THE TEAM

Jennifer Schaus runs JSchaus & Associates out of downtown Washington DC with a specialty focus on GSA Schedules.  Jennifer and her team help companies get onto the Schedule, maintain it, make modifications and more.  She has over 30+ complimentary webinars on the topic of GSA Schedules, amongst the 650+ government contracting webinars in the firms YouTube library.  

With over 20 years of experience in federal contracting, Jennifer and her team can help you navigate the marketplace and understand the procurement nuances and process to drive success.

 

Mr. John Wolf, the President of Peritia Partners, a boutique construction consulting firm, has over 35 years of experience in the development and construction industry. He has provided advisory, analysis, and testimony on complex, domestic and international, construction-related projects involving standard of care, constructive and directed changed work, delay, termination, suspension, acceleration, disruption, and productivity issues. John has experience evaluating more than 300 projects across 20 countries totaling over $110 Billion in both the private and federal sectors. His career, whether in the role of an executive for ENR Top 100 firms or a forensic analyst, is marked with several mega-projects including the $1 Billion Watson Island Development Project in Miami, FL; the $1.2 Billion Parkland Hospital Campus Program in Dallas, TX; the $3.2 Billion Wedge 2-5 and Wedge 1 Phoenix Rebuild Projects of the Pentagon in Arlington, VA; and the $13 Billion SASOL Lake Charles Chemical Complex.

 

Jim McGovern is a Senior Director at The BERO Group. He is a CPA, Certified in Financial Forensics, and a Certified Valuation Analyst. He is also a Fellow and Past President of the National Contract Management Association. For more than 35 years, Jim has served as a consultant and expert witness for law firms, corporations, and governmental agencies on matters involving complex financial and economic damage issues, including those stemming from contract disputes, intellectual property infringement, business interruption or devastation, and shareholder/partnership disputes. Since 1987 Jim has been helping federal contractors maximize recovery on contract claims and terminations for convenience as well as assisting contractors with government contract accounting compliance issues.

THE DECISION DELUSION: DICTATOR VERSUS DEMOCRACY

The 2024 Presidential election decision is illusory. As a practical matter, it does not exist. We must vote to ensure the efficacy of and adherence to the constitutional voting process. But we need not concern ourselves with the choice for whom we vote. Believing there is a choice is delusional.

The Republican candidate is the most vile and despicable human being one can imagine. His record is one of unspeakable crimes, behavior, and vitriol. He is totally bereft of moral and humanistic virtue and value. He is mentally ill and of deficient mental capacity and capability. He is a malignant narcissist and most likely an imbecile. He is a common grifter and conman. He is constitutionally barred from office by the 14th Amendment.

So, he is unfit. Not of good character. But here is the clincher. He has left no doubt that he will be a dictator. He cannot finish it in 4 years, but he will try. So, lemmings, is that the freedom you want?

The rest of us, call us the rest of us, suffer no illusion. There is only one choice.

The choice between President Biden and Donald J. Trump does not exist.

BECAUSE WE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE

We have an unequal distribution of wealth and power that feeds racism, denial of civil rights, extreme political silos, failure to compromise, fake news, vitriol, cultism, and a slow walk into fascism, autocracy, and theocracy. 

We suggest thought leadership by examining the true nature of capitalism, how one of our most celebrated thinkers saw us through the lens of equal distribution by socialistic principles, how we must adhere to the rule of compromise to survive, what modest measures from Congress would save us and how we get there through leadership.

Each of these five suggested steps is explained as follows:

https://spriggslawgroup.blogspot.com/2024/02/reforming-capitalism.html

https://spriggslawgroup.blogspot.com/2024/02/what-is-socialism.html

https://spriggslawgroup.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-lost-art-of-compromise.html

https://wspriggs2.blogspot.com/2024/02/us-congress-to-do-list.html

https://spriggslawgroup.blogspot.com/2023/11/superior-leadership.html

 

WHO AM I?

I am a philosophical truth-seeker and legal enthusiast. I love science and the law as they follow the evidence and help me discover objective truth and reality. I eschew faith, the absence of evidence upon which beliefs rely.

 

DEALING WITH PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS

 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/spriggs-law-group_handling-the-performance-problems-activity-7166834119115526144-1AV8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

 

SOLVING PROBLEMS ON GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS

 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/spriggs-law-group_top-three-rules-of-contract-management-activity-7166827360942571520-Ljpw?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

 

 

TIPS ON RESOLVING DISPUTES

 

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/spriggs-law-group_prompt-justice-on-interpretation-disputes-activity-7166816257516765184-9JS9?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

 

THE BE NICE RULE

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS ON MORALITY, LAWS AND THE GOLDEN RULE:

https://www.facebook.com/reflectoria/posts/pfbid02z9cpm9ZgWJ8Xt5rdAA4EfQMrBKcYkYTUcvXa33wmskw1BwijJNJePjG93my4W4Ydl

The golden rule leads the list of our moral tautologies. Yet we fail to examine its origin, its thoughtless usage, its various interpretations, its latent error, and its pernicious interference with moral nuances and our intuitive secular system of laws and justice.

Scratch the surface. What we mean in our positive expression of the rule is to be nice. To be nice.

Any other interpretation, usage, or practice of doing to others is subject to our laws on human behavior.

 

ANTHOLOGY OF ARTICLES ON SUBCONTRACTS

 

https://spriggslawgroup.blogspot.com/search?q=subcontracts

WHAT OUR PARTNERS HAVE SAID ABOUT US

To Bill Spriggs

In grateful appreciation of the special valor you have shown in leading the firm through difficult times by selflessly refusing to compromise on matters of principle and resolutely adhering to the highest standards of personal integrity, loyalty to your partners and dedication to the best interests of the Firm that so proudly bears your name.

Semper Fidelis

Ed Beder

Charlie Leeper

Steve Spivack

Marc Mayerson

Donald Fowler

Bruce Berger

Jerry Stouck

Doug Patin

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY ABOUT US

[This] has been a complete victory, an outcome that even the client did not expect.  We could not have handled it more prudently.  It was your appellate strategy that positioned us to bring Joe and his firm into the mix at just the right time to force the right settlement with the hearing date looming.  It could not have played out any better. 

We will certainly keep you as our go to resource on knotty government contract issues and disputes. 

I wanted to express my thanks and great appreciation for your outstanding representation of Recon/Optical, Inc. in the various claims brought against the U.S. Army. When I took over these matters from Ron Polasek in September 2008, I was not very familiar with the peculiar world of government contracts and litigation before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals. You have been very patient with me explaining the process in great detail and allowing me to become comfortable making decisions along the way. 
Gregg Gibbons

​I have worked closely with Bill for many years. In my opinion, he is one of the brightest and most accomplished attorneys in the field of government contracts.
​David Dixon

And of course Bill whose expertise, dedication and tenacity positioned the team for success. 

You were the key to driving and navigating the process from the time that David got involved. We wouldn’t be in this current place without your guidance on strategy. 

Mr. Spriggs, once again you have nailed it.
Posted by Larry McKee

“I worked for Bill’s firm after leaving the staff of a congressional committee and entering private practice.  I’ve always known him to be a man of impeccable character.  Time and again, I’ve seen him do the right thing in a classy way.  Deep experience goes a long way, but clients shouldn’t neglect the character piece of the puzzle.  How a person moves through the world impacts their credibility and, ultimately, the persuasiveness of the positions they take.  Beyond the outward-facing benefits of hiring a lawyer that has excellent character, it also matters for another role that a lawyer needs to fill:  Confidentially counseling the client.  The advice such a lawyer gives is apt to be better and more sound if the counselor is standing on terra firma in their own right.” Stefan Jouret

Bravo to Judge David James for applying sanity to contract interpretation. And BZ to you, Bill Spriggs, for once again presenting a relevant article/issue that is of use to all of us. Always enjoy your articles.
Posted by John C Ulmer

Bill, your comments are excellent, and I would add that a face-to-face debriefing is preferable to a letter. The COs need to answer questions within the guidelines of FAR 15.506, rather than saying "it's clear on its face". Small businesses want to know what the award was denied to them, and not have to file protests or FOIA requests and perhaps law suits. If the government followed the evaluation criteria exactly, the CO should not have any problem answering contractor's questions.
Posted by Tom Petruska

Thank you Bill. This is a great lesson for those of us with limited Part 12 experience. It is good to know that industry still has recourse when it comes to Government acts, failure to act and omissions and maybe even greater recourse with a breach of contract claim.
Posted by Marcus Hatcher

Great stuff, as usual. Thank you, William; look forward to further discourse on the subject.
Posted by Victoria DeCicco

Great article. It gets fun if you're working with a contract that has defence, environmental or law-enforcement components. It's always a good idea to keep the iceberg rule in mind when dealing with gov't contracts.
Posted by Scott Davis

Mr. Spriggs, I'm totally into your blog posts.
Posted by Lauren Casapulla

William, I love your synopsized commentaries. Bobby D
Posted by Robert Doerfler, CPCM

Great comments, I don't recall seeing such a clear and simple explanation on how to build an REA in the books and articles I have read over the years.
Posted by Edward Kinberg

Excellent, concise discussion, and very helpful, both to the contractors who may be tasked with the preparation of REAs, and the COs who will have to review them. You should (quite literally) "write a book," Counsel! There is a difference between understanding law and regulation, and being able to communicate its substance in intelligible English to those who need your guidance--and you consistently demonstrate that you have both skills. Thanks so much for taking the time to write these gems!
Posted by Carol Barton, Ph.D., CPCM

I highly respect and appreciate your comment.
Having read your articles on-line, I consider you one of the most knowledgeable non-Government employees on Government contracting I know.
Charles Piper

This is wonderfully simple, yet thorough, outline! Though you may never use in your career, but will prove indispensible if you ever do need it. Print this one and file it away for the future, or it may become one of those things you'll regret for not having done.
Andy Gelston

I wanted to express my thanks and great appreciation for your outstanding representation of Recon/Optical, Inc. in the various claims brought against the U.S. Army. When I took over these matters from Ron Polasek in September 2008, I was not very familiar with the peculiar world of government contracts and litigation before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals. You have been very patient with me explaining the process in great detail and allowing me to become comfortable making decisions along the way. 
Gregg Gibbons

I’ll say it one more time! We are soooooo glad we found you!!!!
Annie Meeks

I agree with your approach!
I believe we are in the right- and we have you to help prove it. So all will be well…
Thanks for spelling it out so clearly!
Annie Meeks

Superbly done!
Laura Meeks

I like, admire and respect you. I hope that's obvious! I don't give public commendations lightly, or with great frequency (because they're a reflection on one's own reputation)--but in your case, there's absolutely no need to hesitate.
Carol Barton

It is with a great deal of thanks that I met you early on in my career. You have always been clear in what you talked about to me and my colleagues, and now in my state of semi-retirement, I still read your stuff. You are still very clear and very helpful to anyone in the field. Thanks for your help in the past and your continuing to be a force in the strange world of government contracts.
Tommy Jackson

INTELLECTUAL HONESTY

“Intellectual integrity is the habit of deciding vexed questions in accordance with the evidence, or of leaving them undecided where the evidence is inconclusive. This virtue, though it is underestimated by almost all adherents of any system of dogma, is to my mind of the very greatest social importance and far more likely to benefit the world than Christianity or any other system of organised religious beliefs.“

— Bertrand Russell

The most essential virtue in life is intellectual honesty. We can only know something based on the evidence, and we don't know anything when the evidence is lacking. As important as they may be, all other virtues pale compared to honest inquiry and recognition of truth based on objective factual reality.

If your IQ is above 100, you have no excuse for being intellectually dishonest. What is intellectual dishonesty? It is a belief where there is no evidence or inconclusive evidence. It is blind faith in dogma. It is believing what others tell you without question. It is in relying on what is written without knowing and trusting its sources to be supported by evidence.

Intellectual dishonesty is the proverbial slippery slope. You are vulnerable to charlatans who scam you, to grifters who tempt you with their greed, and to charismatic cult leaders who lie to you. And you accept all that, and you end up storming the U.S. Capitol in an insurrection, or you just ruin lives promoting your religion by worshiping a benevolent/vengeful, all-powerful/impotent god.

There is only one worthy achievement in life beyond living love, and that is practicing intellectual honesty. From that flows adherence to recognition of all other virtues, including living an examined life and empathy for others.

BRINGING BACK SOCRATES

https://www.facebook.com/reel/609397631312378

THE FIRST RULE OF GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING

The first rule is only the contracting officer speaks and acts for the federal government. No agent has apparent authority to represent the government. No agent has implied authority unless their action is ratified by the contracting officer. Conversely, an agent can bind the contractor through apparent or implied authority.

The contractor's first duty is to identify and contact the contracting officer. The contractor then instructs all contractor personnel on the first rule of contracting with the federal government.

Contractors should maintain constant communication with the contracting officer, engaging her on the status of contract performance. Any change, delay problem, or dispute should be discussed immediately with the contracting officer. (The same rule applies during the contract formation phase.)

The contracting officer has the sole authority to change the contract. Only the contracting officer can do so. No other government employee has the authority to order changes. Constructive changes are breaches of duties implied by law, but these are exceptions to the first rule. Another exception, discussed elsewhere, is the cardinal change doctrine. Suppose the contractor needs help finding the contracting officer. In that case, the contracting officer's failure may be a constructive or cardinal change if the result is a significant change in contract scope.

Counterbalancing the first rule is the second, which addresses the duty of the contracting officer.

Abraham Lincoln once said:  "It is as much the duty of the government to render prompt justice against itself, in favor of citizens, as it is to administer the same between private individuals."  In 1912, the United States Supreme Court, in addressing the duties of the contracting officer, said:  "But the very extent of the power and the conclusive character of his decision raised a corresponding duty that the agent's judgment should be exercised not capriciously or fraudulently, but reasonably, and with due regard to the rights of both contracting parties."

The most resounding pronouncement, however, was made by the Court of Claims in a 1950 opinion when, after referring to the 1912 Supreme Court opinion, the Court of Claims said the contracting officer must not represent either side but must "act as an impartial, unbiased judge."  The Court of Claims said the contracting officer's function was "to act impartially, weighing with an even hand the rights of the parties on the one hand and on the other."  The court recognized the obligation of the contracting officer to represent the government's interests in procurement matters. Still, it stated clearly that "in settling disputes, this is not his function." 

FROM FEUDALISM TO CAPITALISM

https://www.facebook.com/17841445268309646/videos/1511875466023312/

 

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Whether you are a CEO or an entry-level contract administrator, if you have a federal government contract, you must get into the weeds and watch what goes on daily. Suppose any question arises about contract interpretation, interference from government employees, defects in the specifications, or any oral direction from any government employee. In that case, you must immediately notify the contracting officer of a constructive change in your contract. The contracting officer must direct you on what the contracting officer wants you to do.

Who is your contracting officer? Not the COR or the project manager. It's the person with the warrant. Find out who that is and make a nuisance of yourself if you have to by importuning him for clear direction. Only perform extra out-of-scope work if it is directed in writing by the contracting officer. The default is you must perform the job, but there are exceptions. Consult your lawyer.

Do not volunteer to do extra work. Do not even think about it. Take it to the contracting officer. What if you cannot find her? Keep trying and turn the matter over to your lawyer.

That's the way we do government contract business.

For the best course on change management:

Announcing a Free Webinar for All Levels of Experience 

Spriggs Law Group, with over 50 years of experience, invites your organization to reserve up to six people to attend a 60-minute Zoom webinar during which Mr. Spriggs will discuss the topics listed below, and he will answer questions. You and they will receive a copy of the 28-page slide PowerPoint written presentation and a copy of the meeting recording.

• How to excel at contract management.

• Identifying the contract performability risks and language conflicts.

• Monitoring contract performance to spot changes and compensable delays.

• Identifying constructive changes and engagement with the warranted contracting officer.

• Implied by law government obligations.

• Timing and staffing of dispute resolution, including negotiation and ADR.

• REAs, claims, calculating damages, transparency, appeals, and declaratory judgments.

• Terminations and subcontracts considerations. 

Email me with at least two suggested dates and times. I also will need the participants' email addresses so I can send them the Zoom invitation. bill@spriggslawgroup.com

RESUME OF WILLIAM J. SPRIGGS

                                         RESUME OF WILLIAM J. SPRIGGS

William J. Spriggs

Member, Spriggs Law Group, Principal, Spriggs Consulting Services

bill@spriggslawgroup.com

(434) 993-2802

http://spriggslawgroup.com

http://spriggslawgroup.BlogSpot.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-spriggs-301a442a/

During his career, Mr. Spriggs has served as founder and CEO of his own professional services firm, which, under his guidance, he took from $2M in revenues and 15 people to $80M in revenues and 245 people.  He has experience managing his own business while serving as a federal procurement lawyer in cases for major corporations and small to medium-sized companies. 

As a government contracts attorney, he has handled cases involving claims, protests, disputes, and appeals related to constructive changes, default terminations, convenience terminations, cost allowability and allocability, contract interpretation, data rights protection, and defective pricing. 

His services have enabled his clients to recover nearly $1,000,000,000 in profits from government contracts.  The firm he founded and led saved its clients billions in losses. He is an expert in all procurement laws and regulations.

Mr. Spriggs has a proven track record of enhancing client profitability, avoiding client losses from cost disallowances and default terminations, and resolving disputes on contract and regulation interpretation issues.

From 2011 to the present, 23 ASBCA appeals.  Over the last several years, Mr. Spriggs has successfully handled 23 appeals on behalf of clients before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA).  Most of those cases were settled by agreement of the parties, and four were litigated to a final decision. 

Mr. Spriggs has also advised clients on many contract management and dispute resolution matters and served as an expert witness.  He frequently assists clients in preparing requests for equitable adjustment and claims. He has extensive experience with ADR proceedings and counseling on risk assessment and dispute avoidance.

Education:  B.A. in English Literature from Abilene Christian University; J.D. from Washburn University School of Law, where he served as an editor of the Washburn Law Journal.

Military:  Mr. Spriggs served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps—eight years in the reserves and three years on active duty.

Employment history:

·        2011-present, Spriggs Law Group, Spriggs Consulting Services

·        2009-2010, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, Washington, D.C.

·        1982-2009, Spriggs & Hollingsworth, Washington, D.C.

Admissions:  District of Columbia Bar; Court of Federal Claims and Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; United States District Court for the District of Columbia; United States Supreme Court.

DC Bar No. 152116

Memberships:  DC Bar Association, American Bar Association, National Contract Management Association.

Publications:  Mr. Spriggs has written over 450 articles.  His most recent publications may be found at http://spriggslawgroup.blogspot.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANTHOLOGY OF ARTICLES ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Here is the collection of all we have written on AI. Good stuff.

https://spriggslawgroup.blogspot.com/search?q=AI

 

WE HAVE OVER 400 BLOGSITE ARTICLES

The articles are word-searchable at: 

http://spriggslawgroup.BlogSpot.com

https://wspriggs2.BlogSpot.com

WHAT IS SOCIALISM?

 

Why Socialism?

By Albert Einstein

From Monthly Review, New York, May, 1949.

[Re-printed in Ideas and Opinions by Albert Einstein]

The economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil. We see before us a huge community of producers the members of which are unceasingly striving to deprive each other of the fruits of their collective labor -- not by force, but on the whole in faithful compliance with legally established rules. In this respect, it is important to realize that the means of production -- that is to say, the entire productive capacity that is needed for producing consumer goods as well as additional capital goods -- may legally be, and for the most part are, the private property of individuals.

For the sake of simplicity, in the discussion that follows I shall call "workers" all those who do not share in the ownership of the means of production -- although this does not quite correspond to the customary use of the term. The owner of the means of production is in a position to purchase the labor power of the worker. By using the means of production, the worker produces new goods which become the property of the capitalist. The essential point about this process is the relation between what the worker produces and what he is paid, both measured in terms of real value. In so far as the labor contract is "free," what the worker receives is determined not by the real value of the goods he produces, but by his minimum needs and by the capitalists' requirements for labor power in relation to the number of workers competing for jobs. It is important to understand that even in theory the payment of the worker is not determined by the value of his product.

Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of the smaller ones. The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population. Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights.

The situation prevailing in an economy based on the private ownership of capital is thus characterized main principles: first, means of production (capital) are privately owned and the owners dispose of them as they see fit; second, the labor contract is free. Of course, there is no such thing as a pure capitalist society in this sense. In particular, it should be noted that the workers, through long and bitter political struggles, have succeeded in securing a somewhat improved form of the "free labor contract" for certain categories of workers. But taken as a whole, the present-day economy does not differ much from "pure" capitalism. Production is carried on for profit, not for use. There is no provision that all those able and willing to work will always be in a position to find employment; an "army of unemployed" almost always exists. The worker is constantly in fear of losing his job. Since unemployed and poorly paid workers do not provide a profitable market, the production of consumers' goods is restricted, and great hardship is the consequence. Technological progress frequently results in more unemployment rather than in an easing of the burden of work for all. The profit motive, in conjunction with competition among capitalists, is responsible for an instability in the accumulation and utilization of capital which leads to increasingly severe depressions. Unlimited competition leads to a huge waste of labor, and to that crippling of the social consciousness of individuals which I mentioned before.

This crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism. Our whole educational system suffers from this evil. An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future career.

I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals. In such an economy, the means of production are owned by society itself and are utilized in a planned fashion. A planned economy, which adjusts production to the needs of the community, would distribute the work to be done among all those able to work and would guarantee a livelihood to every man, woman, and child. The education of the individual, in addition to promoting his own innate abilities, would attempt to develop in him a sense of responsibility for his fellow-men in place of the glorification of power and success in our present society.

HOW TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN

We came close to making America great again. Democracy worked in real life. We passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill. But it was vetoed by one person.

We forged a compromise by which no side got all it wanted, a severe problem that had festered for over 50 years. Congratulations and kudos to all who worked on it. And let's all celebrate a victory for freedom and democracy. 

He saw his signature path to power escaping his grasp. His assumption of power, if not his survival, depended on chaos at the border until he could dictate his solution. His life depended on defeating democracy.

Ironically, making America great again as a democracy requires rejecting the MAGA leader. 

We need not dwell on the virtues of the swinging pendulum and how we need it to swing again. We need what we had for a moment in immigration reform.  We've now seen how he will deny reform. He will dictate his solution. Deny him.

Let's make America great again.

P. S.

https://wspriggs2.blogspot.com/2023/12/american-devolution.html

ANTHOLOGY OF ARTICLES ON AGE

ONE OF THE LAST FRONTIERS OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND DISCRIMINATION IS AGE. HERE ARE SOME THOUGHTS ON AGEISM.

 https://spriggslawgroup.blogspot.com/search?q=AGEISM  

 

REFORMING CAPITALISM

This will be short. Most of us agree we are better off with capitalism than Socialism. Some of us think we need more socialistic reforms to narrow the wealth distribution inequality. But that is another subject. We need universal health care, a minimum wage increase, progressive income taxation, and programs to restore the middle class. 

The old Reagan Republican party got its way. Do away with antitrust enforcement and let the free market reign. And now we have behemoth companies beholden to their shareholders above all else, not the customers, the company itself, the community, or the workers. Cost cutting trumps customer service. Have you found a live service representative lately?

There is no Reagan Republican party anymore. Authoritarianism has naturally evolved from Reagan's trajectory. We teeter on losing it all to fascism and a theocracy. Most of us don't want that.

We have no stomach for the reformation of capitalism. We need but will not get the reintroduction of antitrust laws and the breakup of the gargantuan grist mills. To say nothing of making stock buybacks criminal. So what can we do? Recognize and teach the truth of entrepreneurship. Find and mentor leaders in the big companies to break off and form their own firms. Impossible? The time is right. Think it through. We are riding a wave of "freelancing" and layoffs from faceless, feckless firms. Capital is plentiful. Customers are yearning for service. The talented leaders are frustrated with the state of the bureaucracies inhibiting them.

Yes, the new entrepreneurism  (and reform of capitalism) comes from leaders willing to take on the difficult task of taking a business segment away. Impossible noncompetition agreements? Most are not worth the paper they are written on. The wild card is the American people. We support the underdog. This could become a societal, if not a cultural revolution.

A spark can ignite a flame.

P. S.

https://wspriggs2.blogspot.com/2023/12/american-devolution.html

SERVICE TO CLIENTS

We started representing clients in the Marine Corps. My wife complained that the pilots came home at 4:30 and got extra flight pay, and I arrived home at 7:30 with no flight pay. She did not think that was fair, for we had spent an additional three years learning the law, and I was spending extra time on the job. It was unfair, and what was I doing, after all.

When exited the court, I went to the brig to interview witnesses and counsel new clients. "Here comes Captain, Spriggs" would ring loudly from the cavernous confinement. That is what I was doing.

Fast forward to Lockheed Martin. Trial work again. Round-the-clock preparation. The others went home at 4:30 again.

Then, I became protege and successor to Gil Cuneo, the father of the government contract legal practice in Washington, D.C., and on to my Spriggs firm.

Now, with international clients, it is always round the clock. Service. We do not talk service. We do it. Responsive, thorough, transparent, result and value-oriented service. 

Ask about a demonstration.