All: A recent article describing the current situation in Switzerland and how it got that way suggests it qualifies as the model Quality Country that other countries would do well to emulate. In Switzerland the human-devouring Giant is held in check by decentralizing the Giant's sources of power. And Switzerland's strong work ethic, free market policies and respect for the individual ensure a high quality of life for its citizens. Add to these its "passion for quality" and you have a country the MOQ can look to not only with approval but for inspiration. Some excerpts from the article at:
http://www.american.com/archive/2008/march-april-magazine-contents/cuckoo- for-switzerland "Today, Switzerland looms much larger in the world economy than its small size and population of only 7.5 million people would lead one to guess. Its passion for quality has raised global standards worldwide in fields from pharmaceuticals to biotechnology to medical devices. It ranks among the top 20 global exporters. When only services are considered, Switzerland ranks among the top 12 exporters." "There is a respect for the individual at all levels of Swiss society," says Micheline Calmy-Rey, president of Switzerland-a position that rotates every year among seven members of the multiparty Federal Council. "We are not a glamorous country," she says, "but we put human beings at the center of our system." "We never had the street rise up and view the social order as illegitimate," says Stéphane Garelli of the University of Lausanne's business school. "There has never been a revolution here. Wealth here is expected to be discrete, but it is respected and protected." He notes that while 17 billionaires currently live in Switzerland, only five are Swiss." "Christoph Blocher, Switzerland's former justice minister and the president of the conservative Swiss People's Party, is aware of the need to cultivate a business climate friendly to free enterprise. The owner of a major chemical company before entering politics, his keynote speech before the annual St. Gallen Business Conference in 2006 was a stirring defense of classical liberalism. "Anyone who still speaks in socialist rhetoric has slept through history," he declared. "Economic liberalism has done more to fight poverty and create jobs than any other doctrine." "The lessons that the Swiss have held close to their heart are simple," says Perroud. "One, there is no such thing as a miracle or a free lunch- everything has to be earned, so there is a strong work ethic. Two, we put as much responsibility as possible where people are in control. In small towns, even teachers used to be elected until recently. Everything is highly transparent, so it is difficult for anyone to accumulate too much power." Regards, Platt Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
