What should be the governments role?

It is supposed to be for the protection of its people.

The Federal Government for protection from external forces that threaten its people.

The State Government for protection from forces outside the state that threaten the people within its state.

The Local government for protection from forces outside the locality that threatens teh people within that locality.

Each step of government can reach out to the next step of government when they can not protect their people using the resources that their people have provided them with through their laws and or taxes they have granted to their governments.

Any other application of government usually is a result of one branch reaching down into the other governments business and doing for them something that was not authorized by their government which is supposed to be "for the people, by the people".

This has resulted in a reversal of what was originally intended such that the Federal laws are being enacted upon the States and the States laws are being enacted upon the Locals without any consideration of how those laws are to be paid for by the local. It was intended that any law authorized by the locals will be paid for by those same locals and not the entire state or even all of the states combined.

When are we the people going to stand up and require the State and or Federal governments to pay for laws enforcement that we as local governments are being required to do? If no such payments are forthcomming let us not enforce any such laws until they have been paid for!

That is the only way to return to fiscal responsibility in my opinion. And all of this is of course opinion that is based upon what I think was the intention of the beginnings of laws that created the Federal Government.

Do you agree or disagree? Any comments welcome as I would like us to return to not only fiscal responsibility, but personal responsibility. I guess I would like to add governmental responsibility as well.

We all have run into problems, or challanges, in many different areas.

Most of the time, we have a tendency to get upset at the delay and or cost of the problem and look for the reason or person to blame. While the reason something happened can be useful in determining how to avoid the problem in the future, I would encourage everyone to change your way of thinking. Instead of looking for the source of the problem, I suggest that you look first for a way to solve the problem.

 While looking for the solution and not blaming anyone or anything for the problem itself you will find that your solution based discussions with anyone involved, such as employees or other companies you use, that everyone will be more forthcomming as to exactly what did cause the problem to to exist and by not playing the blame game you will be able to discuss solutions to the problem. This will suprise most of us because there will be several solutions offered, some not so good, but others will very effective. The suprising results are that you will find is that there is more ways to tackle the problem than if you only tried to tackle the problem.

 When we attempt to just tackle the problem we loose communication with people because most of the time they feel like if they knew something about it they could be blamed for the problem itself. This loss of communictions is the source of most business problems as one department or shift does not communicate what is needed to the others and thus a problem that should not exist seems to thrive and continually return. We also can know who or what has caused or problem but that in itself does nothing toward solving the problem so that it does not ever return to haunt you.

 So when it is necessary to fix a problem I would challenge everyone not to look for the source of the problem but concentrate on the solution of the problem. This will not only end up pointing out the source of what caused the problem but it should finally fix the problem for you FOR GOOD.

In essence it is the mindset that you use which makes the difference.

The art of negotiating. This is a free article that I found on line at http://work911.com/articles/negotiate.htm

Since this was a free article from the website above I did not believe that the permission statement was necessary. Looks like I did not look far enough into it and the site requires this statement.

Reprinted with permission. Copyright Robert Bacal 2009. Robert Bacal is an author and business consultant. Contact him at ceo@work911.com or visit The Workplace Supersite at http:// work911.com

I believe it describes what I have attempted to say a few times to some people here on BP that are in negotiations with previous owners. Most seem to immediately go to the route of "is this legal" or "my attorney says" instead of " how can we both do what we need, or want, to do"?

 Finding the common ground, or what the other party needs, will help out with finding and negotiating a solution the meets everyone's needs, within the law, of course.

On The Line  

Basic Negotiating Tips 

You don't have to go to a negotiation seminar to sharpen up your ability to negotiate, although that's not a bad idea if you negotiate on a daily basis. Here's some basic negotiation principles, skills, hints and tips to help you learn.

<!-- #BeginLibraryItem "/Library/2007-adsense-work911-articles-326.lbi" --><!-- PUT THIS TAG IN DESIRED LOCATION OF SLOT -work911-articles-336 --> 

Sometimes its easy to negotiate, but other times, when we have a great deal at stake or we are upset, the task can be intimidating or difficult. 

We are going to talk about some tips to effective negotiating that can help you work more effectively with your customers, co-workers, and boss.  They are also applicable to other interpersonal situations.  

Overview of The Negotiation Process   

Negotiating is the process by which two or more parties with different needs and goals work to find a mutually acceptable solution to an issue.  Because negotiating is an inter-personal process, each negotiating situation is different, and influenced by each party's skills, attitudes and style.  We often look at negotiating as unpleasant, because it implies conflict, but negotiating need not be characterized by bad feelings, or angry behaviour.  Understanding more about the negotiation process allows us to manage our negotiations with confidence increases the chance that the outcomes will be positive for both parties.

Barriers To Successful Negotiation  

Viewing Negotiation As Confrontational  

<!-- #EndLibraryItem -->Negotiation need not be confrontational.  In fact effective negotiation is characterized by the parties working together to find a solution, rather than each party trying to WIN the contest of wills.  Keep in mind that the attitude that you take in negotiation (eg. hostile, cooperative) will set the tone for the interaction.  If you are confrontational, you will have a fight on your hands.

Trying To Win At All Costs

If you "win" there must be a loser, and that can create more difficulty down the road.  The best perspective in negotiation is to try to find a solution where both parties "win".  Try not to view negotiation as a contest that must be won.

Becoming Emotional

It's normal to become emotional during negotiation that is important.  However, as we get more emotional, we are less able to channel our negotiating behaviour in constructive ways.  It is important to maintain control.

Not Trying To Understand The Other Person

Since we are trying to find a solution acceptable to both parties, we need to understand the other person's needs, and wants with respect to the issue.  If we don't know what the person needs or wants, we will be unable to negotiate properly.  Often, when we take the time to find out about the other person, we discover that there is no significant disagreement.

Focusing On Personalities, Not Issues

Particularly with people we don't like much, we have a tendency to get off track by focusing on how difficult or obnoxious the person seems.  Once this happens, effective negotiation is impossible.  It is important to stick to the issues, and put aside our degree of like or dislike for the individual.

Blaming The Other Person

In any conflict or negotiation, each party contributes, for better or worse.  If you blame the other person for the difficulty you will create an angry situation.  If you take responsibility for the problem, you will create a spirit of cooperation.

Some Negotiation Tips

Solicit The Other's Perspective

In a negotiating situation use questions to find out what the other person's concerns and needs might be.  You might try:

What do you need from me on this?  

What are your concerns about what I am suggesting / asking?  

When you hear the other person express their needs or concerns, use listening responses to make sure you heard correctly. 

For example:   So, you are saying that you are worried that you will get lost in the shuffle and we will forget about you...Is that right?  

If I have this right, you want to make sure that the phones are covered over lunch?  

State Your Needs

The other person needs to know what you need.  It is important to state not only what you need but why you need it.  Often disagreement may exist regarding the method for solving an issue, but not about the overall goal.  

For example:  

I would like an hour on Tuesday to go to the doctor.  I want to make sure I am healthy so I can contribute better to the organization.    

Prepare Options Beforehand

Before entering into a negotiating session, prepare some options that you can suggest if your preferred solution is not acceptable.  Anticipate why the other person may resist your suggestion, and be prepared to counter with an alternative.

Don't Argue  

<!-- #BeginLibraryItem "/Library/2007-adsense-work911-articles-326.lbi" --><!-- PUT THIS TAG IN DESIRED LOCATION OF SLOT -work911-articles-336 --><!-- END OF TAG FOR SLOT -work911-articles-336 --><!-- #EndLibraryItem -->Negotiating is about finding solutions...Arguing is about trying to prove the other person wrong.  We know that when negotiating turns into each party trying to prove the other one wrong, no progress gets made.  Don't waste time arguing.  If you disagree with something state your disagreement in a gentle but assertive way.  Don't demean the other person or get into a power struggle.

Consider Timing

There are good times to negotiate and bad times.  Bad times include those situations where there is:

• .    a high degree of anger on either side
• .    preoccupation with something else
• .    a high level of stress 
• .    tiredness on one side or the other    

Time negotiations to avoid these times.  If they arise during negotiations a time-out/rest period is in order, or perhaps rescheduling to a better time.  

Conclusion    

Negotiating is a complex process but one worth mastering.  If you keep in mind that you are responsible for the success or failure of negotiation, and if you follow the tips above, you will find the process easier. 

I believe that the hardest part of this process is in getting the other side to state their "needs" honestly and openly so that you can understand them and compare them to your "needs" so that a solution can be found that will be perfectly acceptable to all sides.  A WIN WIN SITUATION instead of a confrontational one.

My other blogs dealt with mindsets and were meant to be general in application.

But have been taken by most as how they deal with RE in relation to the many Guru's out there. So I thought I would take some time to relate things to the Guru's themselves.

I would catagorize this as a mentality instead of a mindset. Where a mindset is

1. A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations.

and would predetermine someone's response to a situation or stimulus. The mentality would involve the mental ability.

So we are speaking of ability vs attitude. Even these two are very closely related and are often used as synonyms for each other it is important to understand the difference in regards to the Guru.

It is interesting that in most cases the Guru say that they have already done and now wish to share with everyone their secrets. This mentality would seem to say that I am tired of doing things my way, so I'll teach others to do it. The problem with this approach is that they do not make sure that those they attempt to teach also have the mental ability to comprehend what they are sharing. 

The Guru mentality does not care about what others think because "they have done it and know it works". This mentality is great for ignoring the common thought process and venturing into an unknown area such as inventing like Edison did with the lightbulb. So I will not put down the Guru's themselves because from these types came all those who have shared much with us just to announce their "discovery". 

Even though Guru's are from great mental ability, this does not correlate into the physical world we live in as most fail several times before they succeed and those that they would train do not have the time or resources to fail even the first time. 

This is my problem with the Guru mentality that we seem to see today on the late night informercial's. The true Guru mentality is great and should be praised as they shared their findings with society. But I think the term has been hijacked by those who dont care about society unless there is something in it for themselves!!!!!! 

Due to some of the comments on my first blog, I decided to open this up for everyone's comments.

Which Mindset is more likely to purchase those Guru's late night TV informercial programs?

Gullable, Persuadable, or Determined?

The Gullable mindset is definately a candidate as they are often "driven to and fro with the wind". But the gullable mindset is often one that has already been down so many roads that they may have already have heard those same type claims and often become determined to not repeat the previous mistakes.

 The Persuadable mindset is another candidate, maybe even more so than the gullable as they can often be pursuaded by the sales pitches of the slick operators and they believe that they are not gullable so this must be workable.

The Determined mindset has already made up their mind about what is ok and what is not, so when they see these late night "shows" for something that they know can be done they may be the most likely of all candidates to purchase the program to find out how to do what they know can be done.

So my vote would be in the opposity order of listing for the very reasons listed upon each one.  Do we have any other thoughts?