Jason Rines (iThinkBig)

American Business: On Sale

The writings of Alexander Hamilton will be of most use in about 3 years. After the Revolution, the Continental Congress was broke with no economic anchor. There is plenty of history available to read and understand how we got out of this problem, but it take take 20 or so years in those days. Today our society can and will mobilize a lot faster.

Foreign Investment in the United States: Reverse Globalization?

The biggest issue is non-investment into domestic business. Investors will go to the biggest opportunity. Rapid wealth building coupled with more open markets in the 1990's allowed much bigger money to be invested overseas in the early part of this decade. While there is responsibility for not applying some tarrifs or taxes by say 2005 or 2006, government's biggest failure was to not invest in small business, a full 49% of GDP.

The best analogy is the forest and how the old tall trees with wide branches hogged all the sunlight, while the entrepenuars and innovation being the seedlings not being able to grow. In a liquid market of billions, no one wants to hear about start-ups.

So while globalization was pushed to the hilt, investment is needed in innovation. The free market does work however, because government and multinationals of 51% of our GDP have no choice to invest into Main St. or face deteriorating conditions here or collapse and the U.S. is still the safest play over the long-term.

Attitude toward other nations can be solved with research. Like many major companies, our government uses 5 page pamphlets that it disseminates to government staff about another culture. Lazy and incompetent. But the humility factor is going to be forced on our nation. Keep all trade open but regulate. A massive diplomatic effort will be necessary. Agree with expanding the G8 to G20. Offer membership to the entire globe for that matter, many empires crumbled not because of resentment against the empires, but because people wanted IN. End the global policemen role. If we are so worried about the sovereign wealth funds we should accelerate our exports and give the world what it wants to buy in raw commodities. And to do more of this we certainly must have a sane energy policy including ALL options and do this immediately. This will create skilled jobs in the U.S. and if backed by Treasury, will be heavily invested in by the global market bringing a lot of the money back home. I don't believe too many non-producing oil nations would complain about competing products. But we leave this to Brazil and Canada? Sheez. Talk about lack of self-centered narcassist on the Hill and both political parties!