Failure of US Long Range Strategic Planning, National Economic Security, Public Law

If we are living in the solution rather than the problem, then why not look at a National Referendum to force ethical planning and transparency into corporate and government planning documents.  

Why not seek a referendum requiring all US organizations include a paragraph in their objectives, mission statements, and long range organizational plans that would address larger national failures that resulted in the sub-prime housing bubble, savings and loan crisis, 2008 financial crisis, Dot Com Crash, high unemployment, low taxes for high income earners, federal income tax rules that can't be understood by any one individual, court systems that are too expensive for common man on Main Street, and political and regulatory capture by those with the money to 'get in the game'.

Politics based on power is no longer acceptable.  And business or multinational business based on money or power is no longer acceptable or sustainable.  That means leaving money overseas off-shore till legislation is drafted for the US Congress - is no longer acceptable for those that pay payroll taxes automatically every payday.  Balancing power between people, the government, and corporations is a much better policy.

The main advantage of a National scheme or referendum for government and organizational ethics clauses is to make up for failure of the US Constitution and Federal Legislation.  We should adopt some national pride codified by public law that supports public discussion and transparency to keep our US Organizations on the right track.  The theory being that if we think right, can point to common goals and national concerns, then we will act 'right'.  We will address as a team or community the weakness in policy or actions.  Employees will raise discussions on their own to bring their organization in line with ethical objectives.  And it is very appropriate as ethics training for our young students and businessmen and businesswomen.

I believe there is value looking at a kind of "reorganization" of government based on transparency, ethics, and opportunity for everyone.  I believe this kind of reorganization can be accomplished though goal setting and long range planning.  Of course the idea is to position our nation for the future and correct the failures of the past.

First I wanted to point out some problems with Strategic Planning, organizational missions and objectives. Maybe we can agree that a strategic plan by Henry Kissinger or Zbigniew Brezinski for the world based on an ethnocentric perspective is flawed and likely unethical. Perhaps we can even agree that strategic planning is a corrupting influence on the world based on the killing of non-christians and suppression of foreign governments by our own governments.

I think a government or corporate executive can be easily understood as a human working on his mission to secure revenue, funding, profit, or value for his organization. Each of us may play roles during the work day as a corporate player, an ideologue, as a financial investor, as a person that provides service to his community, as a parent, as a friend, or as a moral citizen. Each human has many different motivations and interests.

So how do you fight the Long Range Strategic Plan for Goldman Sachs?

How do you stop a Long Range Strategic Plan by some faction of Big Businessmen, Big Multinationals, Big Petroleum Interests, World Bankers, or some evil doer?  Well you don't.  You regulate to discourage crime and fraud.  But if you can create a national imperative or national initiative to include ethical rules in all Strategic Planning it may accomplish very much in my opinion.  

In the Government they call this a "Reorganization". Clearly new rules of transparency (regulations) and new "Grand Goals", "National Goals", or "Sustainable Social Goals" would have to be adopted.

There is a precedence for this kind of legislation under public statutory law known as the social contract between a citizen and a state. The social contract defines the relationship between a state and an entity that owes allegiance to it according to wikipedia. Further, public law interacts with civil and human rights.

What is the weakness of my idea?  Well there is no way to know what government is doing. No one wants people sticking their nose into their business even government business. We have a federal "Freedom of Information Act of 1966" that has helped US Transparency and various states have passed their own version. So there is a conflict of interest between the corporate or government employee/manager/executive and letting citizens know the details of business operations. The point is large organizations by their nature do not want their operations publicly known, will resist transparency, and citizens will face years of work to get the full picture of government activities in order to demand that remedies or reparations be made through public planning documents. 

In summary this is my proposal:

1) Insert National rules for mission statements and objective statements

2) Insert National rules for ethical behavior in goal statements

3) Mandate that US Legal Organizations Strategic Planning clearly state and addresses the community, environmental, financial interests of the government in unemployment, job preservation, and social safety nets that may be affected by job losses created by mergers and leveraged take-overs by hostile or unfriendly firms that may saddle the organization with huge debt

4) Make all US Corporations, Fountadtions, governments, and legal organizations incorporate mission, objectives, and goals that are ethical and transparent to the public and employees.

5) US Strategic Planning as practiced in the US is focused as it is on it's own goals is acting like a maverick, acting like a loner, acting to the exclusion of national identity and responsibility. US Organizations ARE Acting like an off-shore privateer, a pirate, or a disinterested party. 

6) There is nothing wrong with forcing corporations to serve the country if not the community by being transparent. I think we would expect the same of NGOs, Foundations, PACs, 501 (c)(4) organizations, 527 organizations (soft money), and any legal entity formed or incorporated in the USA.  US Legal entities must be better citizens or state economy participants.

Links for discussion of weakness in current US Strategic Planning:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_range_planning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geopolitics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_policy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_policy_analysis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_relations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_relations#Epistemology_and_IR_theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_policy_analysis#Bureaucratic_Politics_Model
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_policy_analysis#Other_models
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_policy#Grand_Strategy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_interventionism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_mundialization
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegemony
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finlandization
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeasement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_interventionism#Unilateral_intervention

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_organization

My Amendments to the US Constitution

I have three Resolutions for adoption into the US Constitution 1) Congressional Gifts, Campaign Contributions, and Lobbying 2) Too Big to Fail Banks, Separate savings and loans from investment banks, Regulate financial derivative instruments, Breakup too big to fail banks 3) Freedom of Information 

JOINT RESOLUTION on Receipt of Congressional Gifts
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to gift giving and lobbying of congress, and campaign finance of members of congress.
To address the constant influence of money, eliminate conflicts of interest, to promote justice and equality, to place limits on corporate and wealthy entities, and to promote public tranquility the following articles and amendments are proposed. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein),
That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission by the Congress:
SECTION 1.
Congress shall not receive more than $100 dollars from any single entity in efforts raising campaign funds with respect to Federal elections, including political action committees, corporations, charitable organizations, churches or religious organizations, and all United States Citizens. There are no exceptions or waivers to this rule for any kind of entity. Congress shall maintain painstaking and specific records of all transactions related to campaign funds and any products such as books, or services such as speeches.
SECTION 2.
Congress shall not receive any lobby dollars, gifts over a $5 dollar value, free lunches, free dinners, free tickets to conventions, transportation tickets or free rides on airplanes, trains, space craft, free hotel rooms, free clothing, or any other produce or service worth more than an appraised value of $5 Dollars from any single entity in efforts or any kind or that would have the appearance of an ethics problem, including political action committees, corporations, charitable organizations, churches or religious organizations, and all United States Citizens. There are no exceptions or waivers to this rule for any kind of entity. Congress shall maintain painstaking and specific records of all transactions related to all kinds of gifts and especially gifts, be they products or services, that could be considered a conflict of interest.
SECTION 3.
The Congressional watchdog, the General Accounting Office, shall have power to make and publish reports and suggestions regarding transparency to all members of congress regarding this article. It is expected that every 10 years there would be an adjustment to gift and campaign dollar limits which will be applied as 20% increase each 10 years after the date of adoptions of this amendment (i.e. $1 added after 10 years equals a new maximum gift value for congress of $6 dollars). 

JOINT RESOLUTION concerning Too Big Too Fail Banks  
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating monopolistic power, financial risk of large US banks and financial entities, national systemic and and economic risk of large US banks, and damage to US citizens from the financial crisis of 2008.
To address the constant influence of high risk financial behavior, to promote justice by slowing down banking fraud, to place limits on financial growth, to safe guard retail banking accounts, and to promote public tranquility the following articles and amendments are proposed.
SECTION 1.
US banks can no longer be both retail and investment banks. Retail banking is the banking for consumers. US citizens accounts shall be protected from bank investments and those within the financial organization that make investments.
SECTION 2.
Financial derivatives and derivative financial instruments will be regulated as any other financial investment. All financial investments whether stocks, bonds, or derivatives will be treated in the same way by regulators and will be shown on balance sheet transactions in accordance with generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP). Therefore, private hedge funds and private banks will also have to follow GAAP rules, and carry financial transactions on balance sheets.
SECTION 3.
US Banks failing a test of doing annual business greater than $1 trillion dollars in either long term investments, or total capitalization, or $500 billion in total liabilities, or who holds over $300 billion in derivatives, or who creates financial derivative products of over $200 billion annually shall be broken in to separate parts at the end of one year after proposal is adopted. 

JOINT RESOLUTION concerning Freedom for Government Information
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to US Citizens Freedom of Information Requests from all US state and federal government entities. US government agencies work for the US Citizen and are paid through tax dollars from the citizen, so it is reasonable and predicable that citizen will request information.
SECTION 1.
All Federal and State, and Local governments, there agencies and their offices shall provide citizens with free access to information, data, and assistance with respect to Freedom of Information Requests. Therefore government offices shall post instructions, times for office visits, and make an employee available to assist US Citizens visiting in person. Agencies shall make it known where citizens can go to accomplish these freedom of information requests. The citizen will accommodate office hours, office locations, and scheduling of office visits within a weeks time for convenience. Information is recognized as dynamic and changes over time and the intent is that near instant response to freedom of information requests is possible and usually will be reasonable.
SECTION 2.

Business Ethic Training

All:


William Black is a Professor of Law at UMKC. He is a former regulator in the banking industry and was key witness in defending individual taxpayers (FDIC Insurers) and individual rights against accounting fraud that characterized the Savings and Loan Banking Scandal of the 1980s.

1) Perverse Incentives
2) Dishonest deals Displace Honest Economic Activity
3) Characteristics of Criminal banking Activity
4) Lack of Prosecutions
5) Hope for Prosecutions

Click on any link. The first link is shorter.

Brief 17 minutes run down on current environment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Qe0HlKKfw
Teaching session 56 minutes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=6YT84CokUsA
Controversy about firing US AG:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I12oDVr2RZQ&feature=related

Last week I was sugesting the following as Truth:

1) We need the FED (US Federal Reserve which prints US Dollars) to back up the SEC Court Costs and Law Suits with unlimited US Dollars (Securities Exchange Commission) - since the SEC doesn't have the budget to fight Big (TBTF) Banks in Court.
2) The SEC often settles or makes deals to accept a penalty from the bank with the biggest banks on charges of money laundering or other banking violations.
3) Too Big To Fail (TBTF) banks often repeat violations within 1-2 years for behavior they agreed in court to stop engaging in.
4) How can any little guy with a limited budget compete with big lobbyist and big corporations with Billions of Dollars?
5) End lobbying by Foreign Interests Today.
6) End Lobbying in Washington DC Tomorrow as the first step in Campaign Finance Reform.

D.

Transform the Dis-enfranchisement, ...I am the Bridge (you)

Summary: The way that government work is different from the original concept of legislators (congress and Senate). I sort of remember that law makers pass new regulations in the form of law and decide where the money goes. One solution is to add congressional representatives for the poor/gangs/minorities and for Big Business while at the same time enforcing strict "no gift" and no "giving" restrictions on Congress and the Senate.

Background: Lobbying is a non-transparent, true, force behind government. lobbyist find all kinds of ways to pass gifts to government representatives. Government representatives are not strictly regulated on what their expenses are, and where funds come from. Minorities feel disenfranchised. The education system does not match the national security recommendations. Americans and foreigners know that lobbyist sway government and write laws for America, but the system doesn't expressly show this relationship. The US Government is expressly a limited representative government or limited republic instead of a 100% Democracy. However the US Senate and Congress spend most of their efforts on winning funds for home precincts and...listening to Interest Groups or Lobbyists. Also besides the obvious pull from Big Business, there are actually strong feelings from criminal gangs who feel disenfranchised and the neighborhoods that they represent.

My Solution late this evening is to create seats in both the senate and house of representatives for both the Gang/projects and for the Big Business Lobbies, while enforcing strict "No Gifts" and "No Lobbies" laws. We will end the conflict of interest that Lobbies and Congressmen have. There will be no lobbying. An End to all Lobbies while there are Senate and Congressional Representatives. The whole world knows of the old conflict of interest and will welcome the change. Congressmen and Congresswomen will perhaps fear the change in the number or make up of representatives. But the future income for congressmen and senators will come from their books that will express their ideas, their ability to analyze policy, and their ability to show planning to change policy. In addition people at the lowest economic level will find recognition from Congressional and senate Representatives. The frequent elections of congress and the senate for gangs, minorities, and the poor will finally, and truly create a fair government.