Office of Intellectual Liaison

> In my retirement, I have gained much pleasure and satisfaction from activities that cost almost nothing: repairing broken things, composing and performing music and inventing things that aught to be. I joined a chapter of the United Inventors Association. It welcomes anyone wishing to protect or commercialize an idea or just hang out with kindred spirits. We encourage, help, learn from and get inspiration from one other. The best practical advice I have received in decades came from one of those meetings. It was, "Go back to school." In this state, retirees can attend any college or tech center for about $65/quarter.
> Inventors have peculiar minds. Received wisdom is questioned. Established procedures are re-examined. Tools are looked at without prejudice. Problems, failures and calamities are seen as opportunities. Half of my inventions came from bad news reported in the media, others from unmet needs while repairing things or performing music.
> There are chapters of the UIA all over the country, teaming with independent original thinkers. This organization could provide a conduit for the federal government and its agencies to query America's most creative people on matters of public policy and specific national problems. And for grounding we have associations of historians and philosophers. We need to balance the influence of economists and corporations.
> Were there a federal Office of Intellectual Liaison over the past 20 years, numerous disasters might have been avoided - the 9/11 hijackings, riots turning deadly, the intifada, the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the kidnappings in Iraq, disproportionate and nonspecific responses to terrorist attacks, many transportation accidents and many gun crimes. Then there are the economy, environment, resource conservation, trade balance, industrial capacity, national debt, health care, Social Security, corporate citizenship and SPAM, none of which is being addressed rationally. The National Academy of Sciences and Advisory Boards and recognised think tanks apparently aren't sufficient.