Obama's Economy

Can We Handle The Truth?

In the hit film “A Few Good Men” starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, Nicholson’s character screams out the memorable phrase while being questioned in court, “You can’t handle the truth.” The ongoing health insurance squabble, alarm bells surrounding public sector budgets and the constant political food fight brought those words to mind for me this week. The only way to find out if we can really handle the truth is for us to consistently hear the truth from business leaders and political types and I don’t think the truth-meter needle is moving often enough right now.

I want to say two things here to clarify my blog writings. My passionate interest is in small to mid-sized businesses and how entrepreneurial thinking can help all of us. I really do believe that our lives will be better if we run them on sound business principles. Political rhetoric is of no real interest to me and I don’t write with a political party preference. Both major parties have done some good things over the last 60 years for the long term health of our country as well as making some pathetically boneheaded and harmful moves. My questions regarding political moves are just about the same as I’d ask of any business owner. They are: What is the goal? Are your strategies grounded in logic? How do the finances work out?

For example, the overly discussed, dissected and vilified health insurance reform legislation means one primary thing to me; politicians are demonstrating either a lack of knowledge or contempt for basic economic realities. We now have another underfunded entitlement program joining others that have the words social or medi as part of their names. The truth is that the money will run out and that will mean; cutting entitlements, asking for more money or printing a lot more money. As the British are fond of saying, it will end in tears.

There is a passage in the bible that says “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” I often supplement that wisdom in my speeches by telling the audience that before showing you that freedom; the truth will first kick your butt!

Here is a lesson in painful truth from newly elected New Jersey governor Chris Christie. His state like California and New York is facing fiscal disaster. Unlike the governors of those other states he seems to be pouring some painful truth into the discussion. He told the legislature that he was impounding $2 billion of the state budget, and cutting spending in 375 state programs to eliminate their $2 billion budget gap. Of course there were howls of unfair and all the comments you’d expect from a choir of vested interests. However he did not take money from public education and didn’t ask for more taxes on property owners which strike me as common sense thinking.

The hardest truth for politicians to speak about is that pensions and benefits are the biggest driver of spiraling spending at all levels of government, which was also a key factor in the death of General Motors and Chrysler. Sound business principles dictated that those companies go through the fire of bankruptcy to be able to shake off some of that smothering burden before being reborn in a slimmed down form. With no disrespect to the many able public servants and government workers, let’s look at some numbers. A New Jersey state employee who retired at age 49 has paid a total of $124,000 toward his pension and health benefits. If he lives to the expected age, he’ll receive a total of $3.8 million in pension and health benefits! Who really wants to pay for this? The naked truth is that this story is repeated hundreds of thousands of times across the country and even the slow learners understand that this model can’t be sustained. I did say that truth will kick your butt before any feeling of freedom flows in.

As a small business owner, I get the good and bad news weekly if not daily. In my world, truth can’t be obscured for very long. Even in what used to be America’s largest corporation, General Motors, suspended truth eventually won the battle and imposed it’s will on the fate of that iconic company. Some years ago, a tough old real estate developer said to me “you have to lay a solid foundation under whatever you do because gravity always wins and brings you back down to earth.”

Is this a doom and gloom prediction? I don’t think so. Sound business principles can be applied at any time as long as we are willing to accept truth and work through the resulting pain. Anyone who has kicked an addiction can attest to that. I believe that the human spirit is indomitable and that the true American foundation in capitalism is solid. We just have to be true to it.

Since my business is built around media, I often muse on what role all media plays in diverting American’s from dealing with the truth. Another motion picture, “Network” written by the legendary Paddy Chayefsky was prophetic on the subject in 1976. The lead character is fictional network anchorman Howard Beal. He has some choice words regarding truth. “Listen to me. Television is not the truth. Television is a God*****d amusement park! Television is a circus, a carnival, a traveling troupe of acrobats, story-tellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, side-show freaks, lion tamers and football players. We’re in the boredom killing business! So, if you want truth go to God. Go to your gurus. Go to yourselves because that’s the only place you’re ever going to find any real truth. But, man, you’re never gonna get any truth from us. We’ll tell you anything you want to hear.”

Whether we can handle it or not, it is time for a major dose of truth.

About the Author

Nelson Davis was born in Andalusia, Alabama (near Montgomery) and grew up in Niagara Falls, New York. From the age of fourteen on, his burning desire was to get into radio broadcasting. Nelson’s career began with a high school internship program and part-time announcing job at a local radio station. From Niagara Falls he moved to a larger station in Ottawa, Ontario, where he continued his formal education with business courses. In addition to disc jockey duties, he became a program director and host of various television shows.

Eleven years later found Nelson in Los Angeles with his hopes of becoming a game show host transformed into learning the production side of television. Freelancing as a discussions show host and producer, he produced and/or directed such diverse projects as a series for PBS, commercials for presidential candidate Ronald Reagan, and a film in Africa.

Mr. Davis joined the NBC TV Network in 1980 as Manager of Mini-series, eventually becoming Director of Daytime Programming. One of his early jobs at NBC TV was Censor for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Between NBC and starting his own production company in 1988, Mr. Davis was involved in many interesting projects as a producer. He was hired by Merv Griffin to produce the pilot episode of Jeopardy to bring it back to television; he was Executive Producer of Name That Tune for its rebirth in 1984; and he helped launch the Fashion Channel.

Mr. Davis began Nelson Davis Television Productions with the idea of bringing together special television programming with sponsors who wish to reach a niche audience. His first weekly series was “MAKING IT! Minority Success Stories”. The show has been on the air since March 1989 and has received over twenty-five awards and citations from all levels of government and business organizations, including two Emmys as Best Public Affairs series. “MAKING IT!” is broadcast in several California markets and is seen by satellite and cable viewers across the country.

In 1989, Nelson Davis TV Productions also created and co-produced Campus All-Star Challenge, a quiz series for historically black colleges. Sponsored by Honda and broadcast on BET for five years, the program has enabled cash grants of over $2.3 million to be awarded to participating schools. Nelson Davis TV Productions is also proud to have produced children’s specials built around oral storytelling, and Black History Notes, which celebrates Black History month.

Nelson is committed to combining his knowledge of television production and marketing to use TV as a medium to communicate positive messages and enable economic empowerment. Among community organizations, Nelson serves as: Los Angeles Area Vice President of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; Board of Advisors member for the National Association of Women Business Owners; Board of Directors member of the Pacific Coast Regional Small Business Development Corporation; Member of Santa Monica College Associates. Mr. Davis has also been active with Big Brothers.

RECENT AWARDS
Media Advocate of the Year Award- U.S. Small Business Administration
Supplier of the Year Award – Southern California Regional Purchasing Council
Entrepreneurial Dream Maker Award – Women’s Enterprise Development Corporation
Minority Advocate of the Year Award – U.S. Small Business Administration
Two Emmy Award winner – as Executive Producer of “MAKING IT!”
Entertainment Award – Los Angeles Mayor’s Minority Business Committee