Would there be a benefit to a third party in the U.S.? Introducing the Hypothetical "Feather Party"

Sometimes it is beneficial to explore government learning through a hypothetical situation such as a third party being formed on a national scale that has entered onto the political scene. In this thought experiment we can invent a new third party called "The Hypothetical Feather Party" to see how this third party might function in relation to the two primary parties and how it might influence the quality outputs of government decision making. Questions like what might its values be, how would it approaches policy, and what influence it might have on overall thinking within group dynamics. Its meant to be informative and value driven.

You can read a couple articles on growing independents and more interest in a 3rd party. Ready for Third Party? and Pew 3rd Party

[Sorry I tried to figure out another name but that sounded good for discussion]

Please keep in mind that this is a learning experiment that helps us explore the benefits and detractors of having a new perspective in government affairs but does not exist in present/realized form. Thus to ensure that everyone understands this is a fictitious political party I will try and include a statement under each related post indicating clearly its fictitious [People might forget in the heat of political passion its hypothetical. In the excitement to bash someone else they might actually bash a non-existent party. Just making it clear...its NOT real! 💁]. 

Before we begin to discuss this Hypothetical Feather Party one might achieve a similar result by a large group of amebic independent politicians. Some benefits some detractors. Both independents and third parties provide variability in decision making through variance of votes. Because there is little chance of blind 50 to 50 split on most votes, the party would be one of the most influential on the scene simply by its ability to sway votes without being tied to either party's ideologies. In other words, they just break the deadlock based on their principles.

The Legend of The Hypothetical Feather Party: Every hypothetical party needs a legend because it helps to create symbolism! Here is my best attempt. This hypothetical party was started when the wisdom of democracy came forward in the form of a feather [as written on the strands] to encourage politicians to preserve and strengthen the democratic republic and its most cherished values from generation to generation through active listening and problem resolution [Its a symbolic story to help people formalize certain values and expectations as the feather represents freedom, independence, knowledge, and wisdom. Each barb makes a Feather and many feathers help birds to reach the highest levels. You must be a patriot spirit to understand its importance of reaching new heights as a nation.]

Hypothetical Feather Party Values: The Hypothetical Feather Party encourages people to be the best they can be and contribute to society. We are race and religious neutral and love them all! [Human Rights are important to this party.] They desire to enhance pro social character and values based in the nation's multiple philosophical, ethical, and general spiritual beliefs [Members see all religions as contributing to human understanding but does not promote one over the over in the spirit of freedom of religion and learning from them all.]. In other words, they want helpful citizens that help each other and help society. The party members avoid negative toxicity that is counter to problem solving and consensus building. They are respectful of disagreement and want to learn about others perspectives so as to form a more accurate one of their own [i.e. they seek wisdom and solutions. The spirit of democracy.]. 

The Hypothetical Feather Party Principles:

1.Heighten National Decision Making: Improve decision making through providing a third party perspective that can reduce gridlock by encouraging healthy debate to discover the best paths forward. The Hypothetical Feather Party believes that policy should be based off of evidence based decision making, strategic value, and diverse universal perspective. The goal is to enhance democratic republics and their values of freedom.

2. Reflect The Needs of the Younger Generation: Lifting up society requires the nation to focus on the next generation and the needs of the future. As democracy is a sacred governmental method it must find meaning in each generation and the best way to do that is to manage it for the next generation. The Hypothetical Feather Party encourages the youth to develop their skills and take leading roles in society to ensure the health of the whole. 

3. Enhance the Institutions of Democracy: The Hypothetical Feather Party looks at issues in a practical versus partisan way to support the health of the republic through developing strong institutions. They desire to have the strong functioning education system, thoughtful policing [improving trust and effectiveness], efficient/effective/transparent government, strong military supported by advanced industry, strong innovative industries that generate lead value and higher GDP, human capital development at all levels, etc. You get the point! The good helpful stuff!!

4. Encourage Liberty as Central to the Republic: Liberty can help the Republic and can be enhanced by supporting the Constitution, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, Bill of Rights/Human Rights, in a universal inclusive society made of shared goal directed Americans. The hypothetical party seeks to encourage people to enhance their society by protecting the fundamentals of human freedom and good societal living. Ensure that moral conscious is at the forefront of their decision making. To protect that freedom the party discloses all political donations over a certain amount and expressly lets donors know that their money will not influence their activities or votes.

There will be lots of discussion in different topics that are popular and we act like the party has influence in choices [Its fake and we have no power nor at this time care to have it because its learning that counts.]. Because its illustrative we might discuss multiple scenarios and many times come a conclusion. Other times no conclusion, "Because we do not know the unknowable our position is a strategic one until we understand the situation better and can formulate an opinion." to encourage thoughtfulness in action and governance. 

*The Feather Party is at present a hypothetical party designed to explore the nature of governance and what might that look like with a third party presence in government decision making. It is meant for idea generation.

U.S. 3.3% GDP Increase Q4, 2023: Transactional Innovative Clusters Discussed

The economy looks like its still moving forward and that is a positive trajectory sign. Consider.....

"Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 (table 1), according to the "advance" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 4.9 percent." BEA Q4, 2023 3.3% GDP

What I also like is that personal income is rising because that means in part that its movement helps in the fight against income disparity. It doesn't solve the issue but indicates that market factors are pushing incomes upward. While its not enough to put much of a dent in years of income disparity it is a small hopeful step in the right direction.  👏

[I'm working on a concept called economic innovative transactional clusters so I like to look at what is going on in the market and how that might impact such a system. A cluster functions best at the place where industry is leading edge, at the center of the global supply chain, and produces the highest market driven value products a market can muster. The workers within these clusters make more when compared to those outside the cluster because they utilize their skills in unique ways to generate that additional value.  

Higher wages are related to highly skilled human capital and market value creation at its root. At least in broad based capitalism. In essence, a person with a better hammer and a valuable product to use it on will make more when compared to someone with a dull hammer and product everyone else is producing. If you have a high market value product, the right tools to build it and the right person to build/and improve then you have what you need.

The transactional cluster theory seeks to create a location where high innovation occurs as a result of multi-industry R&D mixed with human capital to spark wider innovations. Wages would be high in these locations because of the innovative process and next generation products that would need the advanced skilled workers to keep developing the highest value products. i.e. leading the market. The more high value central supply chain industries, the more middle class earns. Then expand that idea to other industries and places.]

Escanaba City Council Meeting (January 04, 2024): It Only Took 7 Minutes to Improve the Environment!

In this meeting it looks like the city is maximizing resources by buying a few extra trash cans while they are at a good price. i.e. demand and supply [I went to get coffee and the meeting was over by the time I got back.]. Just so you know why its important to put garbage in the trash can you can read Trash and Environment. We all have a part in keeping our environment healthy and such changes might be a good example of how we can teach our youth about their responsibility in protecting the environment we all share [Its good to pass our kids a clean environment.].

If my understanding serves me correct, there is also discussion on upgrading waste management as well as discussions on localized solar energy at the county level as an indication that the area is environmentally conscious (I would have to go back and check.). 

This meeting was a little short, something like 7 minutes [I'm not complaining at all!]. Within those split hair minutes they were able to update their environmental sustainability. Kind of cool! It seems small but it was simple and done! That is how government should be! Everyone working toward the benefit of the community.

If you were hoping for a longer meeting I cannot help. Sorry. 🤗 Feel free to contact the city and ask them. The people here are very friendly and polite. [Something you should consider if you are young and want to get in politics. Follow the examples of those who are most likely to contribute positively to their communities and nation. Avoid those who are toxic because that often brings poor outcomes. Good governance starts with civility and the people around here generally care about their community and you can see that on their positive engagement and disposition. Consider reading research on Positive Personality Traits and Self Leadership in Sustainable Organizations]  Escanaba Contact. 

However, I did find some other meetings you might want to watch if your sitting at home under a blizzard warning Effective Meetings [No need to request longer meetings to fill those cold winter nights. Our internet in the area is pretty good so Netflix, Amazon, YouTube and Hulu run great! Consider watching the county meetings for marathon longevity! Highline Fiber Optics Escanaba.]

On a more serious note, Escanaba is an area that is in nature on beautiful coastal land growing over with National Forest trees, It's becoming an area known for fun events, entrepreneurship, investment, and vacations. A hot spot for new ideas! I'm proud this community is getting some of the recognition it deserves. The people deserve it! Your welcome to contribute come visit and invest. Experience what its like to be a Yooper for a few days! Even when its 0 degrees out!

Full Committee: “Crime on the Rise: How Lawlessness is Impacting Main Street America”

Crime is on the rise and that impacts small business and the communities that rely on safe streets to attract shoppers. Commerce and the economy itself is best fostered in pleasant business environments where consumers can have a positive experience that encourages greater economic exchange. [Shopping in dangerous places is generally not on anyone's priority list if they have an online option or can shop in another location. Thus, correcting the crime problem is good for communities and downtowns to improve the positive affect and experience of physical shopping. i.e. increased foot traffic that leads to $$.] 

The video provides an in-depth discussion on these issues and its important to understand the small business environment and the problems such entities face. We have recently seen a rise in "smash and grab crimes" as well as an increase in hate crimes [You may want to read some stats provided by the FBI Stopping Threats]. Such crimes impact small business and communities in ways that we might not yet fully understand nor have fully explored. 

There is also need for new ideas on effective crime management and holding to account hate crimes. As a younger generation comes onto the scene they will bring with them fresh ideas and certain values so we are likely to see an increased pace of pro-social changes that impact how policing and crime management is conducted/managed [Different times and eras have different expectations of institutions.]

Some of those values might include a greater emphasis on small business opportunities as a pathway to success as a hedge to increasing income disparity. They may also desire change to increase the effectiveness of crime management in a way that also develops communities [This is why I support research on policing and community development. I'm working on a cluster theory and effective crime management is considered an underlining influencer to a robust business environment. One within a cluster could rank the quality of services as an influencing factor. Policing is one element but so might be quality of utilities, access to affordable financing, industrial sites, supply chain, etc. Perhaps the theory could rank the quality of these elements from 1-100 to benchmark what characteristics a transactional cluster might have and its potential for future growth.]. 

A thought.....

I wonder if there are studies on the types of crimes that are impacting small business? Pondering this, I would think it moves beyond retail and hate crimes to also include corruption. Corruption is also a crime and depending on the nature of that corruption it could have a major impact on the success of local small business communities. i.e. access to opportunities, information availability, resource allocations, community relations, contracts, etc.

Why Ethics and Strategic Thinking Enhances Leadership Effectiveness?

People often believe that leadership and their decisions can be void of ethical considerations. Leaders are people who can balance the needs of society and their organizations to achieve goals in an ethical way. I sometimes use the words moral conscious to describe the broader moral implications beyond the business world. i.e. civics and leadership. While we sometimes envision strategy in isolation, one would leave a serious hole in strategy formation if they did not include ethics/moral conscious in their process.

The key point that I'm trying to bring forward is that ethics and strategic thinking can enhance each other in a way that guides leaders to stronger decisions that help their organizations thrive in the long run. Many businesses have closed doors because leadership was not considering ethics/moral conscious in their decision making. In other words, a day came where they had to pay society back for their poor choices and the harm they caused.

For example, imagine if you made a short term lucrative strategic choice to sell products that are dangerous or unsafe to children. I might think of paint on toys we know causes cancer or selling products that are likely to be harmful or not of equitable value with consumer expectations. [On a civics level one might use an example stating one is serving public interest while making decisions that serve a smaller group of stakeholders.].

A lack of ethics in strategy decision making creates risks to the public/customers and could seriously damage the organizations reputation and interests in the long run. i.e. lower trust, more lawsuits, regulation, PR disasters, lost customers, fines, social calamity, etc. Thus, ethics/moral conscious and decision making work to enhance each other by balancing out self-interest with moral interests.

The study below helps highlight how strategic thinking may perform a moderating role between leadership style and ethical decision making. The Impact of Leadership Style on Ethical and Strategic Thinking. If one was very interested in this topic they can go out there and do a literary search and begin reviewing research studies to formulate their own conclusion on the value of ethics/moral conscious for organizations and society.

Balasubramaniam, Vishalni & Salamzadeh, Yashar & Richardson, Christopher & Plakhin, Andrey. (2021). The impact of leadership style on ethical decision-making, the moderating role of strategic thinking: a study among Malaysian managers. SHS Web of Conferences. 116. 10.1051/shsconf/202111600056. 

Nation's Volunteer Fire Fighters

I came across this podcast and article I thought you might enjoy. The public services such as firefighting plays an important role in society. Many, including the youth, would do such work voluntarily and in good spirit but for one reason or another are not engaging fully. You can tell from the audio below there are some concerns with difficulty getting people trained and its getting more complex. Thus, engagement and training are issues. Also, the way we did things in the past may not be the way we would do them in future. The person mentioned in the audio wants to volunteer in Northern Wisconsin  [My opinion is to go a little further and come to the U.P. Disclosure: I just like to see the UP thrive.]. Anyway, firefighting and public service is needed in society. Most won't volunteer but those that do find meaning in helping their communities. 

The Importance of Looking at Problems from Multiple Angles [Three Devil's Advocate Examples]

Organizational success is based on the ability of leaders to make the most advantageous choices they can at the time they are needed. Sometimes organizational leaders can't see all the possibilities so they could be skipping over major solutions and alternatives explanations with a little more depth of understanding. The devils advocate can provide alternative explanations and discover holes in logic others might not have been able to see [People often view  and make decisions about things through a lens. Different lenses give you new insights. i.e. different angles. That is assuming we listen and consider the value of such alternatives. Organizations that are not open to new ideas and ways of doing things, for one reason or another, begin to decline as they are bested by those organizations that can take in new information and adapt to higher functioning states.]

One serves their organizations well when they
can understand alternative perspectives
to create leading strategies. Decisions are the 
artifacts of organizations.

A quote on decisions and long term outcomes....

"We will be forever known by the tracks we leave".
 –Dakota

Three examples that highlight the advantage of a devil's advocate.

Business Strategy: Let us say that you are going to launch XYZ product but then run into a few strategic optional choices. Invest more in a product that may have limited market appeal but could open the company up to new revenue streams and new customers in the long run. Because more dominant personalities often have high ability to influence groups, having more of such dominant opinion makers could limit the ability to see all of the options being presented.

No person can be expected to know everything, and even if they are demanding, they have the same limitations in thinking as others. Thus opening the conversation to devil advocate viewpoints can lead to shifts in strategy or tweaking of such strategies [i.e. buying a start up, analyzing the market in a different way, or finding multiple uses for the same product. One might even consider investing in an innovation cluster with other companies to co-develop different industries that rely on similar technologies versus going it alone. Usually there are many plausible and implausible options that are unseen, undiscussed, unvetted and not considered for strategic use. The devil's advocate can discover new strategic paths.]

Corruption: Corruption doesn't work well in places where there are open lines of communication, a commitment to higher order thinking, and a willingness see the alternatives. The devil's advocate can help decrease the long term impacts of corruption through stepping outside socialized group norms to see things in new ways. As with many times in history, we look back at misuse of power, greed, and ideological beliefs with a level of "how could we not see the signs at that time?" i.e. Enron. Without such people it is doubtful the more serious forms of corruption will be averted. The devils advocate usually doesn't last long in places where freedom of speech is not protected and there common forms of bullying and power over dynamics in the decision making tree.

Science: Scientists are just as prone to theoretical blindness in the same way as strategic decision makers and organizational leaders might make industry mistakes. Some of the best solutions and scientific discoveries have come through seeing things in ways that others couldn't. Thus, devil's advocates can save a lot of time and money by asking the questions that sometimes uncover hidden patterns. Science and innovation work along similar lines with one being more formal for complex. Thus entrepreneur's mindset and the inquisitive nature of scientific development follow the same paths. 

Sometimes from a business standpoint it could well worth it to develop teams where counter feedback is welcome, mutual respect for differences, and there is an attempt to understand all the paths. One can actually build those characteristics into the team culture or they can pay an outsider to come in and smash the foregoing logic with alternative explanations and solutions. It makes no different whether they are right or not but that they were able to see new things and force a level of deeper strategic foresight.

Abstract from Closed-mindedness and insulation in groupthink: their effects and the devil’s advocacy as a preventive measure.

"This paper’s purpose is to clarify groupthink phenomena and to assess the devil’s advocacy as a groupthink prevention measure. An agent-based model is presented to formalize group closed-mindedness and insulation in a group decision making setting. The model was validated by showing that groupthink results in the decision with low quality and the group’s inability to explore more alternatives. Besides that, the devil’s advocacy also formulated in the model. The simulation results of different conditions of the devil’s advocacy support Janis’ suggestion to utilize the devil’s advocacy to alleviate groupthink. It is also found that the utilization of devil’s advocacy depends on the group’s condition and the desired amount of conflict to produce the best decision."

Akhmad, M., Chang, S. & Deguchi, H. Closed-mindedness and insulation in groupthink: their effects and the devil’s advocacy as a preventive measure. J Comput Soc Sc 4, 455–478 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-020-00083-8