From the Editor

Prepare for the Future

Jennie Farnsworth, Editor
jen@lionhrtpub.com

Whether as a child or a grown adult, we've all taken a moment at one point or another to fantasize about time travel. Wouldn't it be neat to go back and see an actual dinosaur? Meet Napoleon? Tour America during the Colonial period? Or maybe see what the future holds 20 years from now, or even 2,000 years from now.

There's some magnetic draw to the idea of being able to go back in time, knowing what we know now, or gathering information on what the future holds to bring back to the present day. Part of this is probably due to our own imaginations; the other part, I suppose, we should attribute to Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which suggests that time travel is theoretically possible.

Given the climate of the industry — fluctuating prices for gas and building materials, a hypothetical real estate bubble, whole towns needing to be rebuilt due to natural disasters, and potentially harmful legislation and standards — who wouldn't want to have a firm idea of what the future holds?

I could hypothesize on what we might expect, discuss economic indicators, or list any number of experts who claim to have the inside scoop on what will happen in 2006, but I think it's really not necessary. No matter what happens down the line, there's only one major thing you need to do to prepare: join the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA).

Not sure what's going to happen with the OSHA silicosis standard? MCAA is there, fighting for the best possible outcome.

Don't know what legislation might be introduced that could harm your business? MCAA is there.

Will the competition push to control more market share? MCAA is there.

I've come up with my own theory. As a throwback to Einstein, I'm going to call it the General Theory of Future Productivity. My theory suggests that no matter what happens in the future, the only real way to prepare for it now is to join the one association that looks out for mason contractors and their businesses.

And all you have to do is fill out the form and send it in with a check — that's it!

So prepare for the future — join MCAA today.