People regularly send me ideas for this running sore on the face of literature, most of which are very good and which I try to use, but often place carefully in my mind’s lumber room to use later – then forget
This one came from Richard Hanrahan who found it on Dan Roam’s blog.
It’s a visual analogy between the economy and the remarkable landing made in the Hudson River a couple of weeks back – the point being that if a pilot can do something that remarkable, why can’t those who run things?
It’s a good example of my definition of what makes for being creative – the putting together of familiar but seemingly unrelated ideas in unexpected ways.
Incidentally, the politicians have learned nothing from the great depression which was greatly worsened and vastly prolonged by protectionism. Politicians around the world, since they have no original ideas are busy proposing trade barrier everywhere to please the voters.
What happens as a result? Bad industries which should fail are feather-bedded – e.g. the US auto industry. What sickens me is that those who suffer are not the overpaid creeps in charge but the poor bastards doing the work.
In a sensible world the people who have mis-run General Motors into the ground for the last 40 years would all be sharing benches with the homeless outside my hotel here in Washington.
But what you need to get to the top of large organisations is adroit arse-licking and low cunning, not business skills. Another subject entirely.
