Wednesday Op-Ed Piece

Good Morning spine bloggers, now that America gets to take the proverbial mornin' after pill, and nurse an election hangover, as the pundits backtrack and attempt to rationalize their poor prognostications, there is a need to express a few words to our readers.  The 2012 election was a referendum by "We the People." Those words signify the very essence of what has made, and will continue to make these United States of America unique and special. This country was built by the blood, sweat, and tears of immigrant people long gone but not forgotten.  Yet, America is no longer a mirror image of our European ancestors. The landscape has dramatically changed. Ironically, a Republican politico declared that for the first time in this country's history, the election was decided by minorities.  He needs to be corrected, "it's the first time that minorities have become the majority in the U.S. electoral process, affecting the final outcome. Americans need to learn and accept the foundation on which this country was built upon. "We the People," symbolizes everyman and woman regardless whether they are, Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, Tea Party member, Young, the Elderly, Blacks, Whites, Latinos, Homosexuals, Catholics, Presbyterians, Jews, Bible Thumpers, Agnostics, or Aetheists' to name a few. It includes the rich, the middle class, and the poor. The gateway to this country has a credo that says, "give us your tired, your poor and your hungry." This is what made this country great. Yet, until we learn to respect ourselves, respect one another's opinions, respect our differences as people, we will never be a United States, we will be a divided country. Yes fellow bloggers, this election was a referendum, that  the People have the Power in a Democracy.  No amount of money, not even the Supreme Court could influence the out come of a Presidential Election. We can learn to adapt or we can perish. Life isn't a 30 second sound bite spewing some ridiculous commentary about either candidate. This isn't Egypt, or Iran, Russia, Syria, China, or India for that matter. That's what makes this the greatest country in the world.  Don't believe it?  Why do the Indians, the Chinese, or Middle Easterners send their children to our schools? Why do they want to be like us?  Why do they desire a pedigree education? Why do people want iPhones or iPads? Why do people love blue jeans, rock n'roll, the blues, gospel, or jazz? Why do they like the Almighty Dollar?  Because contrary to  some of our beliefs, they believe that this is a better place, that maybe the streets are lined with gold.  

Maybe this is the start of something new?  Is that wishful thinking? Is that being idealistic?  TSB leaves that up to your own illusions. The spine industry and business in general needs to stop behaving like the spoiled children that they are. The sky is not falling, you will still be able to earn a living in America contrary to what you hear, even if Obama is the POTUS.  It's not you the people that need to change, it is the people that run this country. The CEO's  in our industry need to tighten their own belts and stop blaming the ordinary workers that have built their companies for the state of the healthcare union. It's time to tell the Street and your shareholders that you need to take a little less to achieve some long-term results, if any of you have the balls to do it? Your short-term mentality, and lack of planning has brought you to this crossroad. Don't believe it? I recommend that you listen to Alex Lukianov's last conference call with the analysts. "Sequential decline?" How can we not laugh our asses off.  It's called immediate gratification. It's called greed. It's called manipulating the information to increase the valuation of your stock portfolio. If the oracles of the industry spent as much time on developing their people and their products, you wouldn't need to rationalize your failures or make excuses. Leadership means leading by example, not chewing up and spiting out your employees. For once, stop spouting off the irrational and ridiculous commentary that you have been making for the last four years. How absurd and treasonous is it to hear someone say that a 2 plus% medical device tax is going to cost people their jobs. Really?  Haven't we heard that for the last twenty years?  "Remember the good old days?"  "Remember when we made serious money?" Individually each and everyone of you has that opportunity, it comes down to hard work and a lot of luck. So what will be the outcome of this election and how will it effect your success or failures?  That's up to you.  Do you want to lead or do you want to be sheep? Obama is not going to affect you earnings, your companies product portfolio, your companies ability to adapt, and your desire to succeed will be the ultimate factor. Do you want to do it the right way or do you want to take more short cuts?  The companies in our industry and other industries tout that they will look to expand in foreign markets?  Really? Go sell your products in Europe or in China, and then tell us what your margins are.  How absurd is it to hear a CEO of a shitty pizza company say that he is going to have to raise the price of his pizza 15 cents in order to provide his employees healthcare?  Really? How absurd is it to have to listen to another physicians complain about ObamaCare when it hasn't even been implemented?  Maybe if we spent as much energy on rolling up our sleeves and coming up with innovation and solutions, working hard and working smart, we would stop worrying about the other guy. Stop worrying about the shareholders, and start worrying about your people, your most valuable resource.

So in closing, its another day in the Crystal City and TSB is healthy, happy and  I have a job in the greatest country in the world.  America, you gotta love it, or go try building a casino and skyscraper in Somalia.  Peace!