Business Matters

The Business of War

Our government has kept us in a perpetual state of fear... kept us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor... with the cry of grave national emergency. Always there has been some terrible evil at home or some monstrous foreign power that was going to gobble us up if we did not blindly rally behind it...
- General Douglas MacArthu

This week, we are going to talk about the touchy subject of the amount we spend on the U.S. war machine. Before you say it, I know I am unpatriotic just bringing this to your attention and I also don't wear a flag pen....

I was blown away when our guest Conn Hallinan, who is a UC Santa Cruz professor and commentator on Foreign Policy in Focus talked about the amount of money we really spend on the war machine (notice I am calling it a war machine. I think calling it a defense budget is a stretch). The official budget is approximately $560 Billion - thats right $560 Billion. That doesn't include a lot. For one thing it doesn't include the spending by other executive branch agencies for the "war on terror". It doesn't include military support that comes from the State Department. All in all, Conn figures we spend over $900 Billion on our war machine.

This is really staggering when it is put into context. China, who spends the second largest amount of money on a war machine spends $64 Billion (big difference - right!). If you add up all the money spent by all the countries on their defense budgets, the U.S. spends 47% of the total spent, while we only have 5% of the world's population. Seems a bit out of proportion don't you think?

Then there is the political side of the equation. Hundreds of lobbyist and lots of money flow into influencing congressional largess to support a myriad of defense projects. In a majority of congressional districts with 185,000 companies, our military spending is hard to reduce because of the impact on so many. Massie Ritsch, who is the communications director for the Center for Responsive Government helps us walk through where all the money flows into and out of congress. He also gives us some insight into the personal gains that members of congress receive through investments in companies profiting from our growing war machine.

All in all it is quite disturbing. The only way I know to change this course of ever rising spending is to redirect some of these companies who benefit from the war machine to other activities. I don't think we can realistically expect these companies to just so, "Ok, I see this isn't good so I won't bid on this business any longer."

What we can do is to look at our national priorities and find those that will serve our public good like education or services for the elderly or food programs for the poor. Societies that tend to their own people prosper. Societies that have as a first priority its military machine are in the midst of their own decline.

What do you choose?

Until later,

Thomas

P.S. To find out more about the resources mentioned here or listen to our program go to the Business Matters website

Technorati Tags: change management, culture, dotherightthing, Government Spending, Priorities, values, War, Wisdom

New Edition

As we finish our first month of broadcasting, we are pleased to offer you two new features. As we research potential program ideas, we are continuously reading BLOGs, news reports, analysts opinions, recently published books and academic reviews along with our on-going personal learning and conversations with potential guests, clients, experts and just wise folks. As we pare through this rich field of perspectives about how business is shaping our world, we find items that we would like to share with you.

We also learn a great deal from the people on our program. We will share some of our insights, "off the air" conversations and interesting perspectives that we feel you might find useful.

If you have anything you would like to know more about send us an email at info@businessmatters.net.

Until later,

Thomas

Technorati Tags: business, change management, culture, economics, leadership, Wisdom

May 1st - Business Matters is on-the-air

The first episode of Business Matters will air on Thursday May 1st. We are excited about this program. We feel we are bringing new views to vital issues for our society.

Like all new ventures, we are in the experimental stage. We are working with our format and style. We will try different approaches over the next month of so to find the voice that will best serve our mission.

First some background on why we are doing this program. There seems to be two extremes in the media today. From our perspective much of our broadcast media is focused on polarization. It is about defending a particular point of view (we can call this liberal and conservative) and vilifying the other perspective as wrong-minded. This type of journalistic endeavor is often filled with anger and is focused on inciting listeners to be put down those with other points of view.

There are alternatives to this media that can be found in public radio. I find they do provide a less biased view. Yet, from my perspective, one important ingredient is missing - a focus on action. It is not enough to point out things that are not right. It is important to provide a forum that activates change. I am not advocating that I have the right or only answer on what change we should have in our global society. What I do believe is that by asking good questions of our listeners and guest, we can create an environment of inner examination of what is best for the listener and their communities. I also believe that we can encourage our listeners to act to create the change they wish to see.

My father was a great teacher about what was important. I remember many times talking to him about "big plans" I had. He would politely listen and then say, "that's interesting but what have you done?" He knew that talking about something was easy and actually doing what you envisioned took courage, commitment and determination.

I look forward to creating this dialogue and force of change with you.

Thomas

Who we are

Business Matters is a weekly radio program that offers its listeners admission into the inner circle of leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators from the worlds of business, government and non-profits. Though an unbiased dialogue, we will explore decisions and actions of their organizations and the impact they have on the economy, culture, environment, public policy and international relations.

We bring our listeners a portal into the future. We feature guests who are breaking down old paradigms and creating new models for success through innovations in the areas of science, technology, philosophy and management.

For anyone who is interested in being better prepared for the changes of tomorrow, listening to Business Matters today will be one of the best investments they can make.

Upcoming programs

Thriving in times of economic uncertainty

We are experiencing a downturn in many areas of the economy. Most businesses and consumers alike were caught off-guard with this development. Yet, there are some that are not being adversely affected by this situation. Our guests will offer a realistic look at the causes of the slowdown and how they were able to see this change coming before they happened. By being prepared they have reduced their risks and availed themselves of the opportunities that the crisis creates.

Extreme service and why its good for business

This program brings to our listener entrepreneurs who have built their businesses on extreme service. They have shown success is doing what's right for their employees, customers, shareholders and the communities they serve.

What is good for the environment is good for the bottom line.

There is a commonly held belief that if an organization focuses on doing the right thing in terms of their products and services having a positive impact on the environment, it will mean that their profitability is compromised. We will talk with leaders who have lead their company's with a bold vision of being good stewards of our natural resources and are bringing delight to their customers and shareholders.

How to mend a broken health care system

A central topic of the current presidential campaign is how to provide health care coverage to those who
can't afford it. Is that the right approach? Will it bring the desired result of health and a feeling of security? We will explore the core issues in the current US approach to health care and our guests will offer new approaches that could change the fundamental patient - health care provider relationship.

Are our schools a national liability? 

When the No Child Left Behind legislation was enacted in the first term of President Bush, its purpose was to bridge the gap between economic strata. Why do so many educators feel that this policy has been a failure? We will also look at the disparity in education between the US and other countries and impact this is having our American business effectiveness.

 

What is really behind the export of US jobs overseas?

There is a national fear that so many of our important jobs are being exported, creating less opportunities for Americans. Yet the people that are most concerned are fostering this shift through their buying habits. We will explore how the US addiction to consumer spending has accelerated outsourcing of everything from manufacturing to customer services jobs and what can be done to renew opportunities for workers.