Slim Margins

When net income is very little, we say the margin is slim. When the difference between success and failure is narrow, we say the margin is slim. When an election is won or lost by the barest of numbers, we claim the margin slim.

There is no doubt that margins these days are narrow indeed. The Georgia Senate race between Warnock and Walker was a nail biter to the end. Not even a full percentage point in ballots cast was the margin. Still, the outcome is important.

Important because the Democrats have a majority of the votes in the Senate, 51 to 49. Majority count still matters in many instances. A super majority of 60% or more, it is not. Just the same, a lot of damage has been done in government circles in recent years just playing with the margin. If for no other reason that Mitch McConnell not being in the lead position in the Senate, a victory has been won. Still, Mitch remains in place to do his destruction. I am certain he will.

With the Senate in the hands of democrats, the House has shifted to republican majority once again. The margin, however, is slim. Its playability will be tested again and again by democrats to balance the power shift.

That is the government story in a nutshell, power plays and nuanced shifts in small nuggets of margins.

In economic news, businesses fighting bad supply chains, fluid labor pools, and short-term costly options, will struggle to maintain positive margins. It will not be easy. This will test the management abilities of key team members. Who comes out on top will be fascinating sport for the next 12 months.

That leaves many important topics in play having little to do with margins. Science, academics, innovation and social change remain important to us. How will they fare when other power centers are distracted by margins?

Time will tell how we handle this. The strong social orders remain focused on what is important long-term. Weak or struggling social orders continue gaming the other. It is an interesting game to watch, but of little value in the long run.

Let the rest of us do the important work while the others waste time and effort. And resources.

December 8, 2022

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intimacy

As we mature, we become deeply involved in relationships. Some of this is basic family relations – siblings, parental – and the like. Next is friends who enter our homes and we theirs. Neighbors, classmates, mutual hobbyists and so forth. Then we develop friendships that go much deeper. We comfort one another when we are hurting physically or emotionally. We discuss the matters of life and learn much more about ourselves and each other. We can even anticipate how others will react to various situations and stimuli. Good friendships do not spread to everyone we know. No, good friendships are special, close and deeply personal. We focus attention and brainpower on these few friends. Some special relationships focus on specific topics of interest and importance. Yes, we have specialized friendships. Most common. But one day, we get to know one person very well. An emotional connection forms with deep roots. A need to know the person more fully expands in personal ways. We sense this b...
Read more

Bits & Pieces

Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...
Read more

Remembering Tom Sherlock

Tom Sherlock died on Wednesday, April 3rd. He was 65 years old and did not survive a heart surgery. That was his unexpected end and sad enough. But there is more to his story. Tom joined Dan Schuyler and George Safford to create what became the Village Chronicles, a weekly newspaper serving Warrenville, Illinois. That paper expanded to serve Winfield and then West Chicago. The paper published for eight years and built a good reputation for itself. Tom served the paper in several ways. He was our information technology guru, provided hardware and software to support the paper's operations. He was our sole bookkeeper, accountant and financial manager. He designed our distribution process and provided office space for meetings and layout and typesetting. His efforts supported the work of 32 volunteers who wrote and reported on the communities we served.  The newspaper broke even financially most of the time, but it was a struggle. Tom managed to find money to keep the newspaper afloat...
Read more