Isn’t this our country? Are we really the CEOs? Don’t politicians work for us? Do they? Is the current approach working? Do have have problems with secretive meetings, special interest groups, politics, favors, sound-bits, attacks, slopping planning, and incredible poor execution? These politicians are sometimes articulate – but what are they saying? Does it really make any sense? Are these the type of people you’d turn to help you with a complex problem? Doesn’t is sound like we have a bunch of extremely spoiled children running around causing a mess with our most important rights and resources?
Perhaps it is time that we get involved in the assessment, planning, and oversight of those that report to us. I know this sounds complex… but does it really need to be? I guess we could continue to trust what is happening and close our eyes. As joint CEOs isn’t it time for us to do our part? So, how do we best do this together?
Perhaps the right social networking tools can help. Below I have identified a simple, common-sense problem solving approach. Also, I’ve began to outline social networking features that could help. I’m not a technician or designer – so your help is appreciated. The tool would need to be simple and fun and engaging so people will want to be a part of this on an ongoing basis. Without enough participation this would fail.
Problem Solving Approach and Needed Social Networking Features
1. Identify desired results: Examples of desired results for our country may include things like eliminating the federal debt, reducing divorce rates, increasing the average personal income, minimizing crime, etc. The ideal tool would facilitate the brainstorming, commenting, linking to similar, rating, ranking/voting on ideas.
2. Outline problems and causes: The federal debt is an example of a high level problem. One cause may include legislators not understanding the effects of the debt, focusing more spending programs or tax cuts to get votes. The ideal tool here would allow us to identify problems, causes, comment on, link to, rate, and rank/vote.
3. Research: One of biggest problems is that legislators don’t adequately research lessons learned and best practices. We see repeated patterns of spending that leads to wasted money. The ideal tool would facilitate access to and discussion around the applicability of lessons learned and best practices. Linking, commenting, rating, and ranking/voting would be important features.
4. Design Solutions: The temptation is to say it is the role of the legislator to design. We need to bring a broad segment to be part of this process. The question is how do we turn off the loud, arrogant and obnoxious voices and turn up the voices of those that have the most common sense. We need to design solutions that will best the problems and their causes. Simple cause and effect. The idea tool would include the ability to brainstorm, narrate, comment on, debate, rate and rank/vote on solutions.
5. Test Solutions: The Japanese believe that Edwards Deming, a quality and management guru, had more impact in turning their economy around back in the 70 and 80s than anyone else. He commented once that he wished that Congress won’t do anything. They continue to dig bigger and bigger holes. They don’t understand problem-solving, they don’t understand cause & effect, and they rush to solutions that leave us bankrupt. Solutions must be testing and piloted. The ideal tool would allow us to design test solutions, and together monitor the efforts and results, offer course correction ideas…until we see the desired results. We can choose to skip this step like our politicians but at what cost?
6. Deploy Solutions: Often solutions only get partially deployed – leading to wasted resources. Again, the ideal tool would allows us to monitor the efforts and results, offer course corrections, until we see the desired results.
If you think there is merit in the ideas, please share them.
For most of history, people were ruled by kings and tyrants. The United States Constitution was an experiment – that worked brilliantly. At its foundation was an understanding of people and their basic rights and their tendencies. Today most nations have written constitutions, and the U.S. constitution has influenced all of them. It is a model of rights and protection for all. The right of religion, free speech and press is core.
There is a strong move towards secularism and religious antagonism. There are growing attacks on Christian religions by atheists and are hostile to religion. They are skilled at demonizing those who are believers.
So, what do we do?
Dallin A. Oaks suggests:
First, we must speak with love, always showing patience, understanding and compassion toward our adversaries. We are under command to love our neighbor, to forgive all men , to do good to them who despitefully use us and to conduct our teaching in mildness and meekness. ….Even as we seek to speak with love, we must not be surprised when our positions are ridiculed and we are persecuted and reviled…
Second, we must not be deterred or coerced into silence by the kinds of intimidation. We must insist on our constitutional right and duty to exercise our religion, to vote our consciences on public issues and to participate in elections and debates in the public square and the halls of justice. These are the rights of all citizens and they are also the rights of religious leaders. We must also insist on this companion condition of democratic government: when churches and their members or any other group act or speak out on public issues, win or lose, they have a right to expect freedom from retaliation.
Third, we must insist on our freedom to preach the doctrines of our faith. … Religious people who share our moral convictions feel some intimidation.
Fourth, as advocates of the obvious truth that persons with religious positions or motivations have the right to express their religious views in public, we must nevertheless be wise in our political participation.
If we aren’t open and civil in our dialog, what is the alternative? Whatever it might be, it isn’t good.
So, what is the solution to our country’s problems? Let’s highlight some of our problems (for trend data click on links):
We hear about how great our country is. It was and it should be. We are living off the merits of our incredible ancestors and the legacy they left for us. Let’s stop bragging and prove ourselves again to them and to future generations. We have no reason to brag right now. Let’s re-earn goodness and greatness.
So, what are the solutions? Here is one idea. Americans working together and leveraging social networking to research, to discuss, to debate, to plan, to test, to deploy solutions that work. Let’s stop depending on experts. If they can explain their ideas in a way that all can understand, debate, and buy into – then great. May the best solutions win where ever they come from.
In the next article, I’ll begin to lay out my ideas requirements for social networking technology that can be used successfully to help us solve our problems.
Stop Whining – Start Solving Country Problems
U.S. Needs to Get Morally Right First
We could put together a well conceived strategy map to get the country out of its mess and on to a bright future. Figuring out the technical details is the easy task. For instance, we could lay out a economic plan for the government to get us out of this economic mess. It would be difficult and painful – but we could get there. Send less than what we make, refinance rates, find ways to increase revenue strictly to pass off debt. When it comes to international security, we could objectively look at current and future threats, considerable all possible solutions, and start investing in the best solutions. Our fact finding, planning and decision-making processes are weak – and could be made strong. These processes could be largely transparent, we could elicit the best fact-finding, inputs, and solutions through social networking technologies. The archaic processes and technologies could be replaced with fascinating new ones.
The challenges are in the soft issues. Things like individual agendas, special interest agendas, are difficult – but even these deceptive practices can be overcome. John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Samuel Adams said, “The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy the gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people; then shall we both deserve and enjoy it. While, on the other hand, if we are universally vicious and debauched in our manners, though the form of our Constitution carries the form of our Constitution carries the face of the most exalted freedom, we shall in reality be the most abject slaves.”
Do we have enough awareness of the path we on, and what will happen if we continue? Are we willing to recognize our vices? Are we humble and willing enough to keep the 10 commandments or are we going to allow ourselves to be broke? If we have to debate the 10 commandments – then we aren’t ready.
U.S. Needs to Get Morally Right First
U.S. Scorecard 