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So many changes have happened recently, I start to really have hope that the U.S. may well be rebooting and refreshing and finally going to lead the world once again! (Or at the very least, catch up!)

The auto industry reboot does not mean the end of some of the best pickup trucks in the world, but it does mean that Americans will be better able to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles. Chrysler has been making too many big ‘bubble-butt’ cars for years. The acquisition by Fiat will end that. GM’s reboot to fewer brands means a better focus on producing the ‘right’ kind of cars that people want instead a broad-spectrum scattershot.

The pushes for green jobs and then a push to provide health insurance to all Americans seem to indicate an attempt to be more accountable to what people want in this country. Following the Bush administration, the clear collapse of the Republican party seems to be an indication that there aren’t as many people who want to push for corporate-owned interests and social regulation.

This doesn’t meant that we don’t need a business-friendly environment. But what Americans really want are corporations that are going to provide jobs for people and provide a benefit to society, not simply companies that serve their executive management and only large investors.

What I am waiting to see is reform in business, creating incentives for companies to focus more on dividends than share prices, promoting long-term growth over short-term results.

I am also waiting to see businesses push for reform in education. Today businesses spend too much money testing potential employess because high school diplomas no longer mean anything. A complete revamping of our educational system would benefit America. Standardised tests to certify education levels in various subjects would be highly beneficial. A more realistic vocational-technical program that results in real certifications in addition to a diploma would be useful. I may sound utilitarian, but I believe our educational system should get the maximum out of each student, supporting their real talents and addressing their shortcomings instead of attempting to shunt all the students into the same program, trying to send them all to college.

So, in the midst of my studies, I have been reading a book by Gil Merom entitled How Democracies Lose Small Wars: State, Society, and the Failures of France in Algeria, Israel in Lebanon, and the United States in Vietnam. In this book, there is a considerable amount of analysis and I must admit, I have not finished it yet. However, certain concepts and ideas about this country and its issues came to mind.

One of the issues that comes with democracy is that everyone has some kind of say. One of the bigger issues with American democracy is that just about every group feels entitled and right about everything. Polarisation along the lines of left and right has made just about every little group turn into a bunch of right-fighters. Now, while they can’t easily get things done that they want, they have an amazing amount of power to slow everything down. Politicians listen to whomever screams the loudest because they fear that somehow that group holds power. Maybe they do, maybe they don’t.

Combined with this swirling problem of entitlement is the absolutely short attention span of the average American. Network news shows are really limited to a half-hour. There is little in-depth reporting that reaches the average citizen. Instead they get soundbites. Supplemental information sources are limited as evidenced by the decline in newspaper subscriptions and the failure of some newspapers to stay in business. Magazines like Time and Newsweek have less and less news in them and more and more advertising. I know that I am an oddity in that I subscribe to The Economist.

It is obvious to most Americans, I believe, that part of the problem in Vietnam was the sheer volume of disturbing images coming back on the news. Additionally, as Gil Merom points out, casualties were a problem. It has been noted that Americans do not have a great stomach for casualties. It is ok for them if we go to war, but not if we lose people, and not if we engage in brutality. The problem is that when dealing with insurgencies you cannot easily have both. The insurgents are well aware of this and will go for inflicting maximum casualties through whatever means necessary, such as using improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

What is not obvious to most Americans, and why we will continue to fail at combatting insurgencies, is that insurgents are easily able to play with the media. Most Americans, even if they have served in the military, have never seen combat. They are not going to understand what it takes to win (especially as most will not read a good detailed book and an accurate movie would be depressing). But additionally, most Americans, regardless of political ideology, believe the media all too easily.

A case in point would be the ’so-called’ Israeli massacre at Jenin. People around the world believed the Israelis had killed thousands of Palestinians. What happened, in reality, was that someone claimed that and a respected reporter, with a bias for the Palestinians believed it. It got repeated and repeated, but it was a lie. The supposed casualties were never found. It didn’t happen. But much like other events where reporters have taken one source off of Wikipedia and run with it, they did so in this case. Again with the supposed massacre at al-Haditha in Iraq, where U.S. Marines were accused of shooting unarmed civilians. Afterwards, review of footage showed that they had been fired upon by insurgents and were returning fire, while the insurgents fled out the back, leaving civilians that they had used as cover.

Ratings and getting the story first are what matter most to corporate media today. The journalistic desire to have the facts right is outweighed by corporate concern. Americans need to learn to criticise and question what is placed before them, either by the government or by media. Insurgents know we watch television, and if they can make it look like our troops have committed crimes, some will willingly sacrifice innocent civilians to do so. Until we get past an educational culture of swallow and regurgitate and change towards critical thinking, until we get past instant gratification and entitlement to a culture of hard work and productivity, we will remain a country populated by gullible sheep, whether left-wing, right-wing, or moderate. And, we will remain incredibly vulnerable to the wolves.

President Obama has recently stated that we are not a nation opposed to Islam. We are not a Christian nation, a Jewish nation, or a Muslim nation, but a nation of citizens. We are engaged in a fight against extremists.

If that is the case, then we need to get rid of the extremists in our own military. We cannot claim the high moral ground if we are allowing similar things in our own military as can be seen in the opposition’s actions.

I received a newsletter from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation regarding the cover story coming out in Harper’s Magazine. They are looking at the problems of proselytisation in our military and how some extremists are still being promoted in the military. Below are some excerpts from the newsletter. (continue reading…)

Having just finished reading Unmasking Administrative Evil, I find that some of the thoughts I’ve pondered are not simply my own. Short-term thinking is truly ruining this country.

When we structure towards the short-term, such as quarterly results, it is reasonable to think that a company will look to short-term gains and those running the company who receiving most of their compensation in stock option will focusing on adjusting share prices.

Moreover, those, if things are seen in the short-term, then all assets are seen in the short-term. It makes me think that in many companies that the concept of career development is simply a pro forma holdover. People are human resources, no longer simply employees or staff or personnel. With short-term thinking, there is no commitment to those employed long-term. Were it not for the fact that they would have to pay overtime, I believe many companies nowadays would choose to hire contractors. However, even with rising healthcare costs, it is easier to live with work-at-will contracts and squeeze 60+ hours a week out of them, all the while fighting any possibility of them forming a union.

Unfortunately, the long-term effects have been devastating. In an effectively ethics-free corporate world, young people have been getting jobs in places that do not care for them. Face time has mattered more than productivity and short-term loss as may come with investment has been eschewed. So, we face growing numbers of workers who are disaffected and do not care about doing anything except clocking in and receiving a paycheck. Knowing that the company does not care for them personally, they do not care for the company, instead just doing their job and not looking out for where they work. In some companies, innovation is so frowned upon that the employee who would raise their voice for the benefit of the company will simply be fired for doing so.

These attitudes are part of the core of why we are in this economic crisis. Modern capitalism is a failed economic solution. When areas of professional monopoly are not adequately regulated and monitored (whether in the financial industry, the healthcare industry or others), those outside that profession will be taken advantage of. As long as there is professional licensure, there is a monopoly that must be regulated, and those who argue that a free market is a better idea in those areas are asking us to all be victims.

As the filing date for taxes approaches, it becomes time to discuss taxes again. The arguments for the flat tax will come and go and there are plusses and minuses for flat taxes and progressive taxation. However, what I want to recommend is something that doesn’t matter for either of these issues.

I propose that instead of requiring us to fill out very complicated forms we receive statements from the IRS. Then we’ll effectively receive either a bill or a notice of refund from the IRS.

I suspect that there are cries of ’socialism!’ going on somewhere as this is read.

First, let’s be realistic about people. They put off filing their taxes because it is a pain. Lots of people pay lots of money for tax preparation because they don’t want or can’t file their taxes. It happens. Before learning how to do tax preparation, there were lots of little things I hadn’t considered. So, people avoid it. However, people don’t usually fight traffic tickets, they just pay them. So, let’s increase the revenue!

We currently require employers to notify the IRS and pay taxes. If I lose a W-2, I can call the IRS and get the information from it. We require banking institutions to report. So let’s add on a card system which we can use for medical payments similar to how the FSA works and eliminte the 7.5% AGI requirement for deducting medical expenses. For the vast majority of people, suddenly the IRS has all the info to determine if you owe money or are getting a refund! Simple. Instead of waiting for lots of tax forms, suddenly we can wait for information from the IRS at the end of January.

Now, what about those who don’t trust the government to calculate? Well, in that case, they should still be allowed to file a paper return. When you get your statement, you’ll have until April 15th to say that you disagree and are filing a form. If you agree, you can respond sooner to get your money, or you can not respond and get your money, or pay your bill by April 15th.

The benefits are multiple. First, most people will pay taxes or get a refund as they are supposed to, resulting in increased revenue. Second, our auditors will be able to focus on the forms sent in or investigate likely fraud, rather than randomly pulling from the vast majority. Third, we won’t need as many audtiors, which means we don’t need as many IRS employees. This allows us to cut a major government expense.

There will be those who figure that this is an invasion of privacy, and perhaps it is. Much of the legislation needed to create this was already enacted with the PATRIOT act. The era of the deregulated financial market is over, and reporting will be increasing. We may as well use that as a way to lower governmental costs and encourage lots of tax professionals to do real jobs.

An article from the Associate Press states that a senator has proposed that local newspapers run as non-profits. Apparently there is a need to introduce legislation to allow them to pursue such tax-exempt status. The traditional limitations of non-profits (non-politics) would apply, but it makes sense when considering that so many local newspapers are having trouble staying in business.

However, this is an argument I’ve made for years regarding other cultural insitutions. So many people have complained as big stores have come in and wiped out little specialty stores, such as bookstores and music shops. If the store really is contributing expertise and cultural value, it could be argued that it could function as a non-profit. Bookstores that provide venues for book discussion, author exposure, specialty knowledge, etc., could potentially qualify to be tax-exempt as a non-profit. Unfortunately, during the big boom periods, people focuse more on protesting and boycotting big stores than pushing for any necessary legislative changes.

In areas where it is not possible to make a profit with vital public media, the option should exist for non-profit status, whether newspaper, radio, or television. The next question is whether or not other aspects of infrastructure can be non-profit. Can a grocery store be run as a non-profit? Would that allow people living in poor areas to have affordable access to good food?

While I know that many people do a great job at thinking and making good decisions, there are two scenarios in which I know people could use a lot of help.

The first is in the area of doing analysis. My current coursework focuses on intelligence analysis and dealing with rather vague scenarios requires learning to avoid cognitive biases.

The second area is when people have to work in groups to make decisions, particularly with those who are focused on a particular field or subject area but do not work in doing analysis in regular work. Managing such a team and getting them to think in creative ways with falling to groupthink or blame can be difficult.

Thus, I have two resources to suggest.

The first is full focused on intelligence work, but is free and available online. Psychology of Intelligence Analysis was writen by Richard J. Heuer and is made available by the CIA. Each of the chapters is rather short, but the insights into the benefits of various techniques is made clear.

The second is a more general text. The Thinker’s Toolkit: 14 Powerful Techniques for Problem Solving by Morgan D. Jones includes exercises for groups and defines great techniques for getting past bad decision practices. Moreover, the examples are very business focused and worthwhile. I can remember several meeting where as a project manager I could have benefitted from using the techniques in this book.

This administrative post is to announce a change to the site. Over the next few weeks more articles should appear relevant to topics along the lines of strategic intelligence, ethics, warfare, government reform, and so on.