Think Tanks - A Historical Record of the Reality and Brains Behind the Game

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Recently, an acquaintance of mind mentioned that Think Tanks historically have had a great deal of impact on policy making decisions in Washington DC, especially when it comes to the strategic defense of our country. Indeed, that is rather hard to deny and it is good to have the top thinkers of our time supporting our common goal to have the strongest defense on the planet. Without that we really do not have any guarantee that our great nation can continue. Without a strong military and defense our political clout, political will, and our diplomacy issues will not be taken seriously.

In any case, since I have not told you anything that you probably didn't already know or hadn't previously contemplated, my acquaintance did remind me of a rather interesting book to read, one which I own and it sits in my personal business library in my home. The name of the book, one which you may wish to read yourself if these things interest you is:

"Think Tanks" with a rather lengthy subtitle "An inside report on the remarkable idea factories - from pioneering Rand Corp to Herman Kahn's Hudson Institute to Robert Hutchins' pundit-harboring Center for Democratic Institutions to Nader's Raders, with a host of cerebral super-markets in between - that have made the brains business America's newest and perhaps most fateful, industry" by Paul Dickerson, published by Atheneum, New York, NY, (1971), pages 370, Library of Congress Card Catalogue # 71-16293.

As the Founder of a Think Tank, which operates online, I understand what the author was getting at, and see why his hard-hitting view and admonishment of the Industrial Military Complex was so pointed. He did serve in the US Navy, and thus, understands at least some of the game - today he's an older gentleman with some 55-books under his wings.

This book; "Think Tanks" (the author's first book) is a nice picture in time of the 1960s and 1970s, and it warns of the their power to move mountains and influence our leadership. It's a worthy read, and so maybe I'll recommend it to my acquaintance to consider in his quest to use brains to focus the brawn of our military. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes it's hard work to write 21,300 articles; http://www.bloggingcontent.net/

Understanding the Reality and Yes, Often the Necessity of Bureaucracy

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For those who are constantly criticizing government, perhaps, they need to understand a little more about what it is, how it works, why we need it, and the reality of the bureaucracy. Not long ago, I met an interesting gentleman and he had been a successful entrepreneur and then later decided to become a county commissioner. It's good to see such folks working in government, and we need more of them because they bring a good deal of expertise from the private sector into government; and it's really needed.

However, make no mistake government is not a business with a profit motive, nor should it try to become that. A good book to read on this topic is;

"Bureaucracy" by Ludwig van Misses,

and I highly recommend it. When I recommended it to the gentleman above, he figured he knew enough about bureaucracy and business and didn't feel he'd learn anything; I disagree completely.

You see, my thoughts are it rationalizes both sides of the argument. As an entrepreneur, I hated that every time I turned around some government agency was telling me what I could and couldn't do, some form had to be filled out, some tax, fee, fine, assessment, etc had to be paid, or that because there is no law against it, I couldn't do it, until they made up rules to govern whatever it was I was doing.

And by the time I was done with all the nonsense, I couldn't make any money at whatever it was I was doing, and there was no real reason for any of it, as the opportunity in the market had then passed. You know like "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and so, this book "Bureaucracy" rationalizes all the things I was tired of dealing with.

Indeed, maybe you or this gentleman about wouldn't learn much from this book, as in how your agency or business runs, but you will shake your head in agreement through most of it, and it is economic philosophy anyway, so it's pretty decent. Everyone should read it, and it should be required reading at MBA schools and required government administration degrees; also, everyone who studies political science, or votes; so, basically everyone.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes that if you want book reviews then you need to mail him your book, and if it's good you'll get a decent book review, but if not, you'll be sorry! http://www.bloggingcontent.net/

Note: All of Lance Winslow's articles are written by him, not by Automated Software, any Computer Program, or Artificially Intelligent Software. None of his articles are outsourced, PLR Content or written by ghost writers. Lance Winslow believes those who use these strategies lack integrity and mislead the reader. Indeed, those who use such cheating tools, crutches, and tricks of the trade may even be breaking the law by misleading the consumer and misrepresenting themselves in online marketing, which he finds completely unacceptable.