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forsetti · 8 years ago

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On Internal Struggles: Eliot Ness Versus Jim Malone

As I've said many times on this blog, I write mostly as an avenue to vent. I vent in order to release the mental pressures of being a self-aware person who treasures truth in a world where superficiality, intellectual laziness, and ignorance have become badges of honor for a lot of folks. This pressure has been turned up to eleven the past few months to the point where I am having a hard time releasing it fast enough to keep me sane. One reason for this build up of pressure is because I'm not as busy at work this time of year so I have far too much mental free time. Another and much more significant reason is the sheer amount of dumbfuckery and bullshit that's been thrown around by conservatives and by far too many on the left. Dealing with this from just one side is often overwhelming. Dealing with it from two fronts has pushed things, at times, almost to the point of depression.

On top of all of this, I've had to seriously rethink strategies and attitudes about how to think about and deal with certain individuals and groups of people. How do I think about and treat someone who has been more than willing to stand up and vote for thinks completely antithetical to everything I believe? How do I think about and treat people and organizations who spent the past eight years lying about, obstructing, and demonizing facts, laws, precedents, history, and President Obama, who are now demanding “unity” and “bipartisanship”? How do I think about and treat people who spent the past eight years using every negative, derogatory, and racist term around to talk about Michelle Obama and her two girls, who are now demanding no one say a mean thing about Melania or Barron Trump? How do I think about and treat Republican leaders who met the night of President Obama's first inaugural to lay out a strategy of obstructing and denying anything the new president put forth, even though we were in the midst of a major economic crisis, who now are saying Democrats need to work with them for the good of the country? How do I think about and treat these same Republicans who let a Supreme Court seat go unfilled for almost a year, refused to even hold hearings for the nominee, and made up reasons for doing so out of whole cloth, who are now lecturing Democratic Senators for wanting to see ethics reports on Cabinet nominees before holding hearings? How do I think about and treat so-called progressives who did everything they could to damage the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, who are now whining about all the anti-progressive things being proposed by the new administration? How do I think about and treat these same “progressives” who berated anyone who tried to talk to them about their horrible behaviors and piss-poor strategy, who now are having second thoughts about them? How do I think about and treat people who are proud of being ignorant and deny basic facts. How do I think about and treat people who did everything they could to make sure Hillary looked bad and didn't win, who are now demanding we all join forces to resist the Trump administration?

All of these and more keep churning in my head and so far I don't have any good, easy answers. One reason I'm having such difficulty with all of this is because I've been able to hold and take a theoretical stance about things most of my life. It is easy to “stay above the fray” when the fray doesn't really impact your life. Believing progressives should always take the high ground is great in theory, but not very practical against an opponent who cares less about ethics, rules, and standards of behavior. Believing you should always treat people with respect is great in theory, but not practical against those who refuse to treat you the same. Believing everyone has reasons for why they do and say what they do is wonderful, but it is a gross mistake to think and treat their reasons as being good and rational.

Part of the problem is my Christian upbringing of “turning the other cheek” and “loving your enemy” is in conflict with the pragmatic side of my nature. It seems the more progressives “turn their other cheek” the harder they get slapped by conservatives. The more we “love our enemy,” the more our enemy damages and takes away the very things we cherish the most. At some point, the definition of insanity-”doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result,” has to set in and a lesson needs to be learned. I feel like part of me is Eliot Ness in “The Untouchables” wanting to do things squeaky clean, by the book, and above board against an enemy who has no guiding rules other than do whatever it takes to win. Then, there is the other part of me that is Sean Connery's character in the movie, Jim Malone, “You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way! And that's how you get Capone. Now, do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that?” It's this battle to find a balance between these two sides that is causing me so much trouble. I don't think I'm alone in this struggle. I see Democratic members of Congress going through this right now in deciding whether or not to do their civic duty to protect and help the American people as best they can or take a firm stand against the new administration by not supporting anything it does even though by doing so they are going against their beliefs about how government should work and their desire to help people. I understand this internal conflict. There isn't an easy answer. Part of the reason it is so difficult is because these are not even close to ordinary circumstances. I didn't like Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush but on some level, they played by the rules. Even though they had some really horrible ideas and policies, on some level they respected the history, standards, and protocols of running the country. There was a common understanding and agreement everyone could work from no matter what the disagreements. This commonality no longer exists. It's been eroded and destroyed intentionally by conservatives over the past twenty-three years. It started with Newt Gingrich when he became Speaker of the House and adopted an aggressive, anti-cooperation, demonize your opponent at every opportunity approach to governing. As time passed, conservatives have taken Newt's strategy, modified and amped it up to the point where not only do they run their campaigns on bragging about not cooperating, they have completely destroyed all notions of standards and protocols. They are so wedded to this strategy, they willingly vote against their own bills and abandon their own policy ideas if it looks like Democrats will vote for them. The Dream Act? Backed by a lot of Republicans right up to the moment it was supported by President Obama, then it suddenly became horrible policy. Cap and Trade? Supported by a large number of Republicans until Democrats proposed it. Health care reform with an individual mandate to help fund it? A Heritage Foundation idea that was implemented by a Republican governor in Massachusetts, that suddenly became a “socialist takeover of the American health care system,” when the Democratic president suggested it. Raising the debt ceiling? Never an issue when a Republican is the president but an existential crisis when a Democrat holds office. Shutting down the government when they don't get their way? Only been done by Republicans. Holding up a Supreme Court nominee leaving the Court without being fully staffed? Never been done in history until last year by the Republican-led Senate. Norms, protocols, standards...none of these things mean anything to today's conservatives. They are fighting with knifes while progressives have been fighting back with scathing editorials. They aren't going to change. In fact, they have been and only gotten worse because they haven't suffered any consequences for their behaviors. This needs to change. It's time for progressives to become less Eliot Ness and more Jim Malone. This means progressives need to put aside some of their beliefs and attitudes about “playing fair” and “playing nice.” This doesn't mean we have to adopt the devoid of ethics strategies of conservatives, but we have to be willing to play hard and mean when necessary. It is possible to be tough but not lower ourselves to the same level as conservatives. Of course, this is a very difficult balance to achieve but is necessary if we are going to compete against an opponent who has no regard for the rules. The same goes for dealing with individuals. I don't need to resort to name calling or personal attacks when dealing with someone who uses these tactics on me, but I certainly can throw their own “logic,” words, arguments, and strategies back on them. I can point out their hypocrisies. I can cram facts down their throat at every turn. I can hold them accountable for the consequences of their actions and decisions. If they howl they are not being treated fairly, too fucking bad. They forfeited the right to judge and bitch about behavior a long time ago. They need to pay a price. The best way to make them pay is to vote them out of office. As long as they are allowed to win elections, they will not only never change, they will only get worse (as we've seen this last election.) They need to be politically marginalized. This means voting for the progressive who has the best chance of beating them. If there is a Republican and a Democrat on the ballot. Vote for the Democrat even if they aren't the best Democrat. A bad Democrat is infinitely better than the best Republican right now in American politics. Every time we allow Republicans to win an election, we are rewarding their bad behaviors. Saying, “both parties are the same” or “there is no difference between the candidates” is nothing more than bringing a knife to a gun fight. Whenever this happens, we are going to lose and lose badly.

It's time to get away from the theoretical world us progressives love so much and get down to the dirty business of politics. This doesn't mean we abandon our ideals or what we really want to see happen. It just means none of those things are even remotely a possibility without having the power to make them happen. This power is never going to be given to us and we aren't going to get it without a tremendous fight. Conservative white men have had power for centuries. They aren't going to cede it without fighting for it tooth and nail. They have shown how badly and dirty they'll fight to keep it and they haven't even scratched the surface of how low and nasty they'll go. American fascism is being built and centered on white male dominance. You don't fight fascists with scathing arguments. You fight them with necessary and justifiable force. If they have a march of 400,000 people. We march with a million. If they impose voter restrictions that impact 100,000 minorities, we go out and register 250,000. If they impose Muslim registrations, we all register as Muslim. If they roll out a heavily armed force against a Black Lives Matters protest, we surround the protesters as a protective buffer. The one thing we shouldn't do is “turn the other cheek.”

This brings me to Democrats in Congress. Initially, it looked like they were going to oppose Trump, especially when it came to his highly unqualified cabinet appointees. So far, this hasn't happened. Not even a little bit. They just voted to for Ben Carson to be head of HUD, Nikki Haley to be the US Ambassador to the U.N., and it doesn't look like they are putting up any resistance to Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State or any other nominee when it comes time to vote. The argument given is Dems want to “pick their battles” with Trump. What the fuck? Everything Trump has suggested, every single Executive Order so far, every single nominee has been an all-out war against progressivism and Dems are focused on winning a battle here or there? The U.S. unemployment has skyrocketed, Muslim refugees have been banned, a wall is being built on the Mexican border, massive voter registration restrictions have been passed, the U.S. has undermined NATO, women's rights have been crushed, a trade war with China was started, ACA was repealed, the social safety nets gutted, massive tax cuts for the rich passed...but Dems stopped Trump from putting somebody on the 7th Circuit Court? That's the fucking strategy? I'm being told they are doing this to be “pragmatic.” I'm a devout pragmatist. This isn't pragmatic. This is stupid. And, all the so-called “progressive icons” like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Sherrod Brown are willingly playing along with this strategy. Again, I understand why they are doing this. They want the government to operate, for norms and standards to have meaning, to not look like they are the reason why people are disillusioned with government. I get this. However, their opponent doesn't give a damn about these things. In fact, their stated goal is to destroy all of these things. They are playing a different game that doesn't have any rules and they are winning. You can't defeat them playing a different game with rules.

Conservatives have been waging a war against progressivism for decades. The Tea Party and Trump are nothing more than the logical outcomes of years of rightwing propaganda and warfare. Their goal isn't to win a battle against progressivism. Their goal is to wipe it out. They now have the political power to deliver a mortal blow. Now is not the time to be satisfied with winning a battle here or there. “The environment, minorities, women, the economy...were royally fucked, but we won a minor battle” is not a pragmatic. This approach isn't even bringing a knife to a gun fight. It's bringing a month old limp carrot to a gun fight and being proud of your weapon of choice. Dems are treating things as if they were dealing with normal politics, a normal opponent, a normal administration. There is nothing normal about Trump, his base or today's conservatives. They don't play by the rules. They don't care about standards of conduct. They don't care about anything other than their ideology. Viewing and treating the situation differently then this is a huge mistake. Now is not the time to “turn the other cheek” or “love your enemies” because your enemy doesn't feel remorse, guilt, empathy, sympathy, humanity...that would cause them to stop hitting you. They are devoid of these traits. They are sociopathic and will keep hitting you long after the fight has been called and your body is cold and rigid. If you don't view them for who they are and recognize what they have and will do, they will keep on doing what they do.

Conservatives have not paid any price at the polls for their horrible behaviors. The main reason why is because Democrats give them cover. Stop it. Let them own their failures, completely. Don't vote for a single thing they propose. You don't need to. They have the numbers to pass anything they want. Let them. But, don't leave your fingerprints on their policies. If Dems don't vote for a single thing and the country goes bad, they can say it wasn't because of them. If they take this “win a battle here or there” approach, when things go south, voters will blame them as well as Republicans and Republicans will use this “both sides” to weasel their way out of being held accountable. The main reasons Democrats took Congress and the White House in the 2008 election was because of the massive failures of the Bush administration. Trump is going to make Bush look like Lincoln. Let him fail. Continually point out how he and the Republicans have failed to deliver on their promises and how their policies have hurt the working class. But, for God's sake, don't willingly put your fingerprints on the murder weapon. Somehow, some way progressives need to figure out how to take a high road while fighting dirty. I know this sound contradictory and maybe it is. All I know is fighting for what is right by the Marquees of Queensberry Rules against an opponent who doesn't give a fuck about rules isn't working. No amount of arguing or pleading or understanding is going to convince them to start playing by the rules. No amount of “reaching across the aisle” is going to stop them from their goal of wiping out progressivism. Democrats need to come to terms with this and quickly. I wish it was different. I wish we could have rational conservations and debates about policy differences. I wish norms, standards, and protocols mattered to conservatives. I wish facts and truth were a priority. I wish half of the country wasn't willing to believe right wing propaganda. No matter how much I wish these to be true they aren't. I need to form strategies based on how the world is, not how I wish it was. I need to be less Eliot Ness and more Jim Malone. So too do other progressives if we want to preserve the things we believe in.

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ubgamingnews · 7 years ago

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Arlene (aka Atty. A) — Chasing ALL Your Dreams (Sprout Rockstar of the Month)

Arlene, or more commonly known here at Sprout as “Atty. A”, is Sprout Solutions’ Legal Counsel / HR Consultant. She shares with us how she realized that if you have more than one dream, you are capable of achieving them all.

The Early Years

“People always think I had it all easy. They are wrong. Well, yes, one could say I was lucky growing up. I was living a comfortable life and didn’t really have to worry about money and expenses. There was, however, a point around college where my dad got sick and most of our funds had to be used to support him. My mom even asked me to stop going to school just so we could save money— it was one of the most difficult times in my life.

From there, I realized that I needed to help myself for me to continue my studies. This was the first time I had to take charge of what I really wanted. So the first thing I did was apply for a scholarship grant for university. Next, I applied for a job. Initially, the odds weren’t in my favor– I received a lot of rejections due to inexperience and minority. After a dozen applications and repeated begging, I was accepted at Malacañang as a Researcher Intern. This, however, was not enough to shoulder my day-to-day expenses.

Because of the struggle to make ends meet, I wrote a letter to the Scholarship Committee to possibly consider granting me a full scholarship. Albeit reluctantly, the committee granted the request on the condition that I maintain an overall grade of 1.5 (89-93%). In my head, this was an almost impossible ordeal given that (1) I was working, (2) I was elected as the Policy Board Officer in our organization, and (3) I was being tapped for competitions left and right by the university. There were a lot of distractions— I barely had time to sleep.

By a stroke of luck and determination, I managed to reach that “unreachable” grade. I was also given recognition by the Organization and won in all the competitions. Most importantly, for the first time ever, I was able to make ends meet by myself. The thought that kept me going was that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” By the time I graduated, employers were the ones knocking on my door and not the other way around.”

Dream Chasing

“After graduating, my main goal was to have a high enough salary that could pay for my fees to go to law school. Logic dictated that I should be in a sales position. As such, I applied to a sales position with no background in sales at a small company. On my first week, I was the top salesperson in our office.

This caught the attention of management and they asked me what I really wanted to do career-wise. They told me I had the “potential” to be great. I told them I had always wanted to be a lawyer and that this sales job was just to help save up for law school. In line with this, they moved me to HR where I was in charge with all facets including Labor Relations. It is where I learned the tricks of the trade. I was a self-starter and worked 18 hours per day on the average. Why did I do it? I was hungry to learn everything and was focused on my goal. From an HR Assistant, I became the HR Specialist then HR Manager then HR Director. I became an HR Director at age 24.”

Straying from the Goal

“At the time, with more responsibilities than when I began and the company grew to a thousand, management convinced me to quit law school. Why would I want to be a lawyer when I could make money and hire my own lawyer? So I was then convinced that making money was more important than becoming a lawyer and took a 5-year “leave of absence” from school to focus on working. During that time, and with management’s blessing, I had become a board director for 3 different companies.

However, despite the financial success, I wasn’t completely happy. Something was missing but I couldn’t figure what it was. After careful thinking, I decided to go back to law school. More challenges arose when my professors and classmates advised me to quit work because they felt that what I was doing was suicide. I almost quit when I developed serious health conditions such as over fatigue and other stress-related illnesses.

I proved everyone wrong. I graduated from law school and started reviewing for the bar exam (while still working, of course!)”

Passing the Bar and Entering Different Industries

“Passing the bar was one of the highlights of my life. I cried like there was no tomorrow… No words can describe how I felt that day.

But that kind of joy and relief didn’t ease my fear of not “making it” in the legal profession. Because of that, I considered kindling entrepreneurial spirit and opened up my own salon and spa. Given that I am always stressed, I wanted a business that caters to “Beauty and Wellness.”

Initially, my law classmates were doubting the idea– but I knew this is what I wanted and trudged on. In a span of six months, I got my ROI and decided to put up a second branch. It is still doing well and will be up for franchise early next year.

On top of that, several of my former employers and friends reached out to me to hire me as their lawyer. It was then I decided to form my law office. For 2 years, I was doing litigation and corporate work. However, because of the criminal as well as civil and labor cases I was handling, I made a lot of enemies. It reached a point that I was so scared for my own life because of the death threats I had received. I was forced to rethink my career.”

Becoming a Sproutling

“This is when I found Sprout, perfect timing I should say! It was like Sprout was the answer to my prayer to have a career where I do not have to think about making a lot of enemies and at the same time doing what I do best. Sprout hired me as Legal Counsel / HR Consultant and Data Protection Officer. I am so grateful to Sprout because here, I can have work-life balance and integration.

With Sprout, I can be myself. I fell in love with the culture and with the people. Sproutlings are its greatest asset and I am now proud to be one!”

A Shift in the Meaning of Happiness

“When Matthew came, that was it! My world stopped and suddenly, I felt happy. I felt complete. My definition of success has changed significantly. Before, it was having a lot of money. Then, it was fulfilling my dream. Now, success for me is being able to do all the things I want in life while maintaining a healthy relationship with my family. Success is spending time with Matthew and ensuring that he grows up to be the good boy that he is.”

“From my journey through my career, I learned that you should always dream big. Growing up, I always wanted to be a lot of things: a lawyer, a singer, an entrepreneur etc. When people get older, it’s natural to narrow down your goals. But you can do all the things you want if you put your mind to it. The only limit is you quitting.”

Success

“Through the years, I also learned that there is no secret to success. It’s really (1) faith in God, (2) faith in yourself, (3) proper planning, (4) hard work, (5) learning from failure and rejection and (6) pursuing that elusive road to happiness.

Always remember, the ultimate pursuit of success is happiness. Nothing is worth it if you are not happy.

I hope that this has inspired you even in a small way.”

The post Arlene (aka Atty. A) — Chasing ALL Your Dreams (Sprout Rockstar of the Month) appeared first on Sprout.

Source: https://sprout.ph/blog/arlene-sprout-rockstar-of-the-month/

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anaandi · 7 years ago

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Arlene (aka Atty. A) — Chasing ALL Your Dreams (Sprout Rockstar of the Month)

The Early Years

Dream Chasing

Straying from the Goal

I proved everyone wrong. I graduated from law school and started reviewing for the bar exam (while still working, of course!)”

Passing the Bar and Entering Different Industries

“Passing the bar was one of the highlights of my life. I cried like there was no tomorrow… No words can describe how I felt that day.

Becoming a Sproutling

With Sprout, I can be myself. I fell in love with the culture and with the people. Sproutlings are its greatest asset and I am now proud to be one!”

A Shift in the Meaning of Happiness

Success

Always remember, the ultimate pursuit of success is happiness. Nothing is worth it if you are not happy.

I hope that this has inspired you even in a small way.”

The post Arlene (aka Atty. A) — Chasing ALL Your Dreams (Sprout Rockstar of the Month) appeared first on Sprout.

source https://sprout.ph/blog/arlene-sprout-rockstar-of-the-month/

0 notes

officialsylviahenderson · 7 years ago

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Evolving in the Digital Workplace Together

Technology is changing the world.

It’s changing the way we interact with each other, blurring the lines between our physical and digital selves. It’s had a huge impact on our personal lives, with new apps and devices popping up for everything from food delivery, to dating, and more.

Consequently, it’s also changing the way we work. Technology is empowering employees with the tools and processes we need to get our jobs done. Essentially, the rise of Internet and cloud services has triggered a revolution in the workplace, where collaboration, communication, and productivity are no longer linked to physical workspaces or time zones.

The seamless, integrated, collaboration and productivity tools on the market now are breaking down communication barriers, allowing knowledge to be shared at an unprecedented pace, and are making it easier than ever to forge business relationships.

This revolution is called "the digital workplace".

We’ve collected the thoughts of some of the most influential Microsoft MVPs in the industry on the subject of the "Digital Workplace". We asked them three questions each:

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

You’ll find in the following article little nuggets of wisdom that will hopefully challenge the way you see the "Digital Workplace" and its impact on your organization.

Participating Microsoft MVPs

Get a printable version of our “Evolving in the Digital Workplace Together” booklet. Download the PDF now.

Benjamin Niaulin@bniaulin

Product Manager at Sharegate

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

The Digital Workplace, a concept that has been getting a lot of attention these days. Not to be confused with "Digital Transformation", which I believe to be very different.

To me, the Digital Workplace is really about rethinking how we work and where we work. Blurring the lines between the physical workplace, regular office hours and where work actually gets done.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

I think Office 365 is increasingly leading organizations to this change, forcing them to ask themselves difficult questions.

With things like Office 365 Groups, which gives people all the tools they need to get the work done on any device, is one way of doing it. Of course, this includes more than SharePoint or Microsoft Teams... it's really about democratizing some of these services as well.

Effectively changing our traditional workplace into more of a... Digital Workplace.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

I don't think we've heard the last of it, though I don't doubt we may hear about it under different names.

With technology moving at the pace it is today, organizations will be faced with important challenges. Ones that aren't always planned either! I expect we will see a lot of struggle for those IT teams not embracing this change soon.

Back to list of Microsoft MVPs

Vlad Catrinescu@vladcatrinescu

President at vNext Solutions

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

The Digital Workplace is a collection of tools that allows to be more productive and to get the job done. Those tools must be integrated, so users do not have to switch context and lose productivity when switching from one app to the other, and they must also be accessible from any device, anywhere in the world.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

In my opinion, Office 365 answers the challenges of the Digital Workplace of today, and it keeps evolving to shape the Digital Workplace of tomorrow.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

The next step in the Digital Workplace is definitely Artifical Intelligence. We've already started seeing this with Bots in Teams, but in the future, Artificial Intelligence will shape how we work, and help us become even more productive.

Back to list of Microsoft MVPs

Eric Overfield@EricOverfield

President at PixelMill

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

A paperless, collaborative work environment that provides anytime, anywhere access.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Absolutely, the bones are there and the tools get us closer to the end goal. There is room for improvement on guidance and best practices though.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

A combination of AI and machine learning, with an interface through bot frameworks, that provides workers with the shortest path to the resources they seek.

Back to list of Microsoft MVPs

Antonio Maio@antoniomaio2

Enterprise Architect & Senior Manager at Provitivi

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

To me, the Digital Workplace means a destination in cyberspace, that I go to everyday, which presents me with the most relevant information I need to get my job done. Its a place where I'm confident that I can quickly find data that's most important to me, where I know that data is secure, where I can easily connect with other people and where I can easily automate tasks that I do all the time.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Office 365 does respond to daily challenges we see in the Digital Workplace!

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

What I'd like to see next are better options for connecting more disparate line of business systems into the Digital Workplace, as well as built-in support for more complex policies and workflows. If we can bring more of our currently disconnected systems into the Digital Workplace, and automate more complex policies and workflows, it will be better positioned to service our day-to-day needs.

Back to list of Microsoft MVPs

Richard Harbridge@RHarbridge

Chief Technology Officer at 2toLead

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

The Digital Workplace is a term we use to describe the places and tools users use to perform their work digitally. Within a Digital Workplace you will typically find a digital hub (Intranet/Portal), digital collaboration spaces (Departmental Sites, Functional Areas, Meetings & Teams), and digital solutions (Extranets, Business Process & Forms Automation, etc.)

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Yes. Not only does it respond to these challenges, but with integration and planning, it can help many organizations meet challenges that exist today and in their future. In other words, it enables our organizations to be more responsive.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

Organizations are focused on getting the "infrastructure" in place. Social collaboration and networking? Check. Modern integrated digital hub/Intranet? Check. But over time they will begin focusing on improving worker outcomes through digital enhancement or optimization. By focusing on adoption (education and optimization) as well as using new intelligence provided by their Digital Workplace (Office 365 Audit Logs, Workplace Analytics, etc.) worker productivity, impact, and capability will be increased to better compete and meet industry demands.

Back to list of Microsoft MVPs

Susan Hanley@susanhanley

Consultant at Susan Hanley LLC

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

The Digital Workplace provides an experience for getting work done through the use of connected devices, software and interfaces that are relevant for each person.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Many of them. But supplemental software and connections are likely to be required to realize all of the potential opportunities that comprise the Digital Workplace.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

More seamless connections; more integrated experiences; more consistent experiences on different devices.

Back to list of Microsoft MVPs

John White@diverdown1964

Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder at tyGraph

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

For me, it's another buzzword. It means the same as e-business did in the '90s.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

It certainly does much better than any other product suite in the market. It doesn't respond to all of them, but the things it does, it does fairly well, and more importantly, those things are relatively well integrated.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

I feel that integration is key. The more products diversify, the greater the need for solid integration. Products like Flow and Power BI really bring this home. With integration we really can have best-of-breed without sacrificing interconnectedness.

One area that shows off integration is AI and machine learning, which is also making its presence felt now in the workplace. Without integration, AI can neither learn, nor predict.

Back to list of Microsoft MVPs

Chris Johnson@c_f_johnson

Chief Technology Officer at Hyperfish

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

A Digital Workplace to me personally is one where someone can work from anywhere, at any time, on their terms and that it is a 1st class experience.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Yes! A key factor in a Digital Workplace is access to their communication and collaboration tools from anywhere in the world. With Office 365 I can get my work done just as easily from a beach in Mexico, as I can from my office desk in Seattle.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

People need to be able to communicate from across the globe as easily as they do in person. With the advances in augmented reality, I can see some big advances coming in remote communication within the Digital Workplace.

Back to list of Microsoft MVPs

Mark Rackley@mrackley

Chief Strategy Officer at PAIT Group

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

To me, a true digital workplace means that I can do my job anywhere, anytime, on any device. I can be effective on my phone or my computer to easily and quickly do my day-to-day tasks.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Office 365 overwhelmingly responds to the challenges that arise from the Digital Workplace. With apps like Teams, PowerApps, Flow and the new Communications sites, my options for getting the content I need and collaborating with peers is continually growing. This also creates the challenge of staying on top of the ever-changing landscape to ensure I'm taking advantage of the right tool for the job.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

I see continued improvements and added functionality to the current suite of apps, enabling companies to get off of dying technology like SharePoint Designer and InfoPath, and eventually SharePoint Classic sites while at the same time providing a better mobile experience.

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Jasper Oosterveld@jasoosterveld

Consultant at InSpark

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

The Digital Workplace makes my work days easier, efficient and overall more fun. I can use the tools I need to get my work done anywhere, anytime and on any device.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Microsoft facilitates the Digital Workplace with Office 365. Office 365 contains the tools & services necessary, allowing people to get the job done.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

The next phase is intelligence and bots. Providing me with relevant content & people for my work activities. Bots should make my work days even more efficient, by providing me with answers to my questions and executing basic tasks.

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Maarten Eekels@maarteneekels

Chief Technology Officer at Portiva

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

The Digital Workplace is the set of tools that help an employee to get their job done. These tools are not just software, they are devices, physical workplaces, and work times too. These four pillars need to be geared to one another for the Digital Workplace to really work.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

To some extent, yes! Office 365 provides the right software tools for a compelling Digital Workplace, and makes it possible to access these tools from any device, anyplace, anytime.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

We need to start realizing that a truly compelling Digital Workplace is more than "just" software. We need to start embedding physical workplaces and work times as well. The office, whether that being the kitchen table at home or a fancy office space on the 40th floor, is part of our physical workplace, so part of our digital workplace too. Also, the interaction between employees seems to shift to higher gears all the time. We expect high velocity in our conversations, but we need to be able to spend focusing, too. That differentiation should be part of our digital workplace.

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Adis Jugo@adisjugo

Director of Product Technology at Skybow

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

It is a workplace where all I need for work is someone else's computer.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

For the most part, yes.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

Powerful mobile devices which can turn into computers.

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Sean P McDonough@spmcdonough

Chief Technology Officer at Bitstream Foundry LLC

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

To me, the Digital Workplace means working with complete location and equipment transparency. My tools are likely in the cloud, and I can sit down at any computer with an Internet connection and be productive. This means my office can be anywhere, too. The Digital Workplace makes the distance between co-workers largely irrelevant, because they connect and collaborate online.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Absolutely! Office 365 is filled to the brim with the tools of the Digital Workplace. The Office Suite of tools can still be installed on a workstation, and installing from the Office 365 Portal is a snap with click-to-run. If you want a minimal footprint on your workstation, the Office Web Applications give you the lion's share of Office functionality from the equivalent of a web page.

Combining the Office suite with tools like Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, and SharePoint enable numerous collaboration scenarios and address key productivity tasks. And that's even before you factor in the numerous other Office 365 tools like OneDrive for Business, Planner, Yammer, PowerApps, Flow, and more!

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

With all of its tools, Office 365 represents an impressive set of capabilities and a phenomenal value. What I see coming next is the integration of all these tools more seamlessly and effectively. Microsoft has made great progress on this already, but a critical component in the Digital Workplace is the ability to focus on data instead of tools. To the extent possible, we'll see progress that "makes the tools go away" so that we can focus on what we're creating rather than on the tool we're using.

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Marc D Anderson@sympmarc

President at Sympraxis

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

First of all, Digital Workplace - like most buzz phrases before it - has become somewhat meaningless. I think the original intent was to help free information workers for the confines of physical interactions and expand technology-enabled productivity. It doesn't mean that technology solves the business problems, but that better technology tools can help support a new way of working. None of this works without the right cultural and incentive shifts. In many ways, this echoes many movements before it, such as knowledge management, which we've been trying to enable since the mid-1990s.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Office 365 offers capabilities that mostly outstrip the abilities of most organizations, especially larger ones. Microsoft is building capabilities which represent aspirational ways of working that are rare in the real world. This isn't a bad thing, but to many organizations, the mechanisms and techniques in Office 365 feel very foreign - a "not the way we work" perception. I think this is a huge reason for the dreaded "lack of adoption"; the tools don't necessarily reflect the way most organizations actually work, or even the way they may want to work. Ideas at the top about fascinating workplace trends to not usually filter down the common worker very well. All that said, designing for the future of work is the right way to go.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

Everything! And, unfortunately - in some cases - nothing. As a trend, it will continue and some organizations will alter the way they work. The classic technology adopter curve applies here, and there will be laggards and even organizations which simply never see or receive value from these ideas. I believe in an evolutionary approach to change, not a revolutionary one. That, plus the fact that change for the sake of change - without making people more productive and happier about their work - will mean many failed efforts, as we have seen with most trends in the past. Every change agent should look for smaller wins that can really happen, chipping away at older, less productive ways of working rather than trying to change everything.

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Liam Cleary@helloitsliam

Associate Director at Protiviti

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

The Digital Workplace is the virtual workplace, the place where people and process are first, with technology enabling all aspects of collaboration seamlessly.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Some of them yes, however the key to the digital workplace is not always the technology, though Office 365 does offer lots of capabilities. The ability to rebuild, design and implement end user business processes easily is the key, not Office 365 alone.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

We see this happening now, but still has some way to go. The blurring of on-premises applications and cloud services from a process perspective will be next. The joining of multiple services and applications together using a connector type approach will be the next logical step. We all still seek the single pane of glass over everything, as of yet this is not a true reality.

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Jeremy Thake@jthake

Vice President of Product Technology at Hyperfish

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

It is where my colleagues and I go to get our work done, on whatever device we have at our finger tips. It's a place to share our contributions with the rest of the organization easily.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Office 365 is the best solution for a Digital Workplace because its all-in-one service. It will only get easier over time, as the service integrates even more closely together. Active Directory sign in and the app launcher were the first. Office 365 Groups was the second and Microsoft Teams will really push this further in 2018.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

Digital assistants will start to really leverage the context of all the systems you use in your digital workplace. This is starting to happen with Cortana in Windows 10 with calendar events. I foresee lots more suggestions to help you get your job done, based on who you work with, your profile and the content you access.

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Julie Turner@jfj1997

Principal Architect at Sympraxis Consulting LLC

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

To me, a Digital Workplace is the distributed connectedness that allows someone to be productive, wherever they are: in the office, across town, or across the globe. In recent years, progressive corporate environments have started allowing and encouraging their workforce to detach from their office chair necessitating tools to allow them to remain connected. For me - coming from a family who owns a small business and being a member of a small business myself, where one person must wear many hats, is often juggling many commitments, and is constantly on the go - the need for this connectedness has always been there. It's only been in the last few years we've seen the emergence of technology (hardware and software) that can help make us really productive while on the go. Of course, there's always more to do.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

For corporations and larger organizations that work mostly amongst various locations of the same organization where authentication is seamless, I think Office 365 is unparalleled and advancing at a mind-blowing rate. I would say for the small or maybe micro business level, where people are often collaborating amongst many resources that aren't necessarily members of their organization, challenges still exist. Given the general technical and financial limitations of those businesses, the hurdles are harder to overcome.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

The number of tools out there that help with various types of tasks is overwhelming to most people. Refining the story and seamlessness of those various tools, in my mind, is one of the most important directives.

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Paolo Pialorsi@PaoloPia

Senior Consultant at piasys.com

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

The set of tools that let you manage your business from wherever you need and with whatever device you like.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

I would say 99% yes. Of course, there is always room for improvement, but for sure Office 365 is nowadays one of the best set of services to build a Digital Workplace.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

Wearable devices and AI will mark the road to the future

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Jussi Roine@JussiRoine

Chief Research Officer at Sulava

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

No paper forms, tools readily available for any devices, automated processes and an attitude to work for the future.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Yes, and no. A lot of the Office 365 tooling is still very 'classic', while the modern does not match what is needed. It's a buffet table of things where you need to understand what you're allergic to.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

Teams.

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Andrew Connell@andrewconnell

Founder & Chief Course Artisan at Voitanos

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

A people-first work environment where technology is a core component to collaboration, decision making and enabling workers to get their job done.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Yes, for the enterprise... not so much for small business.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

Focus on small business, at least from the Office 365 perspective. Office 365 is great for enterprise where everyone collaborates together, but sharing & working with people outside your domain is still a significant weakness of Office 365.

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Darrell Webster@darrellaas

Adoption and Change Management Specialist

Describe for us what the "Digital Workplace” means for you.

A Digital Workplace (DW) is not a place of work, but a way of working. It is tools and organizational culture. DW tools support working from anywhere, connecting people with other people and information, be it at a desk, on the road or while waiting for your coffee to brew. DW culture is inclusive, connected and collaborative. The cultural default is to share skills, ideas, observations - information.

Does Office 365 respond to the challenges that arise in the "Digital Workplace"?

Yes, Office 365 provides the tools to cover most challenges for a Digital Workplace. It offers choice of different communication, collaboration and coordination tools. However, it is up to the organization to create the culture and give guidance.

In your opinion, what’s next for the "Digital Workplace"?

I think work will continue in the search and discovery space, to make information and conversations easier to find. Information through conversation and automation will give us focus, so we don't have to deal with the mundane, but will give us more time to create, discuss, and refine.

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Get a printable version of our “Evolving in the Digital Workplace Together” booklet. Download the PDF now.

Hopefully these bits of wisdom have helped you shape an opinion on the Digital Workplace.

The sheer speed at which technology and the way we work is changing, there’s no doubt that these thoughts will continue to evolve. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, bots… The possibilities are endless!

We can’t forget that a workplace is more than just the technology, the space and the tools we use to facilitate our work- it’s also about us, the humans that live it. And as our workplaces are evolving, our expectations as employees are also shifting. As such, organizations that don’t embrace this digital revolution risk falling behind.

What are you waiting for?

Source

https://en.share-gate.com/blog/evolving-in-the-digital-workplace-together

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nicholemhearn · 8 years ago

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Moderation II. Rules for Moderates

Is it possible to combine pragmatism and moderate political engagement with a grain of skepticism and a robust commitment to rational discourse and civility? I ask this question from the perspective of someone who believes in the power of moderation, but does not think that moderation is the only answer to our nation’s many problems.

A similar question was asked five decades ago in a different context by Saul Alinsky, whose teachings influenced entire generations of community activists.

At first sight, it might seem odd to invoke Alinsky’s name when thinking about moderation. Yet those who believe that what we need today is a form of pragmatic moderation might stand to gain a lot by reflecting on his pragmatic primer for realistic radicals, Rules for Radicals. There, he made a compelling case for a pragmatic and realistic form of social activism that starts from how the world is, not where we would like it to be. He was a no-nonsense reformer who sought to work within the system while ruthlessly denouncing corruption at all levels and calling for his fellow citizens to rethink the meaning of the American dream.

What would be the rules for realistic and pragmatic moderates in our current political climate? Here are a few suggestions, drawing upon my recent book, Faces of Moderation, and a previous intervention on the Penn Press blog.

Moderation is an eclectic, complex, and misunderstood virtue that challenges our political imagination (which is accustomed to stark contrasts and the classic left/right dichotomy). It should not be reduced to a simple trait of character, state of mind, or disposition. There is a moderation appropriate to citizens (working with each other to achieve common goals), one that applies to leaders (entrusted with steering the ship of the state), and one that applies to institutions and constitutions. Moreover, moderation can apply to ends or to means, and the two meanings must not be confounded. Similarly, even within revolutionary movements one can find moderate ideas and actors. That is why it is inappropriate to refer to moderation in the abstract, as most conventional definitions and images of moderation do. They often build a straw man that fails to capture the distinctiveness and unique nature of this virtue.

While they have been viewed as opportunistic or weak, in reality, moderates are principled and strong. While they do not believe that consistency (rigidly understood) is always a virtue, moderates are not rudderless in their choices, nor lukewarm in their commitments. They do have a moral and political compass, but choose to affirm it in a moderate way. Thus, moderation is neither indecisiveness nor a synonym of powerlessness. Finally, moderation is not a mere defense or endorsement of the status quo; in reality, moderation can often be a powerful instrument for change, even if there will always be impostors posing as moderates whose conservative agenda is anything but moderate.

Moderates defend the principles of an open society, civil dialogue, and constitutionalism. They have a primary commitment to creating and maintaining an inclusive community that comprises people with whom they disagree. Moderates are partisans of change and reform, but they also believe in balance and proportion; that is why they are concerned about rising inequality as much as about intolerance and ideological intransigence. In general, moderates are skeptical of simplicity and uniformity in political affairs and tend to favor complex political systems and hybrid solutions, including checks and balances, veto power, judicial review, subsidiarity, and federalism, among other things. Moderates favor “neutral power” (as a moderating power above all others), polycentricity, and competing centers of power rather than centralization. [1]

Moderation presupposes a skeptical political style. In general, moderates do not consider themselves authoritative voices or moral authorities entitled to talk down to their fellow citizens; they lack the assurance that would allow them to settle everything forever. They are aware of human fallibility, ignorance, and the role of uncertainty in political affairs. This is why moderates keep an open mind and try to feel and understand the opposite sides of life. In politics, they are skeptical of all those who confidently talk about purity, axes of evil, red lines, and litmus tests, or claim that they alone can fix things. Rather than insisting on purity of principle, moderates encourage all sides to make timely and reasonable concessions that can advance the public good, broadly defined.

Consequently, the universe as seen by moderates is not divided between the forces of good and the forces of evil. It is rather a world made of many shades of gray and lots of nuances, a world that is full of contradictions and tensions, many of which can never be fully resolved. Moderates refuse to simplify reality and know that most political issues have more than one side. Hence, they resist the temptation to define a single best way or offer a one-dimensional definition of the political good; instead, they carefully examine facts and are prepared to modify their beliefs when the facts themselves change. As a result, unlike extremists, moderates are reluctant to interpret political events and policy proposals in light of any single value or principle, whether equality, justice, diversity, or liberty. Instead, they claim the right to hesitate and weigh the pros and cons in order to choose the best possible course of action in each case, given the specific and ever-changing circumstances under which they operate.

Moderates can be found on all sides of the political spectrum, not just the center. They are aware, in the words of Burke, that the activity of governing is founded on compromise and barter: “We balance inconveniences; we give and take; we remit some rights that we may enjoy others.” [2] Moderates are always ready to work across party lines to facilitate agreements for the common good and prevent the country from slipping into chaos. In so doing, they help preserve the fragile balance between diverse social forces and political interests. That is, they prefer to think politically rather than by the book, and they don’t go searching for perfection. Instead of asking whether the end justifies the means, pragmatic moderates prefer to ask, “Does this particular end justify this particular means”? [3]

Moderates believe in the power of dialogue and critical reflection, are committed to civility, and oppose violence. They keep the lines of dialogue open with their opponents even when dialogue becomes difficult or uncomfortable. In so doing, they serve as an example of civility and magnanimity to those who resort to hyperbole, deceptive soundbites, and invective. Moderates refrain from exaggerating disputes or differences. While they defend their ideas and values, they do not close off all space for others’ positions. Moderates do not fly from extreme to extreme, and if they change parties, they do not regard the party they left behind with animosity and scorn.

Moderates do not avoid partisanship, conflict, or controversy. Nor do they seek an easy and superficial overlapping consensus among different groups. As the Italian political philosopher Norberto Bobbio once put it, the task of the moderate is to sow the seeds of doubt about common ideas, challenge received myths, and dogmas. [4] For moderates recognize that an open society cannot function without struggle and contestation. A frictionless world is an abstract one; in the real world, movement or change cannot occur “without that abrasive friction of conflict.” [5] Moderates know that the institutions of an open society can, at best, create an imperfect form of harmony in dissonance, and can never aspire to achieve a full agreement on the meaning of the good society. That is why moderates try to make the most of the tensions, conflicts, and contradictions that make up the real world. The most they can aspire to is a decent form of “reasonable inconsistency,” in the words of an exemplary moderate, the late Polish philosopher Leszek Kołakowski. [6]

Moderation is a difficult, rare, and sometimes risky virtue. It takes patience, discernment, and courage to stick to moderation when everyone around you demands a radical course of action and sees the world through Manichaean lenses. Moderation presupposes forming alliances and working with people who see the world through different eyes than you. It is no coincidence that Albert Camus spoke about “the extenuating intransigence of moderation” and commented on the moderates’ rebelliousness. Being a moderate resembles walking a tightrope: this demands not only intuition, foresight, judgment, and flexibility, but also a great deal of courage and thick skin. Moderates cannot let any particular challenging belief or opponent hurt them. Like a tightrope walker, they must keep their eyes fixed on the target ahead of them.

Appearances notwithstanding, there is always a market for moderation, even in tough times. Democratic regimes cannot properly function without compromise, bargaining, and moderation; this can be a winning card if played wisely. Although it may not be sufficient to create a mass movement, moderation has the great advantage of being an optimistic virtue tailored to human nature, one that aims neither too high nor too low. Because it is neither a fixed ideology nor a party platform, moderation enables different people from many walks of life to take effective action in defense of freedom, toleration, pluralism, limited power, and the rule of law. For example, the Charter ’77 was a moderate dissident movement based on the what one of its leaders, the former Czech President Vaclav Havel, called the “power of the powerless.” [7] At the heart of the Solidarity movement in Poland were the moderate concepts of self-limiting revolution and evolutionism [8]. Both movements effectively challenged the power of communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe and signaled the beginning of the end of Soviet rule there.

Lessons Learned from the Rules

Can there be a party of moderates, one might ask?

At first sight, moderates form, as it were, a party without a banner; to speak of a real party of moderates may therefore seem counterintuitive. Yet those who wonder whether moderation can offer a governing platform might want to study the case of the Moderates Party in Sweden (Moderata Samlingspartiet). Founded in 1904, the party took its current name in 1969 and has been part of various coalitions in government. In 1991, its leader, Carl Bildt, became the country’s Prime Minister, a feat repeated in 2006 by Fredryk Reinfeldt (he was reelected in 2010, when the party won 30 percent of all votes, and governed until 2014). The Moderates Party has traditionally defended liberal-conservative policies meant to promote small and efficient government, low taxes and inflation, and small budget deficits.

For anyone who wants to live in a decent society, moderation remains an indispensable virtue. Moderates are our unsung heroes. They perform a vital role in our society, even if it often goes unacknowledged. In a world in which partisan bias has become so strong that it acts as a kind of prism for selecting (or distorting) only those facts that suit one’s preferences, moderates seek to oppose the exaggerations of all groups and parties. Without them, as John Adams once wrote, “every man in power becomes a ravenous beast of prey.” [9]

Aurelian Craiutu is Professor of Political Science at Indiana University, Bloomington. His Faces of Moderation: The Art of Balance in an Age of Extremes was released by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2016.

NOTES

I borrow the term “neutral power” from Benjamin Constant’s Principles of Politics (1815) and the concept of polycentricity from the writings of Vincent and Elinor Ostrom, founders of the Bloomington School. See http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/dlc/bitstream/handle/10535/3763/vostr004.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

The quotation is from Burke’s famous speech on conciliation with America published in Edmund Burke, Pre-Revolutionary Writings, ed. Ian Harris (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), p. 247.

Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals: A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals (New York: Vintage, 1981; first ed. 1971)., p. 24.

Norberto Bobbio, A Political Life, trans. Allan Cameron (Cambridge: Polity, 2002), p. 79.

Alinsky, Rules for Radicals, p. 21.

Leszek Kołakowski, “In Praise of Inconsistency,” in his Toward a Marxist Humanism: Essays on the Left Today, trans. Jane Zielonko Peel (New York: Grove Press, 1968), p. 216.

This is the title of Vaclav Havel’s famous essay on this topic published in 1977.

I have commented on these concepts in Faces of Moderation, pp. 195-203.

9. The Political Writings of John Adams, ed. George A. Peek (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1954), p. 89.

The post Moderation II. Rules for Moderates appeared first on Niskanen Center.

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stopkingobama · 8 years ago

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Dark Humor from the Socialist Hellhole of Venezuela

Photo source: Pixabay, tpsdave, CC0 Public Domain, https://pixabay.com/en/maracaibo-venezuela-building-old-110257/

Back in 2015, I mocked Venezuelan socialism because it led to shortages of just about every product. Including toilet paper.

But maybe that doesn’t matter. After all, if people don’t have anything to eat, they probably don’t have much need to visit the bathroom.

The Washington Post reports that farmers are producing less and less food because of government intervention, even though the nation is filled with hungry people.

Venezuela, whose economy operates on its own special plane of dysfunction. At a time of empty supermarkets and spreading hunger, the country’s farms are producing less and less, not more, making the caloric deficit even worse. Drive around the countryside outside the capital, Caracas, and there’s everything a farmer needs: fertile land, water, sunshine and gasoline at 4 cents a gallon, cheapest in the world. Yet somehow families here are just as scrawny-looking as the city-dwelling Venezuelans waiting in bread lines or picking through garbage for scraps. …“Last year I had 200,000 hens,” said Saulo Escobar, who runs a poultry and hog farm here in the state of Aragua, an hour outside Caracas. “Now I have 70,000.” Several of his cavernous henhouses sit empty because, Escobar said, he can’t afford to buy more chicks or feed. Government price controls have made his business unprofitable…the country is facing a dietary calamity. With medicines scarce and malnutrition cases soaring, more than 11,000 babies died last year, sending the infant mortality rate up 30 percent, according to Venezuela’s Health Ministry. …Child hunger in parts of Venezuela is a “humanitarian crisis,” according to a new report by the Catholic relief organization Caritas, which found 11.4 percent of children under age 5 suffering from moderate to severe malnutrition… In a recent survey of 6,500 Venezuelan families by the country’s leading universities, three-quarters of adults said they lost weight in 2016 — an average of 19 pounds. This collective emaciation is referred to dryly here as “the Maduro diet,” but it’s a level of hunger almost unheard-of… Venezuela’s disaster is man-made, economists point out — the result of farm nationalizations, currency distortions and a government takeover of food distribution. …The price controls have become a powerful disincentive in rural Venezuela. “There are no profits, so we produce at a loss,” said one dairy farmer.

Here’s where we get to the economics lesson. When producers aren’t allowed to profit, they don’t produce.

And when we’re looking at the production of food, that means hungry people.

Even the left-wing Guardian in the U.K. has noticed.

Hunger is gnawing at Venezuela, where a government that claims to rule for the poorest has left most of its 31 million people short of food, many desperately so. …Adriana Velásquez gets ready for work, heading out into an uncertain darkness as she has done since hunger forced her into the only job she could find at 14. She was introduced to her brothel madam by a friend more than two years ago after her mother, a single parent, was fired and the two ran out of food. “It was really hard, but we were going to bed without eating,” said the teenager, whose name has been changed to protect her. …Venezuela’s crisis has deepened, the number of women working at the brothel has doubled, and their ages have dropped. “I was the youngest when I started. Now there are girls who are 12 or 13. Almost all of us are there because of the crisis, because of hunger.” She earns 400,000 bolivares a month, around four times the minimum wage, but at a time of hyperinflation that is now worth about $30, barely enough to feed herself, her mother and a new baby brother.

This is truly sad.

Our leftist friends like to concoct far-fetched theories of how prostitution is enabled by everything from low taxes to global warming.

In the real world, however, socialism drives teenage girls (or even younger) to work in brothels.

That’s such a depressing thought that let’s shift the topic back to hunger and toilet paper.

Especially since Venezuela’s dictator is bragging that the nation’s toilet paper shortage has been solved!

This is definitely a dark version of satire.

But Venezuela is such a mess that it’s hard to know where to draw the line between mockery and reality.

For instance, here’s another “benefit” of limited food. If you don’t eat, it’s not as necessary to brush your teeth.

And is the socialist paradise of Venezuela, that makes a virtue out of necessity since – surprise – there’s a shortage of toothpaste.

The Washington Post has the grim details.

Ana Margarita Rangel…spends everything she earns to fend off hunger. Her shoes are tattered and torn, but she cannot afford new ones. A tube of toothpaste costs half a week’s wages. “I’ve always loved brushing my teeth before going to sleep I mean, that’s the rule, right?” said Rangel, …“Now I have to choose,” she said. “So I do it only in the mornings.” …The government sets price caps on some basic food items, such as pasta, rice and flour. …those items can usually be obtained only by standing in lines for hours or by signing up to receive a subsidized monthly grocery box from the government… Since 2014, the proportion of Venezuelan families in poverty has soared from 48 percent to 82 percent… Fifty-two percent of families live in extreme poverty, according to the survey, and about 31 percent survive on two meals per day at most.

Isn’t socialism wonderful! You have the luxury of choosing between two meals a day, or one meal a day plus toothpaste!

By the way, the central planners have a plan.

Though it won’t make Bugs Bunny happy.

Rabbit is now on the menu! Here are some excerpts from a CNN report.

Let them eat rabbits. That was basically the message from President Nicolas Maduro to Venezuelans starving and struggling through severe food shortages… The Venezuelan leaders…recommend that people raise rabbits at home as a source of food. …The agriculture minister argued that rabbits easily reproduce and are a source of protein. He also recommended citizens consider raising and growing other animals and vegetables at home. It’s just the latest attempt to try and solve the food shortage problem. The government forces citizens to pick up groceries on certain days of the week depending on social security numbers.

Gee, isn’t this wonderful. The government cripples markets so they can’t function and then advocates people live like medieval peasants.

Maybe there should be price controls on clothing, along with having the government in charge of distribution. That will wreck that market as well, so people can make their own clothes out of rabbit pelts.

I wonder whether a certain American lawmaker is rethinking his praise of Venezuelan economic policy?

Based on what he said as recently as last year, the answer is no.

Republished from Intentional Liberty

Daniel J. Mitchell

Daniel J. Mitchell is a Washington-based economist who specializes in fiscal policy, particularly tax reform, international tax competition, and the economic burden of government spending. He also serves on the editorial board of the Cayman Financial Review.

This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article.

#Venezuela

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americanlibertypac · 8 years ago

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Dark Humor from the Socialist Hellhole of Venezuela

Photo source: Pixabay, tpsdave, CC0 Public Domain, https://pixabay.com/en/maracaibo-venezuela-building-old-110257/

Back in 2015, I mocked Venezuelan socialism because it led to shortages of just about every product. Including toilet paper.

But maybe that doesn’t matter. After all, if people don’t have anything to eat, they probably don’t have much need to visit the bathroom.

The Washington Post reports that farmers are producing less and less food because of government intervention, even though the nation is filled with hungry people.

Here’s where we get to the economics lesson. When producers aren’t allowed to profit, they don’t produce.

And when we’re looking at the production of food, that means hungry people.

Even the left-wing Guardian in the U.K. has noticed.

This is truly sad.

Our leftist friends like to concoct far-fetched theories of how prostitution is enabled by everything from low taxes to global warming.

In the real world, however, socialism drives teenage girls (or even younger) to work in brothels.

That’s such a depressing thought that let’s shift the topic back to hunger and toilet paper.

Especially since Venezuela’s dictator is bragging that the nation’s toilet paper shortage has been solved!

This is definitely a dark version of satire.

But Venezuela is such a mess that it’s hard to know where to draw the line between mockery and reality.

For instance, here’s another “benefit” of limited food. If you don’t eat, it’s not as necessary to brush your teeth.

And is the socialist paradise of Venezuela, that makes a virtue out of necessity since – surprise – there’s a shortage of toothpaste.

The Washington Post has the grim details.

Isn’t socialism wonderful! You have the luxury of choosing between two meals a day, or one meal a day plus toothpaste!

By the way, the central planners have a plan.

Though it won’t make Bugs Bunny happy.

Rabbit is now on the menu! Here are some excerpts from a CNN report.

Gee, isn’t this wonderful. The government cripples markets so they can’t function and then advocates people live like medieval peasants.

I wonder whether a certain American lawmaker is rethinking his praise of Venezuelan economic policy?

Based on what he said as recently as last year, the answer is no.

Republished from Intentional Liberty

Daniel J. Mitchell

This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article.

#Venezuela

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