You would think that with the economy in a meltdown, that people might step back and wonder if there are some fundamental problems we need to address before going forward with a $700B bailout.
I have missed any discussions that might suggest that there are more problems besides money and greed behind our challenges.
I actually think part of our problem is that things have gotten too big to effectively manage. On top of that I think too many decision makers are packed in areas which feed on themselves.
I spent nearly twenty years working at Apple. Apple with the exception of their stock is wildly successful right now. Of course we will soon see if their recent strategy of raising prices in tough economic times is a good idea.
For years before Apple decided to open their own stores, we begged people in Cupertino to come and see how far our dealer channel had fallen. Anyone who said the reseller channel was humming along perfectly would be chopped and diced by those in Cupertino whose livelihood depended upon dealers.
I used to tell the story of a Charlotte resellers who won an award from our Cupertino buddies. Their show room doubled as a waiting room for the medical practice they were running upstairs.
Eventually Apple did open their own stores and actually started selling more computers. As is often the case it had to be their own idea in order for it to be successful.
So as country what do we need to do to be successful.
First we have to fix our political representation. We have far too many jury-rigged electoral districts where the incumbent is there until they fall asleep permanently. We need intelligent impartial electoral districts.
Second we need to break Washington up. There are far too many people in the area whose lives depend on the growth of government at any cost.
We are trying to run our government in an area where people can barely afford to live and where we are only one accident away from serious gridlock.
More big agencies should be moved out of the DC area. Far too many people spend a couple of hours a day computing to work in government.
When I worked in DC, I kept hearing about the coming crisis in government workers. If far too many workers are over 50, start doing the work in area where young people might want to live and perhaps could afford to live.
If you let everything concentrate in one area, you by default are letting a few people run the decision making process. Large companies are attracted to government like bears to honey.
If we want a better country and our money spent more responsibly, we need some new people running parts of the government.
Provide some real economic incentives for corporate headquarters being someplace besides all the usual suspects.
I am not saying cities are all bad, but when they are packed with all the influential people in a particular industry, the industry behaves more like a panic stricken herd than a bunch of smart executives.
Finally we need a new contract between employers and employees. Perhaps if we clear up the healthcare mess, we will make it easier to hire people. Yet someone who works hard, devotes years of their life to a corporation, should not be thrown on the rubbish heap with little to show for it. By the same token, someone who does a poor job and can never seem to improve should be fired without problems.
I think a more decentralized economy would serve the country better in trying times. Areas such as Roanoke with attractive living conditions and an educated population could do well in a more decentralized econony.
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