Become Informed, Involved, and Impactful® - [Ep. 136]

Linda J. Hansen  

Welcome. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Prosperity 101® Breakroom Economics Podcast. My name is Linda J. Hansen, your host, and the author of Prosperity 101® - Job Security Through Business Prosperity: The Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck, and the creator of the Breakroom Economics online course. The book, the course, and the entire podcast library can be found on Prosperity101.com. I seek to connect boardroom to breakroom and policy to paycheck by empowering and encouraging employers to educate employees about the public policy issues that affect their jobs.

My goal is to help people understand the foundations of prosperity, the policies of prosperity, and how to protect their prosperity by becoming informed, involved, and impactful. I believe this will lead to greater employee loyalty, engagement, and retention and to an increased awareness of the blessings and responsibilities of living in a free society. Listen each week to hear from exciting guests and be sure to visit Prosperity101.com.

Thank you for joining with me today. If you are like me, you realize that the freedoms we have taken for granted in America are under attack. You are likely concerned about the loss of liberty and the disregard for our Constitution and rule of law. In this episode, I'm going to share my vision for creating awareness regarding public policy issues that affect job creation, job security, and the freedom to thrive and prosper. I truly believe the workplace is a missing link to preserving our freedoms.

And by enhancing communication in the workplace, employers and employees can become more informed about public policy issues that affect their jobs, more involved in their workplace and in their own personal financial planning, and more impactful on their communities and families. I believe these conversations are important and will help to improve employee loyalty, engagement and retention, and will increase civic awareness and an understanding of the blessings and responsibilities of living in a free society.

Small businesses are the largest employer in our country. Millions of people are employed in privately held businesses and millions more own or operate their own business or family-run enterprise. If each person became aware of the issues that affect their day-to-day life and income, they may be more inclined to be an engaged citizen. Low information voters are everywhere and we can see the effects on our nation. I am not saying everyone needs to become a political expert. But it is important to know the basics of how our government operates, basic economic realities of supply and demand, and the basics of how to learn and become an educated voter and active citizen.

Many people have graduated from educational systems that either ignore our founding documents and heritage of freedom, or worse yet, criticize our system of government. Yet our system of government has provided more freedom, prosperity, and opportunity for human flourishing than any other system of government in the world. American prosperity has allowed people to build wealth and donate money to build hospitals, orphanages, schools, and to provide clean water, shelters for the homeless, and hope for the hopeless. We are the most generous nation in the world, privately and publicly. And America has been the beacon of freedom and opportunity for millions.

We must not take that for granted. Nor should we take for granted the lives of military members who gave the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom. It is that love of freedom that led me to start Prosperity 101® many years ago. In the age of political doublespeak, it is easy for people to be misled into believing campaign promises that provide false hope and hidden agendas. I founded Prosperity101 after hearing many business owners in my state tell me they would leave the state if a business-friendly governor was not elected. I knew that meant many jobs would also be leaving the state because employees often go to voting booths and vote themselves right out of their jobs, not realizing the policies they voted for will make it impossible for their employer to continue to provide for their employment.

We have all seen this happen on local and national levels. And I have felt called to do something about it and provide a way for employers to educate employees in a non-partisan manner about the basic issues that affect their jobs. I wrote my first book, developed my first workshop, and spoke all over the country on the importance of such workplace communications. My goal was to make it easy for employers or employees to discuss basic civics, economics, and public policy from a non-partisan manner. And I have continued to grow my resources to serve in this much-needed capacity.

I now have this podcast, obviously, in which I typically interview a wide variety of guests regarding many of the current event issues of the day. We help listeners connect the dots about how each topic affects their daily life. Episodes are available on all major podcast platforms and on my website, Prosperity101.com. Other resources that can be found on my website include the Breakroom Economics online course, designed for use by individuals, companies, or groups with special discounts available for schools or non-profit enterprises.

Each short video lesson is about five to seven minutes long with an accompanying transcript. It is inexpensive, easy to use, and it helps to simplify difficult concepts that the average person does not take time to digest. It is suitable for middle or high school students yet informative enough to educate business owners and employees about basic policies that impact their lives. The course can be tailored to the needs of your workplace or school. And I'm always happy to discuss any special requests regarding implementation.

In addition, I offer a very practical and inexpensive freedom basics poster pack which includes five printable posters that can be used in a business, school, or homeschool. The poster packs are available in English and Spanish and are a convenient way to provide valuable information for students or employees. My free ebook is easy to download and provides action items and ideas for introducing policy conversations in the workplace. It's free. Go get it today at Prosperity101.com.

Last but not least, I also have an updated version of my original book with the new title of Prosperity 101® - Job Security Through Business Prosperity: The Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck. I realize the title is not all that sexy, but the content is informative and actionable, providing truly valuable information for anyone who wants to protect their own freedom and prosperity. Many people have told me it should be a must-read for every American citizen. Two of my dear friends, the well-known economist Steve Moore and the late Herman Cain, both provided insight for the book for which I'm truly grateful. The book is also being translated into Spanish. So, watch for the updates on that. You can purchase the book from my website, Prosperity101.com, or from Amazon.

I have a new book in the works, but I'm not quite ready to share the title yet. Let's just say it will be full of real-life examples from many people who have realized policy education is important, is not scary or difficult, and must be done if we are to truly secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity. If you purchase my current book, you will be able to read a wonderful story that my friend, columnist John Fund, shared as an introduction. I don't want to give away the whole story, but I will say it is an inspirational account of how a very simple workplace education program helped to transform the policies of one of America's and the world's greatest leaders. You do not want to miss that story, so order the book today.

Education changes lives and can transform nations. My goal is to provide educational resources to do both. We can protect and preserve freedom in America. And by doing so, we can promote freedom throughout the world. If you have any questions about purchasing resources, would like me to speak to your organization, or if you have been inspired to support my work as a sponsor, please contact me at Prosperity101.com. Thank you.

Thank you again for listening to the Prosperity 101® Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, and leave a great review. Don't forget to visit Prosperity101.com to access the entire podcast library, to order my newest book job, Job Security Through Business Prosperity: The Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck, or to enroll you or your employees in the Breakroom Economics online course. You can also receive the free ebook, 10 Tips for Helping Employees Understand How Public Policy Affects Paychecks.

Freedom is never free. Understanding the foundations of prosperity and the policies of prosperity will help you to protect prosperity as you become informed, involved, and impactful. I give special thanks to our sponsors, Mathews Archery, Inc. and Wisconsin Stamping & Manufacturing. Please contact us today at Prosperity101.com to let us know how we can serve you. Thank you.