THE ENTERPRISE--"THE MYTH OF THE OMNIPOTENT GOVERNMENT"
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE BEING CONVINCED OF A MYTH--THAT GOVERNMENT CAN--AND SHOULD--SOLVE EVERYTHING; DO EVERYTHING; FOR EVERYONE...
What a terrible, fatal mistake that is--creating a "dependent" populace. The government struggles to do what it must do adequately, including maintaining domestic tranquility (police), provide for the national defense (military--bloated and wastefully duplicative), protect our borders (at which the Federal government does an awful job), maintain a rule of law (courts) and provide commonly needed infrastructure (roads and other public works.) Government must also pass laws which support and sustain the people, not limit their rights as citizens. Somewhere along the way special interests demanded and got a lot of other services, paid for with our tax dollars. Departments were formed, failed to do what they were formed to do, but still became large, self-sustaining bureaucracies--the Dept. of Energy is a prime example.
THIS LEADS ME TO THE REAL TOPIC OF THIS WEEK'S EDITION: "THE MYTH OF THE OMNIPOTENT GOVERNMENT"
As the Obama/Democratic Congress crams more and more government control on every walk of life, this oil spill crisis points out the profound ineptness of the government at even doing what they should be doing. This is the government we are going to allow to run our health care system, to regulate our financial markets, to control environmental and energy policy (see how well the government is handling this crisis?) If anyone is saying, "but this was an unforeseen accident," that may be true-but when you want to take over everything, then you have to be prepared--and competent--to handle anything that comes up. Obama is clearly not competent enough, (neither was Bush on Katrina), and the folks in Congress--forget them--they are dominated by power crazed old fogeys who already have everything done for them.
EXAMPLE: WHAT A COMPETENT PRESIDENT WOULD HAVE DONE ABOUT THE GULF OIL SPILL
If President Obama had any meaningful leadership experience and wasn't so busy trying to "look good" and "assure his reelection," he should have done the following within the first week of the spill: Give BP one or two chances to fix its own mistake (call it an accident if you wish, but BP took numerous short cuts that dramatically increased the likelihood of this "accident" happening). If BP's fixes continued to fail (which they did and still do),there should be a mandate to immediately convene a group of leaders/experts from the "deep water" oil drilling community to collectively figure out the next best steps. Bring in BP's competitors like Exxon-Mobil, Shell, etc. Bring in the drillers and contractors, like Halliburton, et. al. Add leading consultants and scientists in the field, wherever they come from. And ask a few grizzled old veterans what they would do. Find the "top ten+" and get them to collectively help solve the problem.
NOTE: After a private conversation with an "inside source" I learned that BP did consult with knowledgeable deep-drilling competitors, but not because anyone in the US government suggested it. I also learned that some of the more knowledgeable foreign deep-water drillers mandate that one or two relief wells be drilled simultaneously with the main well. For just the reason you can imagine--the added cost is not that great as "insurance" against a big gas-explosion accident--just like this one.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is also totally frustrated by Obama-speak,"We'll do everything within our power..." and then the dithering and delays while the Army Corps of Engineers debate solutions. This is the same group that gave you the New Orleans/Katrina levee problems. Jindal's solutions may or may not have helped Louisiana marshlands, but at least he had an actionable plan. No wonder he's frustrated and angry. Finally, weeks after Jindal's first request for sand berms to keep the oil out of Louisiana's marshlands, Obama yields to what--common sense? Indecision is a hallmark of an inexperienced and under-qualified leader. You figure it out.
A VOID OF LEADERSHIP FROM THE GOVERNMENT
This is called a problem of leadership (or a lack thereof), inadequate management experience and undeveloped problem solving skills, all of which are deficiencies that President Barack Obama has. Honestly, I don't think his predecessor George W. Bush had much better ones--but he had been governor of Texas (more than you could say about Obama), and he had Dick Cheney—love him or hate him—who was a proven CEO in this field!) When the American people elect an articulate, inexperienced lightweight to the highest office in the land, they should expect that his On-The-Job training will result in some big mistakes.
REMEMBER, OBAMA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SMART AND COMPETENT? WRONG!
There is no teleprompter script for dealing with the huge problems facing America. No campaign speech. No glib turn of a phrase.
CONSIDER WHAT THE "OMNIPOTENT GOVERNMENT" IS SUPPOSED TO SOLVE, MANAGE AND CONTROL (a partial list...)
FRANKLY, PRESIDENT OBAMA SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO FIX THE OIL SPILL--NO PRESIDENT CAN HAVE THAT LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE
What should be expected is that he would lead strongly, manage competently, and surround himself with competence, not sycophants. Failing that--read on. David Brooks outlines a possible scenario that could result.
DAVID BROOKS COVERS IT PRETTY WELL--EXCERPTS FOLLOW
=========================
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWooGP6RueI
TO RESTATE WHAT I SAID BEFORE AND WHAT DAVID BROOKS REITERATED:
AMERICA NEEDS TO DECIDE (ALL OVER AGAIN) WHAT ROLE GOVERNMENT SHOULD PLAY IN OUR LIVES.
A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS THINK THE ROLE IT IS PLAYING NOW--HEADING TOWARD IN THE FUTURE--IS FAR TOO DOMINANT, FAR TOO LARGE, AND CERTAINLY FAR TOO COSTLY.
We know that public sector employment is growing, thanks to the creation of many new bureaucracies, and higher public-sector pay and benefits. We know that Obama's own head of his Council of Economic Advisors, Christine Romer--while she was a professor—led a study and co-authored the paper that proved that every dollar the government takes from the people and spends in the name of job growth actually has a negative job creation effect.
We know, that the government creates no wealth of its own. It can only take the wealth created/earned by the American people from them, and redistribute it—spending it on the pet programs of the political party and President in office at the time. (Neither party is innocent in this regard!)
Our Founding Fathers intended government to work for the people. Now, the tables are turned, and the America people are slaves to their own government and its leaders.
IF YOU READ THIS FAR, I CHALLENGE YOU: SEND THIS EDITION OF THE ENTERPRISE TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN.
NOTE: EVEN IF THE GOVERNMENT "TAXED THE RICH" 100%--THAT'S RIGHT--TOOK EVERY PENNY OF THEIR INCOME, IT WOULD NOT COVER THE INCREASE IN THE FEDERAL DEFICIT CREATED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA AND CONGRESS IN THE PAST 17 MONTHS.
Spread the word. Tell your children and grandchildren who are old enough to understand it. Big government is an attractive curse, like a drug habit. It leads to the "high" of feeling good by not taking the responsibilities that come with your rights. And it is followed by the crash, the low when it "wears off" and you realize that the drug induced high of big government taking care of everything and everyone is the worse habit forming drug of all. And that is about as direct as I can put it.
Worst--not Best, John
PS: Remember the old kids books about "Uncle Remus" series (now deemed politically incorrect) and Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby. The more Brer Rabbit struggled with the Tar Baby, the more entangled and covered with tar he became. I hope this old story reminds me of President Obama and the Gulf Oil Spill.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to "Pick up a turd by the clean end."
(Winner in a Texas A &M contest for the best definition.)
-----------------------------------------------------------
John L. Mariotti, President & CEO, The Enterprise Group, Phone 614-840-0959 http://www.mariotti.net http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/
------------------------------------------------------------
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE BEING CONVINCED OF A MYTH--THAT GOVERNMENT CAN--AND SHOULD--SOLVE EVERYTHING; DO EVERYTHING; FOR EVERYONE...
What a terrible, fatal mistake that is--creating a "dependent" populace. The government struggles to do what it must do adequately, including maintaining domestic tranquility (police), provide for the national defense (military--bloated and wastefully duplicative), protect our borders (at which the Federal government does an awful job), maintain a rule of law (courts) and provide commonly needed infrastructure (roads and other public works.) Government must also pass laws which support and sustain the people, not limit their rights as citizens. Somewhere along the way special interests demanded and got a lot of other services, paid for with our tax dollars. Departments were formed, failed to do what they were formed to do, but still became large, self-sustaining bureaucracies--the Dept. of Energy is a prime example.
THIS LEADS ME TO THE REAL TOPIC OF THIS WEEK'S EDITION: "THE MYTH OF THE OMNIPOTENT GOVERNMENT"
As the Obama/Democratic Congress crams more and more government control on every walk of life, this oil spill crisis points out the profound ineptness of the government at even doing what they should be doing. This is the government we are going to allow to run our health care system, to regulate our financial markets, to control environmental and energy policy (see how well the government is handling this crisis?) If anyone is saying, "but this was an unforeseen accident," that may be true-but when you want to take over everything, then you have to be prepared--and competent--to handle anything that comes up. Obama is clearly not competent enough, (neither was Bush on Katrina), and the folks in Congress--forget them--they are dominated by power crazed old fogeys who already have everything done for them.
EXAMPLE: WHAT A COMPETENT PRESIDENT WOULD HAVE DONE ABOUT THE GULF OIL SPILL
If President Obama had any meaningful leadership experience and wasn't so busy trying to "look good" and "assure his reelection," he should have done the following within the first week of the spill: Give BP one or two chances to fix its own mistake (call it an accident if you wish, but BP took numerous short cuts that dramatically increased the likelihood of this "accident" happening). If BP's fixes continued to fail (which they did and still do),there should be a mandate to immediately convene a group of leaders/experts from the "deep water" oil drilling community to collectively figure out the next best steps. Bring in BP's competitors like Exxon-Mobil, Shell, etc. Bring in the drillers and contractors, like Halliburton, et. al. Add leading consultants and scientists in the field, wherever they come from. And ask a few grizzled old veterans what they would do. Find the "top ten+" and get them to collectively help solve the problem.
NOTE: After a private conversation with an "inside source" I learned that BP did consult with knowledgeable deep-drilling competitors, but not because anyone in the US government suggested it. I also learned that some of the more knowledgeable foreign deep-water drillers mandate that one or two relief wells be drilled simultaneously with the main well. For just the reason you can imagine--the added cost is not that great as "insurance" against a big gas-explosion accident--just like this one.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is also totally frustrated by Obama-speak,"We'll do everything within our power..." and then the dithering and delays while the Army Corps of Engineers debate solutions. This is the same group that gave you the New Orleans/Katrina levee problems. Jindal's solutions may or may not have helped Louisiana marshlands, but at least he had an actionable plan. No wonder he's frustrated and angry. Finally, weeks after Jindal's first request for sand berms to keep the oil out of Louisiana's marshlands, Obama yields to what--common sense? Indecision is a hallmark of an inexperienced and under-qualified leader. You figure it out.
A RECENT COMMENTARY ON THIS BY DICK MORRIS"Conservatives are so enraged at Obama's socialism and radicalism that they are increasingly surprised to learn that he is incompetent as well. The sight of his blithering and blustering while the most massive oil spill in history moves closer to America's beaches not only reminds one of Bush's terrible performance during Katrina, but calls to mind Jimmy Carter's incompetence in the face of the hostage crisis.
America is watching the president alternate between wringing his hands in helplessness and pointing his finger in blame when he should be solving the most pressing environmental problem America has faced in the past 50 years. We are watching generations of environmental protection swept away as marshes, fisheries, vacation spots, recreational beaches, wetlands, hatcheries and sanctuaries fall prey to the oil spill invasion. And, all the while, the president acts like a spectator, interrupting his basketball games only to excoriate BP for its failure to contain the spill."
A VOID OF LEADERSHIP FROM THE GOVERNMENT
This is called a problem of leadership (or a lack thereof), inadequate management experience and undeveloped problem solving skills, all of which are deficiencies that President Barack Obama has. Honestly, I don't think his predecessor George W. Bush had much better ones--but he had been governor of Texas (more than you could say about Obama), and he had Dick Cheney—love him or hate him—who was a proven CEO in this field!) When the American people elect an articulate, inexperienced lightweight to the highest office in the land, they should expect that his On-The-Job training will result in some big mistakes.
REMEMBER, OBAMA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SMART AND COMPETENT? WRONG!
There is no teleprompter script for dealing with the huge problems facing America. No campaign speech. No glib turn of a phrase.
It takes CHARACTER, COURAGE AND COMPETENCE--ALL AREAS WHERE HE HAS BEEN FOUND DEFICIENT--and it takes experience, know how and expertise--three more areas in which is resume (if he'd ever reveal one) is deficient.
CONSIDER WHAT THE "OMNIPOTENT GOVERNMENT" IS SUPPOSED TO SOLVE, MANAGE AND CONTROL (a partial list...)
- The Economy & the sub-prime mortgage crisis—(caused by bi-partisan government repeal of Glass-Steagall in the late 1990's a screw up by both Republicans and Democrats, and worsened by the arrogant foolishness of Congress, notably Dodd, Schumer, Frank, et. al) and irresponsibility of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae management. Multiply by the criminal misrepresentation of the quality of the investments by rating agencies, and you have a credit crisis.
- Government Omnipotence? Where is it? The fix: throw taxpayer money at it. Stimulus packages that only stimulate the growth of still more government, while taxing small businesses and regulating large ones to get the money needed to pay for all the government bureaucracy that is taking over the country. (The most recent jobs report confirms his: few private sector jobs added; many new government jobs added; little wealth created, but much wealth appropriated and misspent.)
- Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. wars—The Iraq war which was misrepresented as to its reasons, and then terribly mismanaged--until Gen. Petraeus was put in charge and supported. Afghanistan is likely a much bigger problem since the factions that allowed Iraq to "calm down" don't exist there. Add the Obama "pull-out date" announcement, and the Taliban simply be an military irritant and hide for the next year. Then as US & NATO troops pull out, the Taliban will retake control. Government omnipotence at work again?
- Terrorists are hiding in our military bases, and in our cities, and in major cities all over Europe (as well as the Middle East) and they are packing explosives anywhere possible—in shoes, in underwear and in SUVs parked in Times Square. The Obama administration led by it's misguided Attorney General) wants to "be nice to them, and protect their rights." Maybe they should move in with Eric Holder, so he can coddle them up close and personal.
- Rogue states with Nukes... -N. Korea has never kept an agreement with the USA, thus why would our Omnipotent Government put any faith in the success of continued negotiations--yet, short of a military attack, there are few options. China won't help because it doesn't want a flood of Korean refugees. The US should close down any form of trade and aid with North Korea--simple quit giving N. Korea anything—and stop as much stuff flowing in there as possible. If the North Korean people suffer, that's a shame, but its the fault of their "Beloved Leader." Maybe they'll revolt and overthrow him.
- And building Nukes—Ahmadinejad & Iran have already spit in Obama & the USA's face repeatedly. How naive can he be. Or maybe is he simply a hopeless appeaser and a fool. After all, Obama tells the world how many Nukes we have (a criminal/treasonous offense if anyone else did it) and he wants to dismantle America's nuclear arsenal while the rogue states are building theirs? Maybe he'll decide to just sell them some of our Nukes, so they don't have to build their own--and maybe they'll "Like him" more.
- Rogue Factions who hate the USA—Hezbollah, Taliban, assorted Palestinian rebel groups, etc. None of them respect the US government; few of them fear the US government any longer; most of them hold our government in contempt. All thanks to our new, naive President. He leads the US government we are relying on to handle threats to us, to our country and to its security.
- The Deficit and flagrant overspending—Sure, Bush and the previous Congress get some of the blame for this. Bush never vetoed a spending bill--what a stupid way to run the country. Meanwhile, the GOP led Congress spent like "drunken sailors" NO, that is a slur on sailors. They spent like "greedy politicians." Now Obama and the Democratic Congress led by Pelosi and Reid have eclipsed all past spending levels in just under 18 months. (I wonder how much deeper in debt they'll put the US before we can get them out of office. What problems did this spending solve? Very few! (Maybe it kept some banks from failing--maybe.) Most of the TARP money is coming back (was it needed at all?) and the rest--among it the "stimulus" money was misspent on pet projects and pork.
- The European financial crisis—The Euro is tanking. The US dollar growing stronger will depress American exports--a key to our economic survival for the past couple of years. A strong currency is not bad per se. When you want to grow your economy by exporting, it is a big obstacle. (Ask China who manipulates its currency to avoid these problems.). But your Omnipotent Government will solve this all--Obama will load up his teleprompters and his entourage and go on another speaking tour. While, he will make additional concessions, getting nothing back in return for them. But he will declare the speaking tour a success--because of how he measures success--"adulation--not admiration."
- Protect our borders?—Are you kidding me? Even when Congress passes a law and appropriates the money, the government can't build a fence--forget about whether the fence was a smart idea or not. The Omnipotent Government has no idea how to secure the border, so the solution is just let the illegals come and then grant them amnesty, and make them citizens so they can vote for Obama (out of gratitude).
FRANKLY, PRESIDENT OBAMA SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO FIX THE OIL SPILL--NO PRESIDENT CAN HAVE THAT LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE
What should be expected is that he would lead strongly, manage competently, and surround himself with competence, not sycophants. Failing that--read on. David Brooks outlines a possible scenario that could result.
DAVID BROOKS COVERS IT PRETTY WELL--EXCERPTS FOLLOW
=========================
David Brooks: Government is about to shift into slow motionHOW TO TAKE BACK CONTROL OF THE SENATE: ONE PERSPECTIVE
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 02:50 AM
The failure of the top-kill technique in the Gulf of Mexico represents a turning point on the Obama presidency. It symbolizes the end of the period of lightning advance and the beginning of the period of nasty stasis. President Barack Obama swept into office having aroused the messianic hopes of his supporters. For the past 16 months he has been on nearly permanent offense, instigating action with the stimulus bill, Afghan policy, health-care reform and the nearly complete financial reform. Whether you approve or not, this has been an era of bold movement.
But now the troops are exhausted, the country is anxious, the money is spent and the Democratic majorities are teetering. The remaining pieces of legislation, on immigration and energy, are going nowhere. (The decision to do health care before energy is now looking unfortunate.) Meanwhile, the biggest problems are intractable. There's no sign we will be successful in preventing a nuclear Iran. Especially after Monday's events, there's no chance of creating a breakthrough in the Arab-Israeli dispute. Unemployment will not be coming down soon. The long-term fiscal crisis won't be addressed soon either....
...The plume taps into a series of deep anxieties. First, it taps into the anxiety that the people running our major institutions are not competent. Second, it feeds into the anxiety that there has been an unhappy marriage between corporations and government officials, which has had the effect of corrupting both. Most important, the plume exposes the country's core confusion about the role of government.
When this country was born, the Founders laid down strict roles for the federal government and the president. But over the years, the roles of government and the presidency have expanded. As a matter of conviction, the country is deeply uncomfortable with these expansions. Operationally, on the other hand, the country has become accustomed to the new programs and to the new presidential role. In a crisis, you get a public reaction that is incoherence on stilts.
On the one hand, most people know that the government is not in the oil business. They know there is nothing a man in Washington can do to plug a hole a mile down in the gulf.
On the other hand, they demand that the president "take control." They demand that he hold press conferences, show leadership, announce that the buck stops here and do something. They want him to perform the proper theatrical gestures so they can see their emotions enacted on the public stage. They want to hold him responsible for things they know he doesn't control. Their reaction is a mixture of disgust, anger, longing and need. It may not make sense. But it doesn't make sense that the country wants spending cuts and doesn't want cuts, wants change and doesn't want change.
At some point somebody's going to have to reach a consensus on the role of government. If this disaster teaches anything, it is that we are a venturesome, entrepreneurial society. We rely on corporations like BP to bring us energy. At the same time, it is clear that even well-meaning corporations sometimes take shortcuts when it comes to controlling pollution and protecting workers. So we want government to regulate business. ...
... We should be able to build from cases like this one and establish a set of concrete understandings about what government should and shouldn't do. We should be able to have a grounded conversations based on principles 95 percent of Americans support. Yet that isn't happening. So the period of stagnations begins.
David Brooks writes for The New York Times.
=========================
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWooGP6RueI
TO RESTATE WHAT I SAID BEFORE AND WHAT DAVID BROOKS REITERATED:
AMERICA NEEDS TO DECIDE (ALL OVER AGAIN) WHAT ROLE GOVERNMENT SHOULD PLAY IN OUR LIVES.
A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS THINK THE ROLE IT IS PLAYING NOW--HEADING TOWARD IN THE FUTURE--IS FAR TOO DOMINANT, FAR TOO LARGE, AND CERTAINLY FAR TOO COSTLY.
We know that public sector employment is growing, thanks to the creation of many new bureaucracies, and higher public-sector pay and benefits. We know that Obama's own head of his Council of Economic Advisors, Christine Romer--while she was a professor—led a study and co-authored the paper that proved that every dollar the government takes from the people and spends in the name of job growth actually has a negative job creation effect.
We know, that the government creates no wealth of its own. It can only take the wealth created/earned by the American people from them, and redistribute it—spending it on the pet programs of the political party and President in office at the time. (Neither party is innocent in this regard!)
Our Founding Fathers intended government to work for the people. Now, the tables are turned, and the America people are slaves to their own government and its leaders.
IF YOU READ THIS FAR, I CHALLENGE YOU: SEND THIS EDITION OF THE ENTERPRISE TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN.
ESPECIALLY SEND IT TO KNOWN OBAMA SUPPORTERS FROM 2008. BY NOW, EVEN THEY ARE BEGINNING TO SEE THE HUGE MISTAKE THEY MADE.
THE GOVERNMENT CAN'T FIX EVERYTHING. IT CAN'T TAKE CARE OF EVERYBODY. IT HAS NEITHER THE WISDOM, NOR THE EXPERIENCE, NOR THE KNOW-HOW, NOR THE MONEY TO DO IT, NOR SHOULD IT DO SO--IT ISN'T EVEN GOOD FOR MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO BECOME DEPENDENT ON THE GOVERNMENT!NOTE: EVEN IF THE GOVERNMENT "TAXED THE RICH" 100%--THAT'S RIGHT--TOOK EVERY PENNY OF THEIR INCOME, IT WOULD NOT COVER THE INCREASE IN THE FEDERAL DEFICIT CREATED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA AND CONGRESS IN THE PAST 17 MONTHS.
Spread the word. Tell your children and grandchildren who are old enough to understand it. Big government is an attractive curse, like a drug habit. It leads to the "high" of feeling good by not taking the responsibilities that come with your rights. And it is followed by the crash, the low when it "wears off" and you realize that the drug induced high of big government taking care of everything and everyone is the worse habit forming drug of all. And that is about as direct as I can put it.
Worst--not Best, John
PS: Remember the old kids books about "Uncle Remus" series (now deemed politically incorrect) and Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby. The more Brer Rabbit struggled with the Tar Baby, the more entangled and covered with tar he became. I hope this old story reminds me of President Obama and the Gulf Oil Spill.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to "Pick up a turd by the clean end."
(Winner in a Texas A &M contest for the best definition.)
-----------------------------------------------------------
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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