Telling It Like It Is

THE ENTERPRISE--HOW THINGS LOOK & HOW THEY ARE

THE ENTERPRISE--HOW THINGS LOOK & HOW THEY ARE

OUR ARTICULATE PRESIDENT IS BEING FORCED TO RECYCLE HIS FAVORITE LINES AND PROPOSALS:

If this doesn't convince you that Barack Obama is living proof of the popular definition of insanity ("Doing the same things over and over and expecting different outcomes.") I don't know what will.  He carefully avoided the biggest problems facing the USA because he is clueless about how to fix them--or he has no intention of trying to fix them:  the growing deficit, national debt, spending problem and the obligations of entitlements to Americans.  Thus he begins to replay his same old--same old.  Watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDDRiGIUYQo&feature=g-logo&context=G22f14e4FOAAAAAAAAAA

LATEST UPDATE:  MY LATEST BOOK (co-authored with Dave Lukas)—HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY: Leadership Lessons from the Obama Presidency— is now in the hands of the publisher.  I will keep you all posted about when it will be available so you can help us make the launch week a HUGE one.  It's 32 Chapters will offer a wide range of lessons built upon the failures and mistakes of Barack Obama and his administration.

HOW HEADLINES MISLEAD READERS

Read this article, keeping in mind what the headline says, and as you wade through it's circular dialogue (hard to follow) you will realize that the article doesn't support the headline at all!  How many readers will be misled?  A lot of them!  No wonder our country is in trouble.  Half of the people are naive, stupid, apathetic or clueless--and as long as they continue getting their food stamps, unemployment, welfare and Medicaid, they neither know what's going on, nor care….but the Democrats and Obama will get them all out to vote--no matter how uninformed or misled they are.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/obama-wins-poll-investors-resist-050000548.html

HOW AMERICA LOOKS TO MANY AMERICANS:

(SOME CARTOONS ARE FUNNIER THAN OTHERS.  SOME ARE SCARY!)

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER REVEALS OBAMA'S "BIG DEAL" STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH  AS A SMALL DEAL, OR NO DEAL, CERTAINLY NOT A "NEW DEAL." Download Obama Was Once A Visionary But Now He's Focused On Little Things - Investors.com

FINALLY--ON THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE--GOP AND VS. OBAMA.

Many disagree on Newt vs. Mitt…some like Newt's fire and smarts, and thinks Romney is too--(what) cold, logical, stuffed-shirt-ish, whatever.  But moderates who are disgusted with Obama will vote for Mitt--and not Newt.  More conservative Republicans will essentially vote for anyone but Obama.  Thus Mitt has a chance and Newt does not. (IMHO)

I love Newt's "fire" but he will absolutely lose a national election to Obama.  Moderates hate Newt.  Most conservatives love him but there are not enough of them.  Even if he destroyed Obama in debates, the Obama supporters and too many moderates would feel sorry for Obama and not like (or vote for Newt).  Take away Newt's tirades against the media, especially NBC's John KIng in SC, and he'd still be second to Romney by 8-10 pts in any poll. (Newt should have won SC, since he's from GA, just as Romney should have won NH since he's from MA. That one will wear off over time--especially if NBC (and ABC) goes after the fact that Newt actually did not have any of the supporters and offered none to ABC (other than his two daughters) that he claimed (untruthfully) that he had regarding his ex-wife's interview.  The media will be even more pro-Obama and anti-Newt than normal (if that's possible).

Is Romney perfect?   Maybe not.  I wish he were "more engaging," but he's a  solid family man, (I think) a good person, and a smart, proven, and experienced leader who has run:  a big business, a liberal dominated state, and saved a troubled Olympic games (and the Olympics may be the most political and culturally difficult of the three jobs.)  I  believe we need radical change, but that you can't make radical change (with our political system) unless you control both Houses of Congress by a sizable margin, and are facing a crisis (which the deficit is and Obama driven economic malaise actually may be.)  One of the most damning parts about Newt, is how few of his former colleagues in Congress will even come out in support of him.  Most oppose him.  That's not good for him!

Bottom line, I am still a Romney supporter, (but would vote for and support "almost anyone Republican, moderate or conservative" against Obama).  About half of the electorate is naive, uninformed, misinformed, apathetic or simply ignorant--and they (heavily but far from only minorities) all love Obama.  That gives Obama a huge advantage along with $750 million in campaign funds and all the mainstream media except Fox, the WSJ, and IBD openly biased and campaigning for Obama masquerading as News.  Paul just wants to influence the discussion. Santorum is doing better, but coming from so far back, with so little money, and a thin resume' that I can't see him rising to the top.  He is, at best a VP  candidate.

It will be a battle even with Obama's awful track record--because of the above millions of dependent Americans who love him.  Almost a year ago, I stated the best GOP ticket to beat Obama would be Romney and Rubio.  I still think so….and I hope Rubio will run.  He is more of everything Romney has in short supply:  Southern (swing state), hispanic (Cuban), solidly conservative, and most of all articulate, appealing and genuine when he is speaking.  He is also insurance against an Obama win, because he could top the GOP ticket in 2016.

WE'LL SEE WHAT AMERICAN VOTERS SAY.

BEST, JOHN 

Coming soon: A book all America needs to read. HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY: Leadership Lessons from the Obama Presidency. Watch for more news.

THE ENTERPRISE—SIMPLE STATEMENTS, STUNNING TRUTHS

THE ENTERPRISE—SIMPLE STATEMENTS, STUNNING TRUTHS

 THE GOP PRIMARY SEASON IS OFF TO A TOPSY-TURVY START

I was all set to write a piece about this, until I read the WSJ Editorial, which does a very fine job of describing the issues and the dilemma…so I am posting it here for you to read if you haven't seen it.

Download The Gingrich Challenge - WSJ.com

As a final thrust, I started an alphabetical description of the contrasts between the two leading candidates.  You can "play this game" yourself:

--Gingrich: A: Authoritative, B: Belligerent, C: Creative, D: Divisive, E: Enthusiastic, F: Flamboyant, G: Grandiose, H: Hubris

--Romney: A: Adult, B: Balanced, C: Calm, D: Deliberate, E: Experienced, F: Financially astute, G: Graceful, H: Humble

Obviously your, like mine will be tainted by the emotions of the moment and by what you see in each person…

I love Gingrich's vehement attacks on the media and his enormous knowledge of so many areas.  I fear the fact that his peers in Congress from the 1990's not only tired of his antics and his leadership, but rejected him--and to this day--most of them do not support him.  I think that is telling.

Whether Mitt Romney can "untangle" himself from his self-made mess and re-establish his Leadership--which I feel is his strongest suit, remains to be seen.  However, of the various candidates left, Mitt is the only one who has proven--in recent times--to be able to forge bi-partisan agreements which were acceptable to both sides (in MA) although Newt claims to have done it.  If you watched Bill Clinton's interview on O'Reilly a few weeks back, you saw how delicately he avoided saying anything good about how he and Newt worked together.

Tonight's NBC Debate and Thursday's CNN exchange will tell a lot…since Florida is a much bigger, more diverse and more balanced electorate than SC.

 

NO DOUBT THE FEW OBAMA SUPPORTERS WHO STILL READ THIS EDITION OF THE ENTERPRISE WILL RECOIL IN HORROR, BUT…IT IS ALL FACTUAL 

The business environment in the USA is still adversely affected by the anti-business bias of every part of the current administration and its many "czars."  Businesses are remarkable adept at adapting to varying conditions--but when the government is aligned against it, the choices are fewer, and caution is greater.  Until this changes, any recovery will be slow, and sporadic.

 

TIMELY DEFINITION OF THE WEEK:  Electile Dysfunction:  The inability to become aroused over any of the choices for President put forth by either party.

 

DEMOCRATS--THE "SORE LOSERS"--EVIDENCE:  RECALL ELECTIONS, AND REFERENDUMS

It's clear that the Democratic party is like a gambler who, upon losing, wants a "do over" or another chance.  This allows out of state influences to flood the state with money and ads to attack what the normal, legitimate elections yielded.  Since $30-40 million in union money worked in OH, reversing the public employee bargaining rights law, now WI is the target, where the unions and Democratic factions will spend whatever it takes trying to reverse the will of the voters and throw out the governor and a couple of state senators.  For decades, this kind of action has been rarely used.  However, when unions sense a continued decline and when voters have spoken, they simply say--no way.  Flood the airwaves with half-truths and misinformation and spend whatever it takes to reverse the regular elections.  Just remember, that sword cuts both ways.

 

I WONDER HOW MANY PETITION  SIGNATURES IT WOULD TAKE TO RECALL BARACK OBAMA?  Answer: NONE--We can't do it that way.

Once elected and after Congress has certified the Electoral votes, a President of The United States may only be removed from office by impeachment by the House followed by conviction by the Senate, or by the more prudent means of resignation ( a la Richard Nixon).  Johnson and Clinton were impeached, but no President has ever been convicted and removed from office.

 

INTERESTING DECISION BY THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION--PERHAPS THE US VOTERS SHOULD ALSO CHOOSE A BAIN ALUM TO LEAD THE NATION?

January 17, 2012 4:11pm   

New Obama OMB director a Bain alum  by Joel Gehrke Commentary Staff Writer

 Jeffrey Zients will serve as President Obama's new acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), but the president's decision might undercut attacks on Republican Mitt Romney's career as a venture capitalist, because Zients and Romney are both alumni of Bain & Company.

 

"I'm pleased to designate Jeff Zients to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Since day one, Jeff has demonstrated superb judgment and has provided sound advice on a whole host of issues," Obama said in a statement accompanying the announcement today. Zients previously served as Deputy Director of OMB under Jack Lew, who became Obama's chief of staff with the departure of Bill Daley.  Romney might also be pleased at Zients' promotion, given that they have a common professional background; Zients worked with Bain & Company as early as 1988, according to the Bain website. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney worked at Bain & Company, first from 1977-1984, and then again from 1991 and 1992, when he was the Bain & Company chief executive officer.  Update: Bain & Company says that Zients worked there from August 1988 to June 1990. Romney apparently returned to Bain & Company from Bain Capital in January 1991, so they missed each other by six months.

I HEARD SOMEONE HOLD FORTH AT LENGTH ABOUT THE GREAT JOB THAT BARACK OBAMA HAS DONE AS PRESIDENT.  

To that, I can only offer his record: 

Barack Obama's 32 Month Report Card    by Rich Carroll

> Mr. Hope and Change wants to create a nation humbled; humiliated, casting-aside capitalism and individual freedoms for one where “we the people” are government controlled. This would be a system that genuflects mediocrity, steals personal aspiration and opportunity, and punishes those who strive to succeed.

> A gallon of regular gasoline the day Obama was inaugurated was $1.79 on average in the U.S. Today that price is $3.59, a 100.6% increase. The number of food stamp recipients has risen since Obama took office from 31,983,716 to 43,200,878, a 35.1% jump. Long term unemployment soared 146.2% during the same 32 month period from 2,600,000 to 6,400,000. Staggering “hope and change” isn't it?

> American citizens living in poverty have risen 9.5% from 39,800,000 to 43,600,000, and the number of unemployed has jumped almost 25% from 11,616,000 to 14,485,000 as of August 31, 2011. The number of unemployed blacks has risen from 12.6% at the end of George Bush's term to 15.8% today, a 25.4% increase, and finally, our national debt is up 34.4% from 10.627 trillion to 14,278 trillion *

> Keep these figures in mind as we recount the number of “firsts” for this presidency:

> First President to refuse to show a valid birth certificate--for years--and still keeps his background records (college) hidden and sealed.

> First President to apply for college aid as a foreign student, then deny he was a foreigner.

> First President to have a social security number from a state he has never lived in.

> First President to preside over a cut to the credit rating of the United States .

> First President to violate the War Powers Act.

> First President to be held in contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico .

> First President to defy a Federal Judge's court order to cease implementing the Health Care Reform Law.

> First President to allocate a large part of a trillion dollars to "shovel-ready jobs" and later admit there was no such thing as shovel-ready jobs.

> First President to abrogate bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union supporters, and steal from legal bond-holders.

> First President to by-pass Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat.

> First President to demand a company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees.

> First President to terminate Americas ability to put a man in space.

> First President to encourage racial discrimination and intimidation at polling places, and stop the Justice Dept. from doing anything about it.

> First President to have a law signed by an auto-pen without being present.

> First President to arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it.

> First President to threaten insurance companies if they publicly speak-out on the reasons for their rate increases.

> First President to tell a major manufacturing company in which state they are NOT allowed to locate a factory.

> First President to file lawsuits against the states he swore an oath to protect (Az, WI, OH, IN)

> First President to withdraw an existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago.

> First President to fire an inspector general of Ameri-corps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case.

> First President to appoint 45 Czars to replace elected officials in his office.

> First President to golf 73 separate times in his first two and a half years in office.

> First President to hide his medical, educational and travel records.

> First President to win a Nobel Peace Prize for doing NOTHING to earn it.

> First President to coddle American enemies while alienating Americas allies.

> First President to publicly bow to Americas enemies while refusing to salute the U.S. Flag.

> First President to go on multiple global apology tours.

> First President to go on 17 lavish vacations, including date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for his friends, paid for by the taxpayer.

> First President to refuse to wear the U.S. Flag lapel pin.

> First President to have 22 personal servants (taxpayer funded) for his wife.

> First President to keep a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000.00 a year at taxpayer expense.

> First President to repeat “the Holy Qur'an tells us,” and openly admit “the early morning call of the Azan (Islamic call to worship) is the most beautiful sound on earth.”

> Remember that 32 months of Obama White House we the people have accumulated national debt at a rate more than 27 times as fast as during the rest of our nation's entire history, as the Obama's plan their next extravagant vacation to the Indonesian Island nation of Bali . 

> Hope and change anyone?

> > * sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Wall Street Journal, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Dept of Labor, Standard & Poors/Case-Shiller, Federal Reserve, US Treasury, Heritage Foundation.

 

QUOTES FROM THE WISDOM OF THOMAS JEFFERSON--VERY RELEVANT TO THIS ELECTION SEASON

--The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.

--It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.

--I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

--My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.

 

STAY TUNED FOR A SPECIAL EDITION COMING SOON…  

ON A VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC….the date of the upcoming release of A BRAND NEW BOOK:  HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY: Leadership Lessons from the Obama Presidency,  which I co-authored with Dave Lukas.

BEST, JOHN

 

Author of the Award Winner: THE COMPLEXITY CRISIS, and the exciting novel: THE CHINESE CONSPIRACY.   Come see my blog posts on Forbes.com & American Express Open Forum: http://www.openforum.com/connectodex/small-business-trends?username=john-mariotti&isRecentPosts=True 

John L. Mariotti, President & CEO, The Enterprise Group,  Phones (mobile) 614-499-5577  & OH Office 614-840-0959 (when available). http://www.mariotti.net,   http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/

 

 

THE ENTERPRISE--BUSINESS, POLITICS AND THE ECONOMY

I IMAGINE SOME READERS WONDER WHY I WRITE SO MUCH ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS AND POLITICS AND THE ECONOMY AND SO LITTLE ABOUT BUSINESS

I don't really.  Because in this global competitive business environment business is very much about politics and policy.  The economy is all about business and how businesses are doing--and that is hugely influenced by the conditions imposed on them by government (thus politics enters again).

PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS FIGURED OUT HOW TO REDUCE SPENDING ON HEALTH CARE IN THE USA

The growth rate of health care spending dropped to only 3.9% in 2010, which is nearly an all time low for recent decades.  How did Obama do it?  He simply killed jobs, crippled the economy and put so many people out of work (on on government welfare) that they chose to spend less of their meager earnings on health care.  See--his plan is working!

CHECK OUT MY RECENT POSTS ON FORBES AND AMERICAN EXPRESS--I THINK YOU  WILL FIND THEM TIMELY AND USEFUL

http://www.forbes.com/sites/prospernow/2012/01/14/more-presidential-misdirection/

http://www.openforum.com/articles/it-takes-5-cs-to-spell-success?cid=email_articlefeed_articletitlelink

http://www.openforum.com/articles/if-you-dont-look-out-for-your-company-who-will?cid=email_articlefeed_articletitlelink

AN ANSWER TO A FRIEND'S EMAIL ABOUT HOW THE PERSON USED EVERYTHING MADE SOMEWHERE ELSE…AND WENT OUT LOOKING FOR A JOB IN AMERICA (AND COMPLAINING ABOUT WHOSE FAULT IT WAS)

Maybe it isn't "the 1%" who have caused the income gap/inequity problems in the USA.  Maybe it's globalization encouraged by the fact that "the 99%" want the cheapest stuff available so they can have more stuff! So whose fault is the income inequity really?  The people who profit from it, or the people who choose to save money on so much of their "stuff?"  See; there are two sides to every story.

THE LAWBREAKER IN THE WHITE HOUSE--AND NOTHING IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT.

In case you haven't read my Forbes post: http://www.forbes.com/sites/prospernow/2012/01/06/the-president-who-ignores-the-law-again/

Here is an even more comprehensive WSJ presentation of it by someone with the right qualifications to evaluate Obama's actions:

Download Democrats and Executive Overreach - WSJ.com

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: CONSUMERS ARE SPENDING BUT THEY ARE NO LONGER SAVING--THEIR DEBT IS INCREASING

Posted below is the most recent summary from BIGinsight's Consumer Intentions & Actions Survey.

EXECUTIVE BRIEFING
Economic & Consumer Insights for Marketing Executives

The Consumer Intentions & Actions® Survey monitors over 8,000 consumers each month providing unique insights & identifying opportunities in a fragmented and transitory marketplace. 

January 2012 (Respondents surveyed 1/4 - 1/11/12)
 
Talking Points
The New Year didn’t begin with a bang, according to consumers
Just one in three predict full economic recovery, down from Jan-11, Jan-10
Blame it on the holiday spending hangover…practicality, focus on needs UP
More than a third plan to decrease overall spending, up 20% from December
Walmart is back in the driver’s seat in Women’s Clothing
Will the Express Scripts debacle end Walgreens Prescription Drug domination?
Consumer Migration: Prescription Drugs
90 Day Outlook: Looks like consumers are in for a little spending hibernation
What’s Hot…does American craftsmanship score more points than the Super Bowl?
For the full briefing, please click on the link below:
 
http://www.biginsight.com/news/EBJan12.htm

SOME OF THE BEST LESSONS ABOUT HOW TO DO THINGS BETTER ARE SURPRISINGLY SIMILAR--AND SIMPLE:

	 THE FOLLOWING STORY WAS SENT TO ME BY AN OLD FRIEND, AND IT REALLY RESONATES WITH ME…  I had an almost identical experience at Huffy Bikes, which I'll describe after you read this story. 

NOTE: Henry Ford reportedly had an effective way to find the most efficient way to get a job done.  
"Give the job to the laziest SOB in the plant ... and watch him carefully.  You'll have the answer in a few hours."
 
 
Those who have worked in an assembly line environment will have an appreciation for this story ... it will bring a smile to your face. 
 
A toothpaste factory had a problem: they sometimes shipped empty boxes, without the tube inside. This was due to the way the production line was set up, and people with experience in designing production lines will tell you how difficult it is to have everything happen with timings so precise that every single unit coming out of it is perfect 100% of the time. Small variations in the environment (which can’t be controlled in a cost-effective fashion) mean you must have quality assurance checks smartly distributed across the line so that customers all the way down to the supermarket don’t get pissed off and buy someone else’s product instead. 

Understanding how important that was, the CEO of the toothpaste factory got the top people in the company together and they decided to start a new project, in which they would hire an external engineering company to solve their empty boxes problem, as their engineering department was already too stretched to take on any extra effort. 

The project followed the usual process: budget and project sponsor allocated, RFP, third-parties selected, and six months (and $8 million) later they had a fantastic solution on time, on budget, high quality and everyone in the project had a great time. They solved the problem by using some high-tech precision scales that would sound a bell and flash lights whenever a toothpaste box weighing less than it should was detected. The line would stop, and someone had to walk over and yank the defective box out of it, pressing another button when done to resume the line. 

A while later, the CEO decides to have a look at the ROI of the project: amazing results! No empty boxes ever shipped out of the factory after the scales were put in place. There were very few customer complaints, and they were gaining market share. “That’s some money well spent!” he said, before looking closely at the other statistics in the report. 

It turns out that the number of defects picked up by the scales was 0 after three weeks of production use. It should’ve been picking up at least a dozen a day, so maybe there was something wrong with the report. He requested an explanation, and after some investigation, the engineers come back saying the report was actually correct. The scales really weren't picking up any defects, because all boxes that got to that point in the conveyor belt were good. 

Puzzled, the CEO went down to the factory, and walked up to the part of the line where the precision scales were installed. A few feet before it there was a $20 desk fan blowing the empty boxes off the belt and into a bin. "“Oh, that!­ One of the guys put it there ’cause he was tired of walking over every time the bell rang”," said one of the workers.

Back in the 1980's at Huffy Bikes, we had a problem with missing parts in the bike box—a bag of small parts was supposed to go into each bike box—and sometimes was left out.  Without them you could not assemble the bike.  The parts bag was too light compared to the weight of a whole bike to use a scale, and after considering many complex solutions were discussed, one of the assembly line workers offered a suggestion. "We don't intentionally leave out the parts.  We just lose track of whether we've put one in each box.  Can't you install a little electric eye like my garage door has on it, that sees our hand reaches out and grabs a parts bag and it turns a light on (or off)?  Then depending on if light is on or off, we'll know whether we put the parts bag in the box."  

The Assembly Dept. Supervisor and an Industrial Engineer rigged up a simple electric eye and light bulb and sure enough, it worked.  If the worker's hand didn't pass through the beam to pick up the parts bag, the light wouldn't go off, and thus the parts bag had not been picked up and placed in the box.  Problem solved. We put the same arrangement on all six assembly lines, at a combined cost of far less than any of the complicated solutions.  Ask the person closest to the work how to solve the problems.

Principle:  No one knows as much about a job as the person doing it. ASK THEM--AND THEN LISTEN & LEARN

THAT'S IT FOR THIS WEEK,

BEST, JOHN

 

Author of the Award Winner: THE COMPLEXITY CRISIS, and the exciting novel: THE CHINESE CONSPIRACY.   Come see my blog posts on Forbes.com & American Express Open Forum: http://www.openforum.com/connectodex/small-business-trends?username=john-mariotti&isRecentPosts=True 

John L. Mariotti, President & CEO, The Enterprise Group,  OH Address (Mar.-Dec.): 10218 Ashton Close, Powell, OH 43065, FL Address (Jan.-Mar.): 316 Edgewater Ct., Marco Island, FL 34145   Phones (mobile) 614-499-5577  & OH Office 614-840-0959. http://www.mariotti.net,   http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/ 

 

IBM, HP, Microsoft failed to patch vulnerabilities after being notified. No surprise that The Chinese Conspiracy could still happen

THE ENTERPRISE--A NEW YEAR WAKE UP CALL

THE ENTERPRISE--A NEW YEAR WAKE UP CALL

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND SOME NEW YEAR OBSERVATIONS

Happy New Year to all.  Here we are in sunny FL after a wonderful holiday season with family.  You'd never know from the crowds at Disney World on Jan. 1 that the US is in an economic slowdown.  You would notice, however, how many of the guests were not speaking English.  You'd also notice from the prices that IF you provide a superior product or service of experience you can charge a lot of everything associated with it.  That is a very valuable lesson.  It as also a blessing born of the fruits of the freedom we enjoy in the USA.

We must protect American freedoms and the free enterprise system that has made America the land of opportunity. 

IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW BETTER, YOU'D HAVE THOUGHT THE IOWA CAUCUSES WERE REALLY IMPORTANT

Maybe they were, and maybe they weren't.  Somehow, it seems everyone is still seeking an alternative to the best all-around candidate--Mitt Romney. He was the best in 2008 too--and not nearly as good as he is now.  So what did the GOP do?  It rallied around the rebel, John McCain who chose that campaign to find "reserve" in his behavior and NOT attack Barack Obama for any of a huge number of outrageous parts from his hidden background to his dubious associations to his gross inexperience (which McCain couldn't criticize after his incredibly foolish choice of Sarah Palin for the VP spot.

I'M GOING TO BE BLUNTLY HONEST--AND SEE WHAT YOU ALL THINK

I'd love to see Newt Gingrich take on Barack Obama in a series of debates, BUT, it wouldn't be the slam dunk you might think because Obama is smarter than in 2008, he's more seasoned than 2008 and he's a pretty good lawyer-debater.  Thus, if we make our choices based on such a thin emotional premise as that Newt would beat or humiliate Obama in debates, we might just be assuring the Chosen One a second term.  On the other hand, it's time for an adult, a strong leader, an effective manager and an all around good and  sensible person to sit in the White House.  Say all you want about Romney's position shifts, they are irrelevant in the larger scheme of things.  He took one position within the acceptable range of his personal politics when he was the elected governor of the most liberal state in America, because it reflected what his constituents wanted--at least as far as he was willing to stretch his personal positions.  He also studied some of the issues more closely, before he jumped into the national limelight and changed his positions.  That's good.

I'D LIKE ANYONE WHO HAS NEVER CHANGED A POSITION BASED ON NEW INFORMATION OR NEW CIRCUMSTANCES THROW THE FIRST STONE

Then I will call that person either a fool or a liar.  Nuances are all that we live with--no matter how black or white idealists would like to make things.  All a person can do is assess their basic principles, the situation they find based on the information they have, and make the best decision.  If it's right more than 50% of the time, that's good.  I also realize that the presidency of the US is not the same as a CEO job.  That's why, in spite of your many kind comments that I should run for office, I won't.  I wouldn't tolerate those two-face fools I'd have to live with and deal with.  It is exactly why Newt is like Newt is.  It makes him crazy too--until he switches his position--and then he compensates and moves on.

WHO WILL RUN FOR THE GOP?

I don't know.  I hope it's Mitt Romney, but pressed I could live with Newt, or even Santorum (barely) and Huntsman (barely,  but I think he's a really long shot)  Rick Perry needs to go back and run Texas where he seems to be doing a good job.  I'm glad Michelle Bachman dropped out. We need her voice in the House.  Ron Paul needs to be heard and respected, and some of his views taken very seriously.  1)  We make war and interfere far too often.  We must stop doing that unless or until our own national welfare is clearly and seriously in danger.  2)  We spend too damn much money at every level of every government and the Fed is out of control too.  Paul is right on both of these points.  But his foreign policy--while I can understand it--is just not a reasonable approach, so he is not a serious threat unless he mounts a 3rd party run, in which case he'll hand Obama the election (But the Internet Voting Candidate may do that anyway.

OK--ENOUGH RANTING FOR A NEW YEAR STARTER.  LET'S JUST CLOSE WITH SOME COLD HARD FACTS

In Barack Obama's first three years, two of them with Democrats controlling both the House and the Senate, he has done several notable things.

1)  He passed Obamacare--which is one of the greatest job-killers ever--even though something does need to be done about America's Health Care System.  Obamacare is not it.

2)  He and his minions destroyed more jobs than any predecessor.  If the work force was (measured correctly the same size as when he took office unemployment would be at 10.9%  The only reason it's reported at 8.5% is that so many Americans have given up and quit looking (preferring to take Obama's Democratic largess in the way of endless unemployment, food stamps and repeated payroll tax holidays.  The American will to work is damaged horribly.  The real unemployment and underemployment in America is between 15 and 20% of the true work force.  Over 5 million jobs are still "missing" since Obama came on the scene.

3)  He and his Democratic colleagues have NEVER PASSED A BUDGET in direct violation of the law of the land, which Obama clearly cares little about.  His imperialistic, Hugo Chavez style of government allows him to ignore the laws--including the recent instance of making recess appointments when the Senate was not in recess--just because he wanted to--and knew he'd never get them approved otherwise.

4)  To all those who claim that Bush started the decline--I will agree to this extent.  It was unconscionable the Bush never vetoed a spending bill and that he left office with the US  annual budget deficit in the $500 Billion range.  Since taking office, the Obama deficits have all been in excess of $1 Trillion per year--more than double what Bush left with, and when this year is done, he will have dug the USA into a budget deficit "hole" of over $5.5 TRILLION, and institutionalized so much of it that cutting it will be harder than ever.

For those who can't comprehend "trillion dollar figures, here is the USA financial situation simplified so that it is more reasonably understandable

Recent Facts

. United States Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000--$2,400,000,000,000

. Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000--$3,900,000,000,000

. New annual debt: $1,500,000,000--1,650,0000,000,000

. National debt: $16,000,000,000,000 and climbing

. Recent budget spending cut: $38,500,000,000

Now, remove 8 zeros and pretend it's a household budget:

 . Annual family income: $21,700--$24,000

. Money the family spends: $38,200--$39,000

. New debt on the credit card: $15,000--16,500

. Outstanding balance on credit card: $160,000

. Total family planned budget spending cuts: $385

Are There Any Questions? Is this ridiculous, or what?

BARACK OBAMA LOVES TO BLAME WALL STREET GREED--AND SOME IS WELL DESERVED--BUT THE REAL CULPRITS SELDOM GET BLAMED!  WHY?  READ ON!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Surprise.... Answer Three men who brought down Wall Street (and were instrumental in the Subprime mortgage debacle which largely caused the financial crisis.) They were clearly aided and abetted by Chris Dodd and Barney Frank…and Barack Obama  (To learn more, read Gretchen Morgenstern's fine book  Reckless Endangerment) Here's a quick look into the three former Fannie Mae executives who brought down Wall Street. Franklin Raines was a Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Fannie Mae. Raines was forced to retire from his position with Fannie Mae when auditing discovered severe irregularities in Fannie Mae's accounting activities. Raines left with a "golden parachute valued at $240 Million in benefits. The Government filed suit against Raines when the depth of the accounting scandal became clear. Tim Howard - was the Chief Financial Officer of Fannie Mae. Howard "was a strong internal proponent of using accounting strategies that would ensure a "stable pattern of earnings" at Fannie. Investigations by federal regulators and the company's board of directors since concluded that management did manipulate 1998 earnings to trigger bonuses. Raines and Howard resigned under pressure in late 2004. Howard's Golden Parachute was estimated at $20 Million! Jim Johnson - A former executive at Lehman Brothers and who was later forced from his position as Fannie Mae CEO. Investigators found that Fannie Mae had hidden a substantial amount of Johnson's 1998 compensation from the public, reporting that it was between $6 million and $7 million when it fact it was $21 million." Johnson is currently under investigation for taking illegal loans from Countrywide while serving as CEO of Fannie Mae. Johnson's Golden Parachute was estimated at $28 Million. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? FRANKLIN RAINES? Raines works for the Obama Campaign as his Chief Economic Advisor. TIM HOWARD? Howard is a Chief Economic Advisor to Obama under Franklin Raines. JIM JOHNSON? Johnson was hired as a Senior Obama Finance Advisor and was selected to run Obama's Vice Presidential Search Committee.

WHAT ELSE CAN I SAY?  WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND IT IS OUR PRESIDENT AND OUR OVERGROWN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 

(PART OF IT--THERE ARE STILL SOME GOOD PEOPLE IN CONGRESS--BELIEVE IT OR NOT!)

Bottom line:  Government was created to work for the people--NOT vice versa.  We must stop and reverse the era of "BIG GOVERNMENT," before it kills America.  Whichever of these candidates:  Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Huntsman, et. al. can do that--or at the very least intend to do that when elected--will get my vote.

(So will most of the GOP candidates for Senate, since any president can only do so much without the support of Congress.)

NOW I'VE DONE IT. SAID ALL THIS IN THE FIRST WEEK OF 2012.  LET'S SEE HOW THINGS UNFOLD.  

EITHER GET INVOLVED, AND HELP NOW, OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.  SPEAK OUT AND SPEAK UP.

BEST, JOHN

 

Author of the Award Winner: THE COMPLEXITY CRISIS, and the exciting novel: THE CHINESE CONSPIRACY.   Come see my blog posts on Forbes.com & American Express Open Forum: http://www.openforum.com/connectodex/small-business-trends?username=john-mariotti&isRecentPosts=True 

John L. Mariotti, President & CEO, The Enterprise Group,  Phones (mobile) 614-499-5577  & OH Office 614-840-0959 (when available). http://www.mariotti.net,   http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/

 

Chinese Hackers hit US Chamber of Commerce, steal info on 3MM members: read THE CHINESE CONSPIRACY to learn what might come next!

HE ENTERPRISE--A HOPEFUL HOLIDAY

THE ENTERPRISE--A HOPEFUL HOLIDAY

THE GROWTH IS STILL LUKEWARM, BUT…BETTER THAN NO GROWTH OR DECLINE
The growth in jobs is still inadequate to absorb the new entrants to the work force.  The decline in the published (U-2) unemployment rate to 8.6% is artificial, caused by the dropout of 315,000 people who have given up looking.  The hiring of recent dates has been at least partly fueled by holiday needs, and may not endure.  The decline in the first claims for unemployment to around 380,000 is better than it was, but only by a few percentage points.  BUT--what the heck--growth is growth.  In many ways this is a lot like the GM bankruptcy.  Both would have happened with no intervention from the government and Obama's Misguided Minions.   In fact, his misdeeds may have actually slowed things down, but "whatever."

DON'T EXPECT ROBUST GROWTH TO OCCUR IN 1Q 2012…
According to the latest surveys by BIGinsight.com (formerly BIGresearch), consumers play to spend more paying down their debts in early 2012--and that means less on shopping.  What will really matter is how "clean the cupboards" of retailers are come Jan. 1.  If retailer inventories are modest, then January will be less of a downer.  There is always a bit of a slowdown in ordering in Jan. since most retailers' fiscal year ends are Jan. 31, and they want clean balance sheets on that date.  It is ironic that the campaigning to date has probably helped the growth a bit--because it forced President Obama and the Congress to at least hear many of the points being made by the GOP hopefuls.  Clearly, Obama is listening, and cherry-picking the ideas he can stomach IF they will help his reelection campaign.

MANUFACTURING REBOUND: FROM TARGET--THE ASSOCIATION FOR MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE NEWSLETTER:

Hopeful Signs Appear in Manufacturing
by Jeanette Spalding

Market reporting outlets from Bloomberg to the Wall Street Journal have covered the recent Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) Manufacturing Report on Business that said economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in November for the 28th consecutive month and the overall economy grew for the 30th month in a row.

The manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) reached the 52.7-percent mark, which represents a 1.9-percentage point hike from October's reading of 50.8 percent, reported Bradley J. Holcomb, CPSM, CPSD, chair of the ISM Manufacturing Business Survey Committee

SO WHAT ABOUT THE CANDIDATES AND 2012?  THE LATEST READ?
If you watched the Fox News sponsored debate last night--which most Republicans probably did, Independents might have and Democrats would have missed intentionally, you saw an excellent read on the candidates:  

• The Best Overall--Solid:  Mitt Romney--my choice from the outset.
• Still Smartest--Scary Smart: Newt Gingrich; 
• Easily most Extreme:  Ron Paul, and
•  "The best of the rest:" Jon Huntsman.  
• Rick Perry was on his game--it just wasn't good enough--even though his Texas record is impressive.  
• Rick Santorum is solidly like he has been all along--good, but not great. 
• Michelle Bachman is a "one-trick pony"--the furthest "right" of the bunch.  
• However, Iowans are not representative of the entire USA, so whoever emerges from those Iowa caucuses is not usually the winner overall (e.g., Mike Huckabee, Howard Dean)---unless it happens to be Romney. MItt should win in New Hampshire, and do OK in SC, especially after getting Gov. Nikki Haley's endorsement.  Florida, in early 2012 will be the big test--even though its age demographic is far older than the nation overall.

PREVIEW OF WHAT'S COMING IN 1Q 2012 (IN ADDITION TO THE PRIMARIES):  I HAVE TWO NEW BOOKS COMING OUT …I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THEM FOR MONTHS.

---THE INTERSECTION:  FOUR PATHS TO PROFITABLE GROWTH is "dynamite in a small package."  It will be under 100pp., and packed with solid strategic and tactical concepts to help businesses and people succeed in all kinds of enterprises--and in their careers.  The principles in this little book have been tested and used in many companies over the past decade or so--and have proven to be tremendously successful.  This book has been over a year in the making, and contains a concentrated dose of the things I have learned over several decades--including a Format for a Strategic Plan--something that so many have asked about because they couldn't find user-friendly books on strategic planning.

---HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY: Leadership Lessons from the Obama Presidency is co-authored with Dave Lukas, a brilliant young man (about ½ my age--but very accomplished).  In this one we will offer 30 "Lessons"—with a short chapter describing each one of them—and all based on missteps during the first three years of the Obama Administration--but all rooted in years of business experience and success.  It will be a fun, easy read; short chapters; simple principles.  It will not be so much fun for staunch liberals or for Democratic supporters of Barack Obama--although there is much they can also learn about why many of his efforts fell flat on their face.

Both books will be available in trade paperback format, and in e-book formats (for Kindle, at least) and adaptable to the iPad too.  Neither will likely see much time on the dusty shelves of big bookstores, since finding them back there is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Just go to amazon.com, and there they will be.

SYNDICATED COLUMNIST CAL THOMAS GETS IT SO RIGHT, I AM POSTING HIS COMPLETE COLUMN BELOW.

Obama's Latest "60 Minutes' Interview"  By Cal Thomas  12/15/2011
President Obama doesn't suffer from amnesia, but apparently he hopes the public does. In his latest in a series of interviews on "60 Minutes" last Sunday night, the president took positions that are the polar opposite of what he was saying as recently as last spring.  One wishes all of those "fact-checkers" who point out supposed mistakes by the Republican candidates were as committed to noting even worse flaws in the president's promises.

In his interview with Steve Kroft, the president said he always believed that reversing the culture in Washington "was gonna take more than one term." It's a "long-term project," he said, "not a short-term project." And then he claimed that during the 2008 campaign, he "didn't overpromise."  Really?

Speaking in Richmond, Va., on Oct. 22, 2008, Obama promised to put millions of Americans back to work; he pledged "real change." Instead, the unemployment rate is 8.6 percent. Or is it? Ed Luce of the Financial Times writes, "According to government statistics, if the same number of people were seeking work today as in 2007, the jobless rate would be 11 percent." Washington remains unchanged, as dysfunctional and gridlocked as ever.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, since President Obama took office, the nation has lost 1.9 million jobs, prompting Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler to write that if the economy does not turn around, "Obama is on track to have the worst jobs record of any president in the modern era."

In 2009, the president said on the "Today" show, "If I don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition." A few days later in Florida, there was this, "I'm not going to make any excuses," said Obama. "If stuff hasn't worked and people don't feel like I've led the country in the right direction, then you'll have a new president."

The latest right-track, wrong-track poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports found that only 17 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction, while a whopping 75 percent think it's headed the wrong way.

On CBS, the president said the 2012 election is about his vision, but as CBS News' Stephanie Condon reported last week, "Sixty-six percent of Americans say they do not have a clear idea of what he wants to accomplish in a second term. ... Fewer than half of Democrats say they have a clear idea of what the president wants to accomplish if re-elected." Don't we know? It's taxing "millionaires and billionaires" so the government has more of our money to waste.

Is none of this Obama's fault? Can it all be blamed on Bush? Apparently, the president has decided that playing the blame game is good campaign strategy.

The president blames Republicans for not allowing him to accomplish anything, but says nothing about his own failure to get things done (other than the health care bill, whose constitutionality the Supreme Court ultimately will decide) when Democrats controlled Congress for the first two years of his administration. And what about Senate Democrats who have rejected every House bill seeking cuts in wasteful spending to bring the budget closer into balance? Not a word.

Shall I continue? The president's housing programs received $50 billion from Congress to help stem foreclosures on 9 million homeowners. As The Washington Post reported in October, only $2.4 billion of that money has been allocated, helping just 1.7 million people avoid foreclosure.

Imagine what Democrats and their acolytes in the media would say if a Republican president had a similar track record. One doesn't have to imagine. With a lower unemployment rate and less debt in the Bush administration, Democrats were relentless in their attacks, promising improvements. Barack Obama assured us he would make things better.

Democrats didn't improve anything and nothing has been made better. According to President Obama's own standard, and contrary to what he said on "60 Minutes," he does not deserve a second term.  That he thinks he has earned re-election brings to mind the World English Dictionary definition of "hubris": "Pride or arrogance; (in Greek tragedy) an excess of ambition ... ultimately causing the transgressor's ruin."

THAT'S IT FOLKS.  CHRISTMAS IS COMING IN A WEEK.  I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS FULL OF FAMILY, PEACE AND LOVE--and remembering the true meaning of Christmas...  

I'M NOT SURE WHEN I'LL FINISH THE NEXT EDITION OF THE ENTERPRISE--PERHAPS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR ROLLS AROUND, BUT IF I GET TOO FULL OF HOLIDAY CHEER, I'LL WISH YOU ALL HAPPY NEW YEAR NOW AS WELL.

After a bit over ten years of writing THE ENTERPRISE every week, I hope to continue doing it--albeit with a few breaks from time to time for R & R.  For now, I'll sign off, another year older and hopefully a little wiser.

All the Best, JOHN


==========================

Author of the award winner: The Complexity Crisis &  The Chinese Conspiracy (a novel) 


Come see me on Forbes.com, and American Express Open Forum:
http://www.openforum.com/connectodex/small-business-trends?username=john-mariotti&isRecentPosts=True 
John L. Mariotti, President & CEO, The Enterprise Group, Phone 614-840-0959  http://www.mariotti.net, http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/

 

THE ENTERPRISE--A MIXTURE OF ALL KINDS

OVER THE HOLIDAYS, THE ENTERPRISE WILL NOT BE COMING AT YOU REGULARLY

There will be lots of holiday travel and family fun, and it will come whenever I find the time and am in the mood!  (I know, that's not much different than normally!)

After the first of the year, I'll be sending it from a different place, and that is sometimes a problem--Sooo…  If you don't get it in January, drop me a note.  Also, you can read the content on my blog, because I post it there right after I send it by email. http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/

OBAMA SHOULD PLAY MORE GOLF

1584 holes of golf Obama has played consumed about 300-400 hours out of tens of thousands of hours since he was inaugurated  It isn't what he did while playing golf--it's the harm he's done while not playing golf.  Maybe if he played even more golf he'd do less damage to America.

CONGRESS SHOULD PASS A LAW TO BAN TELEPROMPTERS FOR CANDIDATES AND ELECTED OFFICIALS

2012 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN--NOW TO NOV.2012--BAN THE USE OF TELEPROMPTERS BY ANY CANDIDATE

Read about it: http://www.forbes.com/sites/prospernow/2011/12/13/take-away-the-teleprompters

BE PREPARED TO BE BLOWN AWAY. 

This young man's story should be inspiration to millions about what talent might reside in unexpected places.

This is a story that is hard to imagine! Here from Korea’s Got Talent.  THIS IS A MUST SEE. A TRULY INSPIRATIONAL CLIP!!!!! http://www.wimp.com/greatchallenges/

I KEEP GETTING ASKED HOW TO CAUSE MORE JOBS TO BE CREATED IN THE USA

The main answer is to create an environment for economic growth.  President Obama and his backers don't get that.  Many of the GOP candidates do get it:  Romney, Gingrich, Perry, and Huntsman, for sure.  But aside from that "generalized answer" what to do is always easier to say than how to do it.  Here's a short list of ten of the "hows."

1. Provide more certainty on government positions and roles -- no more 1 yr. temporary tax & regulatory deals
2. Have a lot less gov't. interference, less red tape, less costly & punitive regulations--especially for small biz and start-ups which create a lot of jobs.
3. Make low cost working capital more easily available to small biz & startups--use the existing banks with backup gov't. loan guarantees 
4. Lower Taxes are about 5th on the list, but the tax code needs to be restructured to close the illicit loopholes and widen the ones that support growth in the economy. 
5. Border security is a factor—so, mandate secure national IDs for all immigrants--no ID & SS# = no hire.  It's not biz job to enforce borders. Extend this to all Americans to replace driver's licenses, voting cards, etc.  One ID for all.
6. Tort and employment law reform, both are too hard on employers--especially smalls; make hiring & firing/layoff easier & more flexible & less exposed to lawsuits & regulations. 
7. Pass a NATIONAL RIGHT TO WORK LAW! (Won't happen, but it should, and it should include private and public sector unions
8. Let biz bring home foreign profits at very low (10%) taxes IF invested in proven US job creation. 
9. Make gov't an ally of biz not an enemy, however that can be done; other countries subsidize their industries to compete with the USA--we don't--but we need to "get out of the way of business so it can compete!!
10. Elect a new president, and get Obama and his cronies out of Washington; also elect enough GOP Senators and Reps to control both houses of Congress (but not too big a majority in the Senate--fat chance of that) and hold their feet to the fire to rein in Washington, DC's growth, spending and overreach.

READ GEORGE WILL'S TAKE ON HOW OBAMACARE ALONE IS KILLING JOBS IN THE USA

ADVANCE NOTICE: TWO NEW BOOKS I HAVE BEEN WRITING ARE NEARING COMPLETION.  ONE IS A BUSINESS BOOK, AND THE OTHER MIXES BUSINESS AND POLITICS (NO SURPRISE, RIGHT?)

DOES THIS MAKE YOU YEARN FOR THE "GOOD OLD DAYS?"

The Green Thing
Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.  The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."  She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana . In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in  conservation from a smartass young person.

Remember: Don't make old People mad. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off.

=======================

A LITTLE TIMELESS HUMOR?

GREAT TRUTHS

1. In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress. --John  Adams 

2. If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed. -- Mark Twain

3. Suppose you were an idiot.  And suppose you were a member of Congress.  But then I repeat myself. -- Mark Twain

4. I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. --Winston Churchill

5. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. -- George Bernard Shaw

6. A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money. --  G. Gordon Liddy

7. Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. -- James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

8. Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries. --  Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

9. Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -- P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

10. Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else. -- Frederic Bastiat, French economist (1801-1850)

11. Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases:  If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. -- Ronald Reagan   (1986)

12. I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. -- Will Rogers

13. If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free! --  P.J. O'Rourke

14. In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other. --Voltaire (1764)

15. Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest  in you! -- Pericles (430  B.C. 

16. No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. -- Mark Twain (1866)

17. Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it. -- Anonymous

18. The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. --  Ronald Reagan

19. The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of  the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery. – Winston Churchill

20. The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.  --Mark Twain

21. The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. -- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

22. There is no distinctly Native American criminal class...save Congress. -- Mark Twain

23. What this country needs are more unemployed politicians. -- Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)

24. A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -- Thomas Jefferson

25. We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. -- Aesop

FIVE  BEST SENTENCES

1.  You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity, by legislating the wealth out of prosperity.

2.  What one person receives without working for...another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work, because the other half is going  to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation!

======================

FINALLY, AN 11 MINUTE VIDEO TO WATCH.  YOU WILL NEVER HAVE SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS--I PROMISE YOU.

Devotion, friendship or love?  I don't know--but it is a memorable end to as assortment of topics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Yfbchq0xQmQ&vq=medium#t=

BEST, JOHN

 

Ban use of Teleprompters for 2012 Presidential campaign. See:
http://ping.fm/GrSoc

THE ENTERPRISE--THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE??

THE ENTERPRISE--THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE??

IT WOULD DO EVERYONE GOOD TO READ MY AMERICAN EXPRESS OPEN FORUM POST THIS WEEK

Written during the Thanksgiving break: http://www.openforum.com/articles/lets-quit-complaining-and-appreciate-what-we-have?cid=email_articlefeed_articletitlelink

There are also two new Forbes posts, the latter one on employment you might enjoy: http://www.forbes.com/sites/prospernow/2011/12/02/the-presidents-premature-celebration-an-ugly-win/

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD  AND WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM WHAT'S CURRENTLY HAPPENING TO US?

This is the most common question I am asked.  It usually comes right after a suggestion that I run for office based on something I have written.  

FYI--I won't be running for office.  It's too hard, too nasty and I'm not willing to make the sacrifices needed.  

I am, however willing and hopeful that I can influence the conversation--and help the candidates that I think are the best ones.

THAT MEANS CONTINUED, EXTENSIVE WRITING--AND TWO NEW, TIMELY BOOKS COMING OUT--BOTH IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE

I won't even tell you the titles yet, since I can't tell you the exact available dates until we sign up with the publisher.  

I can only guarantee that both will provide rich content to learn from recent past mistakes--and be extremely useful to business people too.

And meanwhile, you can find my thoughts on my blog posts every week too.  (URLs are at the bottom of this edition of THE ENTERPRISE--go see FORBES.COM & OPENFORUM.COM)

GOOD NEWS:  BARNEY FRANK IS RETIRING IN 2012

But not until after he and Chris Dodd (previously retired) did more harm that most other members of Congress in the USA Housing crisis! 

The legacy left by Dodd and Frank is a monstrosity of a bill to supposedly regulate and prevent what their malfeasance causes in financial circles.  How sad!

BAD NEWS:  HERMAN CAIN IS "TOAST."  

I'm not sure how much of the "character assassination" he claims is true, and how many of the allegations are "somewhat true."  I suspect there is very little "serious truth" behind them.

I believe that most of it is "smoke" and not "fire," but I had already concluded that no matter how much I like Cain's no nonsense approach, he was not ready for the presidency.

That said, the US elected Barack Obama and he sure wasn't any more qualified than all of the GOP candidates.  All of his supporters tell me how smart he is and what a great leader he is.

You know what I think of Obama, and if you don't, stay tuned for a new book I am currently working on with a colleague and co-author…  We are editing the manuscript now.

BLACK THURSDAY NIGHT--AND FRIDAY--and CYBER MONDAY: BARGAIN SHOPPERS ARE OUT IN FORCE!  BUT WILL THEY STAY OUT???

 ----------------------------------

EXCERPTS FROM: The Columbus Dispatch Friday November 25, 2011 11:46 AM  By  Tim Feran

The earliest opening of Black Friday — at the stroke of midnight — appeared to be a rousing success at local retailers.  Starting late Thursday and continuing through early this morning, shoppers lined up by the thousands to cash in on doorbuster sales that offered discounts of 50 or 60 percent and more.  When the action began late Thanksgiving night in the Columbus area, parking lots that normally would have been empty at such a late hour were packed, and traffic was as thick as on any Saturday afternoon."The huge discounts are worth the wait."  "We don't mind waiting," said Daniel Briscoe, who had been among the first in line at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.Down the street, there were even larger crowds queueing up at Kohl's and Target, with the vast parking lots at both stores almost completely filled.At Target, the line of waiting customers extended all the way north to the end of the shopping plaza, turned a corner and ended up at the back of the Faslube on Sawmill.  

The most intense shopping occurred early on.  The relatively warm temperatures and lack of rain or snow may have helped boost the crowd numbers overnight. At the very least, the good weather was appreciated by Murphy and others who have camped out for Black Friday deals in the past. “I started yesterday,” said Paula Russell. “We went to Old Navy, then we tried Target, but the line was too long. I think it’s fun. I look forward to it.” After buying silver friendship bracelets for her daughter and her daughter’s friend, she planned to drive to Big Lots, then Toys R Us.  By the time JCPenney opened its doors at Polaris Fashion Place — at the now-almost-leisurely hour of 3:30 a.m. — hard-core shoppers had made several stops.

 ----------------------------------

RIGHTS VS. RESPONSIBILITIES

This was in the Waco Tribune Herald, Waco , TX Nov 18, 2010.  I really like it!

Put me in charge . . . 

•  
  • Put me in charge of food stamps. I'd get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for  Ding Dongs or Ho Ho's, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans,  blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak and frozen pizza, then get a job. 
  • Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I'd do is to get women Norplant birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine and document all tattoos and piercings. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, smoke or get tats and piercings, then get a job. 
  • Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks? You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your "home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own place. 
  • In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job. It may be cleaning the roadways of trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the common good.. 
  • Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules.. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self esteem," consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem. 
  • If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices. 
  • AND While you are on Govt subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Government welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job.

THE FOLLOWING COLUMNIST WOULD LIKE MY FORBES ARTICLE THIS WEEK:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/prospernow/2011/11/29/the-president-has-gone-awol/

 ----------------------------------

FOR OBAMA, THE PRESIDENCY IS "BENEATH HIM" 

By MICHAEL GOODWIN (NY Post Columnist)

Last Updated: 3:29 AM, November 30, 2011

The words cut like a knife. “What the hell are we paying you for?” Gov. Chris Christie asked of President Obama.

The New Jersey Republican has a gift for getting to the heart of things, and his broadside against the president over the debt bomb is Exhibit A. His assertion, framed as a question, makes the case against Obama better than anything heard from the actual candidates.

Christie’s decision not to run remains a disappointment, but he is a valuable player who can help sharpen the fuzzy aim of Mitt Romney, the man he supports. Christie’s consistent theme is that Obama has defaulted on the responsibility to provide presidential leadership during a national crisis.

On Monday, the GOP heavyweight called Obama “a bystander in the Oval Office” for ducking the congressional committee charged with finding $1.2 trillion in deficit reductions over 10 years.

“I was angry this weekend, listening to the spin coming out of the administration about the failure of the super committee, and that the president knew it was doomed for failure, so he didn’t get involved,” Christie said. “Well, then, what the hell are we paying you for? ‘It’s doomed for failure so I’m not getting involved?’ Well, what have you been doing, exactly?”

The questions are rhetorical in that we know what the president has been doing and why. He plays golf and campaigns. Governing is beneath him.

He doesn’t talk much to members of Congress or his own Cabinet. They’re beneath him.

His connection to the public consists of speeches before large crowds, and he ducks behind the curtain and into the security bubble as soon as he finishes. The people are beneath him.

Warped by a sense of entitlement and self-aggrandizement, Obama refuses to take responsibility for finding practical solutions to problems. He prefers the glory of transformation rather than the roll-the-sleeves-up work of reform.  When he can’t get his way, he appoints a czar and ignores Congress. Democracy is beneath him.

He could have brokered a deficit deal, but doing so would have demolished his campaign slogan that Republicans are to blame for everything. Any deal would give him ownership of the results, and end the fiction that politics are beneath him.  In fact, he’s all politics, all the time. His idea of bipartisanship is that everybody agrees with him.

He’s so bad at the job that the frequent comparisons to Jimmy Carter are unfair to Carter. The former peanut farmer was a terrible president, but he was at least sincere in his starchy disdain for the country.

Obama professes to really, really like America. He just wants to change everything about it.  And when the country says no thanks, he goes off script and the smears come out. We’re “soft” and “lazy” and “bitter” and “cling” to God and guns.

 

Much ink has been spilled trying to figure out what went wrong after such a brilliant, history-making campaign got him to the White House. Obama smashed the Clinton machine and dispatched John McCain without breaking a sweat. Mount Rushmore was waiting.

But his first day in office marked the peak, and it’s been all downhill since. Deadenders, after blaming George W. Bush, Senate Republicans and the Tea Party, were forced to turn on their own, especially the economic advisers who are gone, Larry Summers and Peter Orszag. They were the problems.

But there are no hiding places in the Oval Office and, after three years, it’s clear who the problem is.  The campaign of 2008 looked brilliant because campaigns showcase Obama’s one real talent — blaming someone else for blocking the way to Utopia.  On that basis, he got the job. But now we know the terrible truth: Actually being president is beneath him.

 ----------------------------------

BIOFUELS, GREEN ENERGY, BIODEGRADABLE REFUSE, AND MINI-NUCLEAR PLANTS

FROM THE KIPLINGER LETTER:

The first new U.S. nuclear plants in decades will be built in Tenn.  They’ll be much smaller and cost less than the reactors now being used.

The smaller units can stand alone to supply power to 60,000 homes and businesses or be assembled as modules to serve larger populations. First up: A half-dozen plants from Babcock & Wilcox for the Tennessee Valley Authority. Design work will start in December, based in part on work the company does on nuclear-powered subs. The units will be about one-tenth the size of conventional nuclear plants and won’t require the massive cooling towers associated with such plants now. Because the modules are mass-produced, they can be constructed much faster than full-size reactor facilities, which take decades to design and assemble.  It’ll still be at least 10 years before even a mini-plant will be built, though.

I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE WAGE GAP BETWEEN THE HAVES AND THE HAVE NOTS--AND WHAT WE  MIGHT DO ABOUT IT

These two stories are just the start of considering why this gap has developed and how to improve the huge difference between the i% and the 99%--because it is not good for America, long term.  Attached are several items that reflect on this issue:

 ----------------------------------

 Subject: A Great Letter

To All My Valued Employees, 

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job.

 

What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. Of course, as your employer, I am forbidden to tell you whom to vote for - it is against the law to discriminate based on political affiliation, race, creed, religion, etc. 

 

Please vote for who you think will serve your interests the best. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interest. First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story. 

 

This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear.  Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside.  You saw my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life. However, what you don't see is the back story. 

 

I started this company 12 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you. 

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. 

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes.  Instead of hitting Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the Goodwill store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. 

 

My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business --- with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had. 

 

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9 am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5 pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself.  I unfortunately do not have the freedom.  I eat, ****, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to me like a 1 day old baby. 

 

You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... You never realize the back story and the sacrifices I've made. Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail out all the people who didn't. 

The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.  Yes, business ownership has its benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why: 

 

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what?   I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes.  You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? 

 

Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country. The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy. Here is what many of you don't understand .. to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what?   Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now. 

 

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart?   Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the mud of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. 

 

Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep. So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers.   You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more. Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. 

 

You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.  

 

While tax cuts to 95% of America sounds great on paper, don't forget the back story: If there is no job, there is no income to tax. A tax cut on zero dollars is zero. So, when you make decision to vote, ask yourself, who understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't?  Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of saving your job. While the media wants to tell you "It's the economy Stupid" I'm telling you it isn't. 

 

If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the Constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me in the South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about. 

Signed, Your boss,

Michael A. Crowley, PE  Crowley, Crisp & Associates, Inc.  Professional Engineers  1906 South Main Street, Suite 122  Wake Forest, NC 27587  Phone: 919.562.8860 x22  Fax: 919.562.8872 Location: This is a real letter

Michael A. Crowley, PE is the owner of  Crowley & Associates, Inc. and was President and an owner of Crowley, Crisp & Associates, Inc. and Michael A. Crowley, PC.  As President of Crowley & Associates, Inc., Mike is a lead designer of water supply, treatment and storage projects, regional sewage lift station design, and residential and commercial site development projects and is responsible for the management of the firm.  Mike’s industry background includes over 20 years experience in the civil engineering field inclusive of executive level responsibilities in Marketing and Project Management.  Prior to founding Michael A. Crowley, PC, Mike held positions with several engineering firms in North Carolina and Maine.  Mike holds a B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering from University of Maine and a Master of Business Administration from Boston College.  Mike is a member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and holds professional registrations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Arkansas, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Indiana, Maine, Tennessee, Australia, and Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies.  Mike is a native of  Norridgewock, Maine.  The Crowley family resides in Wake Forest.

 ----------------------------------

Who Causes Income Inequality? It’s The 99%

 

By WALTER E. WILLIAMS

Posted 05:33 PM ET

 

Benefiting from a hint from an article titled "Is Harry Potter Making You Poorer?" written by my colleague Dr. John Goodman, president of the Dallas-based National Center for Policy Analysis, I've come up with an explanation and a way to end income inequality in America, possibly around the world.

Joanne Rowling was a welfare mother in Edinburgh, Scotland. All that has changed. As the writer of the "Harry Potter" novels, having a net worth of $1 billion, she is the world's wealthiest author. More importantly, she's one of those dastardly 1-percenters condemned by the Occupy Wall Streeters and other leftists.

How did Rowling become so wealthy and unequal to the rest of us? The entire blame for this social injustice lies at the feet of the world's children and their enabling parents. Rowling's wealth is a direct result of more than 500 million "Harry Potter" book sales and movie receipts grossing more than $5 billion.

In other words, the millions of "99-percenters" who individually plunk down $8 or $9 to attend a "Harry Potter" movie, $15 to buy a "Harry Potter" novel or $30 to buy a "Harry Potter" Blu-ray Disc are directly responsible for contributing to income inequality and wealth concentration that economist and Nobel laureate Paul Krugman says "is incompatible with real democracy."  In other words, Rowling is not responsible for income inequality; it's the people who purchase her works.

We just can't blame the children for the unfairness of income inequality. Look at how Wal-Mart Stores generated wealth for the Walton family of Christy ($25 billion), Jim ($21 billion), Alice ($21 billion) and Robson ($21 billion). The Walton family's wealth is not a result of ill-gotten gains, but the result of Wal-Mart's revenue, $422 billion in 2010.

The blame for this unjust concentration of wealth rests with those hundreds of millions of shoppers worldwide who voluntarily enter Wal-Mart premises and leave dollars, pounds and pesos.

Basketball great LeBron James plays forward for the Miami Heat and earns $43 million for doing so. That puts him with those 1-percenters denounced by Wall Street occupiers. But who made LeBron a 1-percenter?

It's those children again, enabled by their fathers or some other significant male. Instead of children doing their homework and their fathers helping their wives with housework, they get into their cars, drive to a downtown arena and voluntarily plunk down $100 for tickets.

The millions of people who watch LeBron play are the direct cause of LeBron's earning $43 million and are thereby responsible for "undermining the foundations of our democracy."

In his Nov. 3 New York Times column, "Oligarchy, American Style," Krugman lamented: "We have a society in which money is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few people, and in which that concentration of income and wealth threatens to make us a democracy in name only."

I'd ask Krugman this question: Who's putting all the money in the hands of the few, and what do you think ought to be done to stop millions, perhaps billions, of people from using their money in ways that lead to high income and wealth concentration?

In other words, I'd like Krugman to tell us what should be done to stop the millions of children who make Joanne Rowling rich, the millions who fork over their money to the benefit of LeBron James and the hundreds of millions of people who shop at Wal-Mart.

I'd like to end this discussion with a bit of a personal note. The readers of this column know that I never make charges of racism. Rowling is an author, and so am I. In my opinion, my recently published book "Race and Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed on Discrimination?" is far more important to society than any "Harry Potter" novel.

I'd like to know what it is about me that explains why millions upon millions have not purchased my book and made me a billionaire author. Maybe Krugman and the Wall Street occupiers have the answer.

 ----------------------------------

OK…THAT'S WAY TOO MUCH, BUT READ AS MUCH AS YOU WANT.

BEST, JOHN

BY THE WAY: WHO IS JOHN GALT? (DO YOU KNOW)

Come see me on Forbes.com, and American Express Open Forum:http://www.openforum.com/connectodex/small-business-trends?username=john-mariotti&isRecentPosts=True 

John L. Mariotti, President & CEO, The Enterprise Group, Phone 614-840-0959  http://www.mariotti.net, http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/