet a lot of influential people during my tenure with the Foundation. I'm also grateful for being a part of an organized effort that is building a new national monument. What an impact this will have on America and the world! With freedom comes responsibility. With excitement comes the boredom. It almost sounds like a yin-yang kind of thing.
I also feel the joy to know there are plans to provide scholarships to kids after the monument, which will bookend the Statue Of Liberty, is built. Who doesn't need some financial help to pay for college?
The frustration for me is working to contact influential media sources, and not hearing back from most of them. After all, responsibility is boring. The media likes to project excitement! I suppose it will take a celebrity or other famous person to become the Foundation's national spokesperson before the Foundation's efforts to build the monument catches the attention of most of the media. We can look forward to a new book coming out later this year called, "Responsibility 911." The sales of that book will help financially support the building of the monument.
Here is a listing of people/media I have contacted since August, 2005. Some were kind enough to respond, others were not. I open this up to fellow bloggers. Does anybody have any other ideas to help The Statue Of Responsibility Foundation get the word out so we the people can build the monument by July 4th, 2010? Thanks.
- President George Bush.
- California First Lady Maria Shriver.
- Bill Gates.
- Rush Limbaugh.
- David Limbaugh.
- Sean Hannity.
- Glenn Beck.
- Neal Boortz.
- Bill O'Reilly.
- Michelle Malkin-Fox News and Blogger.
- Professor Rothman-UNLV History Department.
- Vince Swift-The Statue Of Liberty Club.
- Oakland University Alumni Magazine.
- The Detroit Tigers Organization.
- The Detroit Lions Organization.
- Al Johnson from Fox 2.
- The Bay Voice Newspaper.
- The Macomb Daily.
- Mort Crim Communications.
- Comcast Newsmakers.
- The Times Herald (Port Huron).
- Senator Debbie Stabenaw.
- Congress Woman Candice Miller.
- Representative Dan Acciavatti.
- Tim Allen.
- Jay Leno.
- Oprah Winfrey.
- Retired Admiral Herbert Meyer.
- Paul W. Smith (WJR 760 AM)
- NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell.
- MLB Commissioner, Allan H. (Bud) Selig.
- NBA Commissioner, David Stern.
- NHL Commissioner, Gary Beckman.
- The Heritage Foundation.
- The Drudge Report.
- Senator John McCain (blog).
- Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
http://www.sorfoundation.org
Jul 8, 2007 | 1:15 AM
Category:
News
What's the feeling on the West Coast about The Statue Of Responsibility being built in one of the following cities: Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego?
By now, I hope most understand the reasoning behind building the monument. Which one of the aforementioned cities wants the monument in their front yard? I'm wanting to get a feel about the buzz going on out West.
I'm here in Michigan (suburb of Detroit), volunteering on two steering committees for the Statue Of Responsibility Foundation, wanting to know about the buzz out West as I'm reaching out to my community to promote the monument.
Thank you, LA.
http://www.sorfoundation.org
p.s. If anyone has seen Tim Allen from TV's Home Improvement, please let him know I have an invitation for him. He's difficult to reach, but worth the effort!
Jul 6, 2007 | 12:17 AM
Category:
News
Yes, this post is a copy and paste, but a very interesting copy and paste. I invited Retired Admiral Herbert Meyer to join The Statue Of Responsibility Foundation's efforts in organizing the American people to build the national monument that will bookend The Statue Of Liberty and remind all of us that with freedom comes responsibility. I talked with him by phone and now am waiting for his response. Come to think of it, I'm still waiting for Tim Allen's response, too.
Mark from Stooltime Counseling.
This is a very interesting intelligence report by a retired Admiral. He was one of the first government officials to predict the fall of the Soviet Union. He was responsible for producing the National Intelligence Estimate for President Regan. Filled with factual observations.
FOUR MAJOR TRANSFORMATIONS
A GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING FOR THE THOUGHTFUL
HERBERT MEYER
Currently, there are four major transformations that are shaping political,
economic and world events. These transformations have profound implications
for American business owners, our culture and our way of life.
1. The War in Iraq
There are three major monotheistic religions in the world: Christianity,
Judaism and Islam. In the 16th century, Judaism and Christianity reconciled
with the modern world. The rabbis, priests and scholars found a way to
settle up and pave the way forward. Religion remained at the center of life,
church and state became separate. Rule of law, idea of economic liberty,
individual rights, human rights - all these are defining points of modern
Western civilization. These concepts started with the Greeks but didn't take
off until the 15th and 16th century when Judaism and Christianity found a
way to reconcile with the modern world. When that happened, it unleashed the
scientific revolution and the greatest outpouring of art, literature and
music the world has ever known.
Islam, which developed in the 7th century, counts millions of Moslems around
the world who are normal people. However, there is a radical streak within
Islam. When the radicals are in charge, Islam attacks Western civilization.
Islam first attacked Western civilization in the 7th century, and later in
the 16th and 17th centuries. By 1683, the Moslems (Turks from the Ottoman
Empire) were literally at the gates of Vienna. It was in Vienna that the
climatic battle between Islam and Western civilization took place. The West
won and went forward. Islam lost and went backward. Interestingly, the date
of that battle was September 11. Since them, Islam has not found a way to
reconcile with the modern world.
Today, terrorism is the third attack on Western civilization by radical
Islam. To deal with terrorism, the U.S. is doing two things. First, units of
our armed forces are in 30 countries around the world hunting down terrorist
groups and dealing with them. This gets very little publicity. Second we are
taking military action in Afghanistan and Iraq. These are covered
relentlessly by the media. People can argue about whether the war in Iraq is
right or wrong. However, the underlying strategy behind the war is to use
our military to remove the radicals from power and give the moderates a
chance. Our hope is that, over time, the moderates will find a way to bring
Islam forward into the 21st century. That's what our involvement in Iraq and
Afghanistan is all about.
The lesson of 9/11 is that we live in a world where a small number of people
can kill a large number of people very quickly. They can use airplanes,
bombs, anthrax, chemical weapons or dirty bombs. Even with a first-rate
intelligence service (which the U.S. does not have), you can't stop every
attack. That means our tolerance "for political horseplay" has dropped to
zero. No longer will we play games with terrorists or weapons of mass
destructions.
Most of the instability and horseplay is coming from the Middle East. That's
why we have thought that if we could knock out the radicals and give the
moderates a chance to hold power, they might find a way to reconcile Islam
with the modern world. So when looking at Afghanistan or Iraq, it's
important to look for any signs that they are modernizing. For example,
women being brought into the work force and colleges in Afghanistan is good.
The Iraqis stumbling toward a constitution is good. People can argue about
what the U.S. is doing and how we're doing it, but anything that suggests
Islam is finding its way forward is good
2. The Emergence of China
In the last 20 years, China has moved 250 million people from the farms and
villages into the cities. Their plan is to move another 300 million in the
next 20 years. When you put that many people into the cities, you have to
find work for them. That's why China is addicted to manufacturing; they have
to put all the relocated people to work. When we decide to manufacture
something in the US., it's based on market needs and the opportunity to
make a profit. In China, they make the decision because they want the jobs,
which is a very different calculation.
While China is addicted to manufacturing, Americans are addicted to low
prices. As a result, a unique kind of economic codependency has developed
between the two countries. If we ever stop buying from China, they will
explode politically. If China stops selling to us, our economy will take a
huge hit because prices will jump. We are subsidizing their economic
development; they are subsidizing our economic growth.
Because of their huge growth in manufacturing, China is hungry for raw
materials, which drives prices up worldwide. China is also thirsty for oil,
which is one reason oil is now at $60 a barrel. By 2020, China will produce
more cars than the U.S. China is also buying its way into the oil
infrastructure around the world. They are doing it in the open market and
paying fair market prices, but millions of barrels of oil that would have
gone to the U.S. are now going to China. China's quest to assure it has the
oil it needs to fuel its economy is a major factor in world politics and
economics. We have our Navy fleets protecting the sea lines, specifically
the ability to get the tankers through. It won't be long before the Chinese
have an aircraft carrier sitting in the Persian Gulf as well. The question
is, will their aircraft carrier be pointing in the same direction as ours or
against us?
3. Shifting Demographics of Western Civilization
Most countries in the Western world have stopped breeding. For a
civilization obsessed with sex, this is remarkable. Maintaining a steady
population requires a birth rate of 2.1. In Western Europe, the birth rate
currently stands at 1.5, or 30 percent below replacement. In 30 years there
will be 70 to 80 million fewer Europeans than there are today. The current
birth rate in Germany is 1.3. Italy and Spain are even lower at 1.2. At that
rate, the working age population declines by 30 percent in 20 years, which
has a huge impact on the economy.
When you don't have young workers to replace the older ones, you have to
import them. The European countries are currently importing Moslems. Today,
the Moslems comprise 10 percent of France and Germany, and the percentage is
rising rapidly because they have higher birthrates. However, the Moslem
populations are not being integrated into the cultures of their host
countries, which is a political catastrophe. One reason Germany and France
don't support the Iraq war is they fear their Moslem populations will
explode on them. By 2020, more than half of all births in the Netherlands
will be non-European.
The huge design flaw in the post-modern secular state is that you need a
traditional religious society birth rate to sustain it. The Europeans simply
don't wish to have children, so they are dying.
In Japan, the birthrate is 1.3. As a result, Japan will lose up to 60
million people over the next 30 years. Because Japan has a very different
society than Europe, they refuse to import workers. Instead, they are just
shutting down. Japan has already closed 2000 schools, and is closing them
down at the rate of 300 per year. Japan is also aging very rapidly. By 2020,
one out of every five Japanese will be at least 70 years old. Nobody has any
idea about how to run an economy with those demographics.
Europe and Japan, which comprise two of the world's major economic engines,
aren't merely in recession, they're shutting down. This will have a huge
impact on the world economy, and it is already beginning to happen. Why are
the birthrates so low? There is a direct correlation between abandonment of
traditional religious society and a drop in birth rate, and Christianity in
Europe is becoming irrelevant. The second reason is economic. When the birth
rate drops below replacement, the population ages. With fewer working people
to support more retired people, it puts a crushing tax burden on the smaller
group of working age people. As a result, young people delay marriage and
having a family. Once this trend starts, the downward spiral only gets
worse. These countries have abandoned all the traditions they formerly held
in regards to having families and raising children.
The U.S. birth rate is 2.0, just below replacement. We have an increase in
population because of immigration. When broken down by ethnicity, the Anglo
birth rate is 1.6 (same as France) while the Hispanic birth rate is 2.7. In
the U.S., the baby boomers are starting to retire in massive numbers. This
will push the "elder dependency" ratio from 19 to 38 over the next 10 to 15
years. This is not as bad as Europe, but still represents the same kind of
trend.
Western civilization seems to have forgotten what every primitive society
understands-you need kids to have a healthy society. Children are huge
consumers. Then they grow up to become taxpayers. That's how a society
works, but the post-modern secular state seems to have forgotten that. If
U.S. birth rates of the past 20 to 30 years had been the same as post-World
War II, there would be no Social Security or Medicare problems.
The world's most effective birth control device is money. As society creates
a middle class and women move into the work force, birth rates drop. Having
large families is incompatible with middle class living. The quickest way to
drop the birth rate is through rapid economic development. After World War
II, the U.S instituted a $600 tax credit per child. The idea was to enable
mom and dad to have four children without being troubled by taxes. This led
to a baby boom of 22 million kids, which was a huge consumer market that
turned into a huge tax base. However, to match that incentive in today's
dollars would cost $12,000 per child.
China and India do not have declining populations. However, in both
countries, there is a preference for boys over girls, and we now have the
technology to know which is which before they are born. In China and India,
many families are aborting the girls. As a result, in each of these
countries there are 70 million boys growing up who will never find wives.
When left alone, nature produces 103 boys for every 100 girls. In some
provinces, however, the ratio is 128 boys to every 100 girls.
The birth rate in Russia is so low that by 2050 their population will be
smaller than that of Yemen. Russia has one-sixth of the earth's land surface
and much of its oil. You can't control that much area with such a small
population. Immediately to the south, you have China with 70 million
unmarried men - a real potential nightmare scenario for Russia.
4. Restructuring of American Business
The fourth major transformation involves a fundamental restructuring of
American business. Today's business environment is very complex and
competitive. To succeed, you have to be the best, which means having the
highest quality and lowest cost. Whatever your price point, you must have
the best quality and lowest price. To be the best, you have to concentrate
on one thing. You can't be all things to all people and be the best.
A generation ago, IBM used to make every part of their computer. Now Intel
makes the chips, Microsoft makes the software, and someone else makes the
modems, hard drives, monitors, etc. IBM even outsources their call center.
Because IBM has all these companies supplying goods and services cheaper and
better than they could do it themselves, they can make a better computer at
a lower cost. This is called a "fracturing" of business. When one company
can make a better product by relying on others to perform functions the
business used to do itself, it creates a complex pyramid of companies that
serve and support each other.
This fracturing of American business is now in its second generation. The
companies who supply IBM are now doing the same thing-outsourcing many of
their core services and production process. As a result, they can make
cheaper, better products. Over time, this pyramid continues to get bigger
and bigger. Just when you think it can't fracture again, it does. Even very
small businesses can have a large pyramid of corporate entities that perform
many of its important functions. One aspect of this trend is that companies
end up with fewer employees and more independent contractors.
This trend has also created two new words in business.integrator and
complementor. At the top of the pyramid, IBM is the integrator. As you go
down the pyramid, Microsoft, Intel and the other companies that support IBM
are the complementors. However, each of the complementors is itself an
integrator for the complementors underneath it. This has several
implications, the first of which is that we are now getting false readings
on the economy. People who used to be employees are now independent
contractors launching their own businesses. There are many people working
whose work is not listed as a job. As a result, the economy is perking along
better than the numbers are telling us.
Outsourcing also confused the numbers. Suppose a company like General Motors
decides to outsource all its employee cafeteria functions to Marriott (which
it did). It lays off hundreds of cafeteria workers, who then get hired right
back by Marriott. The only thing that has changed is that these people work
for Marriott rather than GM. Yet, the headlines will scream that America has
lost more manufacturing jobs. All that really happened is that these workers
are now reclassified as service workers. So the old way of counting jobs
contributes to false economic readings. As yet, we haven't figured out how
to make the numbers catch up with the changing realities of the business
world.
Another implication of this massive restructuring is that because companies
are getting rid of units and people that used to work for them, the entity
is smaller. As the companies+ get smaller and more efficient, revenues are
going down but profits are going up. As a result, the old notion that
"revenues are up and we're doing great" isn't always the case anymore.
Companies are getting smaller but are becoming more efficient and profitable
in the process.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE FOUR TRANSFORMATIONS
1. The War in Iraq
In some ways, the war is going very well. Afghanistan and Iraq have the
beginnings of a modern government, which is a huge step forward. The Saudis
are starting to talk about some good things, while Egypt and Lebanon are
beginning to move in a good direction.
A series of revolutions have taken place in countries like Ukraine and
Georgia. There will be more of these revolutions for an interesting reason.
In every revolution, there comes a point where the dictator turns to the
general and says, "Fire into the crowd." If the general fires into the
crowd, it stops the revolution. If the general says "No," the revolution is
over. Increasingly, the generals are saying "No" because their kids are in
the crowd.
Thanks to TV and the Internet, the average 18-year old outside the U.S. is
very savvy about what is going on in the world, especially in terms of
popular culture. There is a huge global consciousness, and young people
around the world want to be a part of it. It is increasingly apparent to
them that the miserable government where they live is the only thing
standing in their way. More and more, it is the well-educated kids, the
children of the generals and the elite, who are leading the revolutions.
At the same time, not all is well with the war. The level of violence in
Iraq is much worse and doesn't appear to be improving. It's possible that
we're asking too much of Islam all at one time. We're trying to jolt them
from the 7th century to the 21st century all at once, which may be further
than they can go. They might make it and they might not. Nobody knows for
sure. The point is, we don't know how the war will turn out. Anyone who says
they know is just guessing.
The real place to watch is Iran. If they actually obtain nuclear weapons it
will be a terrible situation. There are two ways to deal with it. The first
is a military strike, which will be very difficult. The Iranians have
dispersed their nuclear development facilities and put them underground. The
U.S. has nuclear weapons that can go under the earth and take out those
facilities, but we don't want to do that. The other way is to separate the
radical mullahs from the government, which is the most likely course of
action.
Seventy percent of the Iranian population is under 30. They are Moslem but
not Arab. They are mostly pro-Western. Many experts think the U.S. should
have dealt with Iran before going to war with Iraq. The problem isn't so
much the weapons, it's the people who control them. If Iran has a moderate
government, the weapons become less of a concern.
We don't know if we will win the war in Iraq We could lose or win. What
we're looking for is any indicator that Islam is moving into the 21st
century and stabilizing
2. China
It may be that pushing 500 million people from farms and villages into
cities is too much too soon. Although it gets almost no publicity, China is
experiencing hundreds of demonstrations around the country, which is
unprecedented. These are not students in Tiananmen Square. These are average
citizens who are angry with the government for building chemical plants and
polluting the water they drink and the air they breathe.
The Chinese are a smart and industrious people. They may be able to pull it
off and become a very successful economic and military superpower. If so, we
will have to learn to live with it. If they want to share the responsibility
of keeping the world's oil lanes open, that's a good thing. They currently
have eight new nuclear electric power generators under way and 45 on the
books to build. Soon, they will leave the US. way behind in their ability
to generate nuclear power.
What can go wrong with China? For one, you can't move 550 million people
into the cities without major problems. Two, China really wants Taiwan, not
so much for economic reasons, they just want it. The Chinese know that their
system of communism can't survive much longer in the 21st century. The last
thing they want to do before they morph into some sort of more capitalistic
government is to take over Taiwan.
We may wake up one morning and find they have launched an attack on Taiwan.
If so, it will be a mess, both economically and militarily. The U.S. has
committed to the military defense of Taiwan. If China attacks Taiwan, will
we really go to war against them? If the Chinese generals believe the answer
is no, they may attack. If we don't defend Taiwan, every treaty the U.S. has
will be worthless. Hopefully, China won't do anything stupid.
3. Demographics
Europe and Japan are dying because their populations are aging and
shrinking. These trends can be reversed if the young people start breeding.
However, the birth rates in these areas are so low it will take two
generations to turn things around. No economic model exists that permits 50
years to turn things around. Some countries are beginning to offer
incentives for people to have bigger families. For example, Italy is
offering tax breaks for having children. However, it's a lifestyle issue
versus a tiny amount of money. Europeans aren't willing to give up their
comfortable lifestyles in order to have more children.
In general, everyone in Europe just wants it to last a while longer.
Europeans have a real talent for living. They don't want to work very hard.
The average European worker gets 400 more hours of vacation time per year
than Americans. They don't want to work and they don't want to make any of
the changes needed to revive their economies.
The summer after 9/11, France lost 15,000 people in a heat wave. In August,
the country basically shuts down when everyone goes on vacation. That year,
a severe heat wave struck and 15,000 elderly people living in nursing homes
and hospitals died. Their children didn't even leave the beaches to come
back and take care of the bodies. Institutions had to scramble to find
enough refrigeration units to hold the bodies until people came to claim
them.
This loss of life was five times bigger than 9/11 in America, yet it didn't
trigger any change in French society. When birth rates are so low, it
creates a tremendous tax burden on the young. Under those circumstances,
keeping mom and dad alive is not an attractive option. That's why euthanasia
is becoming so popular in most European countries. The only country that
doesn't permit (and even encourage) euthanasia is Germany, because of all
the baggage from World War II.
The European economy is beginning to fracture. The Euro is down. Countries
like Italy are starting to talk about pulling out of the European Union
because it is killing them. When things get bad economically in Europe, they
tend to get very nasty politically. The canary in the mine is anti-
Semitism. When it goes up, it means trouble is coming. Current levels of
anti-Semitism are higher than ever. Germany won't launch another war, but
Europe will likely get shabbier, more dangerous and less pleasant to live
in.
Japan has a birth rate of 1.3 and has no intention of bringing in
immigrants. By 2020, one out of every five Japanese will be 70 years old.
Property values in Japan have dropped every year for the past 14 years. The
country is simply shutting down.
In the U.S. we also have an aging population. Boomers are starting to retire
at a massive rate. These retirements will have several major impacts:
. Possible massive sell-off of large four-bedroom houses and a movement to
condos.
. An enormous drain on the treasury. Boomers vote, and they want their
benefits, even if it means putting a crushing tax burden on their kids to
get them. Social Security will be a huge problem. As this generation ages,
it will start to drain the system. We are the only country in the world
where there are no age limits on medical procedures.
. An enormous drain on the health care system. This will also increase the
tax burden on the young, which will cause them to delay marriage and having
families, which will drive down the birth rate even further.
Although scary, these demographics also present enormous opportunities for
products and services tailored to aging populations. There will be
tremendous demand for caring for older people, especially those who don't
need nursing homes but need some level of care. Some people will have a
business where they take care of three or four people in their homes. The
demand for that type of service and for products to physically care for
aging people will be huge.
Make sure the demographics of your business are attuned to where the action
is. For example, you don't want to be a baby food company in Europe or
Japan. Demographics are much underrated as an indicator of where the
opportunities are. Businesses need customers. Go where the customers are.
4. Restructuring of American Business
The restructuring of American business means we are coming to the end of the
age of the employer and employee. With all this fracturing of businesses
into different and smaller units, employers can't guarantee jobs anymore
because they don't know what their companies will look like next year.
Everyone is on their way to becoming an independent contractor. The new
workforce contract will be, "Show up at the my office five days a week and
do what I want you to do, but you handle your own insurance, benefits,
health care and everything else."
Husbands and wives are becoming economic units. They take different jobs and
work different shifts depending on where they are in their careers and
families. They make tradeoffs to put together a compensation package to take
care of the family. This used to happen only with highly educated
professionals with high incomes. Now it is happening at the level of the
factory floor worker. Couples at all levels are designing their compensation
packages based on their individual needs The only way this can work is if
everything is portable and flexible, which requires a huge shift in the
American economy.
The U.S. is in the process of building the world's first 21st century model
economy. The only other countries doing this are U.K. and Australia. The
model is fast, flexible, highly productive and unstable in that it is always
fracturing and re-fracturing. This will increase the economic gap between
the U.S. and everybody else, especially Europe and Japan.
At the same time, the military gap is increasing. Other than China, we are
the only country that is continuing to put money into their military. Plus,
we are the only military getting on-the-ground military experience through
our war in Iraq. We know which high-tech weapons are working and which ones
aren't. There is almost no one who can take us on economically or
militarily. There has never been a superpower in this position before.
On the one hand, this makes the U.S. a magnet for bright and ambitious
people. It also makes us a target. We are becoming one of the last holdouts
of the traditional Judeo-Christian culture. There is no better place in the
world to be in business and raise children. The U.S. is by far the best
place to have an idea, form a business and put it into the marketplace. We
take it for granted, but it isn't as available in other countries of the
world.
Ultimately, it's an issue of culture. The only people who can hurt us are
ourselves, by losing our culture. If we give up our Judeo-Christian culture,
we become just like the Europeans. The culture war is the whole ballgame. If
we lose it, there isn't another America to pull us out.
HERBERT MEYER
Herb Meyer served during the Reagan administration as special assistant to
the Director of Central Intelligence and Vice Chairman of the CIA's National
Intelligence Council. In these positions, he managed production of the US.
National Intelligence Estimates and other top-secret projections for the
President and his national security advisers. Meyer is widely credited with
being the first senior U.S. Government official to forecast the Soviet
Union's collapse, for which he later was awarded the U.S. National
Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the intelligence community's
highest honor. Formerly an associate editor of FORTUNE, he is also the
author of several books.
Herbert Meyer P.O. Box 2089 Friday Harbor, WA 98250
(360) 378-3910 * (360) 378-3912 Fax Email:
mailto:herbmeyer@stormingpress.com herbmeyer@stormingpress.com economic
and world events. These transformations have profound implications for
American business owners, our culture and our way of life.
Jul 6, 2007 | 12:06 AM
Category:
News
Dear Tim Allen,
My name is Mark Rogers. I am writing an open letter invitation to you through a Fox 11 blog site because all other attempts to contact you have been unsuccessful. I've tried contacting you through Boxing Cat Productions and Lighthouse Of Oakland County. Nothing has yielded any positive results for me, and so I am trying this venue. I can be as reasonably persistent as you are famous and a good guy. Here's my invitation to you:
I know you believe in giving back to the community, based on the number of charities to whom you generously donate your time, talent and money. The Lighthouse Of Oakland County is one such organization, where I got the opportunity to meet you in 1995, when you donated a Ford van to them to help with their senior citizen program. At that time, you gave me an idea of which I later used to call my website, for which I am grateful. In return, I extend an invitation to you to join a privately funded, grass roots Foundation, which is working to build a national monument, that will complete the Statue Of Liberty. It will be called, The Statue Of Responsibility.
I volunteer at the Statue Of Responsibility Foundation on two different committees, and have the CEO's (Daniel Bolz) permission to ask if you would be willing to join us in our efforts to get America involved in this noble project, which was the brainchild of Dr. Viktor Frankl in his book, "Man's Search For Meaning." I thought of you not only because you helped me back in 1995, but because your life represents a near perfect analogy of how living responsibly can turn things around for a person. That's a message and example for which millions of people can learn. (People can also read your books, "Don't Stand Too Close To A Naked Man" or "I'm Not Really Here.")
Thanks for your consideration, Tim. You (and other readers of this blog posting) can go to the Foundation's website: http://www.sorfoundation.org to learn more about this national monument that is scheduled for unveiling on July 4th, 2010 on the West Coast of America. There's even a 5 minute video you can view from the site.
Respectfully,
Mark Rogers, LPC.
Licensed Professional Counselor.
P.S. Thanks to Fox 11 for helping me reach Tim Allen through this blog forum.
Jul 4, 2007 | 11:18 AM
Category:
News
As some of you know, I counsel pre-marital couples as they choose to prepare for their marriage, and not just their wedding day. I came across an interesting idea and would like some feedback about what fellow bloggers think about it.
"If you take care of me, I will take care of you."
vs.
"I will take care of me for you, if you will take care of you for me."
In both cases, both people need to depend on each other so there is an interdependence thing going on. The second statement sounds more reasonable, though. We could even realistically apply the second statement to the political arena when dealing with other countries.
Jul 4, 2007 | 8:42 AM
Category:
News
Here's a sneak peak on a book due out later this year.
RESPONSIBILITY 911
With Great Liberties Come Great Responsibilities
Ken Shelton and Daniel Louis Bolz – Editors
Publisher
Executive Excellence Publishing
www.eep.com
As of 1May 2007 (55 Articles…)
Contents
Foreword: Warren Bennis
Preface: Mark Victor Hansen
Introduction: Daniel Louis Bolz, President & CEO, The Statue of Responsibility Foundation
Section 1: Personal Responsibility
Articles
1. “The New 3 R’s: Respect – Responsibility – Rights” by Gary P. Waterworth Owen
2. “The Success Principle” by Jack Canfield (use updated version w/ SOR comments!)
3. “The Kite: From Freedom to Responsibility” by Dr. Claudio G. Pintos
4. “Freedom and Responsibility: The Twin Pillars of the Good Life by Dr. Paul T.P. Wong
5. “Broken Windows” by Michael Levine
6. “An American Anagram” by Tom Schaff
7. “The 8th Habit” by Stephen R. Covey
8. “100% Responsibility” by Taylor Hartman
9. “The End of Excuses” by Kate Ludeman and Eddie Erlandson
10. “God Has a Plan for You” by Bishop Desmond Tutu
11. “You Need Not Be Superman” by Christopher Reeve
12. “Contemporary Morality” by Pope John Paul
13. “Serving Humanity” by Pope John Paul
14. “Be Faithful” by Gordon B. Hinckley
Section 2: Rights and Responsibilities
Articles
1. “The Statue of Responsibility” by Senator George S. McGovern
2. “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Meaning” by Dr. Alex Pattakos
3. “Understanding Freedom and Responsibility” by Reese Haller
4. “Statue of Responsibility” by Denis Waitley
5. “Rights & Responsibilities” by Dallin H. Oaks
6. “Making a Better World” by Peter Senge
7. “Everybody Matters” by George W. Bush
8. “Pursuing Excellence” by Tom Peters
Section 3: Moral Leadership
1. “The Dynamics of Responsibility” by William O. Perry
2. “Reframing Responsibility in a Globalized World: An Islamic Perspective” by Dr. Nabyl Eddahar
3. “Courage to Lead” by Johnnie Taylor
4. “Moral Courage” by Senator John McCain
5. “True Leadership” by General Norman Schwartzkopf
6. “Lessons for Leaders” by Arnold Schwarzenegger
7. “Why Lead?” by Phil Swift
8. “Leadership & Responsibility, One Frankl’s Perspective” by Elliott Frankl
9. “Never Retreat” by Rudy Giuliani
10. “You Have a Role to Play” by Barack Obama
Section 4: Accountability vs. Entitlement
1. “Just Another Statue? No Way!” by Dr. Joseph Thannickal
2. “Accountability for Results” by Peter Block
3. “Create a Culture of Accountability” by Roger Connors and Tom Smith
4. “Moral Laryngitis” by Laura P. Hartman
5. “Transforming Entitlement” by Dan Prosser
6. “Real Accountability” by Carolyn B. Thompson and James W. Ware
7. “Being Accountable” by Paul G. Stoltz
8. “The Ecology of Success” by Gifford Pinchot
9. “Action This Day” by Ross Perot
10. “Accountability at Enron” by Peter Koestenbaum
11. “A Vision of My Life” by Oprah Winfrey
12. “Accountability” by Louis Zachary
Section 5: Corporate Responsibility and Ethics
1. “The Point of Corporate Purpose” by Christine Arena
2. “Strengthening America with Values-Driven Investing” by Carter B. LeCraw
3. “Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility” by Charles Garfield
4. “Corporate Responsibility” by Anita Roddick
5. “Corporate Responsibility” by Mark Albion
6. “My Responsibility” by Arthur Blank
7. “Social Responsibility” by Ken P. Cohen
8. “Culture of Accountability” by Jim Collins
9. “Be Transparent” by Mike Farris
10. “Never Give Up” by Bill Marks
11. “Social Responsibility” by Bill Marriott
12. “Shaping the Way” by Barbara Toffler (use edited version emailed in.!!!)
13. “Becoming Great and Good” by Jeff Immelt
Appendix
I Bill of Rights
II Bill of Responsibilities, copyright by the Freedom’s Foundation at Valley Forge
III Executive Excellence Publishing
IV Statue of Responsibility Foundation
Note: Articles in red are from Foundation members and supporters
EEP Pending Articles (or excerpts): Bill Bennett, Bill Cosby, Dr. Viktor Frankl, Dr. Laura Schlesinger, Marianne Williamson, David Gergen.
http://www.sorfoundation.org
