Societal Pressures Leading to a Decline

Society sees increased pressures and potential problems which may lead to disaster when elites (business, political, military, or criminal elements) push society toward instability. If continued that society will experience an eventual collapse caused by the hoarding of large wealth and resources.

We are witnessing this now. Since the mid-nineties, we have seen economic policies started in the eighties under Reagan manipulate the economy in ways which have adversely impacted the middle class and small businesses.

This has become exacerbated in perception and real terms since the late 2000s.

Quotes, Rules and Sayings...Wayneisms

Rule One: Don't react, enact a plan.

December 17 1998
Aside from extreme circumstances, your perception of the world is influenced only by your thoughts and actions. Habitual thoughts become your reality. Your life can only be altered by your thoughts and pro-active actions. 

I can't say this often enough. Find someone or something that motivates you to be you version 2.0+.

Entrepreneurial Lifestyle, Live Well

Many entrepreneurs tend to become fixated on their business, discarding all else for the growth of the business. I have found it is imperative to live differently than most. To engage in a life stimulated by an expression of artistic individuality which stirs the creative mind.

Let go of your inhibitions and do not be afraid to explore all of life's pleasures. I believe living life well, sating your senses by developing your personal style. Living in a tranquil environment which explores your expressions of art and architecture. A home which enables quality interactions with domestic partners, family and friends. 

Living well means taking risk with personal style and lifestyle. Never settle for a life lived in the warm comfort of casual and familiar. Discard the safe socially acceptable mediocrity and average conditions to explore your interactions with lifestyles, fashion, art, architecture and the sciences. 

Live well. 

Create a Forward Thinking America

At some point society will have to tackle issues such as rights for AI and the more complex one that encompasses the real nature of our human experience and actual existence. That is to say, is it possible that the reality we think we understand may in fact be one of many options? 

It is obvious to me that up until the 80s a greater percentage of American society was more forward thinking and many more people were less regressive than today. There was a persistent hope for a better life and increased opportunity in the air as new technologies emerged and were embraced. These technological advancements improved life exponentially from our recent past memories. At this time two things were also reality: religious fundamentalism had been waning and the greater majority of people sought to be more well informed, educated and much of society did not look down on academia and intellectualism. 

Imagine the impact that learning one possible reality is that we are actually living in a digital simulation? How would this information impact a populace that can barely grasp the facts regarding the many embraced God myths from thousands of years ago? 

If asked to make a decision, how could our society make responsible laws with regard to AI and the rights of organic machines capable of sentient thought. When today we could not even decide if a non-organic thinking machine was alive, a sentient being and deserving of the same rights as humans? How could we realistically have that conversation and not include the furry sentient life forms already in existence in the discussion? 

America has huge swaths of society clinging to perceived thoughts from a book that was written by humans over 2000 years ago. These same people usually want others to live according to their perceived rule of that book. They have no inclination to tolerate differing lifestyles or ideas and will not act in the best interest of a forward looking society. These people currently hold back society with their private belief system and expect that all in society should want to go along for the ride because it's what they believe their version of "God" wants. 

I say the hell with that! 

To advance, society has to return to a thought process the founders of this country had. They understood the complexities a private belief system and knew these were individual rights to be kept with the individual. They precluded their inclusion in a public political system. They knew to separate the private beliefs of individuals from the public works and good in society.

Jefferson went so far as to rewrite a version of the bible (The Jefferson Bible,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible ). He removed most of the supernatural from it's pages and was left with a written belief system based on a doctrine of Christianity he believed Jesus espoused. Many of the founders were forward thinking men for their time. Today much of the "right" seem to be less evolved than they were in this regard. How will the future be won by Americans if we can't shuck off an idea that people in the mid to late 1700s had decided was negative to their mindset?

How much business opportunity will be lost by Americans who can't see a life without their old world divinity clouding their judgement. Is it not better for all society, indeed humanity, that we aspire to be a better people, to be better educated, grow businesses and create opportunity with new scientific knowledge, technology and ideas? How can we achieve this vision for a better world and more opportunity for Americans if we still allow those regressive mindset people, filled with judgement and some with hatred, to hold us back as they have in the recent past? 

It is time to shuck off the ideas which pass as morals or values of the past which no longer realistically work. Instead we should embrace educated thought and the values which develop our character and intellect to achieve as a forward thinking nation again.

Your parents may have had it better than you!

Last year, according to US Census the average household income was $51,017. About the same as it was in 1988. 

The nations GDP per person has increased 40% during the same time period. 

During this time period the standard of living has fallen dramatically. Healthcare spending per person (adjusted for inflation) has roughly doubled to about $8,500 since 1988. This alone has taken a large bite out of our take home pay as companies switched the burden of payments to families in the 90s and 2000s.

Today the cost of housing is 56% higher. We pay 155% higher out of pocket cost for families to pay healthcare costs. All these contribute to a stressed middle class with less discretionary income.

In contrast to people in other developed nations, who have devoted more time to leisure as they have gotten richer, Americans still work about as much as they did a quarter-century ago. Despite this, the net worth of the typical American family in the middle of the income distribution fell to $66,000 in 2010 — 6 percent less than in 1989 after inflation.

These figures tell the story of America’s new normal. In the new normal the share of the nation’s income channeled to corporate profits is higher than at any time since the 1920s, while workers’ share languishes at its lowest since 1965.

In 2010, the Department of Commerce published a study about what it would take for different types of families to achieve the ideals of middle class — which it defined as a house, a car or two in the garage, a vacation now and then, decent health care and enough savings to retire and contribute to the children’s college education.

It concluded that the middle class has become a much more exclusive club. Even two-earner families making almost $81,000 in 2008 would have a much tougher time acquiring the attributes of the middle class than in 1990.

Which is why we need to redefine what we perceive as middle class to reflect the reality of today's economic reality. Then we need to organize and work to an articulated vision which will define our expectations to our representatives.

12 Must Watch TED Talks for Entrepreneurs

12 Must Watch TED Talks for Entrepreneurs

Stay motivated on your entrepreneur journey!

House Committee of Science, Lamar Smith

My goal here is not to be political, antagonize or be partisan with this post. I thought it prudent to get the word out with people that care about and make a living off the internet so they may have a voice, however small.

Late Tuesday afternoon, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced that the Republican Steering Committee members have recommended US Representative Lamar Smith (R-Texas) to chair the House Committee of Science. The full House vote will happen today, Wednesday, November 28th 2012. 

Mr. Lamar Smith is a Republican Representative from Texas, and a member of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As a Christian Scientist, Mr. Smith does not believe in scientific fact, scientific or medical research nor medical advancements. Further, he is on the record stating he does not believe in man made global warming. If that were not enough, Representative Lamar Smith authored the infamous and defeated SOPA bill. 

It is my hope that people will share or post this information so that it does not go unnoticed by tech people and those that care about scientific fact and research. If you have concerns, please feel free to contact your local House Representative. http://www.house.gov/

My Birthday and Technological Advantages

Today, October 25^th is historical for two reasons, my birth date and also the anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt where the English monarch Henry V defeated the numerically superior, better equipped, rested and better trained French army.  The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day), near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France and is immortalized in Shakespeare's Henry V.

Every year I think of this historical event around my birthday.

Today it makes me think of all the startups which will eventually eat the lunches of larger businesses and how much technology change has created opportunity for more of this cycle to happen.

For the English to win they needed to have advantage. They had none. They were downhill from the French and outnumbered, weakened by travel, sickness and fighting. On top of that as a final insult it had been raining on them as they tried to leave France.

Opportunity was not seized upon but happened organically as the battle unfolded. The result was unexpected to all.

The battle field was a cleared field with woodlands on either side of the downward (To English location) sloping field. With all the rain the fields had become saturated with water. When the horses trod down the recently plowed field they started creating a deep muddy mess. When troops marched on the field they formed enough mud to lose traction and create suction on their armored feet. English did not have armored foot wear and did not have suction issues when their troops moved. The French delayed by constricted movement and mud allowed Henry's long bows more time to strike a target with their new armor piercing arrows delivered by a new stronger long bow. This allowed the English to pierce the new thicker and harder French armor. 

As the French troops fell and stumbled further chaos ensued for the French as troops backed up upon previous waves of troops and tripped over dead bodies.

The victory is not only one of the English longbow but the poor French tactics and battle management.

Summary: due to weather, poor management, new technology and the problems with the new technology of France. Technology which under normal circumstances would have given advantage to the French. They lost advantage because of their failure to enact a timely response to environmental and tactical conditions. In addition, the French failed to recognize their deficiencies and see the disadvantage they were under fast enough.

I see this now in business as older companies fail to recognize the marketplace shifts. The advantage they perceive in reality is not as advantageous as they want to wage business. A smaller more nimble company with a lean management style is able to pivot or address needs faster has advantage. A company which uses technology and social media has advantage over those that spend money on traditional advertisement and infrastructure.

Companies which embrace a cost structure and management style which creates a sense of opportunity for employees, investors and customers have advantage over the old no matter what they sell. Brand management and customer interaction is not really the strong suit of many new businesses and that is where their disadvantage lay. It is incumbent upon all entrepreneurs to focus their attention in that direction as well as trying to grow the company.

Often we focus so intently upon growing or bringing in money we forget our advantage is in having a faster response time and responding to changes needed.

In this decade we will see technology shift again as media such as News Papers, Broadcast TV and telephone services (including cell phones) gives way to new technology and the internet as the preferred delivery system. I see Skype cell phones with video capability, Internet TV Networks removing the need for old style broadcast TV Networks which have affiliate and local programming costs. Lastly we shall see a need erode for daily mail delivery and costs associate with keeping that home delivery service going.

There will be tremendous opportunity. It’s time to start doing and thinking again. It’s time to recreate your life.

For further reading on Henry V, I have added links below.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2612 

On Leadership of Henry V

http://www.britishbattles.com/100-years-war/agincourt.htm 

The Battle Describedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Agincourt

You Did Not Build it Alone.

While driving today I saw a sign that said "Government didn't build my business, I did!." on my way to breakfast. On the drive back I wondered if he thought about the government policy, tax revenue collected which put forth the infrastructure in society that helped him have the opportunity to grow a business.

Ironic how his business is dependent upon a stable well organized infrastructure and society, but how he failed to think about that.

A progressive tax policy and good government programs enable society to have the needed stable, educated and safe society that presented the opportunity which allowed him to grow his business.

Our tax dollars and government programs, building initiatives and our pro entrepreneurial society helped him have the opportunity he exploited to grow his business. Yet he thinks he built it by himself.

Rule number 1: Always be honest, be brutally honest with yourself.

This guy was in a state of delusion or just not thinking. Tough to think on your own when Fox talking points tell you how you should react.

Rule 2: Don't react, enact a plan...I may add THINK for yourself.

Income Tax Graph

Please click on image to see larger picture.

Income Tax by Age, Location, Income and Exemptions