Open Revolution #4 - Ending Closed Systems

Collaboration, 'Open' Solutions, and Innovation are key strategies for creating a better future.

The growing number of protests on Wall Street and across the country by our citizenry reflects the belief that our system of American checks and balances has been circumvented by the influence of big corporations and financial organizations that have made it impossible for the people's voice to be heard. The winter may drive many of the protestors inside temporarily, but I surmise that they will be back in force in the coming year.

Both industry and the government leaders have created a 'closed system' that is ignoring the voice of the people. This in turn has led to a global 'Open Revolution'. People are speaking up and have taken to the street and cyberspace to protest and express their frustration and anger with the status quo. Existing systems that have been 'closed' need to change and become more 'open' and equitable.  Listen to the voices of the 99%.

Business and political leaders who have been selling out our country, putting their own personal or corporate interests first, need to be very wary. They also ought to remember that using their influence to have the police powers of the state used against the people, as they have done many times in the past, never works over the long haul. It simply enflames the people and solidifies their positions. The 99% will be heard.

There's no getting around it. As I have said before, the global 'Open Revolution' is well underway. The Internet, social media, mobile apps, open solutions, collaboration, crowdsourcing, innovation and constant change are all converging and empowering people as never before. Closed systems, closed communities, and close minded leaders do not work well in the 21^st century.

Billions of citizens are now on the Internet and using mobile technologies. These citizens of the 21^st century are 'always on', accessing information and exchanging their views. They are expressing a growing sense of political and economic disenfranchisement and they will be heard. The views of the 99% won't be silenced.

What does this all mean to us and our future? Where will this 'Open Revolution' take us? Will the 'closed' systems and existing business and political leaders change? Or will they be forced out? How soon before we see real constructive change?

Corruption in America?!

A couple of years ago I was on vacation in Chile and happened to pick up a book on doing business with America. I was very surprised to see a note of caution about the level of corruption one should expect to find. The booklet ranked the U.S. in 16th place on the list of corrupt nations. I always figured we were one of the least corrupt nations and was very surprised at this perception. I just checked the 2010 rankings and we have slipped to 20th place, just ahead of Uraguay. Apparently the perception of corruption in America by the international community is growing. See CorruptionPerceptionsIndex

Then I picked up the latest copy of Time magazine and read an article about corruption in the U.S. in which Mr. Zakaria states that Senator John McCain "pointed to the tax code as the foundation for corruption of American politics. Special interests pay politicians vast amounts of cash for their campaigns, and in return they get favorable exemptions or credits in the tax code. In other countries this sort of bribery takes place underneath bridges and with cash in brown envelopes. In America it is institutionalized and legal, but it is the same - cash for politicians in return for favorable treatment from the government. The U.S. tax system is not simply corrupt; it is corrupt in a deceptive manner that has degraded the entire system of American government. Congress is able to funnel vast sums of money to its favored funders through the tax code - without anyone realizing it."

Yes, it appears you can fool the people most of the time. We have been treated as fools by politicians and greedy corporations. Our system has become corrupt - it is broken. That's why the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street protests are taking place. We, the people, are now paying the price of allowing corrupt politicians, business leaders, and practices to flourish in America for decades. If you're religious, you know God is going to teach us a very bitter lesson over an extended period of time until we change our practices. Wake up America!

What are the solutions? Repentance? Holding leaders accountable? Punishing corrupt business leaders? Removing corrupt politicians by your vote? Not just paying attention to words, but actions and outcomes. Being relentless in protecting our country from these internal threats over the next decade and beyond. Tax code reform?

What 'serious' solutions do you think are needed? Share your serious views and recommendations with us.

Open Revolution #3

This the third blog I have written on the global 'Open Revolution'. As I have stated in the past, I believe we have moved into a century of massive, global collaboration, innovation, and 'open' solutions. There is a revolution taking place as we continue to move forward and embrace a wide range of open solutions in all sectors of the economy and our society. In education and publishing we are moving to open copyright, open access, open knowledge, and open journals. We're seeing collaborative and 'open' news organizations, religious, and political movements. In the high tech industry, open source systems and supportive communities are proliferating across the board. We are seeing an 'Open Revolution' breaking out on all fronts. We are seeing the successful strategies of global collaboration, open solutions, and innovation take hold and start to overwhelm current organizations and systems that are starting to fail.

The recent round of protest on Wall Street by our citizenry reflects the belief that our system of American checks and balances has been thoroughly trashed by the influence of big corporations and finance organizations that have made it impossible for the people's voice to be heard. Industry and the government leaders have created a 'closed system' that ignores the voice of the people. As a result, we are seeing the global 'Open Revolution' that started in the Middle East spreading to the west. It is now arriving on our shores. People are speaking up and beginning to take to the street and business and political leaders who have been selling out our country for their own greed need to be very wary. They also ought to remember that using their influence to have the police powers of the state used against the people, as they have many times in the past, never works over the long haul. It simply enflames the people and solidifies their positions.

Let me reiterate some of my previous observations on the topic of global collaboration and open solutions –

• There's no getting around it. The global 'Open Revolution' is well underway.
• Collaboration & open solutions are leading the way in this age of innovation and constant change.
• Unfortunately, many existing business & political systems have become self centered, destructive 'closed' communities.
• Billions of users of the Internet & mobile technologies are 'always on', accessing information and exchanging their views.
• There's a growing sense of political & economic disenfranchisement of billions of people around the world and across our own country – and these views are being voiced and exchanged.

Now, what does this all mean to us and our future? Where will this global 'Open Revolution' take us? Will the 'closed' system or community of existing business and political leaders be forced to change their behaviour? How do we harness the energy for 'constructive' purposes?