It's been a while. I've neglected posting mostly because I don't get paid to spend time typing away in the blogosphere..... and there is enough stuff pissing me off that I'd be typing around the clock trying to vent it all.
I recall warning about the dangers of buying into Obama and all his empty "hopey, changie" rhetoric. Anyone with even ONE open eye could see that it was ALL hot air with absolutely NO substance behind it. Obviously a voting majority had neither eye open because we've been blessed with the least qualified person in the history of the nation to occupy the White House. I have cats more qualified to be President than Obama. Oh well.... we're stuck with him now.
The health care "reform" bill came along next and I warned against that too. Once again, any fool with even one eye open could see that there was no way in hell to create blanket coverage for everyone in the country and CUT the deficit at the same time.
Still the left sold it to the nation at large as "universal 'free' health care" and that trick worked. A recent study indicates that the average citizen will have to fork out just shy of $13,000 before getting one single "free" measure of government health care.
The health care bill was a package of thousands of pages of additional government rules, regulations and restrictions combined with a chapter devoted to new IRS powers..... with a band-aid tossed in for good measure. The band-aid was the health care part. In plain English... were were screwed big time..... and not even taken to dinner first.
Next came the GM - Chrysler take over...... errrrrr.... I mean bail out. Premium share holders were supposed to be paid in full and first. But the Obama administration gave themselves permission to disregard the law and gave those investors a dime on their dollar..... while paying the unions in full.
We were told that GM and Chrysler were "too big to fail" and we had to bail them out. That was a lie. What Obama was doing was bailing out the UNIONS..... not the car companies. IF there was genuine concern for the car companies they should have been permitted to file for re-organizational bankruptcy so they could eliminate a huge chunk of union liability and restraint on their profitability.
The fact that wasn't allowed to happen shows that the UNIONS were what was being saved. The unions were given a 51% ownership stake in the companies as a reward for dumping billions in dues money (which BTW is illegal) into the Obama campaign.
One interesting thing resulted though. Now that profit is critical to the unions continuing to make money..... they are balking at giving themselves more and more unfunded perks! They are saying NO to themselves in contract negotiations because saying yes would cut into their profits! What an ODD concept..... that profits are necessary for a business to stay in business.
Next we had the banking bailouts. Again some companies were deemed "too big to fail" by the government. Once again the hand of government reached into OUR pockets and gave away OUR hard earned money to people who had made poor business decisions knowing that they had no real risk of loss. Government would be there to pick them up when they screwed up.
Once again.... those financial institutions which made poor investment decisions should have been allowed to fail. Failure is KEY to capitalism working as it should work. If you have a good product which is in demand and a sound operating model for your company then you will experience short term success.
I limit the success to short term because of the dynamic nature of the market place. For example.... there are no longer a great deal of buggy whip outlets..... and a lot fewer places to get shoes for your horse. Because there is still a limited demand for those items and services there are still a few places open though to meet those needs.
To remain viable a company needs to constantly be re-evaluating it's product or services and making modifications to those items as the desires of the market place change. Ideally the owner is always slightly ahead of the demand curve and anticipates the next market trend.
But the downside to capitalism is the inherent risk of failure. If your product or service is in low demand and you don't adapt...... you get to fail. If your business model is unsound and the capital distribution doesn't permit new product development or is based on high risk investments without sufficient reserve capital to cover a potential loss.... then you get to fail.
THAT is the beauty of the capitalist system. The deadwood clears itself out through failure while those forward looking dynamic well managed companies succeed. That is how it is supposed to work....... but when Government gets involved it unfairly tips the scales. Now companies are saved from the natural cycle of things by artificial means. They are still doomed to fail because they will still, in all likelihood, continue to operate much as before.
As we all learned as kids..... unless you fail you rarely have an opportunity to learn. You try something and it doesn't work.... failure. But then you analyze what you did and search for a flaw which might have caused the failure. You think the situation through again and again.... making changes.... then you try again. If you learned the lessons from the first failure.... you now have a better chance of success.... but no absolute guarantee of success.
That is what this administration is trying to sell. They don't care who you are... what you make sell or do.... they are trying to get you to buy into the notion that *everyone* has an absolute RIGHT to succeed. And IF you are weak minded enough to buy that line of crap then PLEASE vote democrat and send them all your money so they can "level the playing field" and ensure your success. Just don't hold your breath while waiting.
Let me give you an example of a "level playing field" and why it's bad for business. You and three of your friends are all making widgets. Since the government regulates widgets they all have to be exactly the same. But you are thinking to yourself..... "If I just made this one little adjustment to MY widget..... that would make it better than the others.... I'd sell more... and make more money!" But the nanny state steps in and forbids you from making that change UNLESS your three competitors get to make the same change to their widgets. THAT is a "level playing field" model.
Your idea to improve YOUR widget.... make it better so you could out sell your competitors and enjoy a larger profit..... THAT is capitalism at it's best! Then your competition either improves their widget somehow to compete with you.... or perhaps they try to lower their price or reduce their manufacturing costs to stay profitable in light of your newer product. They adapt or fail. And as they either adapt or fail.... you also must seek to constantly offer the best widget possible at a price deemed reasonable by the consumer..... or YOU get to fail. Business is never static.
In the 18 or so months since Obama took office.... we've seen unemployment rise to a point near 10%. That figure, however, only represents those actively seeking work.... and not those who have given up. Add that last group in and the true unemployment figure is closer to 16%.
During the same time frame those elected and in the majority (democrats) have managed to spend more money than ALL the previous presidents combined. They have tripled the national debt and started the dangerous practice of buying our own debt.
Yet, in spite of rising unemployment, staggering debt from out of control and unfunded spending and the increasing demand for fiscal restraint by the public..... this administration continues to charge headlong into the abyss. They hate this country and our way of life so much that they cannot change. Because of the elected liberals.... U.S. Astronauts now have to buy a ticket for a ride up to the International Space Station from the Russians!!!
It's a truly sad state of affairs when the (formerly) most powerful nation on earth is at the launch pad with their thumb out hitching a ride.
At this point I could launch into a tirade on the liberal media and how they turn a blind eye to everything Obama that is bad for the nation and how they only speak of those things to which they agree. Obama's last speech was so pathetic.... he couldn't assemble two words into a cogent statement if he had to. The press is silent. Bush mispronounces a word and it's all they can talk about for a week.
Bush oversees the largest addition to the national park system ever through the designation of underwater parks and preserves...... and the press still charges that he hates the environment. Obama turns NASA into the Muslim outreach and feel good club so we have NO space program at all and have to hitch a ride into space with the Russians.... and the press is silent. You get the point. Obama is THEIR boy (yes... boy was intentional in this context) and he can do NO wrong and even if he does it is either overlooked, spiked or blamed on Bush.
The mid-term elections are drawing near. We have an opportunity to reverse some of the insanity that has gotten to be mainstream in Washington D.C. I would urge each of you to start now to study the issues and the candidates in your political districts. I would also urge you to NOT vote a straight party ticket.
Not all people with an "R" by their name are who we want in office. Likewise not everyone with a "D" by their name is someone who needs not be in office. That is why you MUST take the time to study the people and their positions and then vote for the people who you think will do the best job returning America to the path the Founders put it on all those many years ago. America is the last best hope for mankind.... but ONLY if she is preserved as the Founders intended.
I recall warning about the dangers of buying into Obama and all his empty "hopey, changie" rhetoric. Anyone with even ONE open eye could see that it was ALL hot air with absolutely NO substance behind it. Obviously a voting majority had neither eye open because we've been blessed with the least qualified person in the history of the nation to occupy the White House. I have cats more qualified to be President than Obama. Oh well.... we're stuck with him now.
The health care "reform" bill came along next and I warned against that too. Once again, any fool with even one eye open could see that there was no way in hell to create blanket coverage for everyone in the country and CUT the deficit at the same time.
Still the left sold it to the nation at large as "universal 'free' health care" and that trick worked. A recent study indicates that the average citizen will have to fork out just shy of $13,000 before getting one single "free" measure of government health care.
The health care bill was a package of thousands of pages of additional government rules, regulations and restrictions combined with a chapter devoted to new IRS powers..... with a band-aid tossed in for good measure. The band-aid was the health care part. In plain English... were were screwed big time..... and not even taken to dinner first.
Next came the GM - Chrysler take over...... errrrrr.... I mean bail out. Premium share holders were supposed to be paid in full and first. But the Obama administration gave themselves permission to disregard the law and gave those investors a dime on their dollar..... while paying the unions in full.
We were told that GM and Chrysler were "too big to fail" and we had to bail them out. That was a lie. What Obama was doing was bailing out the UNIONS..... not the car companies. IF there was genuine concern for the car companies they should have been permitted to file for re-organizational bankruptcy so they could eliminate a huge chunk of union liability and restraint on their profitability.
The fact that wasn't allowed to happen shows that the UNIONS were what was being saved. The unions were given a 51% ownership stake in the companies as a reward for dumping billions in dues money (which BTW is illegal) into the Obama campaign.
One interesting thing resulted though. Now that profit is critical to the unions continuing to make money..... they are balking at giving themselves more and more unfunded perks! They are saying NO to themselves in contract negotiations because saying yes would cut into their profits! What an ODD concept..... that profits are necessary for a business to stay in business.
Next we had the banking bailouts. Again some companies were deemed "too big to fail" by the government. Once again the hand of government reached into OUR pockets and gave away OUR hard earned money to people who had made poor business decisions knowing that they had no real risk of loss. Government would be there to pick them up when they screwed up.
Once again.... those financial institutions which made poor investment decisions should have been allowed to fail. Failure is KEY to capitalism working as it should work. If you have a good product which is in demand and a sound operating model for your company then you will experience short term success.
I limit the success to short term because of the dynamic nature of the market place. For example.... there are no longer a great deal of buggy whip outlets..... and a lot fewer places to get shoes for your horse. Because there is still a limited demand for those items and services there are still a few places open though to meet those needs.
To remain viable a company needs to constantly be re-evaluating it's product or services and making modifications to those items as the desires of the market place change. Ideally the owner is always slightly ahead of the demand curve and anticipates the next market trend.
But the downside to capitalism is the inherent risk of failure. If your product or service is in low demand and you don't adapt...... you get to fail. If your business model is unsound and the capital distribution doesn't permit new product development or is based on high risk investments without sufficient reserve capital to cover a potential loss.... then you get to fail.
THAT is the beauty of the capitalist system. The deadwood clears itself out through failure while those forward looking dynamic well managed companies succeed. That is how it is supposed to work....... but when Government gets involved it unfairly tips the scales. Now companies are saved from the natural cycle of things by artificial means. They are still doomed to fail because they will still, in all likelihood, continue to operate much as before.
As we all learned as kids..... unless you fail you rarely have an opportunity to learn. You try something and it doesn't work.... failure. But then you analyze what you did and search for a flaw which might have caused the failure. You think the situation through again and again.... making changes.... then you try again. If you learned the lessons from the first failure.... you now have a better chance of success.... but no absolute guarantee of success.
That is what this administration is trying to sell. They don't care who you are... what you make sell or do.... they are trying to get you to buy into the notion that *everyone* has an absolute RIGHT to succeed. And IF you are weak minded enough to buy that line of crap then PLEASE vote democrat and send them all your money so they can "level the playing field" and ensure your success. Just don't hold your breath while waiting.
Let me give you an example of a "level playing field" and why it's bad for business. You and three of your friends are all making widgets. Since the government regulates widgets they all have to be exactly the same. But you are thinking to yourself..... "If I just made this one little adjustment to MY widget..... that would make it better than the others.... I'd sell more... and make more money!" But the nanny state steps in and forbids you from making that change UNLESS your three competitors get to make the same change to their widgets. THAT is a "level playing field" model.
Your idea to improve YOUR widget.... make it better so you could out sell your competitors and enjoy a larger profit..... THAT is capitalism at it's best! Then your competition either improves their widget somehow to compete with you.... or perhaps they try to lower their price or reduce their manufacturing costs to stay profitable in light of your newer product. They adapt or fail. And as they either adapt or fail.... you also must seek to constantly offer the best widget possible at a price deemed reasonable by the consumer..... or YOU get to fail. Business is never static.
In the 18 or so months since Obama took office.... we've seen unemployment rise to a point near 10%. That figure, however, only represents those actively seeking work.... and not those who have given up. Add that last group in and the true unemployment figure is closer to 16%.
During the same time frame those elected and in the majority (democrats) have managed to spend more money than ALL the previous presidents combined. They have tripled the national debt and started the dangerous practice of buying our own debt.
Yet, in spite of rising unemployment, staggering debt from out of control and unfunded spending and the increasing demand for fiscal restraint by the public..... this administration continues to charge headlong into the abyss. They hate this country and our way of life so much that they cannot change. Because of the elected liberals.... U.S. Astronauts now have to buy a ticket for a ride up to the International Space Station from the Russians!!!
It's a truly sad state of affairs when the (formerly) most powerful nation on earth is at the launch pad with their thumb out hitching a ride.
At this point I could launch into a tirade on the liberal media and how they turn a blind eye to everything Obama that is bad for the nation and how they only speak of those things to which they agree. Obama's last speech was so pathetic.... he couldn't assemble two words into a cogent statement if he had to. The press is silent. Bush mispronounces a word and it's all they can talk about for a week.
Bush oversees the largest addition to the national park system ever through the designation of underwater parks and preserves...... and the press still charges that he hates the environment. Obama turns NASA into the Muslim outreach and feel good club so we have NO space program at all and have to hitch a ride into space with the Russians.... and the press is silent. You get the point. Obama is THEIR boy (yes... boy was intentional in this context) and he can do NO wrong and even if he does it is either overlooked, spiked or blamed on Bush.
The mid-term elections are drawing near. We have an opportunity to reverse some of the insanity that has gotten to be mainstream in Washington D.C. I would urge each of you to start now to study the issues and the candidates in your political districts. I would also urge you to NOT vote a straight party ticket.
Not all people with an "R" by their name are who we want in office. Likewise not everyone with a "D" by their name is someone who needs not be in office. That is why you MUST take the time to study the people and their positions and then vote for the people who you think will do the best job returning America to the path the Founders put it on all those many years ago. America is the last best hope for mankind.... but ONLY if she is preserved as the Founders intended.
