Government needs to stop and think about making long term strategic cuts that represent good social policy. It is more simple than they think.

As states are forced to make budget cuts, too often it is the elderly and disabled that feel those cuts.  These cuts are usually in community base services.  However, what government needs to really do is to increase the threshold of eligibility to receive institutional or 24/7 care.  In 2006 according to the Wall Street Journal federal and state spending for nursing home care was $47 billion and $15 billion for home/community care.

Survey after survey shows the elderly and disabled per to live in their community and receive less restrictive care.  It is cheaper,  more individuals can be served for less money and the outcomes better.

(pic by jayelaherm)

It is not hard to connect the Dots.

Identify the problems

Identify solutions

Link them.

Need:

• The economy needs to be stimulated.
• The creation of  jobs paying a living Wage builds a stronger economy.
• Billions spent on the financial  markets does not create permanent change.
• Regions of the United States have to the ability to generate alternative power but can not get the power to the areas of the United States that need it.

Solution:

1. Target the billions going into the credit market to guarantee those bonds companies sell to build the transmission grid to areas of need.
2. Prioritizing the region of the country with a weight using the length of the guarantee.  A two-five year plan will create jobs quickly and build an infrastructure usable by many companies and people.
3. The new transmission grids should lay fiber optics as well to allow equal access to the Internet and thus create opportunities for long term job growth in areas where said infrastructure does not exist.
4. By guaranteeing these areas of infrastructure development, it will in turn create further development of the alternative power generate projects and permanent jobs in the areas from which transmission grids are being created.
5. Nonprofits can work with foundations and individuals to invest in the conversion of nonprofit infrastructure to more efficient and long term permanent effective means to lower their impact to the environment.
6. Said commitment by the Foundations and individuals should extend all public education institutions.
7. The public education institutions become a tool for inclusiveness of the solution by providing the opportunity to educate in a natural setting of communities of learners with examples for individuals to see how they can effect the environment and their consumption.

(pics by sdidariat and spccon)

How far does one have to go to fulfill a promise?  There has never been a promise that reach 100% of a targeted group on day one.  In fact when your talking about thousands and millions one needs to talk more about years.  Nonprofits and government too many times want to make a big splash when lots of little splashes will have the greater longer term impact.  A promise is only Empty if you do not try.  The FEDEX promise delivers each day, one package at a time.

•  Obama promised to recruit an army of new teachers.
•  Obama promised to make college affordable.
•  Obama promised to recruit an army of young volunteers.

There is talk of having to delay these efforts.  However, I find such an option of the too big of problem to handle syndrome.  It is the opposite of too big to fail syndrome and that produced billions with no measurable result to date.

Let’s make it simple.

1. As part of a college students graduation requirements have internships via a formalized volunteer program via the colleges in communities targeting the top 10 issues of that community.
2. Expand the loan forgiveness program to facilitate college students to be able to afford working in government or the nonprofit field.
3. Promote the creation of public school supporting nonprofits to allow businesses, foundations and individuals to give to their local school.  This effort has an immediate impact on a school.  This provides for enriching the educational experience of students.

I know these three ideas work because I have done all three myself but by accident.  Obama can start his Education Agenda with these three low cost efforts to begin a coordinated effort to make an impact in education in his first year.

(pics by thomas hawk and dave boudreau)

Tolls are an anti growth and unfair means to pay for infrastructure projects, especially when the effected parties did not vote to take on said burden.  Any financial commitments selectively assigned to one group over another to incur millions or billions to stay where they live or work is a form of failed government policy that was not clearly thought thorough.

The best form of fairness is to consider whom made the commitment.  If the commitment is a county, then the county is responsible to bear the costs.  If a state made the commitment then the population of the state is responsible to bear the costs.

Transportation issues are those government policies that should be devised which encourages green growth and energy efficiency.  Tolls are not an incentive for a statewide policy for smart growth and energy self sufficiency. It only creates another bureaucracy.  One does not need more government agencies to deliver on smart growth.  All tolls should be gotten rid of and the fuel tax be the means to pay for the infrastructure.  Economic growth should be incentives through taxation not burdening one over another. 

Government policies for transportation and energy efficiency which require public dollars are better served being driven by a fuel tax.  This fuel tax should be weighted towards fuels that are less green.  It will provide the incentives to decrease consumption of fuels considered less green and increase efficiency.   Further, the policies on transportation infrastructure could be weighed to be more effective.

This means of funding infrastructure will allow faster means to develop commuter rail and subway lines. 

(pics by pallih and dougwn)

 pic by c-monster

Nonprofits are breaking through the glass ceiling of for-profits being the over bearing focus of the business community.  Nonprofit organizations should be considered just as important in being the leaders in a community.

Use simple every day objects and then adjust, manipulate or change to create that image to make a point and bring about a resulting action from the intended audience.

pics by Ineedcoffee and visualpanic

 pic by schuschie

Create branding that is easy to remember.  Keep it simple.  There is a lot of material that can be used from off the shelf via the web.

Poems are really helpful. You can make angry poems, sad poems,happy, funny, or silly. Here is one poem I made which help me think what I am writing about.

GREEN

Green is a bush full of bunnies trees with daisies.

I can hear the trees howling back and forth.

I taste it’s watery veins it’s fur coat on hearing the new born baby bursting out of the ground pounding and pounding till it breaks the ground.

From Papa:

It is simple to imagine a visual means to make a point.  Poetry is an interesting exercise to assist in creating an image for its effectiveness.  Pics have been used to show how even a ten year old can come up with a descriptive image to use that draws an audience to a location.

pics by samtheshamandthephoto and xjyxjy

pic by C-Monster

The economy and news continues to be negative.  This has gotten just about every person on edge.  If just about everyone is on edge then ultimately anything change in an organization will make the employees even more edgy. 

For instance changing over from bottle water to a filtration system while it may be environmentally better and better regulated, employees may take it as a sign of cutting back. 

Another example is requesting staff to cut back on travel.  While the decision was based on the economics to help them afford their travel and the realization by many about telecommuting being a workable solution may not be interpreted as positive by all. 

The interesting part about change is that more of it happens when individuals are focused on measuring efficiency and effectiveness.  This focus happens more often during economic declines.  It has always been there as a topic but was not prioritized to be reviewed.  When efficiency and effectiveness are focused upon there are solutions devised and resources for implementation committed.   

The best way to avoid misinterpretation is to convey why policy changes or actions have taken place.

pic by bob fornal

Use a small investment each year in the community to create a consistence message.

One example is the use of M & M’s.  Used it myself at a reunion and very well received.  It is low costs and 100″s got to read the message for hours.

What do you provide for free to the community?

What benefit do you provide to the community for free?

What specific action gives you free marketing?

What free marketing  opportunities does the organization utilize?

Identify and magnify actions that show results and objectives.