Strange Things Happen

You sometimes hear strange things you don't expect in places where you don't expect them.

I attended a class Saturday required to obtain a "CHL" or concealed handgun license. It was filled with people like me, getting a license for the first time. We were sitting like sardines in a little room in Pasadena, in an abandoned theater that now serves as a practice range.

In the middle of it a couple near me told a strange but true tale. They said that one night at 2 or 3 a.m. in the morning a woman started running around the outside of their house yelling something about "He's trying to kill me." Before they knew it, the woman jumped through their bedroom window! She ran into a closet and they called 911. All they had for defense was a knife.

Later they found a knife that the woman had dropped after breaking through the window. After hearing their story I found myself saying "If you had Armor Glass film on your windows, that never would have happened." The woman (or a burglar) would not have been able to break through their glass with a knife in her hands. Our security film would have prevented it.

It proved to me that security window film can provide armored protection, like a gun in many cases to protect you from a bad situation, be it a burglar, a wayward golf ball, a crazy lady on crack (the couple later found a crack pipe nearby), a hurricane or explosion....

It was a whirlwind week. I expect the next to be the same. It's odd to see the world slowing down while Armor Glass is speeding up...something fascinating is happening.

I passed the test with a 92. If we don't address the situation in Mexico, we'll all need the personal protection. Don't expect the violence to stay there when the criminals are making billions and importing high caliber killing machines. Don't expect hurricanes not to happen each year.

The other fascinating story I heard this week was at the "State of the County" lunch where Judge Ed Emmett told the story how a few tug captains kept a runaway ship from taking out our 610 bridge during Hurricane IKE last year. If that happened, it would have cut a vital Houston transport link -- and cost taxpayers millions of dollars and months, if not years, of repairs. During the 100 mph plus fury of IKE these guys chased down a ship that broke its moorings and would have wiped out the huge brige. Others joined in. All during the night, they kept the ship against a bank to keep it from destroying the bridge. All received a standing ovation.

The message. Be prepared. Or face the future high winds without protection.

Future cars, Future technology, Saudi Moderates - Anything is possible

Future cars, Future technology - Anything is possible

Take a look at the future of cars – an electric vehicle with a space-age look -- soon to be made in California. Give California credit. They have an "anything is possible" attitude. Instead of commuting in a bus-sized gas guzzler, you could be driving one of these machines. It looks like a “Jetson” flying car that doesn’t yet fly.

All of America needs this attitude that anything is possible. Texas, my home state, included.

We need a mental bailout on a national scale. Since I’ve already been on this road, I know. When I lost my high-flying Fortune 500 job in the mid-80's, I had to become an entrepreneur instead of a corporate thinker. When you don’t have a guaranteed paycheck every two weeks, your thinking becomes very motivated and creative. It meant having to try new things I never would have; to go places I’d never been. It means becoming both CEO and secretary, accountant and marketing rep. It means taking chances but not foolish to think you really won the British lotto.

Because of the free fall, and mistakes made being new at entrepreneurship, I lost all of my property but I also discovered that I didn't need it.

I also discovered how to succeed in the midst of chaos or despite of it. That experience, which millions are now having for the first time, proved to be a valuable lesson that is still paying off today. I find myself in the odd position of rapid increases in business while the rest of the economy sags. It also proves that providing the right service at the right time makes for success even in a global recession.

A different attitude by Americans will do more to generate our success than a thousand plans. We need an attitude adjustment. "Anything is possible" means that we try new things to generate new jobs and services. It means you listen to the person with the best ideas instead of the ones who are loyal yes men. There a millions of smart people of every skin color who never went to an Ivy League school but have built successful businesses and created jobs. We could export more and put solar panels on our roofs. I have been getting emails from around the world by people interested in our U.S.-made technology.

Not all of the businesses I tried worked, but the experience made it possible to avoid past mistakes and to grow a business that does work. When I was a Fortune 500 attorney, I never thought I'd be involved in saving energy and protecting people's lives and their property with Armor Glass. But because anything is possible, I find a positive change happening in my life.

On the international front, I see signs of positive changes in attitude as well.

The Saudi ruler has started replacing hard-line religious types who interfered in people's lives with more moderate people. Under the hardliners a woman who was raped was punished more than the men who committed the crime. And a woman being alone in a car with a man who was not a relative was considered a major crime for a woman in Saudi under the hardliners. So Saudi is going towards the center. It still has a way to go in a county that does not let women drive or any religious organization other than Muslim, but it is a move in the right direction.

However, the hard-right in India have been going into coffee shops and harassing women, telling them they are not being religious by drinking coffee and not wearing traditional saris. Backwards thinking seems to have no national barrier. Even the far lefty, Venezuela’s Chavez, is trying to abuse his power and remain President for life. America is good at not letting that happen.

Backwards thinking or inaction is not going to solve our problems or fix the financial mess. Tax cuts alone certainly won’t. It was backwards thinking that a nation and people could borrow and spend without end during the good times. It defied common sense that people could borrow money without showing proof of income, and that no one on Wall Street thought that would prove to be a problem. During the boom years America lost its common sense. Guys delivering pizzas one day became mortgage traders the next day -- making $20,000 a month with no training! Wall Street was drunk, but it wasn't alone.

We need to adopt the California attitude that "anything is possible" but apply it to real technology advancements, not Ponzi schemes where there is no oversight -- no one to question whether a practice is creating a threat. We need a return to common sense.

"Anything is possible" will produce the new green economy and jobs of the future we need. "Anything is possible" will save America and help us build a better 21st century in which we work with our global neighbors to do the same.

If it can happen in Saudi, it can happen anywhere.

Windy February ClearLakeTX

Winds have been blowing fiercely the past few days here on the Texas coast. I shot a few seconds clip of it.

This is nothing. Just wait until we have another hurricane - an annual, unavoidable event. What if the next one is a CAT 3 instead of the CAT 2 IKE?

At least the swinging plants don't worry me. There is Armor Glass security/energy saving film on my windows. I see freak weather is also happening in the Midwest - tornadoes. With Armor Glass security film, I'm ready for those too. During IKE, I didn't worry about Piper the bird behind it on the 3rd floor, on concrete pillars, next to the shore of Clear Lake. I knew it would prevent a breach of the glass that would subject her to hurricane-force winds, flying glass, rain, etc.

Are you ready?

Very few are...

Hurricane building codes - Good enough? Study - LWV report

I have been working on a project for the Houston League of Women Voters on building codes in the Houston and coastal areas. After IKE, the questions are several: “What should we do to prepare for the next one?” “Should we follow Miami-Dade codes?” If climate change brings stronger storms, are the formulas we use out-of-date?

In Galveston, I heard how the use of two additional nails on asphalt roofs would have kept roofs that were installed after RITA from being torn off again during IKE. Loss of the roof (or windows) means millions more in internal damages, and potential injuries to the families, computers and property inside. Downtown buildings could have invested $1 million in hurricane-rated window film and avoided $20 - $800 million in internal damages, not including lost computers and files. Yet some don’t even allow it.

In doing the research for the project, one of the most fascinating and helpful pieces of data was the “Wind Zone” maps which show the lines of wind speeds – from the coast’s 150 mph to the north Houston/Harris County area which are in the 90-100 mph zone.

Today Houston uses 110-mph as its standard. Miami-Dade uses 150-mph. In southern Harris County, NASA uses 130-mph. Harris County only has a fire code because counties don’t have authority to do anything unless the legislature lets them. Inspections are hit-and-miss and may not happen at all.

Building codes remind me of the Goldilocks story. Some may be too soft (and result in repeated, avoidable damages); some may be too hard (unnecessarily driving up costs). The trick is to find one that is "just right" for future risks we face.

One thing is clear. We can't repeal the laws of geography: we will as close to the coast next year as we are this year.

Nor can we repeal the laws of nature: Like it or not, Hurricanes are an annual event. In deaths caused, it is a bigger threat than terrorism. They are Mother Nature's way of throwing off excessive heat from its equator. The hotter it gets, the more heat to dissipate via future Hurricanes.

We have to change our thinking. People went from panic in RITA in 2005 to apathy in IKE in 2008. We need a middle ground between apathy and overreaction. We need to prepare and don't panic.

The League should be releasing the report soon. As a nonpartisan study not paid for by builders' or vested interests, it could be extremely useful to city and county officials who are preparing for the next storm (which will be an annual event). The League is a non-partisan body (which also has male members) and does these studies with volunteers. They just completed one on homeowners' associations.

With the next hurricane season starting June 1, we have no time to spare.

Kidnapping Security

I had the privilege of attending a program at the Greater Houston Partnership this week in which a company that conducts international kidnapping negotiations gave us a briefing. Very interesting. Their comments on the shifting kidnapping patterns --from Latin America to Africa to the Middle East -- were fascinating, and worth listening to.

Colombia used to be the kidnapping capitol of the world. Now it's come to Mexico, and even into the U.S. They talked about the difference between kidnappings -- some are for reprisal; others are kidnappings for ransom (as in M-O-N-E-Y).

In Nigeria, the kidnapped person is rarely killed. In a reprisal kidnapping (eg. Mexico), the victim is unlikely to live long. These reprisal kidnappings and killings by the Mexico cartels now extend into the U.S. - over 185 incidents so far!

As if to confirm it, news reports today are that another Mexican official was killed less than a day after taking over a job dealing with the narco-drug gangs. If they want you, they get you. If you have 5 bodyguards, they come for you with 15 people. If you have 20, they will bring 50. No matter how many you have, they will show up with a more massive force. It is a whole new, dangerous world.

We are too focused on our own financial mess and need to pay attention to these global threats before they get even worse, because without attention they will get worse. Pakistan just released the guy, A. Q. Khan, who was selling nuclear technology on the black market to any rogue --from North Korea to Iran -- with the money. "Hey, we got a 50% off sale on nukes this month!" Feel safer now?

We just lost our 1 square mile base in Kyrgyzstan that was the key to servicing our operations in Afghanistan over a measly $2 billion that the Russians were willing to pay to get it, but someone on our side wasn't willing to pay. What short sight thinking lost this vital base deal for us? We spend $10 billion a MONTH in Iraq! Now we've lost a key base for the entire war theater in Afghanistan. Penny wise. Pound foolish.

But I digress. The speakers discussed measures to avoid being a victim, and how they negotiate kidnappings -- different tactics are required in different countries. These guys do it full time. One of the speakers had negotiated over 30 kidnappings in Nigeria alone. If you ever think you need some good advice, I recommend you contact the offices of Clayton Consultants, which is now a part of Triple Canopy. They know what they are talking about. If you can't find them, I can get you their contact info.

I know a little about this unique occupation. When I was faced with an international kidnapping case in the Middle East in the 90's (a young girl from Texas), it was assumed that having a Ex-Delta Force "go in to do a snatch and grab" would be an option. It was not only too expensive, upon a closer look I decided NOT to use them in that case because of the real risk of getting the hostage (and some of us) killed. Even with a disguise, the chances of "gringos" getting into (and out of) Sidon, Lebanon undetected were about as good as snow stacking up in Tucson, Arizona. Sidon is where the Hezbollah were shooting rockets into Israel and the girl was living with relatives of the kidnapper.

These guys are too sophisticated to risk anyone's life by trying to be Rambo. They know what to do -- and how to do it. Check them out.

Oh yes, they also think as the Somalia's are pushed away from hijacking ships, they will turn more to land-based kidnappings. They have a point.

Another insecurity trend: We have turned a corner in Iraq and Afghanistan, but not a good one. We just finished the first month that more young soldiers died from suicides than from IED's and fighting in two wars.

The repeated demands made on the same group of soldiers, regular and national guard units, who had to go into combat repeatedly without body armor and serve multiple tours of duty while everyone else shopped, has started to take its toll. Stop losses kept them away from their families too long. Our government needs to change the conditions that led to these suicides. It needs to address the mental needs of our troops as much as their physical needs.

Those of us who didn't serve owe much to those who have.

America – 15 years Behind World in Technology. Getting our Priorities Right

If the 78% of Americans who don’t have a passport actually traveled around the world they would be shocked at how behind we are in technology compared to other advanced nations.

Asia and Europe have more advanced wireless systems. Their fast trains make Amtrak look like it’s standing still.

The President had to ride into Washington on Amtrak at nearly pedestrian speed, while in China you can ride the world’s first MagLev train from Shanghai airport. The train can reach 350 km/h (220 mph) in 2 minutes, with the maximum normal operation speed of 431 km/h (268 mph) reached thereafter. It cost a little over $1 billion to build – chicken feed in the age of trillion dollar deficits.

An aircraft engineer once told me that Boeing spent more time worrying about making the seats two inches wider (to accommodate fatter Americans) then they did about improving aircraft performance. So now it is Airbus that has built the largest commercial aircraft (the 380), so big airports have to build new systems to handle them. A 380 is even being considered for the next Air Force One. Boeing needs to have a Concorde version that sips gas like a Prius as an answer, or we lose that lead also.

The Japanese carmakers were the smart ones: focusing on hybrid technology while Detroit focused on making cars larger instead of better and more efficient. A hybrid SUV would have solved two problems – the need for space for kids, dogs, etc. but also gets 30+ mpg.

The Merrill Lynch executives obsessed with $1 million decorating jobs “to feel right about their office” and Citicorp’s $50 million jet are more examples of leadership being focused on the wrong things.

The good news is that we have the talent and technology to produce 21^st century jobs and turn this economy around if we got our priorities right. We have a huge technology base at NASA that could produce next generation improvements from health care to travel, if we woke up to it.

True story. A NASA engineer was in the hospital for a heart problem and began talking to Dr. Michael DeBakey – two worlds that don’t normally intersect. Dr. DeBakey told the engineer that thousands of people needed new hearts but had died before getting them because they had no way of providing a substitute. The engineer, from his bed, said “We have an impeller technology that drives the Shuttles engines that could work.” And sure enough, it did. Now we have people staying alive while waiting for a transplant because of NASA technology applied to a commercial problem. We need to bring these worlds together.

We are no longer alone in the technology forefront. We cannot afford to return to our complacent ways, focusing on making seats wider instead of using our ethics and entrepreneurial talent to make things better. American economic revival will also require us to stay on the cutting edge by building MagLevs, smarter more efficient cars, a computerized health care system, and a new global financial system that works to build business for all of us instead of pyramid empires for a few.

We need to get our priorities right and advance our technology base to be successful.

Obama's First Crisis on Day One & GLobal Challenge

President Obama's first crisis happened yesterday right after the swearing in - the collapse during lunch of Sen. Edward Kennedy. He did the right thing and rushed over to try to help the senior Senator. Somehow, it goes with the situation the President has inherited. Banks and homeowners are having seizures. Many are on life support.

Not only does President Obama face a global financial meltdown, he also faces a disturbing trend that is melting down personal freedoms overseas.

In Korea, a blogger was arrested for...blogging. Apparently the Korean government didn't like his financial predictions that happened to be accurate. It's another case of "shooting the messenger." What is so strange about this is that Korea has a democratically elected government.

In Russia, a lawyer who had just held a press conference on a case involving a Chechen girl murdered by a Russian soldier, was shot in the head a few blocks away --along with a journalist who tried to help him. It's the latest in a series of execution-style killings of journalists and others who shed light on the darker side of Russian politics.

In Nigeria, the religious police have blocked a rally by women who wanted to protest unfair divorce laws.

China censored the new President's inaugural speech when he referred to "communism" --pulling the plug on him. With increasing unemployment for hundreds of millions of people thrown out of work by the downturn, China faces a potential political disaster they were able to avoid when times were good.

In Thailand an Australian man was arrested for an obtuse paragraph he wrote in a book that sold only 7 copies - for supposedly insulting the King. The lines don't even mention the King, who is worshipped by Thai's, who need some international reality therapy. They should read a Hollywood Tabloid if they want to see some real insults. His sentence was over 5 years. Nuts.

These challenges to freedom and the rule of law around the world will also need to be addressed by the President dealing with trillion-dollar deficits. It won't be easy but it will be necessary.

New Era for America

We have entered a new era for America.

Only in America could such as transition as happened today, from President Bush to President Obama,happen.

But our Homeland Security was not helped by Sen. Cornyn's threatened filibuster of the confirmation of Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton.

What is his point? He doesn't like Hillary? When the Ship of State has been put on the rock he is practicing the old politics of Tom DeLay -- instead of focusing on solutions.

Sen. Cornyn's delay not only keeps the new President from having a confirmed Secretary of State to deal with our pressing problems, it hurts America after Sen. Cornyn's President put us in the the ditch. It is not constructive.

Sen. Cornyn: Either lead by focusing on solutions to real problems or resign and get out of the way. We don't need that kind of politics which hurts our Homeland Security...

America’s First International President & Cabinet

Only 22% of Americans hold passports versus 71% in the UK. That means few of our people (and leaders) have had the opportunity of spending time in other countries -- knowing them as friends and people instead of just names on a map. That lack of experience by our leadership (GW Bush had been in only three countries before becoming President) has led to some major errors based on false assumptions of what other people are like in a world in which the U.S. is only 5% of the total world population.

How many Americans know that we are entering the Chinese “Year of the Ox” (supposedly a good fortune year) – or about the Hindu’s Festival of Light - or that the Koran reveres Jesus and Mary? How many know that India is growing at 7% this year and that it is the largest democracy in the world?

But that is about to change. Many of those in the new Presidential team have lived abroad at different times, making this our first truly international President and cabinet team. And since repairing the financial system will take a global effort, this bodes well.

Newsweek published an excellent article on the international experience members of President Obama’s team have: Valerie Jarrett spent part of her childhood in Iran, Timothy Geithner grew up in Zimbabwe, India and Thailand; Marine Gen. James L. Jones, the incoming national-security adviser, lived in France for most of his childhood– and watched American civil rights struggles on French TV, a surreal experience. President-Elect Obama lived in Indonesia. (For the record, John McCain was born in Panama and also lived overseas as a child).

I grew up on a farm in Iowa, but had the unique good fortune of being hired and sent around the world as a young corporate attorney. I have been to Indonesia and know how different Muslims there are from those in Pakistan. I have been to Islamabad and Karachi during a time when our Karachi Embassy was burned (in the 80’s). I have stayed in the Taj Mahal Hotel and Oberoi in Bombay (now Mumbai), long before they were attacked. Because of it I personally know Pakistanis and Indians, Egyptians, Latin Americans, etc. -- and how polite they were during my trips.

I know that people around the world regardless of color or religion have the same desire to educate their kids, have a decent job and live in peace. Had I never left the wonderful farm state that Iowa is and somehow got myself elected to high office – and then picked to be a Vice President, or President, America would be poorly served.

But not everyone who travels has an open mind. I still recall people I had to work with in the business world who spoke in racist terms, referring to “ragheads” and worse. Leaders who give the impression that they don’t respect other cultures cause America to lose influence and respect. “Saving face” is more than a Japanese cultural quirk. No one wants to lose face.

Running America is a global job, not a local one. If you are clueless about the Japanese, the English, Brazilians, Africans, and so on, your ability to guide the American Ship of State through international waters is no better than that the Captain of the Exxon Valdez who sat in his stateroom while the crew piled his ship up on a reef.

But as the Newsweek article points out, for the generation of Americans coming of age now, some of the most significant opportunities—for work, investment, recreation and learning—will be global. The number of Americans studying abroad is up to 240,000, more than double that of a decade ago, but it is still a tiny percentage.

America will be better served by leaders who have spent time in the real world before going into high office. You never accomplish that from the back of a limo or on a deck chair of a cruise ship.

I wish the new Presidential team Godspeed and Good Luck.

Miracle on the Hudson - A Pilot's perspective

It's not often that a commercial airliner turns into a floating life raft.

The Chinese say that this "Year of the OX" is usually tied to good fortune. It certainly was for 155 people on the US Airways Airbus 320 - or perhaps we should call it a "water bus."

I still hold a commercial pilot's license. In emergency training, pilots learn that the most dangerous part of a flight is the take-off. The plane is loaded with fuel and a failed engine during ascent means big trouble --it's easy to stall quickly and lose control. A bird strike can break a pilot's windshield. In this case birds took out both engines.

You have seconds to react by dropping the nose (to keep from stalling) to set up a glide while looking for a landing spot within reach that doesn't involve trees and sharp objects. Finding that in a place like New York (or over the Piney Woods of East Texas) is virtually impossible.

For the pilot, there is no time in an emergency to call for a committee meeting, ask advisers, or dial 911. There is no time to be indecisive. You don't get to replay the simulator if you get it wrong. Just make the best decision you can based on your training and the situation -- and do it.

A few years ago, I was flying a Cessna 182 over Lake Houston when all the instruments went dark due to an electrical failure --the only thing working was the engine. There was no way to radio anyone. The gauges were no longer working so I didn't know how long the gas would hold out. Tall pine trees ruled out a landing. When I got to the Lufkin airport we had to pump the landing gear down by hand. I got it down on a runway without having to land in water - and had enough adrenalin going to help me get through a kidnapping later that same day.

The US Airways crew had the sense not to open the rear doors of the cabin which would have allowed water in, causing the plane to sink in frigid waters. That would have meant a quick death for anyone caught in 36 degree water.

Kudos to the NY ferry boats and others that saw the landing and pulled up to the plane floating downstream to rescue passengers - well before the first responders were able to arrive.

So the pilot of Flight 1549 pulled off a miracle on the Hudson.

Let's hope this is the first of a series of miracles this year to pull our economy out of the same kind of free fall. We need pilot-President Obama to guide us to a similar soft landing after the economy has taken some major hits during its climb-out.

Texas legislature - Update our building codes!

The Texas legislature is open for business. I suggest that they take serious action to update our building codes to avoid billions in future losses from storms.

IKE damage mainly roofs and windows, but the cost is much more than replacing a roof or window. A breach of either leads to extensive water damage that buildings are still attempting to recover from. People lost records, offices, the ability to work, etc. Over 900,000 claims have been filed so far.

All this could be avoided simply by requiring better roofs and by adding security window film to keep out wind-borne debris. Billions in insurance and property damage would be prevented.

On top of that our security film would cut energy use - about 50% of the energy loss of a building is through its windows.

I recommend that you make your suggestions for improvement to the House Committee on Hurricane IKE - tomorrow is the last day to get into their report.

IKE damage: For Want of a Nail...or Two

For want of a nail, all was lost...Proverb

Yesterday I attended the House Select Committee Hearing on Hurricane IKE held in Galveston. One of the public speakers made a fascinating point. He asked that the standards for asphalt shingles be changed so that they are nailed with six instead of four nails.

The lack of two nails led to the roof damage caused by IKE. He said that roofs in Beaumont after RITA that had been replaced with shingles held by four nails were torn off again by IKE. Roofers are putting on 500 new roofs a day in Houston, and after the next big storm they will be doing it again. The warranty on the shingles (using four nails) is only 60 mph! Why? Because they will fail at 70 mph according to this witness, who is an engineer.

This is but one of the many suggestions for code improvements that the legislature is looking at. Rep. Turner and the committee spent the entire day listening to testimony - without even breaking for lunch.

Another issue raised by Rep. Eiland himself was the adjuster problem. He said that he is having to deal with 7 adjusters! There is one for flood, another for wind, a third for car damage and more adjusters for a second piece of property he owns. Like many residents, he wants it changed so people are dealing with one adjuster (or a lot fewer)!

From my perspective we also need to address windows. Galveston requires impact or hurricane glass but that is very expensive for those further inland. Yet Houston high rise buildings had windows blown out starting at thirty feet or higher, where the wind speeds were higher. This could have been avoided by using our hurricane window film with a special DOW attachment to the frame. One bank on the west side lost its computer when a glass door blew in. The computer loss wasn't so bad as the fact they also lost all the data on it. Our window film would have protected both people inside and the property that was destroyed by window failure.

Much work remains to be done to address code changes. While we don't necessarily need to go as far as Miami-Dade (designed for 150 mph winds - Houston is in the 110 mph zone), we will need to make improvements - so that we don't suffer massive losses because of the lack of two nails, or hurricane security window film...

Playing Into Their Hands

Sun Breaks Out in Seabrook. Yesterday the same view was black with rain.

I just heard the best analysis of the situation in the Middle East by Martin Indyk in an interview on "Morning Joe." He says that the Israel attack on Gaza is playing into the hands of HAMAS, who was losing popularity the population until they were able to start this war.

The people in Gaza could see that their lives were not improving while Palestinians in the West Bank have seen improvements. So HAMAS had to start a war to stay in power. Now, Indyk says, that Muslims all the way to Indonesia are rallying to their cause. He calls for an immediate cease fire.

It's time for a new team to take over in Washington to address these difficult issues. This administration seems to be out of gas and out of ideas.

We are entering a new era as a result of the meltdown.

By fighting other countries and allowing Wall Street to drive drunk, and GM to skate instead of innovate, this administration has ironically made it mandatory for America to cooperate with the nations of the world - to fix this global meltdown and avoid future disasters.

In 2000 America had a budget surplus (inherited from Mr. Clinton) and the global strength to be a monopoly power. All that has been lost in the past eight years.

Since we sold all the bad paper that helped drive the world to a global depression, it will take a global strategy to bring America out of this situation.