Innovation, really, it's the future

From a recent interview in US News:
"Long-term growth depends on a country's ability to invest in the future -- and in a way that shows little signs of near-term payback."
No, really, the every week report of earnings and how the company is doing does nothing to foster long-term growth. All you are doing is micromanaging the current earnings to death while sacrificing the future of the company to whom ever comes up with a better way of doing it next year.

Five year plans are a great thing, but no publicly traded company in the US can have one. The share holders don't want a stable investment, they want to see the price of the stock increase today. Speaking as a long-term buy-and-hold sort of person, I really despise that attitude and wish that American companies would get a clue and start trying to plan longer into the future.