Innovation On Their Terms

Volume 1 Essay 2

Innovation on Their Terms

There is a lot of clamoring for reform these days.   It turns out that the clamor needs to get infused with fresh ideas, some more radical than others, in order to jump start the conversation.   Innovation and expansion of ideas are necessary ingredients for reform.   A wild idea can take root itself or spawn other ideas or inspire action.   Companies and organizations that innovate find success and growth, and those that do not innovate find stagnation and decline.   Brainstorming has to push the limits a little (or a lot) to get to real actionable ideas, and that’s where I’m taking you over the next couple essays – innovation to the brink of ridiculous in order to jump start the collective idea factory of our brains.

It seems that regardless of the year on the calendar, the US political system is under scrutiny from its constituents.   The problem is that the system isn’t designed to fix itself.   Taxpayers, along with the non-taxpaying elite [see last week’s blog for the reference] and impoverished citizens, continually ask Congress to fix itself and enact legislation to manage themselves.   So, the elected officials examine the country’s problems, and then they decide to vote themselves pay raises and comprehensive healthcare coverage.  So much for the system fixing itself, right?    Congress is just not currently designed to do anything about itself.    When it comes to reform ideas, the same options are debated and tossed around and ultimately shelved for a few years, then dusted off and recycled, reshelved, and retired without action.   We the people need to innovate on behalf of our Congress!

Term limits for elected officials is as good a place to start as any.   You've heard this before?  Well, let's look at term length and term limit this time.   Over the past 235 years, the USA has had 44 different presidents, which when you do the math, comes to an average of 5 years + 4 months per president.   Let’s start at the top then, and amend the Constitution to change the Presidential term from 2 x 4-year terms to 1 x 6-year term.   Just one.   Six years, and then a new President is sworn in.  What could this possibly accomplish?  Well, for starters, the opposite Party members in Congress wouldn’t be spending the bulk of their efforts trying to tear down the President in hopes of derailing his (or her) reelection campaign.  They can focus on the business at hand.   The President would not spend half of the first term campaigning for the next term in office.  I would bet that most 2-term Presidents have been more successful in their 2^nd term than their first -- it seems that way from the recent presidential terms of Presidents Reagan and Clinton – and this is likely because they are focused on the duties of the Presidency, not the rigors of the campaign trail.

Similarly, a little shake up for Congress would be in order.   Representatives would get 4 years per term (instead of the current 2), and be limited to 3 terms in the House; Senators would remain with 6-year terms, but be capped at 2 terms.   A savvy and effective politician could end up in this scenario with 12 years in the House, 12 years in the Senate, and 6 years in the White House – a decent 30-year career based on advancement and progress, not mired in the status quo.   Having Representatives run for reelection every 2 years hardly allows them to establish a meaningful track record; and Congressional leaders whose chairs are molded in the shape of their butts would then know that effective leadership will establish their legacy, not simply longevity.

It would also be my recommendation that each Senator and Representative receive his or her salary, benefits, and pensions from the respective State that is represented.   The President and Veep would get their benefits via the DOD, which means the same benefits as military personnel.   The States that have comprehensive medical insurance programs, like Massachusetts and Illinois, would have their Congressmen signed up under those plans, and States without health insurance options can have their Congressmen on either private insurance, the national health care plan, or Medicaid.   A State would establish salary for its Congressional delegates, too (perhaps equal to the sitting Governor’s salary for Senators and some fractional or comparable rate for the Reps).   Congress should not have unchecked authority to manage its own salaries and benefits – this should be the right and responsibility of the constituents whom the Congressman represents.

As a country, we need to innovate!   Innovation can be the application of new ideas, new uses for existing technology or systems, or reinvention of concepts in a new environment.   Innovation is NOT shouting “You suck!” at someone with whom you disagree.  Innovation is NOT refusing to cooperate and it is NOT waiting for someone else to do something else.  I worked for a company whose leadership believes that innovation is “working harder” at doing the same tasks in the same way; currently theirs is a floundering operation.   Innovation is an active, involved, and integrative process, whether it’s at your desk, in your kitchen, or in Washington D.C.   Be engaged and express your ideas.   What innovations do you have for your company?   What innovations do you have for yourselves?   What innovations do you have for Congress?   Send them to your Congressman!   Or send them to me!