On Nov. 29, 2011, a group of Austinities got the opportunity to be part of a live audience at KLRU studios, as Senior Lecturer of Management John Doggett laid out the ugly situation the United States currently finds itself in and provided his view of a possible way out.

Doggett’s talk, “Ugly Baby Glasses: Debt, Global Competition and America’s Future,” took place in Studio 6A, the former home of Austin City Limits. The talk was recorded for the Longhorn Network’s Game Changers series, which provides viewers with unique insights into contemporary, relevant topics from dynamic UT faculty.

It was clear why Doggett was chosen for the third taping of the series.

“Professor Doggett is a strong, engaging speaker with a very interesting perspective on a topic that should be of interest to all of us -- getting America out of debt,” says Kathleen Mabley, MBA '96, director of brand initiatives for the university and the person responsible for the university’s academic, cultural, and campus life content on the Longhorn Network. “He is a bold thinker and challenges us to take off any rose colored glasses and do the hard work to turn things around,” Mabley says.  

And that’s exactly what Doggett did. With help from slides presented beside him on a video monitor, Doggett explained to a rapt audience how a debt crisis at home and the rise of third-world economies has left our country in a critical spot.

Before the taping got underway, Doggett kept the studio atmosphere light. “If you throw things, don’t miss,” he joked, indicating that the studio’s video “screens are expensive.” Doggett stressed, however, that he wanted to be challenged, and emphasized his hope that the audience would pose some tough questions during the Q&A session set to follow his talk.

Once the video cameras switched on, Doggett quickly launched into a list of depressing data, showing just how bad the economic situation has become. The United States is currently experiencing the “deepest, longest, most destructive recession since 1948,” Doggett said.

But the tone in the studio wasn’t entirely downbeat. The audience laughed when Doggett asked how they might react to new parents who proudly showed off their ugly baby. That theme -- of realistically assessing something that’s tough on the eyes -- was punctuated throughout his talk. Several times, Doggett reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of glasses to emphasize his point.

In terms of solutions, Doggett stressed that we need to do more than complain about the rise of third-world economies like China. After all, Doggett said, a defeated football team doesn’t blame the opposing team for a loss, they blame themselves.

Instead of “whining,” Doggett said, we must focus on our strengths, like the entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants, and opportunities, like the ability to supply power by harnessing the energy of ocean waves.

After his talk, a number of studio audience members stepped up to the microphone. They asked Doggett for his thoughts on questions ranging from the threat of peak oil (Doggett isn’t concerned about it), whether the government might actually sell national park land to pay down our national debt (Doggett says U.S. citizens realize it is necessary) and who’s at fault for runaway spending and the resulting national debt (Doggett blames himself and fellow baby boomers).

As the taping neared its end, Doggett said that he doesn’t expect the solutions to come from the dominant U.S. political parties. “There will be a third-party candidate in 2012,” Doggett said, adding that whoever is willing to really make the necessary tough decisions will get his support.