$5 gas will put economy in the tank

Here’s a simple prediction: If gas hits $5 a gallon, as the experts anticipate, our economy will tank again.
Does anyone remember what happened in 2008 when it reached $4 a gallon? People stopped buying things and going places so they could afford to fill their gas tanks. The result was a recession that we’re just now crawling out of.
The laws of supply and demand do not justify the rising price of oil. It’s driven by the greedy speculation of commodity traders (traitors?) who would stick a knife in the heart of this country for the sake of making a buck. I would hope that smart investors would learn their lesson and not speculate so high on oil. If they value the rest of their investments, they won’t.

Well, duh!
Did you see the news last week that the baby boomers are now afraid Social Security will run out before they do? As the Me Generation reaches 65 this year, there appears to be widespread concern that this generation will use up and outlive all the savings in Social Security.
Gee, I think I’ve heard that song before. My whole life these same boomers have been telling my generation that we should not expect Social Security to be around when we retire. They said our smaller numbers will not be able to support their larger numbers. Then they proceeded to let Congress “borrow” from the Social Security savings account.
I suppose the baby boomers really are afraid of getting old before they die.

Son of a Bum
With Houston Texans owner Robert McNair giving head coach Gary Kubiak his vote of confidence, it appears that the job of defensive coordinator will be offered to Wade Phillips, son of beloved former Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips.
I thought McNair wanted to make a winner out of the Texans? I’ll hand it to you that Son of Bum is a good defensive coordinator – at least he used to be – but his head coaching record is pathetic. He has personally decimated three talent-laden teams (Denver, Buffalo and Dallas) and now McNair wants this man to turn the defense around?
I guess if you have the worse defense in the league, there is nowhere to go but up. Somehow I wouldn’t be surprised if Son of Bum can find a way to dig a deeper hole.

Go Pink
I was recently introduced via CD to a dynamic motivational speaker by the name of Dan Pink. Some of you may have heard of him. I just did in the last few weeks. I have listened to a couple of his talks about how to motivate people and improve production. He basically points out that the carrot-and-stick approach to management is a failure and he champions the use of Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. This is also the same concept as the Results-Oriented Work Environment.
Using the AMP method, employees are given a certain amount of time (all, in some cases) to be free to create and experiment on things that interest them on the job. The results have been innovation, increased production, increased job satisfaction, healthier and happier workers, and increased profits and company growth.
The popular motivational model of increasing income for better performance has a narrow focus that keeps the employee on track to earn more money – or to leave in pursuit of it. Those given the freedom to try new things often look at problems from different perspectives. It allows them to learn and grow and gives them ownership of a project and the feeling of importance to the company. Both sides benefit from that model.
As an example, Pink gave a story about two groups trying to create an online encyclopedia. The first hired staff and followed traditional means of producing its product. The other paid nothing and got volunteers to create and produce the product. The result is Wikipedia, one of the most popular websites on the Internet.
I have to admit that the more AMP I’ve had, the better my work has been. I have not fared well under the management microscope.
Anyway, that should give you something to think about while you’re sitting at home twiddling your thumbs because you can’t afford the gas to get out and go anywhere.