Do you remember what the number 1 industry was in 1900? Since the photo gives it away, can you name the two biggest firms in that industry? Each had a capitalization greater in scope than General Motors in its hey day. Neither company is in existence today.

Give up? The railroad industry kings were the New York Central and Penn Central Railroads. Who would have known these two transportation giants would be done in by a man in a Dearborn garage, and two brothers in a Dayton bicycle shop.

While today?s Big 3 isn?t involved in a total transportation shift, a shift in vehicle power train is still a daunting task. The country needs infrastructure to support non gas powered vehicles (charging or fuel cell stations vs. gas stations). Government needs to change as well (states including Michigan fund road repairs from per gallon gas taxes. Conservation hurts these funds.) A different generation of mechanics is needed. And so on.

There?s a good chance that the firm or firms that command a superior non gasoline technology will be key to providing for the prosperity of a large number of their country’s citizens in the next century.

Whether you are for or against the bailout imagine this marketing impact. Instead of being filmed getting out of a jet (public or private) the executives drive to Washington. The Executives emerge from an electric vehicle like the Chevy Volt. (Even if it takes a Greyhound Bus of Engineers to get it there.) Then say something like this.

?This is the future. It?s right for fuel economy, the prosperity of our nation, and the ecosystem. Where do I plug it in? We all have a lot of work to do. We need your help.?

On Tuesday, I spent about 12 hours at the polls stumping for 2 school board candidates: Bruce Bagdady and Dennis O’Connor. For part of that time, I had the opportunity to work right next to the 3rd candidate, Karl Wizinsky.

While I enjoy working the polls, it can be a bit awkward when the opposing candidate is standing right next to you.

Still, Karl worked the polls like a true politician. Every time I made a case for my candidates, there was Karl talking and shaking hands with the same folks. Certainly, it’s hard to compete with that.

Karl and I talked quite a bit during the evening, and we agreed that neither of us had a clue as to what the outcome might be. There’s never been a school board election held on the same night as a presidential election, especially one of this magnitude.

As it turned out, the night didn’t quite end up as Karl had hoped. Had he been been at every polling location simultaneously, things might have ended differently. Still, he proved to me that he truly cares about our schools and is one class guy.

So, here’s to you Karl!