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Bernard Madoff, convicted of running an $65 billion Ponzi scheme, was sentenced to 150 years in jail. What’s your take on his punishment?

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By Knight Kiplinger

The Kiplinger Washington Editors

July 2, 2009

By year-end or so, Congress will give the nod to a major rewriting of the nation's financial regulatory system. This week’s Kiplinger Letter explores whether the package will do more harm than good and what lawmakers are likely to include.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: The Economy, Business Costs, Taxes, Supreme Court, Energy, Workplace Regulations, Climate Change, Health Care Legislation and Foreign Policy

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I just attended a franchise seminar. The speaker represents a few hundred franchises that (he says) are hand picked. He has the prospect (aka victim?) answer some questions about themselves then he makes recomendations - based on your personality, capital situation, etc.. If you pick a franchise, then he does some due dilligence for you. If you both decide it's a good idea, he helps you get started. He says he offers this service free of charge, which means he gets a commission if he's able to sell you a franchise. Has anyone done this? Successfully? Unsuccessfully?

-- fender

Community Colleges -- The Key to U.S. Competitiveness

Community colleges have a demonstrated ability to turn out the specialized, skilled workers that employers are starved to have, but they need more resources and cooperation.

Worth Reading: The Quick Take from Kiplinger

March 2008

Business Champions

Business Champions works with business leadership across the country to support policies that will build a competitive U.S. workforce, especially by making it easier for more underserved students and people of all ages and backgrounds to get training for skilled jobs.

The Manufacturing Institute

The Manufacturing Institute is the research and education arm of the National Association of Manufacturers, an industry trade group that advocates on behalf of members to enhance the competitiveness of manufacturers.

Many policymakers, academics and business leaders perpetually scratch their heads over how to change the U.S. education system so it begins to turn out hirable workers with the skills employers desperately need. However, the problem may not be a missing link in the system, but an overlooked one -- community colleges.

Many community colleges are already doing an excellent job of teaching skills in high demand. In fact, a survey by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) reported that 81% of employers said that applicants with a two-year degree or certificate from community and technical colleges are prepared for entry-level jobs. Compare that to only 40% for those with high school diplomas.

But too many community colleges are not given the attention, resources and direction they need to fulfill their promise in filling the pronounced and growing "skills gap" that is bedeviling employers in virtually every industry, especially manufacturing. "Despite progress, the best practices of leading community colleges are still spreading too slowly. Far too many skill-seeking students drop out before they get what they need. Too many programs are disconnected from the labor market’s demands and opportunities," warns Business Champions, a group created by NAM members to draw attention to the role that community colleges can play in creating a more skilled workforce.

In a report titled Closing the Skills Gap Through Community Colleges, Business Champions and NAM's Manufacturing Institute lay out a variety of steps that would help make community colleges more effective for employers and potential employees alike and point to successful approaches that can serve as models. "These initiatives address workforce shortages in industries that pay good wages, offer opportunities for advancement, are important for local economies and have growing demands for skilled workers. They focus on building partnerships, establishing state-of-the-art curricula and programs, and strengthening connections between work and learning," the report says.

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