Six predictions to raise spirits
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM, BY RICK WEBER
Derek Kaufman, president of C3 Network Inc, says he's in the prediction business.
And with that at the forefront, he greeted his “Overview and Opinions” audience with six predictions that he predicted would raise their spirits on the future of the industry and give them a rising expectation on their personal position.
“We have to watch ourselves,” he said. “We can get negative very quickly. But at end of the day, our businesses don't run just on cash flow and earnings. They run on positive energy and rising expectations. We need to be working toward that added opportunity to keep the momentum of our company going.”
His six predictions:
- The North American union conspiracy is bogus.
“You may have heard about the superhighway running from Mexico to Kansas City. You might have heard about the Security and Prosperity Partnership Agreement of 2005, and the panic that has surrounded the notion that Canada, Mexico, and the US would break down borders and form this North American union with a common currency. Add to that the rumors that China is building deep-water ports in Mexico to worsen our balance of trade, and you have a real conspiracy. The facts are these: Since NAFTA was put in place, trade between the US and Mexico has doubled, and 75% of that trade goes through Texas. They need a better infrastructure, but the federal government doesn't have the authority to deem something a superhighway. One of the true parts is that China is building deep-water ports, but it's more in reaction to the amount of time spent waiting to get into Long Beach.
“If you take a look at this whole thing, we ought to have a rising expectation that through the number of years that go by, our working relationship could in fact diminish the need for Mexican workers to cross the border in search of higher pay. This might in turn reverse the irrational response of immigration authorities that in clamping down on illegal immigrants also clamps down on the very legal immigration that has built this country to what it is. The debate last year on illegal-alien amnesty truly showed the power of the American people. No matter how thick the ear wax in Congress is, they heard.”
- Your carbon footprint will become your friend.
“The reality of global warming: It's not about the climate anymore. It's way more pragmatic. I'm here to tell you that apparently the debate is over. Time magazine stated last year, ‘The debate is over. Global warming is upon us with a vengeance. From floods to fires to droughts and storms, the climate is crashing.’ I'm going to get more pragmatic on you and tell you that indeed the carbon-footprint people have won. And if you're not positioning your company or your department or household for the future focus on your carbon footprint, you'd better sit down and give it some thought. Here's a prediction: Within the next five years, we will be taxed or fined, or both, based on our carbon footprint. Our businesses will also see an onslaught of good intentions and unintended consequences. If Democrats prevail in November, this will take two years. If Republicans prevail, it will take four to five years.
