I wrote yesterday about tribes and how I believe President Obama is getting us back to respect and need of the whole tribe. I got to thinking about the American Tribe, which I tend to do. What makes the American Tribe unique is that we are a tribe composed of people who were kicked out of, or in rare circumstances voluntarily left, virtually every other tribe on earth. The American Tribe represents the rejects of the world, AND, those willing to escape rather than stay and be persecuted.
22,000 years ago Native Americans left there comfortable worlds, trudged north into the frozen Ice Age lands of what is now Siberia across the Bering Straits, then iced over, into what is now Alaska and eventually into both Americas. Later Pacific Islanders braved the vast oceans to land in South America and migrate north mixing with those who came before. Do we believe they made these treacherous journeys with women, children and their elderly because their tribes in Asia, where the temperatures were moderate, wanted them to stay? Of course not. They were kicked out of their tribes. Their tribes thought they would die. They did not. They became Americans.
The Pilgrims were forced out of England. Georgia was populated by criminals from English jails. German Catholics came here in droves in the 1800s to escape Lutheran persecution. Sicilians and Irish left their homelands for a “better” life, which means their old tribe was not working out for them. Chinese and Japanese fled their countries for our West Coasts. Africans were kicked out of their countries like the rest of us, sold as slaves. We are all refugees from other tribes who could no longer stand to have us around. Everyone sent us off across oceans and thought, or hoped, we would die. We did not. Against all odds, we became Americans.
We, the American Tribe, are the rejects of the rest of the world. We welcome all who are kicked out of their tribes. So says our greatest monument – The Statue of Liberty. What made us a problem to the staid traditions of our former tribes made us stronger as a people. It made us Americans.
Over time we have assimilated everyone. The English first disliked the Dutch (Dutch rub, Dutch treat, which is no treat at all, etc.), but got used to them. The Irish, Scotts, Italians, Germans, Greeks, Jews, Catholics and many others came, were subject of discrimination and ultimately assimilated into the culture. While it took longer, Africans, Asians, Native Americans and Hispanics have all been embraced by the American Tribe and have served the US proudly in leadership, diplomatic, civil servant and military positions.
The Baby-Boomer and especially the post-Boom generations are unifying and erasing all past distinctions. We are increasingly a land of mutts. Mixed breeds with uncommon heritage with descendants from many different tribes around the world. Our President is not black. He is an American, all mixed up like the rest of us.
We are all one-eighth this and one-sixteenth that. A pinch of Irish, a pinch of Cherokee, a bit of German, some Korean in there somewhere, and a little something else. Whites are of course not white. Blacks are of course not black. We are all shades and tints of brown. We are all the same basic color.
The term “Diversity” has come to focus us on our irrelevant differences, though it should not. It was a concept important to get where we are today. It, however, is a term of division. A term of the past.
We are now the American Tribe. A tribe of outcasts. A tribe of mutts with varied heritage. A tribe descended from those brave enough to challenge the old tribe and be kicked out for it. A tribe of people our old tribes hoped would die at sea, but we did not.
Instead, against all odds and over many years and through trials and tribulations of great magnitude, we, the misfits of the world, have finally become united as one, the American Tribe.
Unlike most other places on earth, we are a tribe of people with eyes, skin and hair of many colors none of which impact who we are as people. Individually we practice many religions or none at all, speak and write as we see fit, work hard or not, love man or woman or both, and live as we deem appropriate, for that is what the American Tribe is all about. We are unique and powerful individuals within the great American Tribe.
It is time we stop celebrating our differences and begin to celebrate our similarities. Mr. President, make this year’s Independence Day be a celebration of our independence from past discrimination based on our diverse and irrelevant characteristics.
Make it a celebration of the unified American Tribe.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The American Tribe – Reborn
Everyone knows that humans cannot survive in the wild as individuals. Throughout time humans have survived by banding together in tribes for the common good. Successful leaders ruled for the benefit of all and his tribe expanded often without the need of warfare. Great leaders know that their position and power depend on those within the tribe. Even he cannot survive in the wild alone for long. They also knew that the more inclusive ones policy the greater the tribe became.
Tribes were, and are, required to protect the young who will be the tribe’s strength in the future, the elderly who hold the wisdom and traditions of the tribe, the weak and sick who will recover to be contributors to the tribe, and historically the women who nurture and care for all members of the tribe and make the tribe strong and powerful. When protection of the tribe was about size and might, it was the job of the men to lead and protect. It has long been known, however, that behind every great man was a great woman, and of course women have also and will ably lead many a tribe. The leader is NEVER alone.
Leaders who rule by force or exclusion often rise for a period of time, only to be trampled and destroyed often by their own people. Force may be necessary to grow an empire, but holding it together requires the subjects to believe that it is in their best interests to remain within the tribe. Kings have been beheaded and great empires reduced to City States because the leaders forgot the tribe.
Until around the end of the 19th century, the beginning of the industrial revolution, the tribe was important and the great leaders recognized this importance. Countries were generally small and even great empires permitted tribes, whether local historic groups or represented by nobility and their lands, to govern themselves so long as they paid appropriate tribute.
Companies were small. The leader knew each employee personally and recognized that his position was dependant on the success of the members of his small tribe of workers. They were part of the community. They realized the tribe reached beyond the borders of the company’s property. The leader of the tribe not only knew his workers personally, but he knew his suppliers and customers personally. They too were part of his tribe and he relied upon them and they upon him. And so humans became the most dominant species on earth.
In the last 120 years or so the reliance on the tribe has changed. Somewhere along the line the idea of the tribe has fallen away in favor of individuality. These concepts are referred to in the positive as “entrepreneurialism” and in the more negative as the “Captains of Industry” or “capitalists.”
Companies grew to the point where the members of the tribe became mere numbers on a ledger to the CEO at the top. The tribal leader began to believe, and perhaps has been encouraged to believe, that he no longer needed the tribe to survive. While this has been disproven over and over again throughout history, we somehow feel that America became great because of individual effort of a few great individuals.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Our tribe fought back the British tribe for independence. A whole host of men signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It took 11 years, until 1787, for many bright men to craft the US Constitution. We moved West gradually as a tribe, supporting one another all along the way. Individuals did not create or settle this great country. WE, the tribe of Americans, did that.
It took many years and many people to bring non-landowners, workers, women, Jews, those of other faiths, blacks, and our many immigrants into the tribe of Americans. We stand now as one of the most inclusive tribes in the history of our planet. We should be proud of that.
Barrack Obama is restoring the American Tribe. We are all dependant on one another. We are responsible to care for the young, the sick and the elderly. Corporations must recognize that failure is largely due to misunderstanding the strength of the tribe. Great leaders, Level 5 leaders as described in the wonderful book, Good to Great, understand the importance of the tribe and they are the ones who are thriving in today’s economy.
I hope that the President is able to continue to build upon what he has done to date. We must decide we are part of the American Tribe. CEOs must understand the importance of the tribe. Humans survive because they are part of a strong tribe. We cannot stand alone and succeed. Not for long. No one ever has.
Tribes were, and are, required to protect the young who will be the tribe’s strength in the future, the elderly who hold the wisdom and traditions of the tribe, the weak and sick who will recover to be contributors to the tribe, and historically the women who nurture and care for all members of the tribe and make the tribe strong and powerful. When protection of the tribe was about size and might, it was the job of the men to lead and protect. It has long been known, however, that behind every great man was a great woman, and of course women have also and will ably lead many a tribe. The leader is NEVER alone.
Leaders who rule by force or exclusion often rise for a period of time, only to be trampled and destroyed often by their own people. Force may be necessary to grow an empire, but holding it together requires the subjects to believe that it is in their best interests to remain within the tribe. Kings have been beheaded and great empires reduced to City States because the leaders forgot the tribe.
Until around the end of the 19th century, the beginning of the industrial revolution, the tribe was important and the great leaders recognized this importance. Countries were generally small and even great empires permitted tribes, whether local historic groups or represented by nobility and their lands, to govern themselves so long as they paid appropriate tribute.
Companies were small. The leader knew each employee personally and recognized that his position was dependant on the success of the members of his small tribe of workers. They were part of the community. They realized the tribe reached beyond the borders of the company’s property. The leader of the tribe not only knew his workers personally, but he knew his suppliers and customers personally. They too were part of his tribe and he relied upon them and they upon him. And so humans became the most dominant species on earth.
In the last 120 years or so the reliance on the tribe has changed. Somewhere along the line the idea of the tribe has fallen away in favor of individuality. These concepts are referred to in the positive as “entrepreneurialism” and in the more negative as the “Captains of Industry” or “capitalists.”
Companies grew to the point where the members of the tribe became mere numbers on a ledger to the CEO at the top. The tribal leader began to believe, and perhaps has been encouraged to believe, that he no longer needed the tribe to survive. While this has been disproven over and over again throughout history, we somehow feel that America became great because of individual effort of a few great individuals.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Our tribe fought back the British tribe for independence. A whole host of men signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It took 11 years, until 1787, for many bright men to craft the US Constitution. We moved West gradually as a tribe, supporting one another all along the way. Individuals did not create or settle this great country. WE, the tribe of Americans, did that.
It took many years and many people to bring non-landowners, workers, women, Jews, those of other faiths, blacks, and our many immigrants into the tribe of Americans. We stand now as one of the most inclusive tribes in the history of our planet. We should be proud of that.
Barrack Obama is restoring the American Tribe. We are all dependant on one another. We are responsible to care for the young, the sick and the elderly. Corporations must recognize that failure is largely due to misunderstanding the strength of the tribe. Great leaders, Level 5 leaders as described in the wonderful book, Good to Great, understand the importance of the tribe and they are the ones who are thriving in today’s economy.
I hope that the President is able to continue to build upon what he has done to date. We must decide we are part of the American Tribe. CEOs must understand the importance of the tribe. Humans survive because they are part of a strong tribe. We cannot stand alone and succeed. Not for long. No one ever has.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Immigration and Health Care
One (and only one) of the most significant knocks against “illegal” immigration is its impact on our healthcare system. They are such a burden, but does this assertion really hold water?
Illegal Immigrants: Some percentage, probably fairly small, of the estimated eight to ten million illegal aliens in the US use our hospital emergency rooms because they have no health insurance. Illegal immigrants are predominantly hard working males in excellent physical shape doing hourly physical labor, like landscaping, housekeeping and meat packing. They are not brought in for sedentary clerical positions. They make no money if they are ill and unable to work.
They were brave enough to leave their homelands in search of a better life. Most have obligations to feed families back in Mexico. While certainly some families have immigrated as well, the children, wives and parents of most illegal immigrants are not in the US. Being ill is not an option.
So of those in the US, how many really abuse the healthcare system? It simply cannot be a very high percentage of those here.
Uninsured Americans: On the other hand, we know that there are approximately 50 million Americans who have no health insurance. These individuals tend to be lower income citizens. Many have sedentary jobs while others are often out of work. All of their families are in the US, including all of their children and grandparents. Being ill or injured entitles them to paid days off, worker’s compensation, and disability. Like most Americans, they are fat, eat fast food, do not exercise and have resulting health complications. As unemployment rises, the number of American citizens without health insurance rises. There are absolutely exceptions to these generalizations, but ask social workers and they will provide you with this profile.
Are Illegal Immigrants Really the Burden? Which of these groups causes the greatest real burden to our health insurance system?
The impact of a few million illegal immigrants; or
The impact of fifty plus million uninsured Americans?
The problem is not immigrants. The problem is uninsured Americans.
A Solution: Certainly this situation begs for a solution. There are many ideas on how we can solve the “healthcare crisis.” Over the last few weeks I have laid out a gradual plan for healthcare reform. The stages are laid out in prior posts below.
Nationalize health insurance regulations and remove the burdens and restrictions of 50 different State level regulatory systems.
Allow ANY group of people to band together in groups to collectively purchase health insurance, or to create a self-insured plan. Illegals could join any or particular groups.
Create a national catastrophic coverage plan
The issue with illegal immigrants and uninsured Americans is basic care provided at emergency rooms rather than at less expensive clinics or doctor’s offices. Under this scenario, anyone, other than those who qualify for Medicaid currently, should be able to afford basic care, including illegal immigrants, at a physician’s office or clinic, thus eliminating the core problem. Under this scenario, anyone without coverage could be legally turned away without repercussions.
Illegal Immigrants: Some percentage, probably fairly small, of the estimated eight to ten million illegal aliens in the US use our hospital emergency rooms because they have no health insurance. Illegal immigrants are predominantly hard working males in excellent physical shape doing hourly physical labor, like landscaping, housekeeping and meat packing. They are not brought in for sedentary clerical positions. They make no money if they are ill and unable to work.
They were brave enough to leave their homelands in search of a better life. Most have obligations to feed families back in Mexico. While certainly some families have immigrated as well, the children, wives and parents of most illegal immigrants are not in the US. Being ill is not an option.
So of those in the US, how many really abuse the healthcare system? It simply cannot be a very high percentage of those here.
Uninsured Americans: On the other hand, we know that there are approximately 50 million Americans who have no health insurance. These individuals tend to be lower income citizens. Many have sedentary jobs while others are often out of work. All of their families are in the US, including all of their children and grandparents. Being ill or injured entitles them to paid days off, worker’s compensation, and disability. Like most Americans, they are fat, eat fast food, do not exercise and have resulting health complications. As unemployment rises, the number of American citizens without health insurance rises. There are absolutely exceptions to these generalizations, but ask social workers and they will provide you with this profile.
Are Illegal Immigrants Really the Burden? Which of these groups causes the greatest real burden to our health insurance system?
The impact of a few million illegal immigrants; or
The impact of fifty plus million uninsured Americans?
The problem is not immigrants. The problem is uninsured Americans.
A Solution: Certainly this situation begs for a solution. There are many ideas on how we can solve the “healthcare crisis.” Over the last few weeks I have laid out a gradual plan for healthcare reform. The stages are laid out in prior posts below.
Nationalize health insurance regulations and remove the burdens and restrictions of 50 different State level regulatory systems.
Allow ANY group of people to band together in groups to collectively purchase health insurance, or to create a self-insured plan. Illegals could join any or particular groups.
Create a national catastrophic coverage plan
The issue with illegal immigrants and uninsured Americans is basic care provided at emergency rooms rather than at less expensive clinics or doctor’s offices. Under this scenario, anyone, other than those who qualify for Medicaid currently, should be able to afford basic care, including illegal immigrants, at a physician’s office or clinic, thus eliminating the core problem. Under this scenario, anyone without coverage could be legally turned away without repercussions.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Making Cars – A New Lease on Life
Well the US is officially an automaker. What I hope is that GM is able to convert from a stodgy old “this is the way we have always done it” company to an innovative leader in cutting edge technology. When one receives a new lease on life, one usually makes the rather easy decision to live it to its fullest. The realization that death is always mere moments away has the effect of freeing us from the burdens associated with the daily drudgery of ordinary life.
Were I the GM leadership I would announce that every car produced in 2011 will be an electric hybrid flexible fuel vehicle with an enzymatic fuel cell. Maybe 2012. Maybe some other innovative standard. Make is audacious – a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG). Like going to the moon in the 1960s. Drive a stake in the ground and focus the entire company on reaching that goal and do whatever it takes to get there. Set it so that when GM gets there, they have passed everyone else in the race.
The GM leadership (and by that I suppose I mean President Obama at least in part) should buy or license innovative technologies that will make GM world renowned as THE leader in green vehicles. Unleash the creative juices of the engineers, the workforce, the M&A guys, the managers and even the public relations department toward one illustrious goal.
People love to be part of the team who desires with all their heart and throughout the organization to win the World Series and then makes every effort to do what it takes to get there. Only one team will be baseball’s champion, but only those teams who legitimately set that as their goal will have a chance.
Electric cars have much higher horse power than piston engine cars. They are ideal for high performance cars like the Corvette. Sure they have a relatively short range, 40 – 60 miles on a charge, but who drives their Corvette more than that? Power. Speed. Wind in the hair. Hums like a kitten.
While ethanol is somewhat less efficient per gallon, it is much higher in octane than gasoline. This gives it greater power and makes it ideal for trucks and machinery. A flexible fuel vehicle allows the use of any mixture, including nearly 100% ethanol. It can also use regular old gasoline.
Develop cars whose engines prefer to use ethanol and can use gasoline, rather than the other way around. Create complimentary electric hybrid engines that prefer ethanol. Hybrid technology simply allows the use of electricity or a liquid fuel as circumstances dictate. Improve this computer technology. Expand the demand, and let the scientists and energy entrepreneurs create the supply.
Enzymatic fuel cells are one of the most environmentally beneficial waves of the battery future. Mining, handling and manufacturing Lithium, Nickel and other battery metals is nasty stuff. Enzymatic fuel cells are essentially batteries that use encapsulated enzymes rather than metals to remove the energy from a fuel. They are exponentially more efficient than any existing battery.
Akermin, Inc. in St. Louis is just one company that has developed such a fuel cell. While Akermin is focused on developing these batteries for electronics, their technology could be adapted for vehicles. GM could accelerate the commercialization of this technology and leap ahead of everyone else.
There are many technologies out there. Set a deadline; the 2011 line of vehicles. Focus the company top to bottom. Invent the car. Convert the plants. Be aggressive and set the new path to the future. Use the Stimulus funds to help make it happen (the President might have some clout in that area).
As GM exits the construction zone, I hope they step hard on the accelerator. I want my investment to pay off some day. Just for perspective, $30,000,000,000 is an investment of $100 for every single human being living in the United States.
Were I the GM leadership I would announce that every car produced in 2011 will be an electric hybrid flexible fuel vehicle with an enzymatic fuel cell. Maybe 2012. Maybe some other innovative standard. Make is audacious – a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG). Like going to the moon in the 1960s. Drive a stake in the ground and focus the entire company on reaching that goal and do whatever it takes to get there. Set it so that when GM gets there, they have passed everyone else in the race.
The GM leadership (and by that I suppose I mean President Obama at least in part) should buy or license innovative technologies that will make GM world renowned as THE leader in green vehicles. Unleash the creative juices of the engineers, the workforce, the M&A guys, the managers and even the public relations department toward one illustrious goal.
People love to be part of the team who desires with all their heart and throughout the organization to win the World Series and then makes every effort to do what it takes to get there. Only one team will be baseball’s champion, but only those teams who legitimately set that as their goal will have a chance.
Electric cars have much higher horse power than piston engine cars. They are ideal for high performance cars like the Corvette. Sure they have a relatively short range, 40 – 60 miles on a charge, but who drives their Corvette more than that? Power. Speed. Wind in the hair. Hums like a kitten.
While ethanol is somewhat less efficient per gallon, it is much higher in octane than gasoline. This gives it greater power and makes it ideal for trucks and machinery. A flexible fuel vehicle allows the use of any mixture, including nearly 100% ethanol. It can also use regular old gasoline.
Develop cars whose engines prefer to use ethanol and can use gasoline, rather than the other way around. Create complimentary electric hybrid engines that prefer ethanol. Hybrid technology simply allows the use of electricity or a liquid fuel as circumstances dictate. Improve this computer technology. Expand the demand, and let the scientists and energy entrepreneurs create the supply.
Enzymatic fuel cells are one of the most environmentally beneficial waves of the battery future. Mining, handling and manufacturing Lithium, Nickel and other battery metals is nasty stuff. Enzymatic fuel cells are essentially batteries that use encapsulated enzymes rather than metals to remove the energy from a fuel. They are exponentially more efficient than any existing battery.
Akermin, Inc. in St. Louis is just one company that has developed such a fuel cell. While Akermin is focused on developing these batteries for electronics, their technology could be adapted for vehicles. GM could accelerate the commercialization of this technology and leap ahead of everyone else.
There are many technologies out there. Set a deadline; the 2011 line of vehicles. Focus the company top to bottom. Invent the car. Convert the plants. Be aggressive and set the new path to the future. Use the Stimulus funds to help make it happen (the President might have some clout in that area).
As GM exits the construction zone, I hope they step hard on the accelerator. I want my investment to pay off some day. Just for perspective, $30,000,000,000 is an investment of $100 for every single human being living in the United States.
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