Good work on Long Island

Some good thinking at the United Way of Long Island. 

Yes, we should learn how to be more efficient within our own sphere of expertise. But we need more. We need a multi-disciplinary approach for Long Island as proposed in Long Island Congress and Long Island 3.0. 

It is good that the United Way is getting the process started in their field, but it will only be a part of the solution unless coordinated with other elements of Long Island society. The same can be said for other efforts underway aimed at "consolidation." 

As we have stated before, one may "consolidate" in different ways. Consolidating functions and organizations may be a part of the solution if it makes sense after an unbiased empirical analysis. But "consolidating" how one approaches problems and arrives at solutions into a "unified theory of regional coordination" will have a longer and more positive effect on Long Island. 

No form of consolidation will eliminate the desire for people and organizations to express their ideas and try to do a better job, nor should it. Consolidation, in any form, should not stifle creativity and original thought.

The consolidation we are speaking about in our "unified theory"  is a process. We are giving people and organizations the tools they need to cooperative voluntarily, while enabling original thought and growth. "Give a man a fish, and you've given him a meal. Teach him to fish, and he'll have food for a lifetime."

Some other good work being done here at  Long Island biz2biz.com  and 411 Karma.com (in fact I would encourage the United Way to look into this concept as a part of its mission).

I believe both sites, and the United Way, would benefit from the Long Island Common API(s) idea we offered some time ago (among many other ideas available on this blog and elsewhere we can use to form a common Long Island language).

We need to speak the same language (or at least have competent interpreters!) if we are going to communicate in a positive and productive manner.