Interoperable Democracy: (#INDIVISIBLE) I just read Howard Schultz' open letter in the New York Times July 1 edition. This blog is about interoperability, and when you think about democracy, it is the ultimate standard for oppportunity and freedom. I applaud Howard's call for getting along, compromising, and getting this country back to a nation where all can work, and all can feel that the American Dream is still within the reach of those that do the work. 4th of July should give us all a few moments to figure out who in our political districts are pulling on the oars, who are sitting their doing nothing, and who are actively trying to disrupt progress. Demoncrat, Republican or Libertarian - we need to move anyone not working in our interests back into the private sector and out of being the people's representative. I too have been blessed from a life that started with some poverty, trauma, and strife. There have been some bumps along the way way, but only in America do I feel that I have had the latitude to make my own decisions, execute my own path, and receive the market driven benefits from those efforts. I'm sorry to see so many people not empbracing the work ethic required to make this happen, and I'm disappointed with the number of people that don't pay taxes. I'm aslo disappointed with the people at the top of the income ladder - they need to invest and lead versus take their winnnings off the table - both corporations and individuals are sitting on mountains of cash. We need leadership in both business and government that we're not getting. I applaud Bill Gates for starting Microsoft from scratch and reaping the benefits. I abhor executive compensation where major shareholder losses still result in multi-million dollar bonuses. If you need some great examples, look at our military and our olympic athletes - they epitomize striving without regard for the almighty dollar!