Program mindsets.... Something all governments AND world institutions need to break themselves free from! I want to explore that topic - in my mind the way governments deal with issues can be ineffectual, even counter-productive and certainly counter-intuitive when their programs set up re-active rather than pro-active ripples throughout the system! Here in Canada we are rife with government programs, addressing this or that social issue or farmer crisis or what have you. And countries don't just do this internally - the International Monetary Fund, The United Nations, The World Bank all do the same!

It's Katrina and how the US will deal with the long term issues that has me concerned. I'm thinking there'll be just another layer of bureaucratic bungling before any humane and acceptable help is really developed. I'm not just thinking of the people of the Great Gulf Coast in this either - because this has far reaching effects... My insurance will be affected - life insurance, house insurance and car insurance... It shouldn't be but if the US doesn't cover the people of her great country then the people will have no recourse but to go after their insurance companies and well there's that darn ripple now - can you see it? Darn! That's gonna hurt! It happened before - when New York City was attacked, my insurance was affected. I thought it was weird but insurance companies don't plan on paying out - y'know - therefore when it just happens that they have to - they don't bite the bullet and swallow it like we have to - instead they pass it on to us all the consumers!

Think about how these programs are developed. Someone with an ear in the government (of any country) comes up with a plan that they think solves a specific problem. A bunch of people brainstorm it and then some legislation is brought through it's process to make this solution, in the form of a program, a "law" or an "act". Following me so far?

Well the process is far from over... Now that there's a law or an act in place there's a need to find someone to administer that program so it can get out there to who-ever it's supposed to help - the government decides whether they administer the program or they find someone else to run it. Once all those issues are ironed out - and the endless application forms and proofs of A or B, etc. are all in place - "POOF" - the problem has morphed into something completely different and the program no longer solves anything. Or worse, the solution is so watered down as to be useless to those it was meant to help.

I have personal experience with this, having worked for a company who administered a program for farmers. It was interesting work that became extremely unsatisfying when it was truly obvious the "program" we administered really didn't solve anything. It simply created more problems and further disillusioned the ones trying to help and the ones trying to get help! Governments are too sluggish - it takes agility to solve problems, an agile mind and an agile solution. A cast in stone law is too static - too slow and clumsy. Enacted in the best of intent, or not, these laws rarely solve problems and usually only bandages the victim loosely! (ooops! Oh sorry! did I say victim - gee I meant "the reciever of the benefits of the program"! Ha! Ha! A freudian slip, maybe?)

I understand FEMA makes low cost loans to people to help them purchase replacement homes and the like... So you tell me these people who lost everything now have to buy a house all over again? And they have to take out a loan? Oh for pitty sake - give them the darn things! If you can't do it for free find another way - but don't make them buy all over again that's just weird! And why are "low cost loans" the fix-all solution? Even the IMF uses them in the poorest countries in the world - places where the citizenry don't even have banks - for fear of being robbed! Honest I get their reports every day - it blows me away! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the people get the money - just sad to see how it's done.

Does this make sense, I ask you?

People are the solutions to the problems that plague our world. And people, the fortunate ones with the multimillion dollar pockets, are needed to come up with some solutions that can outperform our bungling bureaucrats. I hope they hear their calling now and they're not waiting for the next disaster before they get up to the plate to swing their bats! Let's face it we average people all know "we are our brother's keeper" - lets hope the ones who have more than enough abundance to share start getting this message!