Buffett Rule? We need a Buffet Rule!

Warren Buffet says he should pay more taxes than his secretary. Truth be known is, he does. Actually he meant a bigger percentage of taxes than she does. It's ironic that Mr. Buffet, who I greatly admire has a foundation set up to distribute money to non-profits and other organizations when he leaves this world.

You'll note he's not donating his fortune to the Federal Government directly. Warren isn't stupid. Look at the great work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They're controlling every dollar of foundation money, how it's used and where it's spent. Again, no blank check to Uncle Sam.

Folks like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates are successful because they demand accountability.

That hasn't stopped a lot of folks saying we should have a "Buffett Rule" and that wealthy people need to pay their "fair share" of taxes. Fair-Schmair. (I just invented a word!)

What we really need is a "Buffet Rule." Remember that GSA conference in Las Vegas? The one place they didn't eat was at the buffet. Buffets in 'Vegas ain't as cheap as they used to be but they're still cheaper than the main dining rooms. It's funny how easy it is to spend other people's money.

As Al Simpson points out, often with great humor, the problem is SPENDING. Taxing a few more millionaires won't make a dent in a National Deficit over 16 Trillion bucks. Cutting spending will.

I don't know about you, but we have this economic plan at our house. Spend less than we take in. We invest the rest. It's a good system and our CPA appreciates it. I do know it's a concept lost on the government.

Both parties are to blame. They blather about each other but they aren't making the hard choices to make the, yes, unpopular decisions they'll need to make to dig us out of a hole so deep you can't see the bottom. Government is Thelma and Louise heading for the Grand Canyon and we're along for the ride.

So, let's have less talk about a Buffett Rule, and focus more on a Buffet rule.

It's a start.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations

Order in the Court! (So how about cameras?)

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments about the national health care law commonly referred to as "Obamacare." As divisive a piece of legislation that's come down the pike in a long time. But I'm not here today to talk about the political issues of the law, but rather what we're not seeing this week as the court hears arguments about the legality of the law.

The Supreme Court doesn't allow cameras inside the court during arguments. Our judicial system is one of the three branches of government, the other two being the Executive and Legislative. The founding fathers organized things this way to provide a system of checks and balances. The Executive and Legislative branches get tons of coverage.

Which leaves me with just one question: Why not the Judicial Branch? We get to see the confirmation hearings when a Supreme Court Justice is appointed. We just don't get to see them do the job we pay them to do.

As a board member of the Radio-Television-Digital News Association we fought hard at the Federal and State level for cameras in courtrooms. I represented RTDNA twice at the National Judicial College speaking on behalf of the issue.

Some negotiations were far less formal. In Wyoming, a fellow judge at a chili cook-off was indeed, a Judge! We got to talking about it, and it was the start of cameras in Wyoming Courtrooms. Thanks to the efforts of groups like RTDNA and enlightened judges cameras are common in most courtrooms.

Except for the highest court in the land, where the issue being dealt with is one of the most important of our times. We get to hear bits of audio and of course the courtroom sketches, which we in the news industry considered more cartoons than substance.

Cameras are with the President everywhere. C-Span provides coverage of both the Senate and House as they conduct the nation's business. As for the highest court in the land dealing with landmark decisions, us folks on Main Street are on the outside trying to look in. But the drapes are drawn and we're shut out. What we get to see is filtered through the media, pundits and plenty of opining.

Why not let us watch for ourselves and make up our own minds?

Here's to both order and cameras in the court.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations

Old Fashioned Customer Service in a Word: COOL!

We're in Georgia this week, enjoying, thanks to technology, the ability to work from just about anywhere along with spending quality time with family.

I ran an errand this morning, to get a fire fixed on our kid's minivan. The tire met a nail along the road, and while the leak was a slow one it needed to be fixed.

I took the car to Discount Tire in Buford, Ga. (A norther 'burb of Atlanta) They quickly got the vehicle into a service bay, there was bottled water and fresh coffee while we waited and the repair was done quickly. They also took time to check all the tires, lug nuts and other tire stuff.

They pulled the van around front and we were ready to go. No Charge! Getting a nail in a tire wasn't their fault but they fixed it free. They're betting that good care and customer service will lead us back to that store when it comes time for future business. They're not alone. Back home in Colorado we frequent Grease Monkey in Highlands Ranch, have done so for years because they just treat us so nicely.

The whole thing is Business 101. Treat everyone like a valued customer and they'll likely become just that, valued customers. Even better, we're likely to recommend these businesses to our friends and neighbors. Which in this blog, I'm doing!

Sadly, I don't think they teach this at the fancy business schools. Thankfully they do at companies like Discount Tire and Grease Monkey.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations

All things in moderation. Too bad the Moderates are leaving.

Republican Maine Senator Olympia Snowe is calling it quits. She joins a growing list of political moderates from both the Republican and Democratic Parties who have had enough of the bizarre political partisanship that has sadly become the norm in government.

Not that long ago, Senators like Ted Kennedy and Alan Simpson would verbally duke it out on the Senate floor, but at the end of the day they would find a way to compromise and do what's best for America. Senator Simpson once told me that "If you like to get your own way, don't go into politics."

Polar political opposites, Senators Kennedy and Simpson were also close friends.  After a tough day of doing the nation's business, they were as likely to go out together for dinner and enjoy each other's company, knowing full well they'd be battling the next day in the Senate. But things got done.

Another political odd couple was President Reagan and House Speaker Tip O'Neill. Both folk heroes in their respective parties, with differing views but when the going got tough, they could get together (often over a nip or two) and figure out a way to craft legislation that benefited the folks on Main Street. Again, it involved compromise. Both fully understood what their duties were.

I met Speaker O'Neill briefly at an event at the Kennedy Center. We were standing in line at a bar and chatted briefly. It was a black tie gala, but I noticed O'Neil had dirt under his fingernails. The true sign of a working man.

I don't know about you, but I watch and read with great sadness the political hoo-ha from both parties this election year. It's all about painting your opponent as being evil. Can you remember any candidate looking into the camera and telling you how they wanted to make life better for you and your family? I thought not.

Government is described these days as dysfunctional, by definition something "that is flawed and doesn't operate correctly, or someone that deviates from normal and accepted social behavior."

Maybe it's time we start all over again, time to throw all the bums out. Goodness knows they're not hard to find.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations

Solar Power's Future is with Free Enterprise

This disclaimer: I have no financial interest or investment in the companies discussed below. My point of view is a personal one as a consumer only.

I just ready this article in Bloomberg Businessweek about what the magazine describes as a "Bright spot" in a solar power industry troubled by scandal, over-promising and under-delivering. One of the companies mentioned is SunRun. We weren't surprised as we worked with SunRun on the solar power installation at our house.

Solar panels are priced to move, and companies like SunRun have figured out a way for solar power to work for their business model, and more importantly for folks like us on Main Street USA. We installed a 24 panel system at our house, but instead of buying the system, we're leasing it from SunRun. No money upfront and the monthly cost is half of what our power bill used to be. During the lease, SunRun pays for all warranty and maintenance. We can pay off the lease anytime we like, but right now it makes sense not only on the financial bottom line, but the environment as well.

No money up front, reduce cost of electricity and cut emissions. Ka-ching.

Here are the stats for this past January, our first full month with solar power:

• We generated 460 kWh of power, more than we consumed.
• Saved 652 pounds in Carbon Dioxide emissions.
• Saved 1.66 pounds of Nitrogen Oxide emissions.
• Saved .59 pound of Sulfur Dixoide emissions.

A "Clean" sweep!

All this during the shortest times of daylight of the year. As the days grow longer, we'll generate more power. I should also note that we've had a couple of 2-foot snowfalls which cover the solar panels and on those days you don't generate much if any power. The key is total generation each month.

REC Solar did the install and it just took a few days. The roof of our two story home is quite high so you can't even see the panels from the street. An advantage we have is the side of the roof where the panels are installed face due south, so we get 98% exposure to daylight and the height keeps the panels clear of shade from trees etc. The system even cranks out power on cloudy days, but it's the sunny days where you really generate the juice and we get about 350 days of sun here in Colorado.

The company provided all the technical information, installation diagrams etc for our HOA which approved everything in less than two days. In fact both SunRun, REC and Xcel have been terrific before, during and after the installation.

Three meters are installed, two by Xcel Energy and one by RunRun. The first two measure net power use and that generated by your system. When you generate more than you use, we'll get credits back from Xcel. We're selling power back to the power company! In our basement is what's called the inverter, which is about the size of a mini-fridge and mounted on a wall out of the way. You can also measure system production there along with RunRun's website where you can log on and monitor:

• Daily/Monthly power generation
• Total power generation of the life of the system
• Emissions savings
• Projected vs actual power generation
• Projected weather for each day

Just like the hybrid SUV we drive, we went solar because it just makes sense. The technology and business model have reached the point where you save money from day one. We didn't need some massive government program telling us to do it, it just made good economic sense.

Companies like SunRun are generating jobs, saving people money and are a classic example of identifying a challenge, then making it work for them and us. Something our government has proven incapable of. (Over and over and over)

Free enterprise IS the future of solar power. As stated in the Businessweek article, companies like SunRun are proving it.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations

When Dogs bite Anchors.

The first point I make when talking about crisis management to businesses and organizations is that bad things happen to good people. It's not in our nature to wake up each day and think about all the bad things that could happen to us. But they do.

An example, and it's a sad one, is the incident this week in Denver where a dog bit 9News morning anchor Kyle Dyer.  It all happened live. The dog, named Max had been rescued the day before when it fell through the ice while chasing a coyote of all things. The Denver news pool helicopter covered the rescue. The story was quickly picked up nationally both by traditional media and of course, Social Media. People posted video of the rescue on YouTube. What we call a "Warm and fuzzy" story.

Little did we know.

As a follow-up, 9News invited the dog's owner, the rescuer and the dog to do a live segment which Kyle Dyer hosted. Kyle knelt next to the dog during the interview, petting and scratching the animal. Again, all went well right up to the moment Max bit Kyle in the face. Thankfully she'll recover, but will be off the air for several weeks.

But what started out as warm and fuzzy, ended up no-so-much. People posted video of what happened online.

Bad things happen to good people with good intentions. The response, again, was viral. The 9News Facebook page was flooded with comments, many positive, but many negative towards Kyle. An example that the good thing about Social Media is everyone has access to it, but the bad thing about Social Media is everyone has access to it. Who knew there were so many "experts" on doggy behavior out there? To be fair, most of the comments were of sympathy and good wishes for all.

I think Channel 9's public response was totally professional. Unlike most businesses and organizations, they had a crisis plan in place. When you cover the news, you have to have a crisis plan because bad things often happen when you're least equipped to cover them. News organizations are also in the business of covering news, not being the news. In this case, what happened to Kyle became news.

Everywhere.

9News responded both on-air and via Social Media with the facts. VP and News Director Patti Dennis went on the air to update the latest and again state the facts. Patti is one of the most respected news executives in the industry. That evening, co-anchor Gary Shapiro posted the latest on Kyle's condition on Facebook after visiting her in the hospital.  9News also included a post from the dog's owners on their Facebook page.

As for Max, the dog is in quarantine to make sure there are no health issues and the owner has been cited for not keeping shot records and not keeping the animal on a leash. In the owner's Facebook post he did say the dog's shots were indeed up to date. It looks like that both Kyle and Max will be OK.

All this of course, combined for a bit of a Social Media firestorm. Of those taking sides in all this, some blamed the dog, many blamed Kyle. I've had several clients guest on the morning broadcast and the entire team is very professional and gracious. As for Kyle, she's the same warm and caring person in person that you see on the air. Not a phony bone in her body. She genuinely cared for the animal, but in this case the animal bit her quite severely. Who knows what's in a dog's head after a traumatic experience followed up by studio lights the day after? But it happened.

A good story, covered with the best of intentions with the worst of outcomes. Bad things happen to good people. Then some people with nothing better to do weigh in and say bad things, about the bad thing. At the very least, this will have stations across the country that do pet segments re-thinking how they do them moving forward. Lessons learned.

But his is an object lesson for all of us, regardless if we own a business or run a non-profit. Are you prepared should something bad happen to you? Do you have a crisis plan? If something bad happened to you, how would you handle it? Could you handle it?

Something to ponder when you see all the attention surrounding one news anchor who went from covering the news to being the center of it and ...what everyone is still saying about it days later.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations

Mis-placed Budget Priorities.

A couple of stories caught my attention recently. The most recent was this story in the Denver Post. It's a stunner. 43 kids have died in the past five years after entering Colorado's Child Welfare Program. Which at best comes across as an oxymoron. It's tragic.

Authorities blame caseloads and budget cuts. I think it would be fair to say that bureaucracy plays a role too. But 43 kids is 43 kids too much.

Then there's Colorado's Jefferson County. School music and arts programs are on the chopping block. So are the teacher positions involved. High School Band was the best experience for me in school. I learned much more than music. Discipline, that working hard brings rewards, team work pays off and best of all, making lifetime friends. These programs are as important as math and science.

Again, the blame is being laid at budget cuts. A fair enough argument in these tough economic times. I've attended budget briefings with respected economists from schools like DU. While revenue is expected to trend upwards in the next 10-15 years, expense projections exceed that revenue. We're spending more than we're taking in, not only in Colorado but at the Federal level as well.

Here are a couple of examples of where we might save some money, or avoid wasting it in the first place.

There's an effort, however well-intentioned, to raise money to fix up the dome at the State Capitol here in Denver.  It will cost millions of dollars. I totally understand that we have to do something but maybe slapping on a coast of that sealer stuff used in truck beds might suffice at last for now, and while ugly looking, serve as a reminder that we face tough decisions moving forward. A great visual as we say.

Then there's an effort to create an exploratory committee to bring the 2022 Winter Games to Colorado. Before they have another meeting, they should ask the folks in Vancouver and British Columbia how the games put them deep in debt. They're having to cut all sorts of services, including education to pay for the "honor" of hosting the games.

Those behind the effort claim every effort will be made to raise the billion(s) needed "privately." Yeah, right. The other problem is the only way you could get to the alpine events would be on I-70.

Oops.

So here we are, at a crossroads of sorts. A golden dome or the lives of innocent children. Education or the Olympics which most of us couldn't afford to attend in the first place. It sounds like a simplistic argument but that's fine. When all else fails, look at the facts.

Nationally the debt is well north of $15 Trillion and rising by the second. Our government wants to raise it another $1.5 Trillion. Some time ago President Obama tasked retired Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson and former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles to form a debt reduction commission. They came up with a solution and then it was promptly stuck in a drawer. This medicine has so sugar to make it go down, because we can't afford the sugar.

When you have kids dying in the care of "child welfare" agencies or shutting down music and arts programs, while at the same time thinking about the Olympics or golden domes you just make an already bad situation, worse.

To quote Mike Ditka, "Stop it!"


Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations