Telling It Like It Is

THE ENTERPRISE--WHAT NONSENSE!--WISHES AND HOPES?

THE ENTERPRISE--WHAT NONSENSE!--WISHES AND HOPES?

A LIST OF COMMON SENSE DEFYING THINGS AND A FEW COMMON SENSE PROPOSALS--THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN ANYTIME SOON. But they are still worth thinking about. 
[NOTE: The next edition of THE ENTERPRISE will be delayed due to some R & R time.]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WE WORRY ABOUT MAN MADE ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
Look at what nature can do in a short time: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html
Even Al Gore might admit that we are "small potatoes" compared to natural events.  This eruption combined with the series of large earthquakes makes me wonder if the Earth is not entering some new stage--or if it is the "hand of God" sending us a message of some sort?  Do we realize how insignificant we humans are as a group?  No matter if there are 6 or 8 billion of us.  A single cataclysmic event could wipe out all of Earth's humanity.

OF COURSE IT IS A GOOD WAY TO SCREEN! PROFILING MAKES GOOD SENSE--USE IT--A LOT
Then why did the TSA pull back from extra screening of US air travelers from the 14 Middle East countries where most of the terrorist originate.  Complaints about profiling!  What crap that is.  Surprisingly few 70 year old, white haired, Caucasian women are likely suicide bombers.  Profiling is wise, and selective.  If the upstanding citizens of those offending countries/regions do not like it, perhaps they should exert their influence on their home countries where the perpetrators originate instead of America, the intended victim.

DUH--THIS IS SO OBVIOUS! TRACKING SUSPICIOUS PEOPLE VIA INTEL ALSO MAKES SENSE
But why is it "either or?"  Do both.  There is a great deal of information that might reveal potential terrorists.  To not use it is not just foolish, it's criminal--on the part of the US government.  Unfortunately, the current government does a whole range of foolish and criminal things (like stealing from wealth creators via discriminatory taxation to waste the money on the unappreciative or undeserving).  It is clearly time for a "revolution" at the voting booths to replace these people--and it can't happen soon enough.

GOODBYE CHARLIE!  CHARLIE CRIST--DOUBLE-CROSSING POLITICIAN
FL governor Charlie Crist has seen is GOP Senate campaign crumble as Marco Rubio takes him apart for his bad policies.  Crist's star is descending, so he is cozying up to the Democrats, hoping to run as an Independent.  How?  The latest trick was to veto the bill that would have removed Florida's lunatic policy on teacher tenure.  Go three years with acceptable performance ratings (we know what a joke that could be) and teachers get tenure--and can't be fired, no matter how bad or ineffective they are.  Of course the teachers Unions love it.  Unions love protecting mediocrity and ineptness--it is their role these days.  So long, Charlie--and good riddance. Crist's only hope is that Rubio get snared in the witch-hunt going on right now, and get his reputation dirtied. 

SPEAKING OF WITCH HUNTS. WITCH-HUNTS BY THE GOVERNMENT (a continuing saga)
The latest joke (but not funny at all) is the investigation of GE over misleading investors about the health of GE Finance.  The basis for the investigation is a statement in Hank Paulsen's book (!) that Jeffrey Immelt told him the company was having trouble raising money in commercial paper--and then around the same time GE publicly stated that its "commercial paper programs remain robust."  Next, it will be unsubstantiated bloggers claims that merit Federal investigations.  And we thought Immelt was Obama's buddy.  Hmmm.

AND NOW THEY WANT TO DO IT FOR WATER--EVEN SMALL PONDS! A 1970 CLEAN AIR LAW RULES IN 2010--AN EXAMPLE
Leave it to the government to use a 40-year old law--the Clean Air Act (in today's wildly different environment)--to kill off jobs.  I suspect parts of the law are still fine.  I suspect that parts of it are totally out of date.  Thus it is also with the Department of Energy, and likely with many other parts of the US Federal Government.  There are undoubtedly hundreds of useless and unnecessary government programs and many more, like this one that are out of date and need to be updated or eliminated.  To fix our country's fiscal woes requires a thorough house cleaning in Washington, DC or people and programs.  Of course that will raise the unemployment rate--temporarily--and really infuriate the public employee unions, whose dues income will drop by a lot.

GOVERNMENTS ARE SELF-SUSTAINING BUREAUCRACIES. C. NORTHCOTE PARKINSON HAD IT RIGHT
I heard him speak while in college and he learned most of his "laws" from the errors in the British government, but they apply as surely to the US as they did to the UK a half-century ago:  He used his laws to point out the senseless nonsense of that era in the UK.  We would do well to think of them as applicable here, now.
Parkinson's Laws
 1) Work expands to fill the time available for its completion; the thing to be done swells in perceived importance and complexity in a direct ratio with the time to be spent in its completion.
2) Expenditures rise to meet income.[Obviously he never imagined how Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have altered this one.]
3) Expansion means complexity; and complexity decay.
4) The number of people in any working group tends to increase regardless of the amount of work to be done. [The same applies for government departments and budgets.]
5) If there is a way to delay an important decision the good bureaucracy, public or private, will find it.
6) The progress of science is inversely proportional to the number of journals published.

A BAD LAW NEEDS TO BE REPEALED! STOP PERMITTING BABIES BORN TO ILLEGALS TO BE CITIZENS!
This policy alone would slow the flood of illegals, and stop them from coming here to bear their children and then live off the largesse of the American taxpayer.  Babies born to illegals must be declared illegal too, and both the parent and children (entire family) deported back to Mexico at the closest border point.  Let Mexico take care of its own.  The drug lords down there are rich enough to pay for it.  This policy of granting citizenship based on birth was a big mistake in the first place. 

YOU THINK HE WON'T? HOW OBAMA WILL "BUY" 12-13 MILLION VOTES FOR 2012--WITH YOUR MONEY
Immigration will be the next "health care" for the Democrats and especially President Obama.  Enough "real Americans" are fed up with his lying and contemptuous takeover of the American  people's rights and money by the government that he knows he'd better find some new voters for 2012.  He will "buy" the votes of about 12-13 million of them.  We call them illegal immigrants now.  He and his cronies will give them amnesty fast enough that they can get the right to vote--and a huge majority of them will vote Obama.

SLIM & NO CHANCE, BUT RIGHT! NATIONAL TERM LIMITS SHOULD BE PASSED IMMEDIATELY (Will any Congress to this?  It is the right thing to do!)
Career politicians were never intended by our Founding Fathers.  The longer they serve the less "representative" they become of the people who elected them.  There should be a uniform law limiting Senators to two terms (just like the President), but that would give them 12 years.  The same term limit should apply to Representatives.  After a four year hiatus, they could run for the other side of Congress, and if they were popular enough, they could "double-dip."  That is very liberal, and would fix many of Washington's problems.

EVEN LESS OF A CHANCE BUT ALSO RIGHT! PASS A NATIONAL RIGHT TO WORK LAW (Not with this Congress and President)
America is supposed to be a free country, and yet, a Union that wins an election can force employees to join and pay dues as a condition of their job.  This is true in the 28 states (plus D. C.) that do not have Right to Work laws.  Twenty-two states have these laws protecting American workers freedom of choice about being a Union member.  I'll bet there is a high correlation to job creation and economic development success in these states.  Very, very few employers can afford to mistreat employees--for several reasons:  they will lose them; a web of other laws like wage & hour laws, anti-discrimination laws, unlawful termination laws protect the employees already. 

HERE'S ONE THAT COULD GAIN SOME TRACTION EXCEPT FOR GOV'T UNIONS! PASS A LAW BENCHMARKING GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES PAY AT NO MORE THAN PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYEES
Equal pay for equal work has been the rallying cry for decades.  How about enforcing it.  Cut the pay and benefits of government (state and Federal both) to levels equal to the median of private sector employees doing comparable jobs.  And remove the preferential pension and benefits provided for members of Congress.  Make them earn full benefits by "vesting" as a result of serving until their term limit is reached--pro-rata.

I AM SO SORRY MAKING YOU READ ALL THESE ABSOLUTELY LOGICAL AND YET FOOLISH HOPES.
Maybe, if we all find candidates who have their heads screwed on straight and support them so no one big donor "owns them," we might have a chance to retake control of our country.  One vote--how much difference can that make?  Not much unless 10-20 million of people with one vote each all "get together." 

STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED
Look, in 2008 Americans and media elected an articulate political plant, a phony who had no experience and wouldn't even divulge his credentials--or his birth-right to be president.  Stranger things have happened than to throw him--and all his supporters--out, first chance we get. 

Primaries are in 10 days.  Go vote for the right people. 

General Election is Nov. 2, just over 6 mo. away.  

It's time for "We the people" to rise up and take our country back.

BEST, JOHN


 
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 "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."   Margaret Mead
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John L. Mariotti, President & CEO, The Enterprise Group, Phone 614-840-0959  http://www.mariotti.net   http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/
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THE ENTERPRISE—THE SIMPLE FACTS

THE ENTERPRISE—THE SIMPLE FACTS

A SIGNS OF A RECOVERY--MAYBE
UPS Posts Strong Results  UPS said its first-quarter profit grew by a third on improved margins and a pickup in international shipping demand.  UPS and FedEx volume growth are positive indicators that a recovery of modest proportions is underway.  Until inventory rebuilding is done, this should continue.  But when inventories are back up to normal, then the question becomes will "consumer take-away" give the recovery "legs."  Also, "school is out" on the recovery because jobs have not come back strongly yet. Claims for unemployment are still rising. Spending will not be sustainable unless jobs recover soon. The two go together.

THE WRONG WAY TO FUEL A RECOVERY
What is buoying up this recovery is too many government transfer payments, which are neither sustainable nor good for the economy.  Wages and salaries are about flat.  Government payments are up 24%.  That's NOT good.  Add to that the fact that government employees make way more than similar private sector employees and you have another NOT good indicator.  Another unfortunate act to "prop up" the economy and voter sentiment is the recent extension of unemployment benefit still further.  This takes away the incentive to look for jobs for many people.  The longer someone is out of job, the harder it is for them to find and land one.  In adding to the "welfare state" the government is inciting the wrong behaviors--stay home and collect unemployment through the summer--(and then come vote for us in the fall!!)

THE BEST COMPANIES GET AND KEEP THE BEST PEOPLE
FORTUNE writer Geoff Colvin made this point a few weeks ago, writing about what sets apart the Most Admired Companies.  First of all, I am not a big fan of "Most Admired" since it often degenerates into a "popularity" or name recognition contest.  Remember, I was with one of the Most Admired during a time that they were living off past reputation--and nothing else.  However, Colvin is right.  The best companies invest in people and keep them employed even in a downturn.  You might argue that they can do so because they are "prosperous" but the counter argument is that this is why they are prosperous.  People are the key to success--period.

A FRIEND WROTE ME LAST WEEK AND POSED THIS QUESTION:
I appreciate your comments about energy and I have a question. Why aren't the environmentalists and animal rights people raising hell about solar and wind energy? Windmill farms are like giant blenders for migratory birds and the acres of solar collectors couldn't be a bigger blight. Are they waiting for hundreds of billions of dollars to be invested and the energy grid to be dependent on them to demand removal?

HERE IS MY REPLY TO HIM
Baffles me.  Every form of human invention has some negative effects. The anti-nuke people don't say anything about the particulates and gases that coal fired plants put into the air, not to mention the deaths and injuries (black lung disease, etc.) of coal miners. I guess all that matters is who your advocacy sponsor is!

THESE ARE MY FURTHER THOUGHTS
The so called "energy policy" seems to be as half-blind as every other one coming out of Washington. The current people in power in our government think they know better than the American people they are supposed to be serving.  This is just one more case of the kind of CHANGE a lot of Americans voted for without realizing or believing what they were being warned about. Not all CHANGE is good change--especially when it is being led by people with such a distorted sense of values. Now we all suffer until we can mobilize enough votes to replace this governmental  leadership. By then it may be too late to undo the harm that has been done to our country and its people.

AVERAGE AMERICANS ARE UPSET--EVEN THE NYTIMES CONCURS
Poll Finds Tea Party Anger Rooted in Issues of Class
The fierce animosity that Tea Party supporters harbor toward Washington and President Obama in particular is rooted in deep pessimism about the direction of the country and the conviction that the policies of the Obama administration are disproportionately directed at helping the poor rather than the middle class or the rich, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

A SURVEY OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS SAY THEY ARE WORRIED TOO--I HOPE THEY VOTE THEIR CONCERNS:
3 in 5 Americans Say Division Among Political Parties Worst They've Seen; President Obama Not Helping
COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - April 6, 2010) -  With the way President Obama and Congressional leaders passed healthcare reform, 52.4% of Americans are concerned about "what's next" to be pushed through, according to the latest American Pulse™ survey of 5,056 Americans. On the other hand, 30.9% aren't worried because it was a one-time thing.

With the way President Obama and Democratic Congressional leaders passed healthcare are you concerned about "what's next" to be pushed through?

            Adults 18+          Republicans        Democrats         Independents
Yes, it seems like they think they can do whatever they want regardless of the will of the people                                 52.4%             80.6%             30.7%                 56.8%

No, I think it was a one-time thing for healthcare reform         

                    30.9%             12.9%             49.6%                 32.2%

I don't know        

                    16.8%             6.4%             19.7%                 11.0%

Source: American Pulse™, March-2010

Given the year-long battle between Democrats and Republicans over healthcare, it's no surprise that 61% of Americans say the division between political parties is the worst they've seen in their lifetime. Many believe President Obama isn't helping matters; 45% say President Obama's rhetoric isn't conducive to fostering bipartisanship in Washington (26.7% disagree).

Regarding the healthcare reform itself, 39.8% think it's unconstitutional; 35.4% believe it isn't.

Other key findings:

57% say U.S. relations with Israel are somewhat/very important.
40.2% think the Obama administration isn't doing enough to protect Americans from Iran's nuclear weapons program...27.2% say it is.
58.4% doesn't support a soda tax... 32.6% disagree saying the government needs the money and it will help fight obesity.
41.9% believe climate change is something that needs to be address this year... 40.8% say it isn't.
Americans picked right -- the highest percentage (41.9%) thought Duke would win the NCAA tournament.
Complete complimentary report: http://americanpulse.bigresearch.com.

About American Pulse™
The American Pulse™ Survey is collected online by BIGresearch® every month exclusively utilizing Survey Sampling International's (SSI) U.S. panel covering topics such as politics, pop culture and the economy. Over 5,000 respondents participate, providing greater insights and accuracy of +/- 1%. http://www.bigresearch.com

A GRANDFATHER'S LETTER TO HIS GRANDDAUGHTER

Here is an example of tough love.   Sure makes a difference which pocket the money is coming from!

John G. Is 63 years old and owns a small business. He's a life-long Republican and sees his dream of retiring next year has all but evaporated. With the stock market crashing and new taxes coming his way, John assumes now that he will work to his dying day.

John has a granddaughter.. Ashley is a recent college grad. She drives a flashy hybrid car, wears all the latest fashions, and loves to go out to nightclubs and restaurants. Ashley campaigned hard for Barack Obama. After the election she made sure her grandfather (and all other Republican family members) received a big I told-you-so earful on how the world is going to be a much better place now that her party is taking over.

Having lost both roommates, Ashley recently ran short of cash and cannot pay the rent (again) on her 3 bedroom townhouse.. Like she has done many times in the past, she e-mailed her grandfather asking for some financial help.

Here is his reply:

Sweetheart, I received your request for assistance.

Ashley, you know I love you dearly and I'm sympathetic to your financial plight. Unfortunately, times have changed. With the election of President Obama, your grandmother and I have had to set forth a bold new economic plan of our own..."The Ashley Economic Empowerment Plan." Let me explain.

Your grandmother and I are life-long, wage-earning tax payers. We have lived a comfortable life, as you know, but we have never had the fancier things like European vacations, luxury cars, etc.. We have worked hard and were looking forward to retiring soon. But the plan has changed. Your president is raising our personal and business taxes significantly. He says it is so he can give our hard earned money to other people. Do you know what this means, Ashley? It means less for us, and we must cut back on many business and personal expenses.

You know the wonderful receptionist who worked in my office for more than 23 years? The one who always gave you candy when you came over to visit? I had to let her go last week. I can't afford to pay her salary and all of the government mandated taxes that go with having employees. Your grandmother will now work 4 days a week to answer phones, take orders and handle the books. We will be closed on Fridays and will lose even more income to the Wal-Mart.

I'm also very sorry to report that your cousin Frank will no longer be working summers in the warehouse. I called him at school this morning.. He already knows about it and he's upset because he will have to give up skydiving and his yearly trip to Greenland to survey the polar bears.

That's just the business side of things. Some personal economic effects of Obama's new taxation policies include none other than you You know very well that over the years your grandmother and I have given you thousands of dollars in cash, tuition assistance, food, housing, clothing, gifts, etc.., etc. But by your vote, you have chosen to help others -- not at your expense -- but at our expense.

If you need money now sweetheart, I recommend you call 202-456-1111. That is the direct phone number for the White House.. You can also contact the White House here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/ .

You yourself told me how foolish it is to vote Republican. You said Mr Obama is going to be the People's President, and is going to help every American live a better life. Based on everything you've told me, along with all the promises we heard during the campaign, I'm sure Mr. Obama will be happy to transfer some stimulus money into your bank account. Have him call me for the account number which I memorized years ago..

Perhaps you can now understand what I've been saying all my life: those who vote for a president should consider the impact on the nation as a whole, and not be just concerned with what they can get for themselves. What Obama supporters don't seem to realize is all of the money he is redistributing to illegal aliens and non-taxpaying Americans (the so-called "less fortunate") comes from tax-paying families.

Remember how you told me, "Only the richest of the rich will be affected"? Well guess what, honey? Because we own a business, your grandmother and I are now considered to be the richest of the rich. On paper, it might look that way, but in the real world, we are far from it.

As you said while campaigning for Obama, some people will have to carry more of the burden so all of America can prosper.. You understand what that means, right? It means that raising taxes on productive people results in them having less money; less money for everything, including granddaughters.

I'm sorry, Ashley, but the well has run dry.. The free lunches are over.. I have no money to give you now. So, congratulations on your choice for "change." For future reference, I encourage you to try and add up the total value of the gifts and cash you have received from us, just since you went off to college, and compare it to what you expect to get from Mr. Obama over the next 4 (or 8) years. I have not kept track of it, Ashley. It has all truly been the gift of our hearts.

Remember, we love you dearly....but from now on you'll need to call the number mentioned above. Your "Savior" has the money we would have given to you. Just try and get it from him.

Good luck, sweetheart.


Love, Grandpa

 THAT SAYS IT ALL.  THERE IS NOTHING ELSE I CAN ADD.  I HOPE YOU WILL PASS THIS ON TO OTHERS.

Best, John
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 "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."   Margaret Mead
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John L. Mariotti, President & CEO, The Enterprise Group, Phone 614-840-0959  http://www.mariotti.net   http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/
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THE ENTERPRISE--SOME THINGS TO PONDER?

THE ENTERPRISE--SOME THINGS TO PONDER?

THE MASTERS AND MY BIRTHDAY
They are always lined up around the same weekend in April, so watching that historic golf event at Augusta National is my birthday weekend recreation.  This weekend was no exception.  It was wonderful.

FIRST THE GOOD NEWS:  TIGER DIDN'T WIN THE MASTERS, PHIL DID!
The hubbub about Woods off-course antics overshadowed one of the legendary events in sports, but a star studded leader board filled with great players, kept the suspense high until Phil Mickelson put it away in style--complete with a tearful embrace with his wife Amy and kids.  She and Phil's mother have both been afflicted with breast cancer and are under treatment.  Meanwhile Tiger trades affairs faster than most people change clothes--betraying a beautiful wife and two beautiful kids who are bearing the brunt of the pain.  He may be a superb golfer, but I sure hope no commentator refers to his character with any words of praise.  Anybody can make a mistake, but 13 of them over a multi-year period--no way.  His rehab is far from over, if it ever is.  I don't care how many golf titles he wins, he'll still be a loser.

THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT IS NOT A PARTY
It's a political movement which reflects the anger and frustration of many Americans.  It needs to connect with the parties and find a comfortable place if it is to get real traction. Otherwise it becomes the Ross Perot factor of this decade--very possibly undermining GOP candidates and defaulting offices back to Democrats whose politics and policies are what the Tea Partiers are upset about.  Pragmatism is paramount here.

2012 IS TOO FAR OFF--ELECT THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN 2010
Someone suggested Newt Gingrich as a presidential candidate in 2012.  When asked if he was thinking of running he suggested they ask him in Feb. 2011--a wise response--because if the current Congress is not massively changed in 2010, it won't matter who runs in 2012.

GOP NEEDS A NEW PARTY CHAIRMAN
Michael Steele has been mediocre--or worse for a long time.  The latest "club" debacle shows how weak his leadership is, and that is simply unacceptable.  The GOP needs to quit harping about repeal and replacing the health care plan and come up with a plan.  How about Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) plan for America.  He makes more sense than anyone currently in positions of power or leadership.

OBAMA PLAYS "SCREW THE SENATE"
President Obama showed his contempt for the Senate by ramming through 15 recess appointments.  He couldn't rely on Harry Reid and that band of clowns to get them approved.  Maybe they shouldn't be approved, but recess appointments is an old Presidential trick to "pull rank."

HOW CAN WE EVER GET BACK TO FISCAL SANITY
The deficits we have in Medicare and Medicaid are tens of trillions of dollars.  The US annual deficit is over a trillion dollars and looks like it will stay that way for the foreseeable future.  Living beyond our means is a sure path to calamity, yet no one is reining in spending.  At every turn, there is another big bill--both a Congressional Bill and a financial bill.  Nobody in their right mind believes that the recent health care bill will really save money.  It will cost money and add to the deficits.  Social Security if facing shortfalls much sooner than previously expected.  Most states are in deficit conditions, and state pension plans are even worse off.  How can our country survive and prosper when it is being turned into an insolvent nation by overspending and fiscal irresponsibility in our leadership (and that includes Bush's 2 terms too!)

ENERGY WILL BE OUR REAL CRISIS
While our government leaders are playing political games and spending us into oblivion to create a welfare state, nobody is watching out for the true crisis just over the horizon.  Energy is first.  Obama's offshore drilling and token "nuclear initiative" is too little and too politically cute.  There needs to be a full scale effort on multiple energy fronts--Oil within out borders and territorial waters, Nuclear as the mainstay of the next several decades, wind and solar as niche suppliers where it is economically and physically ideal, and hydro-electric, tidal and geothermal as supplements where mother nature makes them conveniently available. 

WATER IS THE NEXT CRISIS
Water is the second big crisis.  Ask anyone in California and many other western states.  Shut off the Colorado river and half of the west dies.  Desalination of ocean water is a solution, but it is hugely energy intensive, which takes us back to problem number one.  Shut off all your energy sources and see what life is like.  Why can't all these "smart people" get this?

WHY ALL THE EARTHQUAKES LATELY?
Is this Obama's fault (pun intended) too?  There have been quite a few, some very large, earthquakes around the world this year.  I have seen no explanation for this rash of tremors.  Has anyone?  Earthquake scientists say this year is not abnormal in the number of earthquakes, globally.  Perhaps it is the size of them. Maybe it is the news media that spread the word so much faster.  Or perhaps it is the amount of devastation done, starting with Haiti.  Whatever it is, something is just "not right."  Maybe the global warming crowd can find some connection and blame all the big earthquakes on carbon dioxide emissions--don't hold your breath to find out--wait--do hold your breath, because each time you exhale, you exhale carbon dioxide.

FROM A COLUMBUS CONTACT--OBAMA'S WIN AT BBALL
A reliable source tells us that Clark Kellogg definitely "backed off" when he got the Prez. up to P-O-T-U in the game of P-O-T-U-S shown at halftime on the Final Four semi-final game.  It would have been bad PR for him to trounce the president, who prides himself on his basketball prowess.  If only his ability as President equaled his basketball prowess--or maybe it does?

THE STIMULUS WORKS IN STRANGE WAYS TO SAVE JOBS
But here's one job that will only be counted once--and it does matter who you know in DC!  Having friends and relatives in high places pays off--in more ways than one.  Some have said that the stimulus hasn't saved any jobs, but here is a case where at least one job was saved. Oregon State University Athletic Director Bob DeCarolis was considering firing their basketball coach, Craig Robinson, after an 8-11 start (2-5  in the Pac 10 conference). When word of this reached Washington , Undersecretary of Education Martha Kanter was dispatched to Corvallis with $17 million in stimulus money for the university. Craig Robinson's job is safe for this year. For those of you unfamiliar with Coach Robinson, he just so happens to be Michelle Obama's brother. Just a coincidence I'm sure!

THERE IS WISDOM IN SIMPLE LITTLE PARABLES—THE LESSON OF THE BIRD FEEDER
    I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. What a beauty of a bird feeder it was, as I filled it lovingly with seed. Within a Week we had hundreds of birds Taking advantage of the Continuous flow of free and Easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table and next to the barbecue.  Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, and the table, everywhere!
    Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own Pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.
    After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore.  So I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio.  Soon, the back yard was like it used to be.... Quiet, serene.... And no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
    Now let's see. Our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care and free education, and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen.
    Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands.  Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families; you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor; Your child's second grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English. Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to 'press one ' to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than 'Old Glory' are squawking and screaming In the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
    Just my opinion, but maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.

IS IT TIME TO TAKE DOWN THE BIRD FEEDER?
We will need to elect a lot of new people to Congress and one to the White House, because he's currently the "Bird Feeder in Chief."

POSTED BELOW ARE TWO BITS OF POLITICAL HUMOR FOUND THIS PAST WEEK.

Enjoy the arrival of spring but don't forget that to replace the jokers in DC we have to elect new (and hopefully) better people to those spots--in both primaries coming up soon, and on Nov. 2, 2010.  "We the people" must do it and enlist everyone we can to help us.

Best, John

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TOP TEN INDICATORS THAT YOUR EMPLOYER HAS CHANGED TO OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE PLAN:
 
(10) Your annual breast exam is done at Hooters.
(9)  Directions to your doctor's office include "Take a left when you enter the  trailer park."
(8) The tongue depressors taste faintly of  Fudgsicles.
(7) The only proctologist in the plan is "Gus" from  Roto-Rooter.
(6) The only item listed under Preventative Care  Coverage is "an apple a day."
(5) Your primary care physician is  wearing the pants you gave to Goodwill last month.
(4) "The  patient is responsible for 200% of out-of-network charges," is not a  typographical error.
(3) The only expense covered 100% is.  "Embalming.."
(2) Your Prozac comes in different colors with  little M's on them.
AND THE NUMBER ONE SIGN YOU'VE JOINED OBAMA'S  HEALTH CARE PLAN:
(1) You ask for Viagra, and they give you a  Popsicle stick and duct tape!

Dogs  Know!    

    Have you ever heard that a dog 'knows' when an earthquake is about to  hit?

     Have you ever heard that a dog can 'sense' when a tornado is stirring up, even 20 miles away?
    Do you remember hearing that before the December tsunami struck  Southeast Asia , dogs started running frantically away from the seashore, at breakneck speed?
    Do you know that dogs can detect cancer and other serious illnesses and danger of fire?
    Somehow they always know when they can 'go for a ride' before you even ask    and how do those dogs and cats get home from hundreds of miles away?
I'm a firm believer that animals - and especially dogs - have keen  insights into the Truth.
    And you can't tell me that dogs can't sense a potentially terrible  disaster well in advance.  
Simply said, a dog just KNOWS when something isn't right..... when impending doom is upon us.  
They'll always try to warn us!!!
 


 "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."   Margaret Mead
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John L. Mariotti, President & CEO, The Enterprise Group, Phone 614-840-0959  http://www.mariotti.net   http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/
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THE ENTERPRISE--GET THE FACTS, THEN GET INVOLVED

THE ENTERPRISE--GET THE FACTS, THEN GET INVOLVED

GRIN FOR THE WEEK:
For decades pundits have been saying that the New Orleans Saints were so bad at playing football that hell would freeze over before the Saints would ever win The Super Bowl.  On  Sunday, February 7, 2010 The Saints won the Super Bowl.  On that same Sunday Washington D.C. was paralyzed under several feet of snow and the Government was shut down.  This, then, firmly establishes the exact geographical position of hell.

I WONDER WHY...?
The media that can identify what club Tiger Woods wife Elin chased him with, down to which wedge it was, and relatively quickly identify all of his transgressions/sex partners, complete with text messages, voicemail, photos of the women, and their life histories.  That same media cannot find Barack Obama's "true" birth certificate, any of his contacts or papers while at Harvard, anyone who knew him while at Columbia or who paid for his education, and also cannot locate a copy of Michelle Obama's thesis.  Doesn't this seem odd?  (Reminds me a little of the old movie "The Manchurian Candidate".)

THE PRESIDENT'S GOT GAME
At halftime of the Final Four Semi-Final game, President Obama play and talked through a game of HORSE (renamed POTUS) with CBS color commentator Clark Kellogg, a former Ohio State All-American.  Obama "won" the game by sinking a series of 3 point shots, after Kellogg opened an early lead and seemed to "back off" on shot selection.  Nevertheless, Obama showed a smooth stroke from the 3 point line, making a number of shots in a row.  Now if only he could manage the country as well.

IS THE CHICAGO POLITICAL PROCESS SPREADING TO OHIO?
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland failed to submit the appointments of five cabinet directors to the state Senate for approval. The Gov's office claims it was "just an oversight."  Seems like a pretty large oversight--five appointees.  Could be that the State Senate is Republican controlled that helped the Gov. overlook this legal requirement.  Sounds like the Obama-Chicago-Politics process is making its way to other places.

FROM KIPLINGER--IMPORTANT FACTS
Businesses are sitting on a cash trove…$2.8 trillion for non-financial firms. That’s 15.7% of their total financial assets held in commercial paper, bank deposits and other very liquid investments…about $39 billion in “excess” cash, over and above the 20-year average cash percentage. With the exception of a brief span after the corporate governance scandals of the mid-2000s, it’s the highest cash share in 23 years, and the highest ever, if financial companies are included in the tally.
The stash is dry powder that’ll help fuel economic gains in coming months…a resource businesses can readily tap to buy new equipment and to hire more workers. And it’s a big stash…enough to add one percentage point to the pace of GDP growth
in any given quarter or to put about 680,000 workers on the payroll for a year. It’s growing business confidence that will help release it. In recent weeks, financial indicators of risk aversion…equity prices, volatility and bond credit spreads, for example…are all looking more positive, and business sentiments are on the mend.

FROM THE INSTITUTE OF SUPPLY MANAGEMENT DATA
Inventory rebuilding can continue a bit longer.  The ratio of inventory to shipments  which reached 1.45 during the depths of the recession is back to 1.29.  It was down to 1.15 during the boom period.  That means that the inventory cutting should be about all over.  The question is what consumer spending looks like. It has been surprisingly good, and the will fuel confidence to add inventory.  These factors bode well for a modestly continued recovery.

HIRING IS PICKING UP TOO
Temp hiring was up, as mentioned in a prior edition of THE ENTERPRISE.  Anecdotally, some of our sources also say there is an uptick in hiring, both from the recruiting side and from the company job-fair side.  After such a severe downturn, companies will be slow to rehire.  The recent month's jobs data was finally positive--jobs added, not lost.  That could be the turning point.  Now the key is to watch the rate at which jobs are added month after month.  Caution:  the 2010 Census is adding about 750 million jobs--TEMPORARILY--then they will go away.  That could create deceptively positive statistics.

PUBLIC PENSIONS ARE DEEP IN DEBT
The accounting methods for public pension are deceptive, requiring only that governments show what they contributed, not what the "deficit" or Unfunded portion amounts to.  This fools the citizens into thinking that the pension plans are OK.  They are not OK.  Most state pension plans are massively underfunded AND have been using an unrealistically high 8% for their assumed rate of gain on investments.  It has not been that high for a long time, and prospects for it getting there anytime soon are not good.  By using an inflated earning rate, it hides that the plans are really far worse off that imagined.    To use just one example, New Jersey's fund is $46 billion underfunded, and if it were using a more realistic earnings assumption, that would jump to more like $55-60 billion underfunded.  And that is just one state.

ANY RECOVERY WILL BE WELCOME
Let's end this edition short--and be thankful that some kind of recovery, however irregular, is starting to happen.  There is no telling how long it will last. To recover the lost jobs will take years.  To get unemployment down even close to where it was will also take years.  States are in bad shape.  The Federal Government, if it were a company, is technically almost insolvent and would be facing credit defaults or bankruptcy.  But then the US Government owns the printing presses that print money.  Printing money to cover irresponsible spending is a fools solution.  All it does is devalue the money that is already out there, and set up a super-inflation scenario in the future.

THE HEALTH CARE BILL PASSING ADDS TO THE DEFICIT
The issue in coming elections should not be about repealing the health care bill.  That is almost impossible to do as long as Obama is in the White House.  The issue is the growing role of government, taking over more and more of the lives of American people and taxing their hard earned wages to pay for services that they have little or not say about.  Those who want to be part of the new government controlled welfare state should stand by Obama and the liberal Democrats in Congress.  Those who believe America is a land of freedom,  free enterprise and the rights of people to earn and keep wealth.

EVERYONE WILL BE ABLE TO CHOOSE WHAT KIND OF AMERICA THEY WANT, STARTING NOV. 2, 2010
Please pay close attention and be very proactive--reach out to everyone you can--to explain the choices they are making with their votes.  Primaries start in a month.  They are no longer trivial.  If you want to be part of "We the people" who determine America's future, then do your homework and get involved.  Support the candidates of your choice and tell others who you think are the best ones to vote for.

Happy Easter weekend to all,
John

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 "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."   Margaret Mead
-----------------------------------------------------------
John L. Mariotti, President & CEO, The Enterprise Group, Phone 614-840-0959  http://www.mariotti.net   http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/