Edward Lazarus

"If I Were King of The Forest"

Edward Lazarus — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:31:06 GMT

June 7, 2009

I believe that one of the great truth's in our society is "that we are all experts on what someone else should do."

Our legislators are at work in Hartford debating a wide variety of bills. Eventually, at the end of the day ( or the session, or special session) they will have to vote on and address the projected muliti-billion dollar budget deficit that is facing the State of CT.

Very few times are you anointed "King of the Forest", but that honor has just been bestowed on you! However, with it comes responsibility. I propose to you, if you had unlimited control, what would you do to address the myriad of issues facing CT as it relates to our economy?

. Let's keep it in the "out of the box" brainstorming mantra of:

THERE ARE NO BAD IDEAS- "Hit Us With Your Best Shot!"

For those of you reading this outside of CT, feel free to voice your opinion on issues that may exist on a national level. I have it on reliable sources that there may be some there as well.

www.branfordct.com

TO BAIL OR NOT TO BAIL: That is the Question!

Edward Lazarus — Tue, 26 May 2009 00:49:14 GMT

“What is Good For General Motors is Good for the United States” Charles Erwin Wilson 1941To learn more About the Branford Chamber Visit www.BRANFORDCT.COM

Charles Erwin Wilson, after a rapidly rising career at General Motors became its CEO in 1953. During World War Two General Motors, large manufacturing businesses became part of the war effort as a major defense contractor. While still CEO of General Motors, President Eisenhower nominated him to be Secretary of Defense in 1953. While pressed about divesting himself of GM stock as a potential conflict of interest, he stated:

“For years I thought what was good for our country was good for General Motors and vice versa. The difference did not exist. Our company is too big. It goes with the welfare of the country.” The quote was subsequently been reported as: “What is good for General Motors is good for the US”.In 1944, while serving as director of the War Production Board he spoke before the Army Ordnance Board he noted to prevent a return to the Great Depression, the United States needed "a permanent war economy." This permanent war economy is and was explained by Wilson as the modern military-industrial complex.In 2009, some 60 years after his quote is William correct, is GM too big to fail? Is it inexorably linked to a healthy US Economy? Or in a free market, you succeed or fail based on the quality of your product.

Comments ?

Other interesting quotes from Wilson:

“A good boss makes his men realize they have more ability than they think they have so that they consistently do better work than they thought they could.”

“It is futile to talk too much about the past... like trying to make birth control retroactive. “

“The price of progress is trouble, and I must be making a lot of progress.”

Social Revolution 2.0

Edward Lazarus — Tue, 19 May 2009 01:19:07 GMT

Social Revolution 2.0

First let’s get my bias out of the way up front. I am member of the generational-centric baby boomers who spent my formative years in the 60’s and early 70’s. I consider myself as part of the boomers that I refer to as the “Vietnam Era Group”. Our belief is that during this window of time there was a social (and almost bloodless) revolution that changed forever the social fabric of our nation. Of course we not only did it but hold the patent!

Along the way we take credit for stopping the war in Southeast Asia, creating the environmental movement, fighting racism, forcing a President from office, energized (if not created ) the women’s movement; while in our spare time held the largest and most peaceful outdoor rock concert in history! For purposes of this exercise, let’s forget anything negative about this era or how our experience might have impacted our kids. Ok – my bias is out in the open and I feel better.

Last week, the Branford Chamber’s Education Committee had a seminar entitled “Marketing My Web Site”. Chris Uzzo of Two Brothers Design did a marvelous presentation on “Search Engine Optimization” and discussed the phenomenon that is routinely referred to as Web 2.0 or interactive web based social media.

LinkedIN, Twitter, Facebook, and You Tube are only a few of the wide variety of social networking communities that electronically tie groups of people together who share a collective social or business interest. It also enables people to chronicle their lives for all to see with such inspirational notations as: “I got up today”.

Clearly, this is clearly not a passing “fad”. This is a new social revolution. Whether we like it or not, we live in a world where communication is instantaneous and will get faster and more all consuming. My daughter, a college junior, “lives” in communities with thousands of virtual friends; this can easily occupy an entire day of her life as I have often observed her staring at the screen of her laptop computer for days on end.

Thus, there are at least three questions that strike me as being very instructive:

1. Is instant communication a good thing? I was stunned reading David McCullough’s Book “1776” in which he described George Washington sending an urgent message to the British, by boat, knowing that it would take months for a response. Months! Come on, that is beyond comprehension! Maybe that is not such a bad thing as we often are told “do not make decisions or act when we are angry”? I admit, have at least a few e-mails I wish I hadn’t sent.

2. What is the impact of this technology on our kids? That our children have thousands of friends is great; that they never really meet them…well, I am not so sure about that. Is that really interaction or a prescription for an interpersonal deficit?

3. Many people continue to assure me that their social network posts are private. Questionable. Is the benefit derived from these new technologies worth the inevitable loss of personal privacy?

Please send me your thoughts, preferably not by boat! As you think about responding you might consider re-reading Marshall McLuhan “The Media is the Message” and George Orwell’s “1984”.

I look forward to your thoughts.

Edward F. Lazarus

PS: Any chance these social media revolutionaries are the product of the baby boom generation—maybe we still hold the patent!

You can visit the Branford chamber at www.branfordct.com

Please-Wanted: One Good Economist!

Edward Lazarus — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:20:21 GMT

From the Branford Chambers Blog. It can be visited directly at www.bchamber.wordpress.com

First let me say that what I know about economic theory can fit in a thimble. But, to be truthful, that really doesn’t bother me. I remember my grad class, circa 1975, in Economics Quantitative Analysis. The professor began the first class by saying, ”Four percent unemployment equals zero unemployment”. I remember my immediate reaction as if it was yesterday, “tell that to the four percent who are unemployed!” Shortly after trying to process this piece of information, the lights went out, the overhead projector came on and the graphs went up on the screen…… and quite frankly, that is the last thing I remember about the class.

So I am not concerned that what I know about economic theory can fit in a thimble. What troubles me is that I am beginning to think that what anyone knows about the economy can fit in a thimble! Shouldn’t “stimulating the economy” be like..…well a science? If “X” happens… you do “Y” and voila, it’s fixed. I have come to the conclusion that economic theory is not math or a science but an art. That worries me because that might mean that my thimble of ideas is just as valid as anyone else’s and of course we all know that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. For me, this notion does not inspire confidence. Further, to say that I was a little taken aback to hear economic guru Alan Greenspan, essentially tap his chest in front of Congress and say, “Hey, my bad” would be an understatement. That sound you heard was not that of a basketball hitting the back wall after an errant pass but of the economy tanking.

So, what is in your thimble? What do we need to do, share your thoughts and leave your comment below.

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