Once again the Chamber season for leadership development is complete for the 2010-2011. LDW has now completed 26 classes since its inception. The Executive Board and staff of the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce congratulate this year’s graduates. Year after year, volunteer leaders and session chairs work magic in keeping LDW sessions exciting and informative. LDW would not be possible or successful without key, committed, class leaders. Our sincere gratitude is extended to Steve Pound, Program Chair, and Howard Elder, Program President, for their leadership and guidance of this year’s class.
The goal of the Leadership Dalton-Whitfield program is to develop informed and confident leaders by exposing participants to community resources, opportunities and issues. Each year, participants gain knowledge of our community through sessions that concentrate on local quality of life, education, economics, local government, the judicial system, state government, medical services, cultural diversity, volunteerism, and leadership in general. For the last two years, the class has invited a Rotary exchange student (the Georgia Rotary Student Program) to join them for their day at the capitol learning about State Government.
The program is structured such that teamwork and cooperation play a fundamental role in the successful completion of the program. The ideas stimulated by common experiences create synergy that helps to mold the future of Greater Dalton while also allowing participants the opportunity to forge key relationships with other community leaders.
Class members are chosen by a Leadership Advisory Committee based on their interest in the community and a sincere commitment to making Greater Dalton a better place to live and work. The Committee selects participants that reflect the occupational and demographic diversity of the community. Class members acquire specific leadership skills, gain a broad base exposure to the community, form relationships with peers in other fields, and learn how networking can benefit both professional and volunteer activities.
Given the importance of the Archway Visioning effort, Melissa Lu (our Community Archway Professional) was a part of most sessions and frequently provided an update on the Archway Initiatives. In addition to exposing our community’s leadership participants to the visioning efforts, Melissa also heard which issues were on the minds of this core constituency.
After 26 years, LDW boasts 905 graduates. The members of this year’s class will have the opportunity to join the Alumni Association which was created to keep its members connected with local events and issues. Alumni also stay connected through networking opportunities with their peers in the Greater Dalton business community.
On May 3rd, 27 young up-and-comers completed the Chamber’s introductory leadership program - the Emerging Leaders Institute. This program is a first step to identifying young leaders and preparing them for a lifetime of community leadership. ELI young professionals completed training in leadership skills such as understanding leadership, group dynamics, managing conflict, effective communication, valuing community diversity, building communities through collaboration and leading community change. These new leaders are energetic and enthusiastic about learning more about the community and how they can become involved.
This year’s ELI class collaborated with the United Way team in utilizing their “Board Walk” program for their last session. “Board Walk” is a non-profit board service training program. Several of the ELI graduates have applied and been invited to participate in next year’s LDW program. This year’s ELI class was co-led by our outstanding volunteer leaders - Dan Clark and Angela Gordy. LDW Alumni also serve as facilitators and presenters.
Successful communities must have committed and talented leaders. Through LDW and ELI, the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber is proud to play a small role in building leadership capacity in the Greater Dalton community.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
National Manufacturing Summit – A Tremendous Community Success!
Thanks to great reporting by our local media partners, most of you already know that the recently held National Manufacturing Summit was a tremendous success for our community. But given the significance of our community pulling off such an extraordinary event in the national spotlight, I feel it important to capture a few of the key takeaways and significant next steps coming out of the event.
Before I get to the main topic of the column, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge and thank those that made the Summit’s success possible. The summit was the original idea of Mayor David Pennington. Mayor Pennington is passionate about what we must change in America to once again be the world power we once were. And making things in America is the cornerstone of that needed debate. We cannot build economic success on a service economy. Fortunately Mayor Pennington enlisted another passionate leader who is just as focused on returning America back into a manufacturing powerhouse – Congressman Tom Graves. These two were ultimately the energy and impetus for all that enabled the summit to exceed almost everyone’s imagination.
Having been a small part of the planning and execution of the summit and by participating in the entire event, it was evident to me that we were able to accomplish most of the desired objectives. Our objectives included: to raise awareness of our community and our region as being a major manufacturing hub, to raise the awareness that manufacturing is important to America and that manufacturing needs to grow in America, and that key issues and opportunities be introduced that are critical for manufacturing to be successful going forward.
Not only to I think we accomplished our desired objectives, the key takeaways were consistent with the desired objectives and we identified appropriate next steps. The summit focused on three key areas that manufacturing success (or failure) is built on: energy / energy policy, education / workforce development, and bureaucracy and regulatory constraints.
In the few days since the summit, I have heard little negative. But a few comments have indicated that the discussion of energy may have been a little too much of the program. I would simply respond that the leaders I talk to continually express that energy policy is critical to the success of American manufacturing. The summit appropriately pointed out that we lack a National Energy Policy for our country. Regardless of our individual political ideologies, I think most would agree that the lack of a plan is foolish and dangerous. I am confident Congressman Graves will take the message back to the capitol that we have to have a plan for our country regarding energy.
In the area of education, I also feel the summit created an appropriate focus on the state of the American education system. In the case of education, we are simply not preparing our children for success in college or the workplace. Locally we invest over $115,000 over the course of a k-12 education. And yet recent data indicates that twice the number of local graduates (vs. the state average) entering college require remedial course work. And from the summit, leader after leader gave testimony that those entering the workforce are not qualified in many basic functions and lack severely the “soft skills” to be successful in the work place. Education and workforce development must become a national imperative.
And finally in the area of government regulations and layers of bureaucracy, we simply have too much of both. There is a need for appropriate regulations and certain government agencies to oversee that the honest are kept honest and the dishonest prosecuted. But government left unchecked grows like kudzu. Our elected officials must be informed when certain government rules and regulations are counterproductive and adjustments must be implemented. A prime example is the recent NLRB ruling that Boeing cannot build a plant in South Carolina. When a successful company with a legacy like Boeing can be told where it can operate (or where it cannot), we are miles down a slippery slope.
America is still a great country. We can still make things in America – maybe not $2 t-shirts, but innovative flooring solutions, aircraft, automobiles, etc. But to compete, we have to know what our blind spots are and work tirelessly to improve them. Through collaborative partnerships, success is possible.
Before I get to the main topic of the column, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge and thank those that made the Summit’s success possible. The summit was the original idea of Mayor David Pennington. Mayor Pennington is passionate about what we must change in America to once again be the world power we once were. And making things in America is the cornerstone of that needed debate. We cannot build economic success on a service economy. Fortunately Mayor Pennington enlisted another passionate leader who is just as focused on returning America back into a manufacturing powerhouse – Congressman Tom Graves. These two were ultimately the energy and impetus for all that enabled the summit to exceed almost everyone’s imagination.
Having been a small part of the planning and execution of the summit and by participating in the entire event, it was evident to me that we were able to accomplish most of the desired objectives. Our objectives included: to raise awareness of our community and our region as being a major manufacturing hub, to raise the awareness that manufacturing is important to America and that manufacturing needs to grow in America, and that key issues and opportunities be introduced that are critical for manufacturing to be successful going forward.
Not only to I think we accomplished our desired objectives, the key takeaways were consistent with the desired objectives and we identified appropriate next steps. The summit focused on three key areas that manufacturing success (or failure) is built on: energy / energy policy, education / workforce development, and bureaucracy and regulatory constraints.
In the few days since the summit, I have heard little negative. But a few comments have indicated that the discussion of energy may have been a little too much of the program. I would simply respond that the leaders I talk to continually express that energy policy is critical to the success of American manufacturing. The summit appropriately pointed out that we lack a National Energy Policy for our country. Regardless of our individual political ideologies, I think most would agree that the lack of a plan is foolish and dangerous. I am confident Congressman Graves will take the message back to the capitol that we have to have a plan for our country regarding energy.
In the area of education, I also feel the summit created an appropriate focus on the state of the American education system. In the case of education, we are simply not preparing our children for success in college or the workplace. Locally we invest over $115,000 over the course of a k-12 education. And yet recent data indicates that twice the number of local graduates (vs. the state average) entering college require remedial course work. And from the summit, leader after leader gave testimony that those entering the workforce are not qualified in many basic functions and lack severely the “soft skills” to be successful in the work place. Education and workforce development must become a national imperative.
And finally in the area of government regulations and layers of bureaucracy, we simply have too much of both. There is a need for appropriate regulations and certain government agencies to oversee that the honest are kept honest and the dishonest prosecuted. But government left unchecked grows like kudzu. Our elected officials must be informed when certain government rules and regulations are counterproductive and adjustments must be implemented. A prime example is the recent NLRB ruling that Boeing cannot build a plant in South Carolina. When a successful company with a legacy like Boeing can be told where it can operate (or where it cannot), we are miles down a slippery slope.
America is still a great country. We can still make things in America – maybe not $2 t-shirts, but innovative flooring solutions, aircraft, automobiles, etc. But to compete, we have to know what our blind spots are and work tirelessly to improve them. Through collaborative partnerships, success is possible.
Putting Innovation in Education
Recently Dr. John Barge, Supt. of Education for the State of Georgia, visited Dalton and presented his vision for education in Georgia. Dr. Barge’s new initiative, “Making Education Work for all Georgians” seeks to connect pathways for learning to future career options. “We need to give students the opportunity to experience a career, to learn whether or not they want to do it,” John Barge said. “Right now there are no clear connections between the educational program of study and opportunities in the labor market.”
Building on the success the State Board of Education’s improvements to the state’s core curriculum adding needed rigor, the new initiative could provide the missing link between education relevance and student interest. According to Dr. Barge, of the 70 percent of high school graduates who enroll in college, only 33 percent will graduate with a degree. “America has the world’s highest rate of college dropouts,” Barge said.
At a time when future job opportunities will universally require at least one year of college beyond high school, we must strengthen the path that leads from the schoolhouse to the workplace. In a global, high-tech economy, our Nation and our state must continuously improve the educational experience. Our process for learning must integrate the knowledge of the head while incorporating the work of the hand. Experiential learning must take the place of lecturing.
In addition to the strong rigor now available through our curriculum, and the introduction of career pathways that organize a student’s approach to their education, we also must re-invent our local systems in a way that capitalize on the institutional changes coming from the State Board of Education. We must do school differently.
Career and College courses not only need to be available to all students at all schools, we should structure the organization for delivering these courses efficiently and effectively. There should be a CEO of College and Career education that delivers these education courses at all middle and high schools. The current Career Academy should be the central location for expensive college and career classes that require expensive labs such as manufacturing, engineering, or dental hygiene. Even if both school systems remain separate, we could integrate college and career learning across both systems under integrated leadership.
The new “Making Education Work for all Georgians” initiative will only be successful through new and expanded offerings of intern, coop, and apprenticeship opportunities. Business and Industry will have to partner with our education leaders to develop opportunities for students to taste a career before ordering it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. By exposing students earlier to career opportunities, we can transform a passive and expensive education system into a proactive system that delivers a much higher return on investment than today’s system.
For America to once again lead the world in the area of innovation and for us to stop falling behind our global competitors, we have to change. The State Board of Education and Supt. Barge seem to get it. Will we as a community step up and answer the call by instituting the necessary reforms? The time is now …
Building on the success the State Board of Education’s improvements to the state’s core curriculum adding needed rigor, the new initiative could provide the missing link between education relevance and student interest. According to Dr. Barge, of the 70 percent of high school graduates who enroll in college, only 33 percent will graduate with a degree. “America has the world’s highest rate of college dropouts,” Barge said.
At a time when future job opportunities will universally require at least one year of college beyond high school, we must strengthen the path that leads from the schoolhouse to the workplace. In a global, high-tech economy, our Nation and our state must continuously improve the educational experience. Our process for learning must integrate the knowledge of the head while incorporating the work of the hand. Experiential learning must take the place of lecturing.
In addition to the strong rigor now available through our curriculum, and the introduction of career pathways that organize a student’s approach to their education, we also must re-invent our local systems in a way that capitalize on the institutional changes coming from the State Board of Education. We must do school differently.
Career and College courses not only need to be available to all students at all schools, we should structure the organization for delivering these courses efficiently and effectively. There should be a CEO of College and Career education that delivers these education courses at all middle and high schools. The current Career Academy should be the central location for expensive college and career classes that require expensive labs such as manufacturing, engineering, or dental hygiene. Even if both school systems remain separate, we could integrate college and career learning across both systems under integrated leadership.
The new “Making Education Work for all Georgians” initiative will only be successful through new and expanded offerings of intern, coop, and apprenticeship opportunities. Business and Industry will have to partner with our education leaders to develop opportunities for students to taste a career before ordering it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. By exposing students earlier to career opportunities, we can transform a passive and expensive education system into a proactive system that delivers a much higher return on investment than today’s system.
For America to once again lead the world in the area of innovation and for us to stop falling behind our global competitors, we have to change. The State Board of Education and Supt. Barge seem to get it. Will we as a community step up and answer the call by instituting the necessary reforms? The time is now …
These Are Interesting Times We Are Living In!
These are truly interesting times that we are living in. Recent days have brought catastrophic storms that have destroyed properties and lives. Entire communities have been devastated. And then just four short days later, half around the world, we learn that Usama bin Laden has been killed, ending his reign of terror. On the one hand, those impacted by the deadliest of tornadoes are asking – where is the justice? Then the events of Sunday’s killing of the world’s most hated and despicable terrorist caused billions to sigh a relief that justice was finally delivered.
I think it is safe to say that our spirits have been discouraged for a long time courtesy of the Great Recession. And the devastating natural disasters that seem to be growing in number and frequency have certainly delivered personal tragedy and heartache to millions. What should we make of these events? Should we be discouraged, devoid of faith, depressed? Does the closing of the final chapter of the 9/11 tragedy provide enough confidence and faith to make up for all the destruction?
Easter Sunday brought to the Christian world its annual hope in resurrection, renewal, and revival. And just three days later, communities throughout the southern United States looked much like those of our neighbors in Japan who had suffered at the hands of an earthquake and tsunami. This past Sunday, my Sunday school class discussed these tragic events seeing answers. We revisited the themes like – “How does a loving God allow such devastation? Where was God last Wednesday?”
By the end of the hour, our discussions enabled us to get back where we needed to be. We needed to be faithful and trusting. We need to hold on to the knowledge that God has not forsaken us. He was in all the basements and bathtubs that our friends and neighbors sought shelter in. He was with the army of meteorologists who gave us updates of where the storms were and where they were going. He was with community first responders and emergency personnel who rushed in to serve and minister to their neighbors after the storms moved through.
Although it has been only seven days since the horrific storms, armies of volunteers have ministered to our neighbors. Our government agencies from local to federal are in place to serve those affected. Churches are receiving donations of all types that can be distributed to those in need. Our local governments have sent and continue to send public works crews and public safety teams to assist their colleagues. It is in times like these that we truly witness the best in all of us. Neighbor helping neighbor …
The citizens of the United States have always been the first to respond to tragic events and reaching out the hand of assistance to our global neighbors. Our military, whose first mission is the defense of our nation, is also the best prepared for offering aid and comfort in times of natural disaster. The United States is a benevolent and loving nation. We, more than any other nation, seek to help our neighbors every time we are called upon.
If the world was perfect, what would we miss? If the world was perfect, we would have everything given to us. We would lose our perspective of how much something means to us when we work for it and earn it. If the world was perfect, we would not need others (our family, our friends, our neighbors). But when the effects of an imperfect world deliver tragedy, we once again realize what is really important.
And sometimes we tragically lose that which is most important – our loved ones. There is nothing I can say in my insignificance that can console one who has lost a loved one. But I can be there for them. I can mourn with them. I can visit them often after the masses go on with their lives. I can give in ways that deliver a sense of normalcy.
You are probably thinking what does any of this have to do with the Chamber of Commerce. My answer is - everything. It is my privilege and honor to work on a team that works everyday striving to make our community a better place. We work collaboratively with hundreds who want our community to be all that it can be. We work to provide opportunity to all who make our community home.
And the events of the last few days reinforce that what we do makes a difference. Even when it seems that all is lost, it is not. Much of what we value is temporary in nature and can be taken from us at a moment’s notice. But that which is permanent and meaningful lives in all of us – our compassion, our love, our gifts, and our desire to serve each other.
Over the next few weeks, let’s all do what we are able to do in providing temporary living arrangements for our neighbors. Then let us partner in helping to rebuild their communities. Thank you for the opportunity to serve our amazing community, our region, our state, and our nation.
I think it is safe to say that our spirits have been discouraged for a long time courtesy of the Great Recession. And the devastating natural disasters that seem to be growing in number and frequency have certainly delivered personal tragedy and heartache to millions. What should we make of these events? Should we be discouraged, devoid of faith, depressed? Does the closing of the final chapter of the 9/11 tragedy provide enough confidence and faith to make up for all the destruction?
Easter Sunday brought to the Christian world its annual hope in resurrection, renewal, and revival. And just three days later, communities throughout the southern United States looked much like those of our neighbors in Japan who had suffered at the hands of an earthquake and tsunami. This past Sunday, my Sunday school class discussed these tragic events seeing answers. We revisited the themes like – “How does a loving God allow such devastation? Where was God last Wednesday?”
By the end of the hour, our discussions enabled us to get back where we needed to be. We needed to be faithful and trusting. We need to hold on to the knowledge that God has not forsaken us. He was in all the basements and bathtubs that our friends and neighbors sought shelter in. He was with the army of meteorologists who gave us updates of where the storms were and where they were going. He was with community first responders and emergency personnel who rushed in to serve and minister to their neighbors after the storms moved through.
Although it has been only seven days since the horrific storms, armies of volunteers have ministered to our neighbors. Our government agencies from local to federal are in place to serve those affected. Churches are receiving donations of all types that can be distributed to those in need. Our local governments have sent and continue to send public works crews and public safety teams to assist their colleagues. It is in times like these that we truly witness the best in all of us. Neighbor helping neighbor …
The citizens of the United States have always been the first to respond to tragic events and reaching out the hand of assistance to our global neighbors. Our military, whose first mission is the defense of our nation, is also the best prepared for offering aid and comfort in times of natural disaster. The United States is a benevolent and loving nation. We, more than any other nation, seek to help our neighbors every time we are called upon.
If the world was perfect, what would we miss? If the world was perfect, we would have everything given to us. We would lose our perspective of how much something means to us when we work for it and earn it. If the world was perfect, we would not need others (our family, our friends, our neighbors). But when the effects of an imperfect world deliver tragedy, we once again realize what is really important.
And sometimes we tragically lose that which is most important – our loved ones. There is nothing I can say in my insignificance that can console one who has lost a loved one. But I can be there for them. I can mourn with them. I can visit them often after the masses go on with their lives. I can give in ways that deliver a sense of normalcy.
You are probably thinking what does any of this have to do with the Chamber of Commerce. My answer is - everything. It is my privilege and honor to work on a team that works everyday striving to make our community a better place. We work collaboratively with hundreds who want our community to be all that it can be. We work to provide opportunity to all who make our community home.
And the events of the last few days reinforce that what we do makes a difference. Even when it seems that all is lost, it is not. Much of what we value is temporary in nature and can be taken from us at a moment’s notice. But that which is permanent and meaningful lives in all of us – our compassion, our love, our gifts, and our desire to serve each other.
Over the next few weeks, let’s all do what we are able to do in providing temporary living arrangements for our neighbors. Then let us partner in helping to rebuild their communities. Thank you for the opportunity to serve our amazing community, our region, our state, and our nation.
The S&P Puts US Debt Issue into Proper Perspective
Is the US debt a big deal, a really big deal, or just business as usual? For most of my life, our federal government has spent more than it received. Between 1940 and 1950, the US had accumulated debt of approximately $2 trillion. And our accumulated debt remained around $2 trillion until 1982 when it began to rise. By 1990, our national debt had grown to over $4 trillion. By 2000, we had borrowed over $7 trillion in total gross debt (money owed to ourselves and to those outside the US). And today, our debt has increased to over $14 trillion.
The US debt as measured as a percent of GDP has ranged from over 100% during WWII to over 80% in 2010. After WWII, our debt steadily dropped from a highpoint of 120% of GDP to a low point of approximately 30% in 1981 or 1982. Since the early 80s, our debt as a percent of GDP has steadily risen to today’s levels.
Until recently, only the strictest fiscal conservatives even mentioned the US debt. In a previous column, I even discussed the 2000 debate between candidate Bush and candidate Gore about their campaign pledges to pay down our nation’s debt with the projected budget surpluses that the eventual winner would enjoy once elected. History has now shown that not only did those budget surpluses not materialize, regrettably budget deficits occurred instead. Anyone who has been an elected federal officeholder, regardless of party, over the last ten years should be held accountable including President Bush and President Obama.
Many have argued for years that our US debt is not an issue. Some would even argue that some debt is good. And most of us would agree if the debt level was manageable and in a range that we could repay it without harming our economy. But the sustained level of our borrowing has now created an entirely new debate around the use of debt and getting our fiscal affairs in order.
This week’s announcement by Standard and Poor has put the US debt at the top of all issues facing our country. The S&P not only said in their rating that they are concerned about the US ability to repay, they further stated that the likelihood of Congress and the President coming together to develop a plan that gets us back on track is unlikely. And I would argue that solving our debt issue is paramount to all other issues facing our country. Being financially sound enables an entity (home, business, or government) to prioritize resource allocation. Not being financial solvent, drains limited resources from more productive uses.
How can anyone argue that borrowing 40% of every dollar we spend is prudent? If an individual or business managed their credit the way our federal government (and many state governments) has, it would be labeled a huge credit risk and face steadily increasing costs for borrowing. And the S&P is the first credible agency to warn our nationally leaders that the same fate awaits them if they refuse to course correct.
This is not a time for name-calling or to engage in the blame game. It is not a time to draw lines in the sand on ideological positions. It is a time for serious debate. It is a time for sacrificial leadership. Instead of approaching this debate from a position of what will get one reelected or which party will win the White House, we need statesmen who can put our country first. Both parties have contributed to the problem by governing on the extremes; it is time now for both parties to solve the problem by meeting in the middle.
Last week, Congressmen Paul Ryan introduced the House Republican plan for reducing our nation’s debt followed by President Obama a day or two later with his plan. The Ryan Plan calls for large cuts to spending and a plan for reforming the tax code. President Obama’s plan reduces some spending but also calls for revenue increases or increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans. To me the answer is somewhere in the middle.
Given stories in the media during this tax season about who pays taxes and who doesn’t, I would argue that everyone should pay something. Although I have not studied the details of the Ryan plan, I like the idea of a graduated tax rate scale of 25% on those earning high incomes and staggered down to as little as 10% on earners earning less. And in reforming the tax rates, also eliminating most deductions. The proposal is not as simple as a “flat tax”, but is a start to simplifying our current complex tax code.
President Obama is correct in arguing that those who earn more should contribute more. But he must show he is also willing to make the hard choices in re-prioritizing federal spending. Governments of all levels need to do what families, small businesses, and corporate America have had to do over the last 4 years – re-prioritize what is important. This is a time for our national leaders to recalibrate federal priorities. Everything must be on the table from farm subsidies, to entitlement programs, to defense spending.
Chuck Swindoll says, “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” A strong argument could be made that the size and scope of the American debt is an impossible situation. If those we elect will really work together and develop a comprehensive approach to this problem, I believe a long-term viable solution is possible. But if political ideology and winning future elections remains the focal point of the debate, our country could find itself in dire straits.
The US debt as measured as a percent of GDP has ranged from over 100% during WWII to over 80% in 2010. After WWII, our debt steadily dropped from a highpoint of 120% of GDP to a low point of approximately 30% in 1981 or 1982. Since the early 80s, our debt as a percent of GDP has steadily risen to today’s levels.
Until recently, only the strictest fiscal conservatives even mentioned the US debt. In a previous column, I even discussed the 2000 debate between candidate Bush and candidate Gore about their campaign pledges to pay down our nation’s debt with the projected budget surpluses that the eventual winner would enjoy once elected. History has now shown that not only did those budget surpluses not materialize, regrettably budget deficits occurred instead. Anyone who has been an elected federal officeholder, regardless of party, over the last ten years should be held accountable including President Bush and President Obama.
Many have argued for years that our US debt is not an issue. Some would even argue that some debt is good. And most of us would agree if the debt level was manageable and in a range that we could repay it without harming our economy. But the sustained level of our borrowing has now created an entirely new debate around the use of debt and getting our fiscal affairs in order.
This week’s announcement by Standard and Poor has put the US debt at the top of all issues facing our country. The S&P not only said in their rating that they are concerned about the US ability to repay, they further stated that the likelihood of Congress and the President coming together to develop a plan that gets us back on track is unlikely. And I would argue that solving our debt issue is paramount to all other issues facing our country. Being financially sound enables an entity (home, business, or government) to prioritize resource allocation. Not being financial solvent, drains limited resources from more productive uses.
How can anyone argue that borrowing 40% of every dollar we spend is prudent? If an individual or business managed their credit the way our federal government (and many state governments) has, it would be labeled a huge credit risk and face steadily increasing costs for borrowing. And the S&P is the first credible agency to warn our nationally leaders that the same fate awaits them if they refuse to course correct.
This is not a time for name-calling or to engage in the blame game. It is not a time to draw lines in the sand on ideological positions. It is a time for serious debate. It is a time for sacrificial leadership. Instead of approaching this debate from a position of what will get one reelected or which party will win the White House, we need statesmen who can put our country first. Both parties have contributed to the problem by governing on the extremes; it is time now for both parties to solve the problem by meeting in the middle.
Last week, Congressmen Paul Ryan introduced the House Republican plan for reducing our nation’s debt followed by President Obama a day or two later with his plan. The Ryan Plan calls for large cuts to spending and a plan for reforming the tax code. President Obama’s plan reduces some spending but also calls for revenue increases or increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans. To me the answer is somewhere in the middle.
Given stories in the media during this tax season about who pays taxes and who doesn’t, I would argue that everyone should pay something. Although I have not studied the details of the Ryan plan, I like the idea of a graduated tax rate scale of 25% on those earning high incomes and staggered down to as little as 10% on earners earning less. And in reforming the tax rates, also eliminating most deductions. The proposal is not as simple as a “flat tax”, but is a start to simplifying our current complex tax code.
President Obama is correct in arguing that those who earn more should contribute more. But he must show he is also willing to make the hard choices in re-prioritizing federal spending. Governments of all levels need to do what families, small businesses, and corporate America have had to do over the last 4 years – re-prioritize what is important. This is a time for our national leaders to recalibrate federal priorities. Everything must be on the table from farm subsidies, to entitlement programs, to defense spending.
Chuck Swindoll says, “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” A strong argument could be made that the size and scope of the American debt is an impossible situation. If those we elect will really work together and develop a comprehensive approach to this problem, I believe a long-term viable solution is possible. But if political ideology and winning future elections remains the focal point of the debate, our country could find itself in dire straits.
21st Century Passport to the American Dream
Over the last few months national headlines pertaining to education have centered on teacher tenure, union representation, budget cuts, teacher layoffs, and collective bargaining – just to name a few. Unfortunately, the headlines are not focused on the truly important issues regarding education in America. “One of the most fundamental obligations of any society is to prepare its adolescents and young adults to lead productive and prosperous lives as adults.” (Pathways to Prosperity Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education, February 2011)
The education continuum starts at birth and continues until someone goes to work. Some would argue (and I would agree) that the true learning continuum is birth to retirement. The continuum is comprised of three major periods of learning: 1. birth to pre-k, 2. K-12, and post-secondary education. An inordinate amount of studies have been conducted attempting to measure our success at educating our citizens along the continuum and thus preparing them for the workplace.
Consistently these studies indicate that America is falling behind other competing nations. Although the research proves that children that are not prepared for kindergarten ever catches up with those that are prepared, we still do not have universal pre-k in our country. Further research proves that not being proficient in reading by the third grade almost predicts future high school dropouts, we socially promote these children to fourth grade. And those not proficient in numeracy by 8th grade are further denigrated to almost certain failure in high school.
The final measurement that we as a nation are failing in is the area of high graduates. Even though we are improving in this area, we are not graduating as many as compared to the countries we are competing against in the global marketplace. Even worse, we are losing the race of transitioning our high school graduates into college.
According to the Harvard study, “the United States has led the world in equipping its young people with the education they would need to succeed.” Due to the success of the high school movement at the start of the 20th century, and the GI Bill after WWII - U.S. baby boomers far surpassed their counterparts globally in educational attainment. Our success in education propelled tremendous growth in American wealth. By the year 2000, U.S. per capita income was five to six times larger than in 1900.
Unfortunately, at the conclusion of the first decade of the 21st century, trends for education attainment show “profoundly troubling signs that the U.S. is now failing to meet its obligation to prepare millions of young adults. The “growing evidence of a skills gap indicates many young adults lack the skills and work ethic needed for many jobs that pay a middle-class wage.”
The 21st global economy will create jobs that require a vastly different skill set by its workers.
If the net job growth over the last thirty years required at least some post-secondary education, why would the next thirty require anything less? “Workers with at least some college have ballooned to 59 percent of the workforce, up from just 28 percent in 1973.” The Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown “project that the U.S. economy will create some 47 million job openings by 2018. Nearly two-thirds will require at least some post-secondary education.”
I agree with the Harvard study, “the message is clear: in 21st century America, education beyond high school is the passport to the American Dream.” And I would further argue that America’s prominence and greatness lies in how well we once again lead the world in education attainment. We must provide our young people and those workers displaced by the great recession with the needed work skills to compete for those jobs created by the new economy.
So what does all of this mean for the greater Dalton community? By the fall of this year, we will have multiple entities providing many pre-k opportunities but not to all four-year-olds. Our two k-12 school systems will continue working together and working hard educating our children – but many third graders will not be proficient in reading, and many eight graders will not be proficient in math. And many high school students will drop out prior to completing their education. On a positive note, we will have for the first time, two institutions of higher learning offering a wider variety of college opportunities to those who do graduate.
Given the better than average education foundation available in our community, the Chamber will work with all stakeholders to strengthen the birth to retirement learning continuum. We will exhaust every idea that can make pre-k available to all four-year-olds. We will develop a scorecard that identifies our gaps in third grade reading and eight grade numeracy. Armed with the information from our scorecard, we will work with our education partners to offer solutions that will improve those gaps. Through partnering with our post-secondary institutions of higher learning, we will not only continue improving our high school graduation rate, we will further work to transition a higher percentage of high school graduates into college programs of study.
America’s future is dependent on each and every community rising to the occasion. Our community can and must do its part in building the citizen of tomorrow today. We welcome this challenge and all who will partner with us in meeting it.
The education continuum starts at birth and continues until someone goes to work. Some would argue (and I would agree) that the true learning continuum is birth to retirement. The continuum is comprised of three major periods of learning: 1. birth to pre-k, 2. K-12, and post-secondary education. An inordinate amount of studies have been conducted attempting to measure our success at educating our citizens along the continuum and thus preparing them for the workplace.
Consistently these studies indicate that America is falling behind other competing nations. Although the research proves that children that are not prepared for kindergarten ever catches up with those that are prepared, we still do not have universal pre-k in our country. Further research proves that not being proficient in reading by the third grade almost predicts future high school dropouts, we socially promote these children to fourth grade. And those not proficient in numeracy by 8th grade are further denigrated to almost certain failure in high school.
The final measurement that we as a nation are failing in is the area of high graduates. Even though we are improving in this area, we are not graduating as many as compared to the countries we are competing against in the global marketplace. Even worse, we are losing the race of transitioning our high school graduates into college.
According to the Harvard study, “the United States has led the world in equipping its young people with the education they would need to succeed.” Due to the success of the high school movement at the start of the 20th century, and the GI Bill after WWII - U.S. baby boomers far surpassed their counterparts globally in educational attainment. Our success in education propelled tremendous growth in American wealth. By the year 2000, U.S. per capita income was five to six times larger than in 1900.
Unfortunately, at the conclusion of the first decade of the 21st century, trends for education attainment show “profoundly troubling signs that the U.S. is now failing to meet its obligation to prepare millions of young adults. The “growing evidence of a skills gap indicates many young adults lack the skills and work ethic needed for many jobs that pay a middle-class wage.”
The 21st global economy will create jobs that require a vastly different skill set by its workers.
If the net job growth over the last thirty years required at least some post-secondary education, why would the next thirty require anything less? “Workers with at least some college have ballooned to 59 percent of the workforce, up from just 28 percent in 1973.” The Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown “project that the U.S. economy will create some 47 million job openings by 2018. Nearly two-thirds will require at least some post-secondary education.”
I agree with the Harvard study, “the message is clear: in 21st century America, education beyond high school is the passport to the American Dream.” And I would further argue that America’s prominence and greatness lies in how well we once again lead the world in education attainment. We must provide our young people and those workers displaced by the great recession with the needed work skills to compete for those jobs created by the new economy.
So what does all of this mean for the greater Dalton community? By the fall of this year, we will have multiple entities providing many pre-k opportunities but not to all four-year-olds. Our two k-12 school systems will continue working together and working hard educating our children – but many third graders will not be proficient in reading, and many eight graders will not be proficient in math. And many high school students will drop out prior to completing their education. On a positive note, we will have for the first time, two institutions of higher learning offering a wider variety of college opportunities to those who do graduate.
Given the better than average education foundation available in our community, the Chamber will work with all stakeholders to strengthen the birth to retirement learning continuum. We will exhaust every idea that can make pre-k available to all four-year-olds. We will develop a scorecard that identifies our gaps in third grade reading and eight grade numeracy. Armed with the information from our scorecard, we will work with our education partners to offer solutions that will improve those gaps. Through partnering with our post-secondary institutions of higher learning, we will not only continue improving our high school graduation rate, we will further work to transition a higher percentage of high school graduates into college programs of study.
America’s future is dependent on each and every community rising to the occasion. Our community can and must do its part in building the citizen of tomorrow today. We welcome this challenge and all who will partner with us in meeting it.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
“I Am Running for President”
Gotcha … for those in our community who support me, you are either thinking “great” how can I help, or has he lost his mind. For the others, who for whatever reason are not my biggest fans, you are already strategizing the many and sundry ways you can oppose / defeat my candidacy. In full disclosure, the campaign for the President of the United States is certainly hitting up with a number of likely suspects announcing their exploratory committees.
But isn’t it amazing that the campaign really began shortly after President Obama was elected in November of 2008. The Republican candidates who sought the nomination eventually won by Senator McCain wasted little time launching their own talk shows or writing their books that afforded them the opportunities to pretty much campaign full time. Our country is so celebrity focused; merely running for President provides instant fame for even those without the necessary credentials to be elected and certainly not to lead our country.
Sometimes the phrase stating that “elections matter” is over-used, bordering on cliché. Of course they are important. But I will argue some are more important than others. Or put another way, certain times call for different strengths in those we elect. And although we cannot predict the issues that might occur during an elected officials term in office, we certainly know the issues of the day that the newly elected will face as they assume their office.
Consider the 2008 presidential campaign. Our country had been dealing with the issue of fanatical terrorism since September 2001. We were and had been fighting two wars for many years. The Republicans while in Power prior to 2006 offered very little in offering solutions that would return America to greatness. They talked about it, but mostly in the context of sticking our chest out while we showed our military might. As I wrote a few weeks ago, in 2000 President Bush took office with annual surpluses and proceeded to grow our national debt from $4.6 trillion to over $9 trillion.
And as we all know, in the final years of the Bush Presidency, the economy collapsed. Candidate Obama comes along and tells us he will bring about change. He told us that he would raise taxes on the wealthy, institute new government programs, grow entitlement spending, and basically enact the same approach many progressive and democratic predecessors have taken – grow the size of government and the rest will follow.
After two years of spending like a drunken sailor or shore leave (I can that my Dad was in the Navy) by the Democratic President and Congress, we scratched our heads in bewilderment of what was happening. Why? President Obama and his partners in crime told us exactly what they were going to do. He appointed key cabinet members and other “czars” who were known not to represent mainstream thinking but very liberal policies by most standards.
Fast forward to the fall of 2010. The Republicans roar back from almost extinction to win the House of Representatives, almost win the Senate, and thoroughly sweet most races for governor and legislatures even in many states that historically vote for the Democratic party.
Why? I propose that these two dramatic shifts politically are due to the power of the independent voter. Those that occupy the middle of the policital spectrum have tremendous power. Elections are won or lost depending on who wins the independent voters. Those in the middle in 2006 did not feel that President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress were leading in a way for American to prosper. They gave the Democrats a chance. And again in 2008, they supported President Obama in solidifying the control of the federal government by the Democrats.
A short 22 months later the independents are horrified by the runaway national debt, the growth of the federal government and the minimal progress made in turning our national economy around. Neither party delivered the solutions needed by our country, so the independent voters have chosen gridlock in electing a divided government.
What now? As mentioned earlier, the usual suspects are in full campaign mode: Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney are being jonied by the Tim Pawlentys of the world and all could take on President Obama in 2012.
I would argue that neither the president nor most of the likely Republican candidates can truly lead our nation in a way that puts our country back on a path to greatness. The Democrats will continue to preach more spending aka (investing) as the answer. And the Republicans will talk about cutting the spending but only in those easy areas: non-defense and non-entitlement discretionary spending.
Neither party has a plan for reforming taxes, improving and reforming education, reforming entitlement programs or improving our relationships globally. We need leadership.
If I had the ability, instead of running for president I would establish the national nonpartisan party. Our new party would seek those to serve who ask hard questions, seek common sense answers and, after using their God-given ability to think, propose solutions. If an elected official responds to questions armed with only his or her party's talking points, they are not fit to serve.
I hope and pray that someone is out there who can effectively lead this great nation!
But isn’t it amazing that the campaign really began shortly after President Obama was elected in November of 2008. The Republican candidates who sought the nomination eventually won by Senator McCain wasted little time launching their own talk shows or writing their books that afforded them the opportunities to pretty much campaign full time. Our country is so celebrity focused; merely running for President provides instant fame for even those without the necessary credentials to be elected and certainly not to lead our country.
Sometimes the phrase stating that “elections matter” is over-used, bordering on cliché. Of course they are important. But I will argue some are more important than others. Or put another way, certain times call for different strengths in those we elect. And although we cannot predict the issues that might occur during an elected officials term in office, we certainly know the issues of the day that the newly elected will face as they assume their office.
Consider the 2008 presidential campaign. Our country had been dealing with the issue of fanatical terrorism since September 2001. We were and had been fighting two wars for many years. The Republicans while in Power prior to 2006 offered very little in offering solutions that would return America to greatness. They talked about it, but mostly in the context of sticking our chest out while we showed our military might. As I wrote a few weeks ago, in 2000 President Bush took office with annual surpluses and proceeded to grow our national debt from $4.6 trillion to over $9 trillion.
And as we all know, in the final years of the Bush Presidency, the economy collapsed. Candidate Obama comes along and tells us he will bring about change. He told us that he would raise taxes on the wealthy, institute new government programs, grow entitlement spending, and basically enact the same approach many progressive and democratic predecessors have taken – grow the size of government and the rest will follow.
After two years of spending like a drunken sailor or shore leave (I can that my Dad was in the Navy) by the Democratic President and Congress, we scratched our heads in bewilderment of what was happening. Why? President Obama and his partners in crime told us exactly what they were going to do. He appointed key cabinet members and other “czars” who were known not to represent mainstream thinking but very liberal policies by most standards.
Fast forward to the fall of 2010. The Republicans roar back from almost extinction to win the House of Representatives, almost win the Senate, and thoroughly sweet most races for governor and legislatures even in many states that historically vote for the Democratic party.
Why? I propose that these two dramatic shifts politically are due to the power of the independent voter. Those that occupy the middle of the policital spectrum have tremendous power. Elections are won or lost depending on who wins the independent voters. Those in the middle in 2006 did not feel that President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress were leading in a way for American to prosper. They gave the Democrats a chance. And again in 2008, they supported President Obama in solidifying the control of the federal government by the Democrats.
A short 22 months later the independents are horrified by the runaway national debt, the growth of the federal government and the minimal progress made in turning our national economy around. Neither party delivered the solutions needed by our country, so the independent voters have chosen gridlock in electing a divided government.
What now? As mentioned earlier, the usual suspects are in full campaign mode: Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney are being jonied by the Tim Pawlentys of the world and all could take on President Obama in 2012.
I would argue that neither the president nor most of the likely Republican candidates can truly lead our nation in a way that puts our country back on a path to greatness. The Democrats will continue to preach more spending aka (investing) as the answer. And the Republicans will talk about cutting the spending but only in those easy areas: non-defense and non-entitlement discretionary spending.
Neither party has a plan for reforming taxes, improving and reforming education, reforming entitlement programs or improving our relationships globally. We need leadership.
If I had the ability, instead of running for president I would establish the national nonpartisan party. Our new party would seek those to serve who ask hard questions, seek common sense answers and, after using their God-given ability to think, propose solutions. If an elected official responds to questions armed with only his or her party's talking points, they are not fit to serve.
I hope and pray that someone is out there who can effectively lead this great nation!
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