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/