Internet Criminals to Pose Bigger Threat than Terrorists – FBI
Feb. 4, 2012 The U.S. government along with state and local agencies, businesses and consumers should all heed ominous testimony before Congress. FBI Director Robert Mueller warned “the cyber threat will equal or surpass the threat from counter terrorism in the foreseeable future.” That was his message to U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence [...]
[Read more...]Will State Lawmakers Heed New SBA Data, Small Business Concerns?
Jan. 26, 2012 There’s more evidence that small business plays a pivotal role in creating jobs in Washington and other states, according to the Office of Advocacy in the Small Business Administration (SBA). The Office of Advocacy released small business data for each of the 50 states. SBA believes the new data is “an [...]
[Read more...]Instead of Solving Budget Crisis, Wash. Politicians Threaten Integrity of Election Day
Updated Jan. 16, 2012 Washington state has a $1.5 billion deficit, and ample justification for implementing government and budgeting reforms. But nearly two dozen lawmakers have something more important to do. They’re gaming the voter registration system in a disingenuous effort to win elections. That’s right. They’re not addressing the concerns of most businesspeople [...]
[Read more...]Washington: A Balanced Budget Is No Longer Enough
Updated Jan. 11, 2012 A Seattle Times headline is perplexing. True, the headline –“Lawmakers open session, try to close $1B gap” – is a fairly accurate assessment of Washington state’s budget. Not to be laboriously repetitive, but the headline is worrisome. Once again the Legislature faces a budget crisis. “The economy is the focal [...]
[Read more...]Internet Marketing Lessons Via Rick Santorum’s Campaign
Jan. 5, 2012 Unintentionally, Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign — with inadequate branding — is providing business with Internet marketing lessons. Perhaps you’ve noticed the inflammatory results in searching the Web for him. When you search for “Santorum,” the deprecating site of “spreadingsantorum.com” is first on Google, Bing and Yahoo. For curious voters interested in the [...]
[Read more...]WPC Hits Target, but Will Washington State Legislature?
Dec. 7, 2011 The clock is ticking. The state government spends $41 million each day but the Washington State Legislature has made little, if any, progress in its 30-day special session to solve a $2 billion deficit. Meantime, Office of Financial Management Director Marty Brown sent an email to lawmakers warning them action is [...]
[Read more...]Budget Debate: Will Legislature Read Seattle News Media Headlines?
Nov. 28, 2011 The headline on the Seattle PI Web site was startling. It read: “FACT CHECK: Has Wash. cut budget by $10.5B? Hardly.” The headline and accompanying story questioned what appear to be misrepresentations by Gov. Chris Gregoire when she claimed Washington has slashed $10.8 billion from the state budget in the last [...]
[Read more...]Why the Sales Tax Debate Erupts in Washington State
Nov. 22, 2011 The buzz in Seattle and other Washington locales is over another attempt to raise taxes. Yes, Gov. Chris Gregoire wants to raise $500 million via a temporary half-cent increase in the state portion of the sales tax to offset continued budget deficits to prevent more state government cuts in spending. Either [...]
[Read more...]Is Economy Marginalizing Thanksgiving as a Holiday?
Nov. 21, 2011 As I work on my gratitude list this week, I’m mindful of a poll in a Seattle newspaper – and the reasons for the Thanksgiving holiday. Grateful for their religious freedom, 53 pilgrims enjoyed the first Thanksgiving 391 years ago in Plymouth, Mass. They were survivors of the original 100 separatists [...]
[Read more...]Lessons for Education via Penn State, the Need to Hire a Real Coach
Nov. 11, 2011 So Penn State promises to learn the truth. That’s commendable for the 156-year-old school. It has to re-earn the confidence of non-football stakeholders. The horrific events indicate it’s time for Penn State and all universities to hire the right kind of coach. Students and all of America deserve leadership role models. As [...]
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