Random thoughts this Sunday morning and Aloha from Hawaii
People in the future will look back upon today as the good old days.
The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it once was.
The future is purchased by the present.
The time is now.
Two differing thoughts from two very different people struck me today.
Consult not your fears, but your hopes and dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but in your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you have tried and failed in, but what is still possible for you to do.
Pope John XXIII
I am still determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be; for I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
Martha Washington
I believe that your attitude not your aptitude will determine your altitude in life. Attitude and discipline can overcome most everything.
The time is now.
When there is an elephant in the room introduce him.
Randy Pausch
For those of you who don’t know of Randy Pausch please check him on YouTube “The Last Lecture”
The Time is now.
In one of the Friday Filosophy quotes today there is Benjamin Disraeli suggesting that to be successful we must be ready when it comes. I agree with that whole heartedly and would like to add a thought. I believe that each of us has at least three opportunities to succeed in our lives. The trick is not just being able to take advantage of them when they come – it is many times just a function that we don’t recognize them when they come.
The time is now.
In many ways, through the course of our lives, we feel buffeted with conditions that we can not control so we just go along. That thinking truly belongs in the garbage bin. You should never settle – you should never compromise on your principles. Be true to your core beliefs and follow your dreams. The market is the same for everyone so make the best of it. The world is the same for everyone so work your way through the challenges. Life is incredibly simple….. it is people that screw it up.
The time is now.
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
Dr. Seuss
The time is now.
We need to revisit some critical personal attributes – integrity, faith, industry and cooperation. Simple things but few live up to the test.
In many walks of life, if not the nation, too much is being contributed by too few. The argument should not be about how we can take from the “1%” to give to the rest it should be focused on how to increase the 1% to be 2%.
Once we start thinking that way we will lose some of the envy or jealousy in our society. Perhaps we will have people asking how each of them can contribute more. The first step is to give more thought to the individual. Slow down the drive to acquire things and speed up the drive to grow as a person.
The time is now.
Fredreich Hayek from Austria and Keynes from England have opposing views of economics among other things. The following is but a short expose.
Fiscal policy, Austrians: Lower Taxes (down-arrow T), reduce government spending (down-arrow G), and balance the budget (Taxes minus government spending equals zero). Note: Paul Krugman would likely condemn this policy as “fiscal austerity,” and it is – for the government. But obviously not for the taxpayers.
Fiscal policy, Keynesians: Lower taxes, increase government spending, and run deficits (government should spend more than it collects in taxes). Note: Lowering taxes in a recession is the one area where Austrians and Keynesians agree, though President Obama, who in other ways follows the Keynesian playbook, has raised taxes.
The time is now.
Went to see a performance by Gary Mule Deer. Everyone should have a chance at seeing this talented man. Check him out on YouTube. There is a variety of clips available to view. Enjoy.
In this last weekend prior to the US election I am reading a rather outstanding book titled “The New Industrial Revolution” authored by Peter Marsh. I would like to extract a few passages from this book while encouraging you to get it and read it.
“In 1750, the leader in global manufacturing was China, responsible for more than a third of the output, followed by India with a quarter.”
I thought that might put a few things into context for some of you. In 2010 for the first time since around 1900 China passed the US as the largest world manufacturing country. Some things can change but they might go back to where they once were again. India will soon surpass China as a result of the demographics of that country. The average age in India is 28 years old.
America has become a service country. This is the value added portion of the supply chains across the world. The major trouble with this change is the opportunity for the undereducated people in the country has become a challenge. In 1900 the choice for the undereducated was agriculture, in 1950 the choice was a production line, what has it become in 2000? To many it is the fast food Industry but few view that as a “career” choice. This is one of the many new challenges facing the next administration. Yes we need to revive the job creating engine that America once was by completely overhauling the tax codes for individuals and corporations by eliminating as much as possible any deductions from taxable income for both. This will deal a serious body blow to the lobby profession which has hijacked the government from the people. Next we need to reexamine the use of the regulation. Regulations are not necessarily bad things but they need to be measured against the impact on the economy and on peoples’ lives. Next we need to become resource independent. That way we can control more of our lives and not be beholden to others.
American ingenuity is a wondrous thing. America seems to have the capacity to reinvent herself about every twenty years or so. We need a new iteration now and it is none too soon. The time is now.
