The Michigan Small Business Survival Grant and Grant Instructions-Applications Open January 19th

The Michigan Small Business Survival Grant Program will award $55 million in grants that can be up to $20K for small businesses forced to close (full or partial). A business that was partially closes could get up to $15K. You may also contact them with additional information as to what types of businesses that are covered. From a quick look it appears most small businesses have been covered. There are a number of businesses in Delta County Michigan that may benefit from such a program.

"Michigan Strategic Fund authorizes relief programs to support small businesses impacted by COVID-19 and recent public health orders • Application will open January 19 at 9am EST at www.michiganbusiness.org/survival • Small Business Survival grants will be administered by 15 Economic Development Organizations covering all 83 counties • All applications received will be considered by EDOs in the review process • $3.5 million Michigan Stages Survival Grant program also approved to offer relief to live music and event venues statewide."

You can gain more information from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) HERE.

You can also read about the law form the Governor's Office HERE. 

SB 748 Signing Letter 

President Elect Joe Biden Introduces His Science Team

It is helpful to keep up with the news on science direction and what we can expect form new presidents. It appears a pretty solid team of leading scientists have been assembled. I can agree that our nation will need to jump two feet forward into science to foster economic (innovation) and environmental (i.e. climate control) adaptation. New knowledge leads to new insight and new courses of action. If we can't see it then we cant hit the target.

While the video didn't necessarily discuss this idea we are loosing our competitive edge with China. China is near equal to the U.S. in patents and scientific publications. On the U.S. side we certainly can push scientific skills at schools, break down industry-academic barriers, professor-student research, encourage an easier patent process, and connect innovators and entrepreneurs together (innovator-entrepreneur and entrepreneur-entrepreneur) to foster cluster innovation.

1. COVID

2. Economic Recovery

3. Climate Crisis

4. Technologies/Innovation

5. Health and Trust in National Science

A little something on China patents I wrote a while ago on Chinese matching U.S. in Doctors, Patents and Scientific Discoveries. 

Reducing Hate Based Extremism in Michigan

When I look back how much our country has changed in 20 years and the willingness of people to take up arms I am saddened. We think this happened overnight but I suspect it was bubbling under the surface for a long time and the right spark at the right time lit the tinder. Our society is in the midst a major transformation and there will be some in our society that feel intimidation is a method of getting what they want and that behavior must stop (...and we must stop ignoring it)!

While this appears to be a novel situation we still can start to formulate short and long-term solutions. 

Often these groups don't understand the needs of the wider society and are hyper-focused on themselves and their narrow ideology (cultic ideology). Radicalism is a type of tunnel vision that limits outside perspective and anchors.  Normal process of dialogue and common ground are absent because of the entitlement that sometimes comes through victimhood (i.e. I can do this because I/my people are victims). 

These are individuals who have experienced feelings of loss of power, shifting demographics, and live within a context of global pressure and radical market change (Major market upheaval and social unrest are likely associated in literature). Many militia members feel left behind by the new economic realities and are angry at their politicians (and others) for their plight. (I wonder if someone is going to create a profile based on those who were arrested at the capital and those who are "influences" in radical chatter. 🤔).

Solving these problems isn't going to happen overnight with the snap of the finger and a few choice words. We MUST detect and thwart these potentially violent partisans long before they become militarized. While this level of radicalism hasn't been experienced domestically in this country prior, we can say that there seems to be a toxic mix of factors (i.e. COVID and economic fall out) matched with the power of social media to influence more people (good and bad). 

Short and long-term solutions are needed as our politicians struggle inadequately for an answer. Short-term preventions are likely to include detection, monitoring and intercession. Long-term preventions will be focused on prevention (diversity exposure and education), steering grievances to appropriate political behavior, new legislation, law enforcement training/reform and economic improvements that have an impact on workers struggling to make ends meet. 

One helpful step is to review and create more flexibility within current hate crime laws in Michigan to detect, measure, and put on record early hate based behaviors before they grow into coordinated aggression. Michigan lawmakers have an opportunity to adjust current hate crime laws so they can be used at different levels of behavior to create an appropriate record (i.e. misdemeanor, mental health, and felony) for research, monitoring and policy creation purposes.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and Speaker of the House Jason Wentworth stated, "....As we have said before, the riot at the U.S. Capitol last week was a terrible moment for our country. We must be better than this as a nation, and that begins this week with what will hopefully remain peaceful protests and demonstrations in Washington, D.C., Lansing and around the country."(Egan, January 16th 2021, para 4).

Egan P. (January 16th, 2021) Michigan Legislature cancels sessions next week over protest security concerns, para 4.  https://www.wxyz.com/news/michigan-legislature-cancels-sessions-next-week-over-protest-security-concerns

Human Capital and Agency Effects on CEO Compensation of IPO's

 I'm looking through a study on IPO market founders trying to determine whether or not there is a way to attract young entrepreneurs to a small outdoor enthusiast community and in turn help them turn their businesses into public companies that can effectively compete on the market. There is a long road to becoming a public traded company but its helpful to see which firms are likely to be more successful than others. In this case I am looking at founder CEOs that start a company and then turn them public.

According to a study on Human Capital and Agency Effects on CEO compensation we find (Williams, Coffey, & Young, 2018):

1. IPO rewards firms that have founder CEOs. 

2. CEOs with venture capital experience receive higher incentive compensation.

3. CEOs with greater ownership interest in the firm receive lower incentive compensation but higher salaries. 

4. CEOS of firms with a greater percentage of insiders are incentive drive but with higher salaries. 

While this study looked at pharmaceutical companies I believe it may also apply to other types of firms. The more of these studies one reads the better able they can grasp where they apply and don't apply. I'm trying to figure how to attract international entrepreneurs to Delta County beyond just filling up the downtown (There is a previous article for that HERE). Best case scenario is to attract investors and entrepreneurs that want to turn their companies public. This is just theoretical exploration of a large economic development system based on innovation through cluster development. Its not so much if it happens as its more related to closing a loop in theory play and its relation to upward development of creative destruction. HERE. 

Williams, D. R., Coffey, B. S., & Young, C. C. (2018). Human Capital and Agency Effects on CEO Compensation of IPO Biopharmaceutical Firms and the Market’s Response. Journal of Management and Governance, 22(2), 315–337.

Beating Extremism Means Local Eyes and Ears-MSP Releases Statement

The extremists that attacked our capitol and those that threat our state capital are people that live within our communities. What happened was inexcusable and is a risk to the viability of our republic. It makes no difference which political leanings one holds or their objectives the use of violence to solve problems is not in the spirit of civil dialogue and national adjustment.

MSP releases video and explanation of terrorism and extremism. They also have a listing of some of the specific behaviors you might look for. I believe it would also be helpful to focus on some changes in behaviors and an over focus on specific needs that can only be resolved through "if and then" or black/white thinking. 

 According to Kruglanski, et. al. (2017),"Extremism is defined as motivated deviance from general behavioral norms and is assumed to stem from a shift from a balanced satisfaction of basic human needs afforded by moderation to a motivational imbalance wherein a given need dominates the others."

Based on the psychological motivation Its helpful to look for rigidity in ideology and anger directed at specific groups or heuristic category of people. While not all people who are upset and angry move to extremism we can say that when matched with specific behaviors could raise a "red flag". That red flag turns into a blinking red light when someone begins to prepare and talk about using violence against others.

No matter where one lives the best place to overcome these issues is on a local level where people understand each other on intuitive levels and notice an increase in radical dialogue. When people become radicals they also change their focus hate begins to consume their thinking and words (i.e. online chatting). Notice none of this has to do with someone's color, religion, or national origin.

If you hear or see anything please report it to the appropriate authorities so they may investigate and track. Don't confront people yourself but instead take a mental note and report it if your intuitive radar bounces up and seems to match with specific actions/behaviors (Within each of us is the subconscious ability to detect threats). Eradicating these behaviors means working on the local level to ensure such behaviors are discovered and discouraged before they become a problem.

  

Kruglanski, A. W., Jasko, K., Chernikova, M., Dugas, M., & Webber, D. (2017). To the fringe and back: Violent extremism and the psychology of deviance. American Psychologist, 72(3), 217–230. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000091

Steve Forbes Discusses Bitcoin and Money Replacement?

The video highlights some of the limitations of bit coin. I couldn't agree more. What I can say is that cryptocurrency isn't fully developed yet and isn't as useful as money. That may change in the future as as we move more and more digital. The biggest factor is portability and ease of use. If one were to use money for everyday purchases they would need a highly secure, portable, and easy to use currency accepted by most vendors. We might be a decade or more off until the digital economy has really set in on a global scale. This is one reason why I think the U.S. should embrace digital development and help secure itself as central to the intellectual innovation and world supply chains where the greatest value is created. 

President Elect Joe Biden Delivers Remarks On Covid Vaccine Plan

 President Elect offers information on vaccine distribution plan. It is important for people to watch how it will be distributed and to which people first. 

Congressman Bill Huizenga Discusses Riots, Election, and Reform

Congressman Bill Huizenga discusses riots and convo w/ V.P. Pence. Facebook page HERE.

Detroit Economic Club-Business Environment Needs Improvement

 The Detroit Economic Club offers beneficial feedback information that businesses and public leaders should consider while thinking about strategic steps to bring Michigan to a global competitive status. That may require working across the isle to help put in place those strategies that attract new business investments while still encouraging organic local business growth. 

As of now, Michigan is dipping as a place to start a business. Some of that has to do with COVID and some to do with our approach to the market. There are new ideas out there but as of yet we are still moving along older lines of thinking. Sometimes they can be fruitful but often highly dependent on the pressure from the market. They don't necessarily seek to step in front of the market or fully capitalize on the new digital economy. 

I'm working on a few unfinished ideas on the use of economic clusters to encourage new business development and innovation in places like Delta County. With luck and a solid working model maybe it can be applied to other places. Its unfinished (in process) so no major judgements please! HERE.

Hump Day Blues in the News

Poetry is something that is long forgotten as a medium of communication. Within poetry you can find rhythm and rhyme but mostly it provides an ancient level of story telling.

Hump Day News,

National Blues, 

Right to Choose? 

Ok sorry...maybe my painting is getting better than my poems. Yikes! 🙈🙉 Its the process not the outcome that matters. I think people in business should have extra curricular activities so as to increase life satisfaction. There is also association of art and creative thinking.