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October 27, 2011 - Image 50

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 2011-10-27

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

OPINION

OP-ART

ON ECONOMICS

Wa.,Tated

It.c(n) rsw fte

nit kfrlis

The decline of the "next big thing" is not something
government can foster through monetary policy alone.

By Mark Phillips

c-- 'he president has proposed a
new round of stimulus spend-
-
ing to confront the jobs crisis.
The Federal Reserve has said it will
increase monetary expansion.
Seems like another round of bang-
ing our heads against a wall.
Stimulus, if done right, should
and could work. Pumping money
into the right projects should
create jobs. I'm not debating
theory. The problem is the
practice. For some reason, the
last few attempts at stimulus
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have not created jobs. There is
no reason to think that this time
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will be different.
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To see what can be done, let's
look at where the money is. Big,
public companies are making
money. Earnings of the S&P, on aver-
The key facts, so far:
age, have consistently grown for the last
• Businesses are making money.
• Government has taken a weak negotiat-
10 quarters, with the last seven showing
double-digit growth (year-on-year). Wealth
ing position.
creation and growth are happening.
•A large percent of unemployed people
So what's stopping it from translating
haven't been able to create their own jobs
or wealth.
into jobs? First, many companies are doing
just fine without hiring, but if you ask big
What can cause the situation to change?
companies what's holding them back,
We need new and creative ideas.
many would say they need lower taxes,
I have looked at the last three years of
a different regulatory environment and,
economic data and see the story so far,
perhaps, different leadership to inspire
and I can't see the inflection point where
confidence.
the story arc takes its next step. To date, all
These are completely logical things for
the actors are playing the same roles but
a business to ask for. They aren't miss-
without any character development.
ing mortgage payments; they're making
The Schumpeter school of thought
money, and they see an opening to push
would say we need more change, more
for better treatment down the road.
pain, more "creative destruction" before
something new comes out. Aside from the
They are negotiating from a position of
human condition, which drives us forward,
strength.
there are also physical, cyber and economic
It seems ungrateful given that the
security factors that make progress an im-
government purportedly kept the wheels
perative; we do not live in a vacuum. And
on the economy back in '08-'09. One would
yet change, no matter how necessary, often
like to think there's some sort of amicable
takes a long time. That may be where we're
reciprocity between "business" and "the
heading if the current situation continues.
government" or"the public." Unfortunately,
I have confidence in the creativity of the
the world doesn't work that way. To quote
American people and the ability of our
Greek historian Thucydides, often "the
society to muster inspiring, effective lead-
strong do what they can and the weak suf-
ership when it is most needed. We have a
fer what they must."
powerful democracy and a strong social
The government is either not in a posi-
fabric that allows creativity to flourish. We
tion of strength or it's not using it.
have the innovation and solution inside of
With high unemployment and continued
us. We need to let it free.
consumer debt, the risk/reward doesn't
I turn to you, reader, to propose any
make sense for companies to hire on the
ideas. Post them online at www.
chance that the economy may or may not
redthreadmagazine.com or on Red Thread's
pick up steam; and, clearly, with profits be-
Facebook page or email them to the editor
ing what they are, a segment of consumers
at bgottlieb@redthreadmagazine.com .
are spending. Apple iPads are flying off the
What we need now are ideas and dia-
shelf. Auto sales are up. Wal-Mart's earnings
logue. Incredible solutions can be found
are up. Companies are successfully finding
when we break out of our silos and start
ways to create, sell and make money off
truly sharing ideas. It's your turn.
certain products — without hiring.

SOBS

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SPEAKERS' CORNER

iChoice: Steve Jobs and Us

By Reuven Spolter

7love my iPod.
11 It eases my commute, helps me run
and even promotes the Torah class I
teach. When Steve Jobs died in October,
the world mourned the loss of a unique
visionary who, through the sheer force of
his personality, fashioned products that
have enhanced the lives of people across
the globe.
But was it worth it? I wonder.
In his forthcoming biography of Jobs,
author Walter Isaacson recalled asking the
dying icon why, given that he so valued
his privacy, did he
welcome a stranger
into his home for
hours of intimate,
personal interviews
for a biography
that would only be
published after his
death? Jobs' answer
saddened me.
"I wanted my
kids to know me," he
said. "I wasn't always
there for them, and
I wanted them to
know why and to un-
derstand what I did."
How will his
children feel about
the fact that a writer
— and the entire world
for that matter —
knows their father at
least as well as they do?
Given the choice, would they rather be
the children of a world-famous tech icon
who didn't spend time with his kids or an
unknown tech executive who did?
Last month, Red Thread published a fas-
cinating article called, "The Price of Prog-
eny," (October 2011) about the emotional
cost of multiple children and the dangers
those kids can bring to a marriage.
"Having too many children can cripple
an already weak relationship and drive a
couple to divorce,"
marriage therapist
Dr. Alan Singer
said "Or it could
lead to constant
stress in the
home, which
also is bad for
the parents and
the children."
All important
points. But the
article neglected a
more basic question:
Why have children at
all? Are they simply
\1

-)

14 November 2011 I

in TIMM

accessories to a "good" marriage? Do we
have kids so one day they'll take care
of us when we're old? Do we even ask
those questions before we begin making
babies?
The answer to this critical question must
stem from our faith and has deep implica-
tions not only for how many children we
have, but also for how we raise them.
According to Jewish tradition, we don't
just choose to have children; we are com-
manded to do so. It's a mitzvah — actually
the very first in the Torah. Peru U'revu -"Be
fruitful and multiply."
(Genesis 1:28) It's
both a command-
ment and a bless-
ing.
In the very first
chapter of the
Torah, the same
Creator who built
the world and
blew life into man
commanded us, his
creation, to procre-
ate and bring new
life into the world
as well.
And, like every
other meaningful,
creative act (i.e.:
building a business,
a marriage or even a
closet at home), creat-
ing a family — and
shaping a human being
— often isn't fun or exciting. It's grueling,
hard, even excruciating work.
But, as the most creative act possible,
parenting is also the most meaningful,
powerful and important thing we can
do in our lives — even more important, I
think, than creating a Mac, iPhone or iPad.
Most of us are not Steve Jobs. We won't
create game-changing products used
by untold millions, but we all share his
struggle between work and family life —
especially in these challenging economic
times.
Had Steve Jobs made a different choice,
my workouts might be slightly less enjoy-
able. Someone else would have eventu-
ally figured out how to build a less classy
smart phone. And owners of Apple stock
would be far less wealthy.
But his children would not have needed
to read a book to know who their father
really was. E7

RABBI REUVEN SPOLTER is the director of student

recruitment and teaches Jewish studies at the Orot Col-
lege of Education in Elkana, Israel. He was formerly the
pulpit rabbi at Young Israel of Oak Park.

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