New Minds … New Solutions …
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein
If Einstein could figure that simple thing out, why is it our government leaders don’t seem to get it?
I was a guest at a luncheon recently where Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois was invited to speak. He was filled with great things to say about the progress that’s been made during his last few years as governor. No surprise there – we are in campaign season, after all. Lots of people asked interesting and thoughtful questions, but no one seemed to focus on the economy.
Naturally, I felt compelled to chime in and here’s what I asked:
A couple of times you have referred to ‘basically the recession is in the rearview mirror.’ My greater concern is, on a day-to-day basis, in my everyday life – that’s not necessarily the case from most peoples’ perspective. And the fact that we may be on the edge of potentially another – and possibly greater ‘reset.’ So, there was a lot of conversation, a lot of discussion about programs and spending, and you spoke a little bit about how that’s going to be financed. What is your perspective on our country and the path that we are taking currently? From the Fed monkeying with it [the economy] – there is going to be an impact – I’m curious to know your position on that?
His answer was a very thoughtful one about our economy being very dynamic, the severity of the recession on everyone, the special economic needs of Illinois because of our location in the center of the country and how important investment in our transportation infrastructure is to the health of the state’s and the US’s economy.
He felt our diverse and highly educated workforce was a plus, which combined with the continued push to maintain the transportation infrastructure and leverage the state’s position as the US transportation hub, that IL would be in the position to dive a strong 21st Century economy.
All of that is well and good – and he didn’t answer my question. It is, after all, campaign season.
The truth is – neither Governor Quinn nor anyone in government knows exactly how to answer my question. As long as the same people who created the problem continue to use the same thinking to solve the problem – there is no solution. As Einstein said – you can’t solve the problem thinking the same way as you did when you created it.
It takes a new perspective, and it will take some new thinking – and some new minds – to solve the economic issues that underlie the very slow recovery we are experiencing.
The current thinking continues to promote a ‘spend our way into recovery’ – and that’s how we got into a recession in the first place. We spent foolishly and dreamed that it would last forever. Our consumerism hit an all time high – and when the balloon burst, much of the middle class found itself at the bottom of the mountain instead of on top. How prepared are we as a nation, as individuals, to continue to follow this economic prescription?
As well, while infrastructure improvements certainly generate both jobs and income, these jobs are basically government funded. That then creates a vicious circle of needing tax dollars to create revenue to fund the improvements to create the jobs. These jobs only temporarily affect the unemployment numbers, and once again, we’re lulled into a false sense of security. Hmmmm? We have a future article on this topic coming up in a few weeks as part of our summer series to get you thinking and taking action.
Finally, one last thing to consider is all those folks looking for jobs, who simply give up, drop out of the job hunt, and are therefore no longer counted in the unemployment numbers. Their absence skews the true picture of recovery, and you have to ask, are we really in recovery – soft or otherwise?
I guess, I’m curious – are you better off now than five years ago when all of this began? How much have your daily/weekly/monthly/annual expenses increased? And, if they have, are you getting more or less for your buck?
For me, the moral of the story is that unless we get some new and different thinking in the government and from the financial industry – the current economic situation cannot be fixed with the current thinking. The downside is that it may be setting us up for an even bigger fall because we’ve been lulled into thinking that the soft turn-around we seem to be in is leading us out of economic darkness.
New thinking, new minds, new solutions = new economy. It’s a no-brainer.
What three potential solutions would you propose to really turn this economy around and get it headed in the right direction?
Who do you think our government representatives might ask in order to get a different perspective that might lead to some new economic strategies and workable solutions? Who would you ask??
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If this was a thought-provoking post for you, we invite you to join us at Night of Clarity, August 15-16 in Nashville, TN. This years theme is “Capitalism vs. Corporatism” – and takes a look into what Wall Street vs. Main Street really means to middle class Americans.
The keynote speaker is David Stockman, former budget director under President Ronald Reagan. We hope to see you there. For more information or to register: NOC 2014
