Six Wishes for the New Year

1. No Hostage Taking – The U.S. federal debt ceiling debate is going to rear its ugly head again in the next few months, and whatever fragile economic recovery we have could be dashed with a matter of a few votes. If Congress and the President don’t want to spend our tax dollars (and more), then don’t authorize it. But if spending measures do get passed, then don’t hold the country hostage over money already spent.

2. Frank Talk – Here’s hoping the Presidential campaign in the fall somehow magically turns into a frank and honest depiction of what two people who hope to lead the country really think and hope for the future of our nation.

3. Looser Purse Strings – National banks have finally started to loosen their purse strings learning what regional and local banks have known for months, small business is a good financial bet…particularly when it comes to small IT firms.

4. Refocus on Health IT – It would be a crime to let an opportunity to revolutionize the management of our health records get swept aside either by the repeal of all or parts of the legislation that set us on the health IT track. Pockets of constituents needed to make it happen have clearly lost momentum. Let’s bring that back.

5. Data Breach Standard – Now more than ever we need a national standard on what constitutes data breach and a standardization of the liability risks. Only through a clear set of guidelines, operating in all jurisdictions can we go about securing the nation’s infrastructure and information.

6. Accelerate Worker Mobility – We need creative solutions now to assist employees with the skills employers need and to be able to move to where the jobs are. Too many people because of the anchor of an upside down mortgage are tied to regions with too few jobs to match their skills.