http://www.kevinhiggins.org/ en-us 2010-08-05T05:10:36-05:00 When you're dragged into a discussion over immigration policy, try to get an answer to some of these questions: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/08/05/illogical_immigration_106623.html... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000165.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2010-08-05T05:10:36-05:00 Reading Bill Frezza makes me want to own a bolt-hole cabin in the woods! "The other day while out to dinner with a number of tech investors and entrepreneurs the conversation turned to a disturbing subject. "What is your back-up country?" These people weren't kidding. Property was being purchased. Contingency plans were being made. "Rome was the peak of civilization for a thousand years. Will America find the strength to make it to 300?" Here's his latest article: http://tinyurl.com/26afx5c... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000164.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2010-07-26T11:03:59-05:00 There's a good reason why you cannot imagine yourself as President of the United States: You're *WAY* too sane. Great, entertaining article by Peggy Noonan: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703625304575116091277942862.html And, I found this article, almost if not quite a counterpoint, interesting, too: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/opinion/12brooks.html... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000163.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2010-03-16T10:28:22-05:00 March, 2010, Essay on Leadership and Organizational Productivity. Words have power. A leader's assembly of words can inspire, resulting in amazing accomplishments and surprising productivity. Conversely, clumsy or callous words can drain an organization of its vigor, its initiative, and its chances of success. In 1983, as a young Infantry enlisted man, I went through Officers Candidate School ("OCS") -- one of the courses that the US Army has used for decades to turn young leaders into the kind of junior officers that could successfully influence troops to accomplish incredible things under adverse conditions. In phase one of that course, candidates were required to learn -- internalize -- a number of written pieces that were considered "Required Knowledge." Those pieces, some of them maxims, others complete essays, had to be learned so completely that candidates could recite them at any time, under any conditions, through any distractions. They had to be known verbatim and the candidate was expected to understand not just the words, but the deeper message behind them. One such item was the definition of Leadership. That's simple: "Leadership is influencing people to accomplish a mission." The focus, of course, is on the perfectly chosen verb, "influencing." There's a good reason why that verb isn't "ordering," or "berating," or "pushing." The reason why this is so critical to military organizations is that when it comes to performance, leadership is a multiplier. It fosters excellence and creates initiative. That is also true for other kinds of organizations. It's amazing... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000162.html Ruminations khiggins 2010-03-10T06:45:26-05:00 It’s Up to Iraqis Now. Good Luck. Thomas Friedman writes: Of all the pictures I saw from the Iraqi elections last weekend, my favorite was on nytimes.com: an Iraqi mother holding up her son to let him stuff her ballot into the box. I loved that picture. Being able to freely cast a ballot for the candidate of your choice is still unusual for Iraqis and for that entire region. That mother seemed to be saying: When I was a child, I never got to vote. I want to live in a world where my child will always be able to. Some argue that nothing that happens in Iraq will ever justify the costs. Historians will sort that out. Personally, at this stage, I only care about one thing: that the outcome in Iraq be positive enough and forward-looking enough that those who have actually paid the price — in lost loved ones or injured bodies, in broken homes or broken lives, be they Iraqis or Americans or Brits — see Iraq evolve into something that will enable them to say that whatever the cost, it has given freedom and decent government to people who had none. Read the full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/opinion/10friedman.html... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000161.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2010-03-10T06:42:47-05:00 The Battle of the Speeches Great editorial by Art Carden, assistant professor of economics and business at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.. Two giants took to the stage, or podium, yesterday. Both were visionary, but came from diametrically opposing positions on how delivery should take place. http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/28/obama-steve-jobs-speeches-opinions-contributors-art-carden_print.html... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000160.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2010-01-28T17:23:09-05:00 Very illuminating article in the WSJ that most peope, whether for or against the path to Health Care "reform" that we're tracking down, will find educational. The subtext is conservative, of course: "It was foolish of President Obama to think he could reform 16% of the nation's economy." However, this is a worthy read, even if you dismiss the subtext and simply focus on the facts. It will help you understand why the bill ended up over 1000 pages and give you some insight into the difference between grand ideas that are good in theory, and the implementation of those ideas (and ideals) in an impossibly complex system that is insinuated into almost every aspect of our economy and our lives. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704094304575029331665110908.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_BelowLEFTSecond... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000159.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2010-01-28T11:02:50-05:00 Can Common-Sense Economics Found a New Party? I've certainly made no secret of my appreciation for the intellect and insights of Bill Frezza, a partner at Adams Capital Management, an early-stage venture capital firm and online columnist. In his latest column, Bill asks some common sense questions. Unfortunately, common sense remains in short supply. Here's an excerpt: "What foul bit of sophistry convinced Americans that it is not only proper but a civic duty to vote for the lesser of two evils? Isn't that a perfect recipe for perpetuating evil? What else can explain the fact that we have surrendered giant swaths of our economy to Congressmen that are rated less trustworthy than used car salesmen? Why do we stand up like trained monkeys and cheer when politicians lie to us about the "change" they are going to deliver when experience tells us that as soon as they obtain power it's business as usual? Just because the pendulum started swinging again does that mean the clowns who govern us have learned anything? How long can we let the entrenched parties play musical chairs before Washington turns us all into indentured servants? How many months a year do you work for Uncle Sam?" Read the entire column, here: http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2010/01/25/can_common-sense_economics_create_a_new_party_97606.html... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000156.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2010-01-25T06:53:42-05:00 I love the way Peggy Noonan thinks, and writes. She was speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, but resonates often with my centrist independence: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703699204575017503811443526.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_BelowLEFTSecond... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000155.html khiggins 2010-01-22T10:59:06-05:00 The White House Council of Economic Advisers said Thursday the $787 billion stimulus plan kept one million people working who would otherwise not have had jobs. http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2009/09/14/saving_one_million_jobs_at_787000_per_job_97404.html The White House Council of Economic Advisers is lead by three presidential appointees. Currently, these are Christina Romer, Austan Goolsbee, and Cecilia Rouse. According to their biographies on the Council web site, these people have never held jobs outside of academia. Their positions at Princeton, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago were protected by lifetime tenure. Unemployment, to them, is a theory that cannot become a personal reality. What in their backgrounds makes them experts on the subject of job creation?... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000154.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2009-09-14T06:28:20-05:00 The good news? Our National Debt, as a percentage of GDP, has been a LOT higher than it is now. The bad news? Congress is likely to fix that... http://www.american.com/archive/2009/september/debt-be-not-proud-the-sorry-tale-of-america2019s-out-of-control-spending... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000153.html Op-Ed Articles khiggins 2009-09-08T06:07:03-05:00 Facebook has a strange magic created by overemphasizing the tertiary characters in the story of your life. That then sometimes leads to wishing you were a better writer.... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000152.html Mundane Comments khiggins 2009-08-28T05:37:29-05:00 I think it's become the job of the media--internet and cable news in particular, but ultimately most reporting and opinion publishers--to turn people into bigots. The highest margin reader is the one they've convinced to see the world in simplistic black and white.... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000151.html Mundane Comments khiggins 2009-08-27T07:07:26-05:00 From The Washington Post: "The nation would be forced to borrow more than $9 trillion to support President Obama's initiatives and other federal programs over the next decade, the White House said Tuesday, a sharp increase in projected deficits that provided fresh ammunition to critics of the president's sweeping proposal to expand health coverage to the uninsured. "In their traditional summertime budget review, administration officials acknowledged that they relied on overly optimistic assumptions about the economy when they forecast in March that Obama's budget plans would generate deficits of $7.1 trillion over the next 10 years. After factoring in the severity of the recession and the prospect of a more sluggish recovery, the White House concluded that the budget outlook is significantly worse. "White House budget director Peter Orszag played down the grim forecast as unsurprising, saying the update merely brings White House projections in line with those of outside experts. "He noted that this year's deficit is now expected to approach $1.6 trillion -- the highest on record and the biggest as a percentage of the economy since the end of World War II, but slightly smaller than officials had feared." Completely missing: What the fuck they're going to do about it. Jesus!... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000150.html Announcements khiggins 2009-08-25T22:00:29-05:00 "As the public debate over pending healthcare legislation veers into the surreal with angry voters who have never read the bill shouting at cowering Congressmen who have never read the bill, are you amused or frightened to see the debate becoming ever more shrill? "Lock 300 million people in a room, tell them that there is only a fixed amount of oxygen to go around, and have radio and TV personalities scream at them about the worsening air crisis. Then stand back and watch how ugly the national conversation gets." http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2009/08/17/whats_so_bad_about_death_panels_anyway_97362.html... http://www.kevinhiggins.org/000149.html Articles and Snippets khiggins 2009-08-17T06:57:37-05:00