Enterprise Management and Government For Cook County

I wonder if Cook County should use something like SAP or Oracle. This is a case where a true Enterprise (ERP) system such as sap or oracle should come into play. There is so much bloat and waste in local government, the ability to run your government like a business and see where every dollar is going, and where every dollar is coming in. You can focus attention on the things that need to be fixed, and everyone will know what everyone else is spending.

The people will know how much everything costs, because the budget, books, and reports should be completely open to all. The system should be an open book for all of its citizens. Its our money at work, and we have the right to know where and how it is spent. Furthermore, we should question every expenditure. Call your local congressman, senator, alderman, city council member, what have you, and express yourself. Ask for a copy of the budget, see what happens.
The technology to weave the day to day operations of the government should function seamlessly, and provide you and every a report on what is profitable, and what is not. Not everything makes money, nor should it, that is what the government and services are all about, bet we need to quantify and monitor all expenditures to ensure the right money is being used for the right reasons.

Lets not forget the human equation. we need an accurate count of every employee, their salary, salary structure, etc. We need to keep that in line with the rest of what is normal, so that we keep everything in check. If the government would run as ERP system, I'm sure they will find more money then they know they had, and it would be well worth the investment in time and resources. The people would be surprised to find out just where there money is going, and how much that garbage can costs, or the street light costs. We need to end the way things have been done, and start fresh with a new mentality where everything counts, big and small, and everyone has a right and a voice.

Automakers must fail to survive

I know everyone has their opinion on what is to become of the automakers, and I am no exception. To be competitive, you have to provide a product that people want to buy, that people should buy. A car that is reliable, gets good gas milage, is easy to maintain, etc. That is part of the problem. There are other ways to make a car run besides gas, and it needs to be forced to happen. The way the cars run needs to change. Gas and oil will not last forever, and we need to be aware of that. Its too expensive to make a car today with the labor costs what they are. No offense to the unions, but they have to go. Isn't it better to have a job, and get some money, then none at all? That's what is going to happen soon. The automakers will eventually run out of money, and the government will stop bailing them out, and they will have to fail. The good that will come out of this is that hopefully they come back as leaner, more effeciant organizations. The days of the past are over and we need to stop rearward thinking and move forward. Salaries and benifits will be more in line with what they should be. Hopefully we will be makini cars that people will want to and can afford to buy. Fuel economy should be emphasised as well as alternative fuel options. I would love to have an electric car that got 200 miles a charge. I would settle for 100 if charging times we less then overnight. Hybrids are a good step forward. What about methane and propane fueled vehicals? Hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cells are probably the way to go. No more nasty emmisions, and if the distribution channels could be worked out, like they are for gasoline today, then the cost to fill up with hyrdogen would be better and better for the environment then gasoline. The great thing about hydrogen is that you could even make it yourself, but that is a topic for another post. If the various lobbies would just be made to understand that they are dinosaurs and have to move over for the sake of progress, and hydrogen power was made a national priortity, including building and maintaing a hydrogen distribution network, then we could lead the world in automotive fuel cell research and production, no longer have a need for oil and gas. Imagine not having a depandancy on foreign oil, let alone be able to export our production and make opec a thing of the past. Imagine.