UNCONVENTIONAL THINKING BLOG

Against the backdrop of Egypt in revolt, Iran eager to fire missiles at democracies everywhere and North Korea playing chicken with nukes, my thoughts turn to economics, to entrepreneurialism, to what made America the shining beacon for the world and what will– what must– keep us there.

In conversations over lunch, in media interviews, in discussions with so many with whom I come in contact over the course of a business day, I find myself–for the first time in my life– having to defend America.

When I was a young man, I was asked to fight in Viet Nam. I wasn’t afraid and I didn’t have any life plans that would get in the way. But I didn’t believe in the war and so I was at a crossroads.

But I took the two subway tokens the Army sent me, reported to Ft. Hamilton in Brooklyn, went through my physical, prepared to fly into the war zone.

Today I went to a funeral.
A rite of passage for a man who was an inventor, created the cordless electric knife, fought for his country in WW II, became a talented artist, graduated from Cooper Union and raised a wonderful family.
His story is uniquely American. Free to dream, to innovate, to build factories, to [...]