Lack of vision may be why America is behind in the Innovation War

America was once known as the “Land of Opportunity”, where someone with little to no standing could become someone of great influence.  Where education was not strictly judged by the schools you attended but also by the experience you displayed.  That seems so long ago now because now where you come from and the reputation of a particular educational institution is required.  In other words it’s “who you know” that matters.

The “who you know” saga is played out in today’s communities by credit reporting agencies and their control over credit scores.  They can decide to lower them and make 600 the score needed to obtain financial help from traditional sources or they can raise them where only those with 720 credit score can avail themselves of those services.  This is also now being used to determine if you are worthy of being hired regardless of the years of experience that you have.  Right now many employers are using your credit report to determine if you are hirable or not.  Just as landlord’s are using credit reports to see if you are worthy of renting to.  The “who you know” have been expanded and proponents of this craze will tell you it is to protect those already in power from losing what they worked so hard to obtain.  This would be a viable reason if it was entirely true and not part of the shell game being played on Wall Street and Main Street alike.

Some believe that America was looked upon as the shining beacon on the hill not because of a strong military but because it was viewed as a place where everyone were treated equal and hard work, determination and equality was the major ingredients.  The American education system was seen as the best because of all those new and innovative products that were being created from here and shipped throughout the world.  It was where every student wished to learn so that they could enjoy living the American lifestyle.  That was then, this is now.

America is falling behind other industrialized countries because we no longer invest in our citizens.  It is more important to increase the bottom line and the investment into your fellow American is passé.  Traditional lending institutions and investors used to search the nation for ideas to help bring to the market place.  Now the rule is that even if you have an idea which could be of financial benefit to any company, it will not be addressed because they can not accept ideas from anyone currently outside that particular company.  Inventors used to invent to make their lives better as well as the lives of others around them.  To be called an inventor used to mean something but now the word is seldom if ever used.  It used to be a little easier to present your idea to business and find someone willing to give it a shot but no more.  Without the right credit score and “who you know”, an inventor is left working out of their garages.  We need to get back to investing in our own people and learn once and for all that it’s not about a hand out but a hand up.