Craig's Corner

July 4, 1776 the Representatives of the United States declared their independence from King George III of Great Britain. It was the culmination of years of petitions, diplomatic requests and ultimately a key rallying point during the Revolutionary War. The Declaration’s most famous phraseology is: “…all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The remainder of the document is a litany of complaints against King George III. Addressing those issues ultimately became the framework for the Constitution which would be fully ratified by all 13 colonies by 1790...14 years after the Declaration. The fundamental premise of the document is individuals have rights and that government exists only when the people who are governed agree to be. Governmen

Anniversaries are opportunities to celebrate, remember and plan. Two major milestones just passed: the 30th Anniversary of the first case of AIDS reported by the CDC (June 5) and the 40th Anniversary of President Nixon declaring the War on Drugs. Each marker reflects the times they occurred in and are a benchmark for where society is today. There are lessons worth repeating in their evolutions. The first days, months and years of AIDS were marked by fear and uncertainty. Doctors and scientists couldn’t immediately state how people contracted it, how it spread – but could only confirm that it had a 100% mortality rate. President Reagan didn’t utter the acronym during his entire tenure in office. Many media outlets ran the wildest of speculation, allowing panic to spread. People were ostracized. Contracting AIDS was the equivalent of being a leper. Some even wanted to move everybody with AIDS to an island. The LGBT community in the U.S. was hardest hit. Virtually an entire generation d

June gloom is here. A marine layer of fog lays over most of Los Angeles for the first part of every day – then “burns off” for a glorious sun soaked afternoon. This meteorological phenomenon occurs regularly every year, most often in June...hence the moniker. It appears that the symbolism of June Gloom has gone inland this year…all the way across the country. The U.S. economy continues to be anemic. Official unemployment figures are over 9%. Unofficial figures are near 20% for those of us who are the long-term unemployed and the under-employed class. The U.S. borrows $0.46 for every $1 it spends. The U.S. “credit card” has maxed out at $14.3 trillion and the country’s leaders are toying with default that would only increase borrowing costs. The mortgage industry was nationalized in 2008 with nearly 50% of all mortgages guaranteed by U.S. taxpayers. Freddie/Fannie are unlikely to ever return to the private sector. The Treasury Department holds 500 million shares in General Motor

Amongst the many insults the airline industry has imposed on its customers, none is more annoying than the flight schedule. After considering actual flying time plus pull-back, take-off, landing and parking times the airlines add another 30 to 45 minute buffer. This distortion is supported and regulated by the FAA. A quarter (25%) of flights in April were late.  The Department of Transportation defines “late” by granting an additional 15 minutes of what is on the schedule that already has the additional 30 minutes in it. Deadlines are an integral part of everyday life and commerce. Retail stores have perfected the deadline driven sale – none more so than with time restricted online specials. My local supermarket runs specials for a few hours on Thursdays only. The infomercial’s mantra “Call now…” built and entire industry. As an executive who has expertise in finance, administration and operations, I find deadlines a vital tool in effective management. There’s something equalizing

June is busting out all over. It’s Gay Pride month where cities and towns across the world celebrate with parades, picnics and parties. Born out of the 1969 Stonewall rebellion the events in the U.S. are now largely corporate sponsored party events. Nashville is holding their event on June 18 – even after the state passed a law a few weeks ago outlawing “gay” from being spoken in a classroom from K to 8th grade. Not content to legislate speech, the Tennessee legislature passed and Governor Haslam signed into law a few days later a law that forbids municipalities from enacting any anti-discrimination ordinances that are broader than the states. So if Nashville wants to contract with a company, that company only has to meet state anti-discrimination rules, not local ones which might be more far reaching and inclusive. Colorado tried this in 1992 (with a nearly identical law) and the Supreme Court knocked it down as illegal. I guess with the current court it’s worth trying again? Ther