'You Can in Michigan' Campaign Starts

 You Can In Michigan Campaign starts with $20 million from MEDC. States must attract top talent both domestically and globally. Getting the word out is important and it helps industries. We need very innovative employees and entrepreneurs to create, feed and grow businesses that draw in real value. The Michigan Life.

 (I do have one suggestion just to tweak. Escanaba is an awesome place that certainly could use some new entrepreneurs downtown. Sorry, I'm a little biased here but I'm not bashful about it. I admitted it. I'm biased about helping my community. Great people.)

Santos Receives 23 Count Indictment: Ethical Leadership is Important

Congressman Santos receives 23 count indictment. It wasn't the invention of space flight, the first man to use the wheel, or his discovery of the world's first nano particle that got him in trouble (Ok sorry. He didn't say any of that I was fibbing.😬  ). It was all the other stuff mostly around money. 🙈🙉🙊

Santos Allegedly Filed Fraudulent Fundraising Reports with the FEC to Obtain Financial Support for His Campaign and Repeatedly Charged the Credit Cards of Campaign Contributors Without Authorization

There is a point to be made about ethical leadership. We should always encourage ethical leadership in any important role (or non important role). It makes no difference if it is a business or government. Leadership behavior is important because choices impact others. 

This is one I can honestly say the DOJ did a really good job on. This is precisely what needs to happen in these cases because it is so important that we make good decisions, are honest, and think about the whole of society. We should also consider those leadership qualities when electing anyone. Ethical Leadership and Ethical Voice

Fed’s Bostic: Policy Rate Sufficiently Restrictive to Get Inflation to 2%

 Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta talks about we might not need to raise interest rates to get down to 2% inflation. Let us see if that is true considering most of the reports say inflation is declining. Covid brought about market disruption and a push into the digital era. There will eventually be a stronger homeostasis and perhaps it will happen after the first of year. The good news is that thus far manufacturing has returned back to the U.S. and we are in a much better place based on digital and other infrastructure. That would have been really are to project or see a few years ago. So far good news. Just remember that the economy is just a measure of human behavior and its use of tools on a micro and macro level. 

11,000+ Year Old Wild Boar Discovered: Sophisticated for the Age

 An ancient boar was discovered in Turkey and is seen as one, if not the oldest, in history. This is an interesting find because the skill in which it was created was profound. It gives insight into the people of the age and what was important to them (i.e. animals, food, art, etc.). You can read about that in 11,000-Year-Old Painted Statue of Wild Boar Unearthed at Gobekli Tepe

To me it is also an indication that people have technology and abilities in each age of development. People are so sure that what happens today is the only story of life. Its a limited perspective issue where only this time is bounded in rationale. I like archeology because it encourages us to learn broadly and deeply about our histories as a species and people.

(As a side note: This is also why I'm against hate, racism, bigotry, limiting dogmas and the protection thereof because from a scientific perspective it limits personal and societal growth. Different societies have their golden age where creativity flourishes and tells unique stories. Art is central to our existence and is often one of the rare few things left after thousands of years. We were always meant to learn from each other and from our histories. Renaissance happen by integrating new knowledge from different backgrounds to create something new. Hard sell sometimes but still for the most part universally true.). 

It is hard to tell people that time is fluent and while we feel so sure of what we know today and the world around us that things change. What has not changed is the act of passing knowledge from one generation to the next. Looking back at history tells us where people were at that time. You may see some images of the Wild Boar HERE

IMF Report Shows U.S. Very Strong. A few unexplored opportunities.

The U.S. Economy is extremely strong and most of the projections were wrong over the past few years. Well, almost all of them were wrong as there was one that said the 23/24 timeframe post Covid would be strong. However, we do have some more uncertainty with the geo-political issues and their impact. Such geopolitical issues are harder to predict in terms of economic impact and outcomes because it depends on large scale industry and supply chain adaptations. However, according to the report things seem to look pretty bright for the U.S. in the near term. Resilient Global Economy Still Limping Along, With Growing Divergences

You may be interested in a summary analysis from Rueter's article IMF says global economy 'limping along', cuts growth forecast for China, euro zone

A Few Pieces from the Report:

-World economic growth will slow from 3.5 percent in 2022 to 3 percent this year and 2.9 percent next year.

-Headline inflation continues to decelerate, from 9.2 percent in 2022 on a year-over-year basis, to 5.9 percent 2023 and 4.8 percent in 2024.

-Most countries aren’t likely to return inflation to target until 2025.

-US projected unemployment 3.6 percent to 3.9 percent by 2025.

-Global output is $3.6 trillion which is less than pandemic projections.

-Total investment is down with less willingness to invest.

A Few Suggestions Not in the Report:

Maybe there is a way to bump up the mid and long term prospects as well. Maybe not? 

-Improve human capital, productivity, and creativity/innovation through education, training and technology. Best and brightest and less on who you know may appear wishful but has practical outcomes if mastered.

-Resolve labor-pay issues and focus on incentives for human capital growth, adaptability to new technologies, and contributory participation in industry/corporate/business success. Requires a paradigm shift from prior labor-management rationality.

-Draw investment so as to improve U.S. economic root industries. Relies on factors related from strong justice/legal systems that protect commerce/liberties and improve broad motivations all the way over to strong economic policies that encourage innovative industry development. A systems approach.

-Continue to develop digital era infrastructure that ranges from data highways to ports and everything in between. i.e. electric grid with localized sources that feed the larger system for resilience.

-Improve the ecological and economic benefit of our natural resources through pollution management/reversal improvement of environmental health. i.e. Great Lakes or ocean and protein/fish supply and biodiversity. Such ideas seem on the surface unconnected but is part of a larger perpetual sustainable system that can maintain itself and draw societal and economic value from the environment. 

-Improve innovation in green technologies and energy source development.

-Develop new ways to limit crime and instability through economic engagement and more pathways to productive societal engagement. Reduces the shadow market and improves engagement/growth opportunities through understanding universal human needs.

-Discovering methods of reducing debt while ensuring government programs are reviewed, efficient and effective. Should be done in process oriented manner over a period of time. Resources can be used in other areas to improve net positives.

-Create business connections and supply chains globally so as to draw the highest value to the U.S.

-Create a shared vision for the nation and solve problems bi/tri partisan way. Less rhetoric and more focus on the "we" of society.

-Probably much more but just a few thoughts to ponder. They are not perfect and I would guess very elementary and perhaps idealist in nature. Thumb in wind. Feel free to discard. Maybe you have a few of your own?

Why The Constitution, Ethics and Justice are Still Important in Society

Societies must always seek to reach the highest states they can so as to fulfill their intended purpose for the collective whole. That includes ensuring that institutions are functioning in a way in which they seek to create more unity between their actions and their lofty intended purposes. As they reach for those ideal states they begin to build trust on individual and collective levels. The more effective and functional they are, typically the more society supports the institutions and in turn the more effective they become. 

Sometimes there are places where the ideal state is rejected for one reason or another. When this happens we have hampered trust and reduced long term functionality. We can see that not in words but in the general group behaviors where corruption, as defined by intentional misalignment, rises and people begin to feel that there are places such systems are not always doing the right thing. It reduces a sense of security when the rules are unknown or not transparent. Its a natural psychological and sociological outcome.

Consider a study on Institutional Trust and Interpersonal Trust and its impact on things like nationalism, shadow markets, interpersonal relationships, so on and so forth. Other research has supported the idea that all business are based on trust and higher economic performance rests in part on our institutional functioning. Thus, there should be definite interest in supporting and enhancing democratic institutions when we see injustice creep in. We never want to see a backslide in democracy and that starts on a micro level.

I support systems that reach for the greatest benefit of society and in turn try and match their processes to their intended goals. That has always been the intended purpose of our nation and of democracy in general. Thus, I believe correction is made where obvious misapplication of justice has occurred because of faith in the general system. The wrong paths should never be taken and in the rare cases where this occurs there are sometimes opportunities to jump back to the right path if our eyes can see what our brain has difficulty registering. 

The first potential causes that comes to mind is the powerful influence of extremism (of any kind and ideology), hyper politics, and a misunderstanding of the next stage of democracy's development. The good news is that eventually we know the light of justice will eventually overtake its shadow because there are no other long term logical outcomes that lead to the highest states of a nation's development. The Constitution, Ethics and Justice still has an important purpose and role in society and in many ways all societies. 

Those who support doing the right thing are doing society a favor by protecting the value of such institutions; no matter their race, religion, wealth or position in society. Patriotism is thinking about the whole of society and its long term healthy functionality for its growing diverse population. As far as I know that would be a deeper belief of patriotism that moves beyond surface symbolism. It is something that can be sold because people recognize its universal truth. As a nation we must always strive for the next rung because it is the right thing to do. There are some that are holding us back. :(

7 Laws of Wisdom

I think in life we must always seek to become. In many ways we are always in a state of becoming. There are no hard or fast rules. People think there is one path to life but that breeds mediocrity. The unique is not wrong, it is just a different way that leads to different understandings and sometimes new solutions. Sometimes, not always. I think most can pull a few pieces of wisdom out of it.