Key takeaways:

• More people live in democratic countries today than ever before. Education levels globally have grown and countries have become more prosperous. All of these developments, coupled with the advancement of technology, mean more investment opportunities for the United States.
• America will be surpassed by China as the number one economy in the world, but this is nothing to be feared. China relies heavily on the global economic system and would think thrice before hurting their economic interests.
• "Life in the future looks good," says Kenny who did acknowledge two possible "clouds" looming ahead - war and dwindling resources. This last decade was one of the most peaceful in history. According to Kenny, resources are still plentiful and as countries develop, they use more green technology which businesses must incorporate to prosper.

Here are the key takeaways from the program:

1.    Seventy percent of oil consumed is for transportation purposes.
2.    The Open Fuel Standard Act is proving to allow the free market to change the way people look at transportation fuels.     " How to Achieve Oil Independence", a video produced by the Gen Next Foundation, is playing a critical role in educating key Congressmen, Senators, and advocates GNF's video breaks down a complex issue and tells us how to understand oil independence.   
3.    High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes are tolled lanes that operate alongside existing highway lanes to provide users with a faster and more predictable travel option. Buses, carpools (HOV-3), motorcycles and emergency vehicles will have free access to the Beltway HOT lanes.

Mary E. Peters served as U.S. Secretary of Transportation from 2006 - 2009.  She oversaw all US aviation, surface and maritime policy and programs and negotiated transportation agreements with foreign governments.  Ms. Peters was responsible for over 60,000 employees and a $70.3 billion annual budget.
Prior to serving as U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Ms. Peters was a Senior Vice President and National Director for Transportation Policy and Consulting for HDR, Inc., a major engineering company.

In 2001, Ms. Peters was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the Federal Highway Administrator for the U.S. Department of Transportation, a role she served in from 2001 - 2005.

Key takeaways from the program:

1. The local level of government is where change must begin. Citizens are most affected by what is happening in their local communities. In just 6 years, Los Angeles has built 120 new schools for the city's children. Garcetti advocates for decreasing red tape to draw businesses back to LA.  

2. As Chief Bratton stated, "A safe city is the groundwork for a prosperous city." Garcetti who has worked alongside Bratton believes it is only when people feel safe in their neighborhoods and city that they become proactive in their communities.

Garcetti has dedicated his candidacy to getting Los Angeles' economy, public transportation system and the educational system back on track. Members of Gen Next in Los Angeles will sit down with Mayoral Candidate Eric Garcetti to discuss the City's biggest problems and what we can all do to help solve them. Find out what lies ahead for Garcetti and for the City of Los Angeles.

Here are the key takeaways:

• What feels effective and what is effective are often two different things. Typically the actions that are less flashy, such as negotiations and behind the scenes operations make the biggest impact
• Businessmen and military personnel alike should attempt to see international endeavors from a local perspective
• Business development can take place in turmoil, if the proper incentives are in place. People respond to economic incentive in rational ways all over the world - one just has to find out what the incentives are

Some key takeaways:

1. Energy needs to be reliable, cheap, and abundant.

2. Renewable energy has its place in the market, but will not replace oil.  Energy from wind is too expensive.  The land needed to install it is too large and the price to build it is too high.

3. N to N.  Natural Gas to Nuclear.  If you are anti-nuclear you are pro-blackout.

Here are the three key takeaways:

• California does not allow you to build big business. (It takes 8 months just to open a restaurant in California whereas in Texas it takes about 6 weeks.)
• The taxes on businesses in California are too large.
• There are too many regulations on businesses in California such as mandatory rest breaks, no overtime pay, and required eight-hour workdays, all of which discourage a strong work ethic.

Some key takeaways:
 
1) To win in Afghanistan we have to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people

2) Building Infrastructure schools, roads, hospitals etc. is the best way to show the Afghan people we are working in their best interest

3) We should not be operating on a specific withdrawal timetable because it gives the Taliban the ability to scare the Afghan people into believing that they will take control once the U.S. leaves

Some key takeaways:
 
1. Since the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, there are have been 50-60 failed attempts of similar attacks.

2. Crime has gone global. Cases that once revolved around a few blocks in Queens now stretch back to the mountains of Sicily. In the last decade, terrorist threats have expanded and are now both imported and exported. American jihadists are traveling to Somalia to attack targets there, and jihadists from Yemen and Pakistan are coming here to attack us.

3. Current Director of the F.B.I., Robert Mueller is the longest standing Director since J. Edgar Hoover
 

Some key takeaways:
 
1. The solutions for making economic change occur in the policies of the center right. Our government has become too focused on the far left and the far right.

2. The U.S. is starved for truth, leadership and solutions. We need to mobilize leaders who are willing to lead on fiscal issues with a pro-growth policy and who will make a political reform of our congress and policy making.

Key takeaways included:

• Meeting with the Foreign Ministry: Stereotypes and historic traditions are an obstacle for Russia to overcome - more so than conflicting national interests. In the same meeting it was disclosed that the US only does $30B of trade with Russia. US-Russia Trade needs to triple in the next 3-5 years.
• Meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce: For 80 years Russians did not pay income tax. The income structure is different. Few pay mortgages and for the first time in years, Putin introduced a 13% flat income tax. Social tax is a pension tax for companies - individuals do not pay their own pensions. They have come a long way.
• Meeting with Ministry of Economic Development: The business relationship is more developed than political relations between US and Russia. Russia presents a more competitive challenge than any other country in terms of math and science and intelligence capability.

Partial list of Delegation Meetings:

• Meeting with Ruslan Belyaev, Chairman of AmCham, St. Petersburg
• Meeting with Deputy Chief of Mission Sheila Gwaltney - US Embassy
• Meeting with Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Ryabkov
• Meeting with Andrew B. Somers, CEO of AmCham, Russia
• Meeting with Alexei Slepnev, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economic Development
• Meeting with Arkady Dvorkovich, Chief Economic Advisor to President Dmitri Medvedev
• VTB Capital "Russia Calling!" Investment Forum with top Russian Leadership

Here are his key points:

1) Founding Fathers were right about one thing - The fundamental institutions of American life:

• Industry
• Marriage
• Honesty
• Religiosity

2)The dissolution of marriage has created a community with a lot of kids without fathers. This affects rate of graduation, employability, crime, etc.

• 2008 - 45% white women have kids without dads
• 2011 - closer to 50%

3)There is an American denial of classes. We all used to identify as being middle class
Development of classes and being separate is 'un-American'

4)Solutions aren't anything government can do - "it will take Americans who like the idea of leading a less glossy life with more texture"

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9th 2011

Afternoon

Winery #1

Arrive at Bryant Family Vineyards
Visit with Winemaker Helen Keplinger & Assistant Winemaker Todd Alexander

Winery #2

Arrive at B Cellars
Visit with Assistant Winemaker Derek Taylor & Gretchen Bender

Winery #3

Arrive at Colgin Winery
Visit with Sarah Judkins & Annie Pilotti

Winery #4

Tasting at Grace Famioy Vineyards

Visit with Owner Dick Grace

Evening

Dinner at Bottega

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10th, 2011

Morning

Winery #1

Tour and tasting with celebrity winemaker David Abreu

Winery #2

Tasting at Ovid Vineyards
Visit with Janet Pagano, the Managing Partner of the Winery

Winery #3

Tasting at Araujo Estate Wines
Visit with Winemaker Nigel Kinsman & Burgess Smith, Vice President of Araujo

Winery #2

Tasting at Von Strasser Winery
Visit with Nick Skinner, Wine Club Manager

Afternoon

Lunch at Whetstone Winery - visit with Michelle Hawkins, Principal of Whetstone

Dinner

Dinner and Tasting at Caldwell Vineyard with John and Joy Caldwell

1.)    The US ranking of 36^th in healthcare is falsely reported.  Each country measures in a different way, thus reporting there success in.  Royalty all over the world STILL choose the US when they need cancer, heart, disease expertise.

2.)    "The need for reform is there, but mandating Obamacare is unconstitutional and will not become law."

3.)    Competition across state lines will drive down healthcare costs.

Ambassador Moley has extensive experience in both the private and public sectors of Health Care.  He served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 1992 to 1993.  He also served as a consultant to Kinetra LLC, the successor company to Integrated Medical Systems Inc. where Ambassador Moley served as President and CEO. Ambassador Moley was also Senior Vice President of PCS Health Systems, Inc.  Currently, as Chairman of Project Concern International, he is dedicated to preventing disease, improving community health, and promoting sustainable development worldwide.

Here are the key takeaways:

1.    In the next decade the US will retire old coal plants and most US energy will turn to combined cycle natural gas plants

2.    A shale resource base (Fracking) will be developed. The marketplace is seeing investment by players such as Exxon, Shell, Mobil, etc.

3.    Countries such as Libya and Australia are leaders in producing natural gas, and the US can compete here, if the government will let us.

"It is unforgivable not to have a Federal energy plan" - Michael Morris

Here are a few key takeaways:

1) Pursue happiness because we can EARN success.
2) True fairness rewards merit and punishes stupidity.
3) Serve the vulnerable.

Here are the key takeaways:

1.    We have to deal with debt and spending. What the country is doing is immoral. We need a balance budget amendment.

2.    We don't make things in this country anymore, and cant live on services sector alone. We need to get back into manufacturing.

3.    The lowest of low hanging fruit is energy dependence. Our dependence on foreign oil is like a heroine addiction. We need to stop immediately.

"I have seven kids. It is totally unacceptable to be handing down a country less good, less productive, less overall. It's un-American." - Governor Jon Huntsman

Here are the three key takeaways:

• When it comes to what type of education reform Kevin Chavous supports it is very simple. If it helps a child in any way he is for it, if it does not help a child he is against it.
• The most important thing a person can do for public education reform is to have the courage to talk about it, the courage to ask their elected officials about it, and the courage to demand results for our children.
• The US continues to fall behind on a global scale. One reason is our inability to tailor education to the individual child and their learning style. Our "one size fits all" model clearly does not work.

Here are the three key takeaways:

• Scottsdale is working hard to bring new high tech jobs to the city.
• Balancing the budget and working on education and pension reform are the Mayor's top proirities. He has taken the business approach when finding solutions to these issues.
• As small business owners, he realizes that Members and othesr are looking for confidence in the new federal laws to hire and to grow.