Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Stumbling into Greatness

Damn, I love New Orleans. And, I am so sorry that I haven't been back since Katrina. J'excuse. That won't happen again, I promise, as I'm already plotting my next visit.

But, there is that surrealistic moment when you and your friends stumble into a bar and your mouth just drops. That happened last weekend at d.b.a.

We're all familiar with the power trios of rock. Cream. Grand Funk. Hendrix. The James Gang. ELP. The Police. Green Day. That's about as stripped down as you can get...right?

Not after you've witnessed Cedric Burnside & Lightnin' Malcolm. A wall of sound by two that sucks you in and shakes you hard.

And, it's a band that has blues royalty in its blood...as Cedric is the grandson of R.L. Burnside and Malcolm played with the master.

Damn...and they had me at hello.

And, yes...click ALL the links. It's Friday.:)

Taking a Shot...or Not

Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that the fewest number of entrepreneurs started businesses in the past year since records of such things were tracked.

"There's just a huge amount of uncertainty. And when you're uncertain, you don't make bets," said NFIB Chief Economist William Dunkelberg.

Why the "uncertainty?" According to experts, it's a "lack of clarity" from Washington.

And, isn't that fascinating? When local government makes a bold statement supporting a downtown, the private sector almost always responds in spades. And, when the federal government appears aimless, entrepreneurs stay home.

We gotta get a clue...and soon.

When Will We Say "Enough?"

If there is any doubt that our elected officials in Washington are nothing more than a pack of ignorant children playing a dangerous game, I draw your attention to a website launched by House Republican Leadership called YouCut.

This particular game allows disgruntled Americans to suggest which Federal programs should be cut and encourages others to vote on the suggestion. Each week, the "winning" program is introduced as legislation designed to cut the program.

On the surface, it sounds like government by the people. A good thing, right? But "the people" often don't have the depth of background on particular issues to render an informed decision. We elect our peers to go to Washington, learn the real story and represent us so we don't have to be experts on all the nuances in play on any given day.

But House Republicans have apparently abdicated this responsibility we have bestowed upon them, preferring to let the masses take the fall for any really stupid cuts they make.

Like one of the newest programs to make the YouCut list: America's Tourism Office.

Let's be honest here...if there is any group of people in this country (outside the hospitality industry) that understands that this program helps CUT the deficit, it's the children at play in DC. Joe and Jill Public don't get it...and, we shouldn't expect them to. It's a very complex model. One that we expect our elected officials to understand. One they did last year when they approved the program in a strongly bi-partisan vote.

But now? One of the most important economic impact pieces of legislation of the Obama Administration is up for grabs.

While I surely hope that, if the Tourism Office "wins" this sick competition, the House will do the right thing and ignore the subsequent bill...it certainly wouldn't surprise me at all if they cut the program but maintained the assessment program that was put in place to fund it.

Sad that I have so little faith in the people who represent me...but they don't. They're just having way to much fun screwing with each other to give a shit about the country they serve.

To give a shit about you and me.

I'll Take 'em

Apparently, nobody wants the $1 coin that the U.S. Government began minting in 2007...and is (ready?) mandated to keep producing until 2017. So, over a billion dollars of said coins are stacking up in Federal Reserve vaults...and, by the end of the run, should top $2 million.

Hell, I'll take 'em. Tell me where to pull the van up.

Voting for Our Supreme Courts

While the issue is local...it has implications across the U.S.

Just why are State Supreme Court Justices elected? Doesn't that put our highest court up to the highest bidder?

Here in Wisconsin, we've got a Justice who has been accused of some pretty weird shit. The investigation is ongoing and could turn out to be true...or a political smear job. Either way...how did we get here?

A local columnist suggested something radical, even by Madison standards: "Qualified judges should be recommended by an educated committee."

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know. Who picks the committee?

But, honestly? Could it get any worse?

Jealousy

While Annie Lennox got most of the props, Eurythmics were so Dave Stewart (recently announced as a key player in Mick Jaggar's new band).

This gem from Dave's 1995 solo album "Greetings from the Gutter" has a seriously seductive groove...and a video that makes me smile everytime I see it.

Suffice to say you'll never see Kevin Spacey in quite the same way again.

Something Rotten?

Volusia County FL has three Destination Marketing Organizations. The CEO of the New Smyrna Beach CVB quit her post and then was fired in May after a tumultuous run. And, just yesterday afternoon, the CEO of the Daytona Beach CVB was sent packing on a 6-5 vote of her Board after the Chair accused her of being unprofessional (which my Florida contacts say is about as far from the truth as Timbuktu).

Volusia County FL is currently reviewing bids to an RFP that sought a consultant to assess whether there is a better way to handle tourism promotion for the County. With two of the three CEOs out of the mix, it appears as if the recommended solution has all but been assured.

And, I'd bet the CEO of the West Volusia Tourism Advertising Authority is nervous today. Real nervous.

I know I would be.

The End of Cursive

At least in Indiana. Because handwriting will no longer be taught in that State's schools.

Really? REALLY?

Has it come to this? That being able to write a thank you note, a grocery list or your signature is no longer important?

I'd expect this from moonbeam states...but Indiana?

Sigh...

Maybe it was Better when we were Invisible

Destination Marketing Organizations used to grouse about how we got no respect. Over the past few years, the media has begun to recognize what we do and how important it is to our communities. But, maybe that isn't the panacea we desired.

Case in point: an angry letter to the editor from a couple that couldn't get back into their hotel room after watching the fireworks downtown. Apparently, a cop had been shot responding to a distress call and these visitors couldn't just go about their lives. So they vented to the newspaper.

It was the hotel's fault. It was the Bureau's fault.

"Shame on you," the writer said. "You made matters worse by abandoning guests into the streets in a strange city that many promised never to return to."

Really? The DMO's fault? And yet...if the expectation exists, what should be our response?

Like She Said

Here at the Zeitgeist Compound, we're back and working on a number of projects, one of which is a "Best Practices" study of DMO Operations and Philosophies.

Over the weekend, I have been fascinated by some of the cool, whip-smart and paradigm-shifting concepts we've seen from respondents. Especially when it comes to the concept of providing "incentives" to encourage convention and event groups to choose their destination over the competition.

In other words, "buying the business."

While most respondents acknowledged that they did it begrudgingly...there were the refreshing handful that said "no way."

My favorite response: "We do not give cash and wish others would stop devaluing their destinations by doing so."

What a concept...and so true.