Dare to Dream Again

Like millions of Americans, I sat in front of my TV and watched transfixed as NASA’s space shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Cape Canaveral, FL. on its final mission on July 9, 2011.

In the 30 years since the shuttle program began, the frequency with which NASA has been sending shuttles into space has, not surprisingly, dulled the sense of expectation and excitement around each take-off. Success, after all, when repeated often enough becomes the norm.

The success of NASA’s shuttle missions is probably its biggest thorn-in-the-side as well. Space is no longer as big a mystery as it once was. We’ve landed man on the moon multiple times and we’ve sent unmanned space-crafts to Mars and beyond. We’ve captured images of a billion stars and celestial bodies millions of light years away. We’ve learned enough to demote Pluto and reclassified it as a dwarf-planet, smaller than Earth’s moon. As a consequence of the regularity of our successes and discoveries, we have lost the sense of wonderment and the desire to conquer new boundaries in space. The fantasies of Star Trek like space voyagers and adventures no longer speaks to new generation in the same way as it did to ours. Space adventures, like old playthings and story books, will fade into the past.

Over time, our quest to win the space race (with the Russians) evolved into more than just putting a man into space or landing on the moon. The space program gave our mathematicians, scientist and researchers purpose and opportunity to test new theories, new designs, new materials, and new medical research, and as a result, it allowed America to develop technologies that have given it the leadership position in science and engineering.

No other nation that has sent a man into space has launched a reusable spacecraft as beautifully designed and as versatile as NASA’s space shuttles, and, given the economic uncertainties around the globe, it is quite unlikely that any nation will in any time soon. Sadly, with the US national debt about to hit the $14.29 trillion debt ceiling by August 2, 2011, it is also unlikely that we will come up with a replacement to the shuttle craft anytime soon either. Our political leaders can’t even agree on investing in infrastructures on the ground so it is hard to imagine them getting their minds around something as abstract as space.

When we are told on a daily basis that social programs that have been put into place to benefit the elderly or the poor have to be cut, and raising taxes are out of the question, how can we imagine our political leaders finding the funding to save the space program?

If there is no space program, where will our next generation of new, cutting-edge technologies evolve from? What will happen to America’s leadership in the field of science and technology?

People around the globe send their children to study in US schools in the hope that they will be able to gain some of that scientific knowledge and know-how. They want their kids to be immersed in culture of diversity in America and to soak in the intangibles that make America great – the ability to think outside the box, to come up with unconventional solutions, to push the boundaries of what is possible, and to find success out of failures. More than just the educational credentials, they want their kids to acquire the American daring and belief – the relentless pursuit of faster, higher and better.

The American sense of national pride and shared sacrifice once propelled the nation forward at break-neck speeds but it is quickly being overtaken by a number of developing Asian countries. It is not surprising that they are the ones currently with a strong sense of national pride. With determination, investment and sacrifice, they have put into place superfast trains, ultra-modern airports, and broadband Internet capabilities that far exceeds what we have in the US.

America’s lead position in science and technological advances will continue to ebb unless we dare to dream big again and the American sense of individuality is matched by a sense of unity and strength. Our desire to do well individually should not and must not diminish our sense of need for doing well as a nation, a collection of people with a common purpose.

Great leaders lead the way by setting goals and by being able to inspire the nation into imagining the future and investing in that future. America’s leaders cannot afford to be short-sighted, focusing only on the near term. America’s leaders must dare to dream again. They must be bold enough to imagine what future looks like and they must be able to explain the investment and sacrifice needed for the nation to arrive at that future.

Budget Battles

Let’s face it – even if the US is not faced with a looming deficit and at risk of defaulting on its debts if the debt-ceiling is not raised, Congress should still be debating what the nation is spending its revenues and resources on and how to extract the most out of every dollar spent.  Congress should never be complacent, as they have been during the years of economic growth and prosperity, about the inefficiencies and bad policies we see at every level of Government. 

The results of the 2010 mid-term elections carry with it a clear message: the voters are tired of the same-old, same-old.  The Independents, tired of having to choose between two sides that have become so similar that it is hard to tell them apart, voted in a whole new bunch that ran on the message that they want to change Government.  Indeed, some of them ran on pretty extreme messages but it seemed that the risk was worth it, if only to stir things up and get the fat cats out of their seats to start doing something to right the ship.   

If we could rise above all the rhetoric about the numbers and who would be to blame if the government was shut down because no agreement on the spending cuts, we would realize that the real issue lies in complexities of our laws, layered on year after year, creating bloat and inefficiencies everywhere, sucking up precious national resources.  As the saying goes, “a dollar is a dollar”.  We want to be spending it in smart ways that generate more economic activity which in turn lead to job growth and revenue, and not in paying for duplicative or unproductive processes and administrative structures.

The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform conducted a study and came up with a report in December 2010 which we should all examine and build on if we are truly serious about what needs to be done.  It is not a perfect document and dissenting views are clearly enunciated but it is a good start.  The report proposes various changes encompassing:

• Discretionary Spending Cuts
• Tax Reform
• Health Policies
• Other Mandatory Policies
• Social Security
• Process Reform

It is a must read for anyone serious about the debate on our nation’s fiscal health.  You can access it at http://www.fiscalcommission.gov/

In every area listed by the Commission, we need a ‘Reset’ button to push for rationalization and simplification.  Complexities lead to loopholes, creating an unfair advantage for those who cleverly exploit the loopholes and a gross disadvantage for others.

We need a Reset button for our tax laws to account for the shift in economic and political dynamics we are witnessing around the world.  Asia is fast becoming the biggest consumer bloc and our survival and success will depend on how adept we are at meeting the challenges ahead.  To that end, our tax laws must be redesigned to incentivize job creation, especially in the export of goods and services.  We need incentives that will help make the US more competitive in the global market.  We already have some of the best institutions of higher learning, a well-trained workforce, excellent design and marketing skills, and fertile entrepreneurial breeding grounds especially in new-age technology.  Yet, our existing laws favor the off-shoring of millions of technology jobs to other countries.  We need our lawmakers to help bring about the re-creation of those jobs in the U.S.   

We need a Reset button for our defense strategy and our national security.  We can no longer afford the price of being the world’s sole policeman.  Recent events in Africa and the Middle-East have shown us that any change towards a more democratic world must come from within.  We need to be smarter about how we screen passengers at security checkpoints across the country.  We cannot afford to layer on more and more scanners, personnel, and checks each time that Al Qaeda threatens another attack on the US.  The Department of Defense spending has more than doubled between 2000 and 2010, ballooning from $300 Billion to just under $700 billion, and that number excludes Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs costs.   

We need a Reset button on healthcare and medical tort reform.  Healthcare providers today do not want to risk potential lawsuits and higher malpractice insurance and consequently they will often (especially if asked) prescribe all recommended tests and treatments regardless of whether or not they will be beneficial to the patient.  We need a rational quality of care that is determined by a panel of experts, not lawyers.  We need programs that encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. We cannot afford a growing population of expanding waistlines and higher incidences of obesity, including cases in the very young.  Beneficiaries of government assisted programs such as Medicare and Medicaid should be subjected to annual “performance tests”, monitoring their weight and waist measurements. If their deductibles and co-pays for medication increase along with their expanding waistlines, they would quickly join the pound-for-pound challenge on the Biggest Loser.

We need a Reset button on end-of-life care.  We cannot afford to confuse compassionate care for the dying with extending life artificially. Trying to postpone the inevitable outcome for the very sick and the very old while denying care to young children which will allow them to grow into healthy, productive lives makes no sense. The notion that we will be ‘killing grandma’ by rationing care is ridiculous when the alternative is to have grandma hooked up to a host of machines and tubes for feeding, breathing, medicating, urinating, etc., because we can’t let go. We’re adults and we must think and act as adults.  Advocating the notion that a logical plan for end-of-life care means ‘killing grandma’ is infantile.

We need a Reset button on our energy policies.  We need to end our addiction to oil.  Our dependence on foreign oil hurts us, making us subservient to oil producing nations and lender countries that have autocratic governments.  We need to raise taxes on gas-guzzling vehicles while encouraging more eco-friendly cars.  We need to revisit subsidies to big oil corporations.  We need to invest in new infrastructure that will help move our energy consumption towards sources that are renewable.  We need to expand our electricity grid so that we can bring solar and wind energy from solar and wind farms to the cities and towns across the country.  We need to invest in support systems for car-pooling and use of mass transportation.  The arrival of hybrid and electric cars are great but they alone will not make a significant enough dent in our total oil consumption.

We need a Reset button on government jobs, civil and military services.  We need to flatten organizational structures and end promotion and pay increases based on seniority.  We need to eliminate unnecessary paperwork, pencil pushers that add no value to a process, increase productivity through greater automation and move towards a self-service model through modern technology.  We need to consolidate departments that overlap in function and we need to eliminate outdated regulations that discourage businesses from setting up shop or expanding their operations in the US.  We need enforcement officers that are more attuned to the problems businesses face and who will help them meet regulatory requirements rather than act simply as a deterrent to lapses and failure to comply.

We need a Reset button on our policies on granting visas to bona-fide visitors to encourage in-bound tourism.  We have amazingly beautiful cities, national parks, and exciting man-made attractions.  We have museums and art collections that are the envy of many.  Tourism is a highly labor intensive industry and it will create jobs that will always remain in the US.  We need to end the levying of hefty visa fees and, more importantly, we need to end the discrimination against young, single women.  The trend, seen first in Japan and now around the world is for more and more single female workers with a disposable income for whom travel and shopping are high on their priority list.

There are many more Reset buttons that can be added to the list.  However not a single one will be in place if our politicians continue in their game of ‘chicken’ and care only about their ego and political ideologies rather than the nation’s needs.

We are living in a fast changing world and systems and processes that worked well in the past may not be sufficiently adept in meeting the needs of today. Lengthy budget battles year after year distracts us from looking at what we need to be doing to positively influence America’s economic future and its role in a freer, more global and more democratic world.

Invest Wisely

It may be a surprise to you if I were to tell you that we (you and I) make investment decisions daily – we don’t have to be a player in the stock market to make investment decisions.

Don’t believe me? Just think of what you had to do today.

Most likely, you woke up to the sound of your alarm clock – that reliable bedside gadget that greets you each morning with a loud jarring noise or, preferably, with some soothing sounds to ease you into your day. It was a tiny but necessary investment and, in addition to the cash you had to spend, you probably had to invest some time to test the ring tones on a number of alarm clocks before you found the one that you liked.

Having rubbed the last bit of sleep from your eyes, you headed for the showers and invested time in prepping your body for the day. You took care of your oral health, the way your hair looks, and, if you like to deepen the mystique, the ‘je ne sais quoi’ or the ‘something in the air’ about you, your daily routine ended with your dabbing on some cologne, after shave or eau de toilette.

Your decision on the clothes you wore was likely influenced by your knowledge of the type of meetings or occasions you have on your schedule for the day. If a meeting or an occasion was important enough, you would choose to put on an outfit with matching accessories – an ensemble that would make a statement - for which you had invested a handsome amount of money and set aside for just such events.

I think you get the drift. We are always investing – consciously or subconsciously – and if we think of our daily actions as such, we would most likely be smarter about our choices because we would be forced to think about the payback.

Investing in a healthy, balanced daily diet will yield us years of good health and fewer visits to the doctors for all kinds of preventable ills. Investing in our continuing education and awareness of the changes in the world around us will keep us one step ahead of our competitors and prepare us for the challenges ahead. Investing time with family, friends, colleagues and social networks (religious, professional, etc.) will enrich our lives together and our ability to interact and react, and to accept each other, warts and all. Investing in cleaning up and keeping our environment healthy will allow us and future generations to live and breathe on this earth for many, many more years. Investing in teaching love and respect for ourselves and for others who are less fortunate and in need of a helping hand will help counter the actions of those who chose to teach fear, hate and bigotry, perpetuating wars and needless killing.

If we learned anything in 2008, it is clear that we cannot afford to sit idly and quietly, and hope that the near collapse of the financial, insurance, auto and other industries due to weakened controls and accountability will not happen again. As investors in the many companies that the government has bailed out (whether or not we were for it), we have a duty to require of those in whom we have put our trust to give a clear accounting of their actions and results. Our economy, our country and our future depend on us being wise investors.

When I was in my early teens, I had a plain looking poster that had an image of an apple with a good chunk bitten off the top right corner. Beneath the picture were the words “Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life”. It conjures up the image of Adam and Eve taking a bite from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and forever lost their innocence. I think that sums it up nicely – what we chose to do today will have a bearing on the rest of our lives and the lives of those around us.

As we head into the New Year, it is my hope that we can and we will think of our decisions and actions as investments in the future and that we will do so wisely. We all had a bite of that bitter fruit in 2008 and we are no longer innocent.