Eat the View, which is currently in the lead in our online contest, is featured in today's Washington Post.
If Americans planted wartime victory gardens again, the argument goes,
Nina Hachigian writes a very <a href="http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=8dd2ecfe-88d0-405d-af94-6b17bd723ed7">thoughtful essay</a> in <em>The New Republic</em>
Via Michael Tomasky, an interview with veteran UN negotiator Lakhdar Brahimi, on how the latter would advise President-elect Obama to deal with the crisis in Gaza.He said that he will pay attention to
President Obama, consider letting my CCP compete for your attention on policy views with CAP and CNAS the heavily dominated Clinton-centric think tanks. You saw how well Brookings, AEI and Heritage (and their groupthink) did for Bush and our country. It is not a matter of left, right or center. What you want are unbiased commonsense views that will provide the benefits and trade-offs of each policy on their own and in combination with others. Think CCP - Center for Commonsense Policies.
Day One. Take a deep breath and enjoy yourself. You earn it.
Day Two. Communicate. Tell us your vision and expectations. Then tell us how you plan to get us there. And for each decision what do you believe are the benefits, the trade-offs and the possible unintended consequences (good and bad). Let us know what are our roles and responsibilities. And lastly ask for people’s support and feedback.
Day Three and on. Measure progress and adjust as needed.
Dear President Obama. Please deliver on your promise of change. This is to suggest that you be the mentor, model and manager for Disruptive Innovation. You said it yourself that doing the same old things and hoping for different results do not work. If you set clear objectives and measurable goals, I know we the people have the power to find innovative ways to achieving the results we all want. Under current situations, people are open to both Technological and Cultural Disruptive Innovation.
Tear down silos. Think different. Use our diversity to explore outside-the-box and ask the right questions to identify the right problems. “A problem clearly stated is a problem half solved." (Dorothea Brande). When we cannot step outside ourselves, we need others with views different from our own. Using our economic credit crisis as an example, do we have a mortgage program (people can’t pay) or a housing problem (too many unsold homes)? Different problems demand different solutions.
Work with NGOs such as Rotary International as the US can’t do it alone. Rotary is a worldwide organization of more than 1.2 million members. There are 33,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Rotarians provide humanitarian service, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. As signified by the motto Service Above Self, Rotary’s main objective is service — in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world.
Invest in job creation-centric projects that will bring a high ROI. An investment of $0.50 per person per year can help the neediest to lead healthier and more productive lives. This program employs local people to deliver and administer the drugs to treat the seven most common Neglected Tropical Diseases that cause great physical, emotional and economic suffering. For program details and benefits, go to .
Organize a credible group who would set clear definitions and standards that all citizens can understand, and goals where we can measure the results. As one size may not fit all, countries can set goals for themselves, or in partnership within a region or as an organization. By having standards, people can judge country goals and their explanations, and act accordingly. It is useful to get everyone using a common language for this broad and complex challenge.
Just be yourself. Be concise and clear in your policies, decisions and communications. Provide a system where we together can measure the results against expectations based first, on your two-year campaign, and second, your inauguration speech (noting any substantive differences). If your actions are in line with the person we believed in with our votes, you will do fine.
