"He Went To Town!"

We have a big Wal-Mart store in our town, and just about everybody for several miles around shops there. Some people say you can find everything you need in Wal-Mart. I don’t know if you can find everything, but you can find quite a bit of stuff in Wal-Mart. Our Wal-Mart has one general manager, who oversees the entire store, yet he has several people who run different departments; you know, auto, electronics, furniture, clothing and groceries. I don’t believe one man could keep track of everything going on in a large Wal-Mart store completely by himself, but I’m sure he must meet with his department heads on a daily basis to “keep his finger on the pulse of the operation”.

As a platoon sergeant, I had four squad leaders, each had ten men in their prospective charge, and each squad had specific duties. Each day I would meet with our platoon leader, Lt. Horowitz, and he would tell me about our platoon’s scheduled assignments of the day. It was my responsibility to see that those assignments were carried out properly. I had 44 men to carry out our duties; I couldn’t stand over every one of them and I had to rely on the capabilities of my squad leaders to do the hands-on supervision of his men. I expected to be informed about any situation that affected our operations in a timely manner by each squad leader. Like any good platoon sergeant, I would show up at each squad’s area of assignment to check on their progress; I would be unannounced, you know; a surprise! Sometimes it was a good surprise, and sometimes it was a mass butt chewing; this all depended on whether my squad leaders were doing their jobs correctly. I didn’t like surprises! My men knew I didn’t like surprises, and they knew I would stick my nose in at any time, so it was a good idea to follow my orders as they were given. It was a rare day when I didn’t give the guy’s an unexpected visit; after all, if they screwed up, it was MY BUTT that got chewed, and I didn’t like that too much. When my men had duty assignments, I didn’t go to town; I was supposed to be involved with their assignments; a good leader stays near his men.

Jeffery Immelt is President Obama’s head of the Jobs Council, the organization that is meant to find ways to restore America’s lost jobs. Mr. Immelt is also head of General Electric, which has outsourced 1.2 billion dollars in stimulus funds to build wind turbines in Vietnam, which would be sold in America and around the world! I don’t believe that is creating too many American jobs, do you?

All this talk about Mr. Immelt is pretty interesting, yet the point I want to make today is that Mr. Obama has a Job Council that he hasn’t met with in SIX MONTHS!!! 

America is sitting on the worst job growth in its history and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better, yet our Commander in Chief hasn’t spoken with those who are supposedly working on this problem since New Year’s Day!! Does this say something about how important job growth is to Barack Obama? I don’t know how many golf dates he’s had, or how many fund raisers he’s attended, but I know there had to be a few because I saw them on the news and read about them in the papers. Barack Obama has made sure he’s collected money for his campaign, yet he has put American jobs on the back shelf while he took care of himself! I guess he believes those folks who he put in charge don’t need any type of overseeing from him, so he will “go to town” instead. Sorry America, but you elected a lousy platoon sergeant to supervise America, and he needs a “discharge” real soon!!

(This is my last blog for two weeks, as I have important house guests. I will see you all soon.)

"Freedom Trail; Maybe Not!"

I like to go out to eat. I enjoy good food and pleasant ambiance when dining. I sometimes get to go to fine dining restaurants where a dress code is enforced; there aren’t too many of those left around anymore. It is the owner’s option to install a dress code in his establishment. Some restaurants have signs that say “No Shoes; No Shirt; No Service”, I kind of like that sign.

I don’t really pay much attention to the political or religious beliefs of the owners of restaurants; I don’t believe it can change the quality of the food or service I will receive when I patronize the establishment. I believe the restaurant owner has a right to his beliefs just like anybody else does. If a company comes out and says it believes in Christian beliefs, I don’t see why that is a reason to castigate that company. I believe in Christian beliefs, and that doesn’t stop me from shopping in a store owned by Buddhists or Muslims; it is a question of “apples and oranges”; one has nothing to do with the other.

Last week, the restaurant chain know as “Chick-fil-A” was called on the carpet by the mayor of Boston because they said they are a Christian company and endorsed the beliefs expressed in the Christian Bible. Those beliefs include a belief that only men and women should be able to marry. The mayor, Thomas M. Menino, said “Chick-fil-A doesn’t belong in Boston. You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population. We are an open city that’s at the forefront of inclusion.”

Now Chick-fil-A said it will serve anyone who comes into their establishments without prejudice and with respect and dignity, regardless of the beliefs of those customers. The insinuation of Chick-fil-A having problems with permits has already been cast by Boston government; there is that famous liberal tolerance we have all come to love and respect. The area that Chick-fil-A wants to open up in is called “Freedom Trail”; I find that quite interesting as the Boston mayor is trying to limit the free practice of doing business in his city.

Boston is famous in American history for being in the forefront of battling for individual freedom and our cherished “Bill of Rights”. That free speech seems to have hit quite a bump in the road on the “Freedom Trail” as Mayor Menino wants to exclude Christian speech in his city limits.

Doesn’t this sound a bit like government control of speech to you? Doesn’t this sound like government control of opinion to you? Does any government official have the right to say you can’t be verbal about your faith as long as you conduct yourself in a respectable way?

Mayor Menino said Boston is an “open city”, yet it certainly sounds quite closed to me. What will be the next order of business in Boston; no Christian owned businesses allowed, or maybe limiting what can be said from the pulpits of every church in Boston?

I wonder what Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, Washington or Paul Revere would say about Mayor Menino’s interpretation of the 1^st amendment? If you go to Boston on vacation, be careful of what you say; it could be FORBIDDEN SPEECH!

"Great Expectations"(apology to Dickens)

Why do most people purchase certain items from certain businesses? I believe we purchase because of need, want, price, service and quality. I believe we all want more “bang for our buck” when we reach into our wallets.

I recently purchased a truck from a local car dealer. We have three new car dealers in our area; I only deal with one of them, as I have had good experience with that dealer in past transactions. I get good value and great service from a caring staff, and I would happily recommend this dealer to anyone contemplating a vehicle purchase.

Many years earlier, I went into another local dealer with the intention to buy a car for my wife. When we entered the showroom, there were balloons and streamers everywhere. The sales persons were each seated at small tables and we were quickly asked to sit down. That was okay with me, except they immediately asked me “How much did I want to spend?” I hadn’t even told them my name or what type of vehicle I wanted; all they were interested in was how much they could get out of me. I asked them about a certain used car and told them how much I was willing to pay for it. We sat in that showroom for over two hours, playing a game of walking back to “talk to the manager”; I spent several years in the car business and I knew this game, but I wasn’t buying into the scenario. I finally got fed up and said to my wife “Let’s go!” and home we went. Approximately an hour later my phone rang; it was the salesman telling me he was willing to sell me the car for my price; I responded with “I’m not interested”; he followed up with a lower price and an offer to deliver the vehicle to my home that evening. I declined the deal, as I had lost all respect for this dealer and haven’t gone there since. I have expectations when I make certain decisions, and I won’t compromise my expectations.

As Americans, don’t we have the right to certain expectations from those we entrust with public office?

I want public servants to protect my Constitutional Rights, and to follow the Constitution as it is written; does this sound unreasonable?

I want the United States Constitution to have sovereignty over any other agreement without exception; does this sound unreasonable to you?

I want the safety and security of the United States of America to be the first concern of all elected officials; does this sound unreasonable to you?

I want all corruption investigated by any branch of the government, regardless of where that investigation may lead; does this sound unreasonable to you?

I want America to remain a nation of individual freedom, yet not a nation of preferred rights to any pressure group of race, creed, economic status or political philosophy; does this sound unreasonable to you?

I want the government to stay out of my personal life, as long as I don’t infringe on the life of others; does this sound unreasonable to you?

In November, we will be making choices in regards to the direction America will be going for the next four years, and we must measure the direction we have gone under our present leadership. Have you seen a protection of our Constitution, a safe and secure border, a thriving free market, investigation of corrupt policies and even-handed treatment of all Americans by our Justice Department? I know what I have seen since this administration has assumed power, and it is definitely BELOW EXPECTATIONS in my book. What will you expect from four more years of Barack Hussein Obama?

"I Built It Myself!"

When I got out of the Army, I had a common dream held by many of my fellow soldiers which was to cruise around in a “hot rod”. There was just something about the idea of driving anywhere you liked as fast as you could go in a “sweet ride”.

One of my first jobs after I got home was working for a dealership, driving a parts truck. I liked that job because I was on my own most of the day, making stops and listening to WLS on the A.M. radio. I also got a discount on all of my parts purchases, which came in pretty handy. I was looking for a car to build into my “dream machine” and I finally found it; a 1969 SS Camaro with a 396 engine and a four-speed transmission. I saved for quite some time to get the necessary funds I needed to buy my dream car; and it wasn’t a dream when I bought it. The car needed paint and body work, and the engine wasn’t in terrific condition either; but it had a good base to start from.

The first stage of my transformation was the engine; I could have rebuilt the existing 396 engine, but I decided that as long as I could get my parts wholesale, I was going for a more powerful plant to run the new baby. I spent about $3,000 on a new 454 horsepower engine, an additional $300 on “Hooker Headers”, an additional $125 on a competition clutch and an additional $200 on “ladder bars” for increased traction for my rear tires. When all of the engine work was done, my Camaro was pushing out about 600 horsepower; she could really fly.

The next phase was the cosmetics of the car. When I bought her, she was an awful shade of faded green metallic paint that was in the process of flaking off. The interior was black (thank God) and it was in really good condition; all it needed was a good cleaning. I removed the original hood and replaced it with a hood from the R.S. model Camaro, which was raised and looked much “cooler” than the SS hood. The entire car was then sanded down and primed with grey surface primer; it was wet-sanded and painted. I chose bright yellow, a real eye catcher, and had some friends add a black vinyl roof; some black pin-stripes and new SS wheel covers and my hot rod was ready to roll!

I happily drove that car for about three years, and then decided to sell her. I never recovered the investment I put into that car, but the memories are worth a million dollars to me; although I did make a few bucks in street races!

The other day, Barack Obama said that small business men didn’t get there on their own merit and this caused me to remember my Camaro. I spent hours upon hours building that car; I dedicated myself to that purpose. Nobody actually had an interest in the completion of that restoration other than me. I had friends who followed my progress, but it was my accomplishment in the end; just like those brave souls who venture into the free market. They pursued their dreams in much the same way I followed mine.

Many people would stop and admire my Camaro, and make nice comments about her; but none of them knew how many hours it took to make a tired green Camaro into a “king of the road”; much the same way as Barack Obama has no clue as to what it took to make a dream into a business.

Mr. Businessman, enjoy your success, you worked for it, and nobody else. Thank you for giving people jobs and chasing the American dream!!

"Shoddy Repairman"

If you are reading this, then you have a computer. When I first got a computer, I was scared to death; I didn’t know ANYTHING ABOUT COMPUTERS! If my screen went dark, or it froze, or any problem at all came about, I hollered for my wife or daughter; I was totally baffled by this machine. I am now a little more comfortable with this “modern marvel”, and I don’t scream nearly as much as I used too.

As a young man, I did much of the work on my car myself, as I learned much from my Dad and his friends and gleaned knowledge from them. Now I am pretty confident when I diagnose a problem with our vehicles, yet when a problem is beyond my expertise, I will always yield to someone with more knowledge. I won’t even go near an electrical problem; that stuff scares me!! I’m sure most of you will try to find an expert to fix certain problems you encounter either with your vehicles or your homes and are willing to pay the price for “expert repair”. Now I know some of you have friends who are “experts” in just about everything, and will tell you stories of all of their accomplishments in the “world of repairs”, and some of you may have taken their advice, only to find out they are as clueless as you are. Free advice is worth everything you paid for, absolutely nothing!! Conversely, if you pay good money for expert repair, YOU WANT IT FIXED!!

Last week, our President, Barack Obama, was interviewed by Charlie Rose of CBS. During his interview, Mr. Obama stated that “Washington feels as broken as it did four years ago.” He continued on in the interview once again citing political discord as the reason for our dismal economy, high unemployment and failing GNP. I guess that first two years of Democrat control meant nothing, other than a forced healthcare bill America didn’t want. I guess that “green initiative” that turned into a conflagration of our tax dollars didn’t mean anything either. It must be because there are Republicans in Washington. They are responsible for the runaway spending of the first two years, and they are responsible for America suffering its first bond rating drop in history, even though Mr. Obama and his Democrat controlled Congress was in session at the time.

Mr. Obama took the Office of President on a platform of “fixing the Washington mess” and restoring “transparency” to government. During his interview, he stated “He has fallen short”; he is the master of the understatement.

Falling short doesn’t come close to what Barack Obama has done to America in less than four years. Neighborhoods are virtual forests of “for sale” signs and foreclosures are at record numbers; even the “doctored” unemployment numbers are more than he said they would ever be after he took office. New job figures are almost laughable when most economists tell us they need sustained growth of at least 250,000 jobs to call this a recovery. This repairman isn’t getting the job done; and I don’t mean he’s “falling short”; he is a FAILURE! All he can do now is disparage his competition. Let’s face facts, Mr. Obama, your pipes are leaking, your connections are loose, your boards are warped and I think I smell gas! I agree that Washington is broken, but I think we need a new guy; this one isn’t very handy!

"Minding YOUR OWN Business!!"

Have you ever heard the names Harlan Sanders, Sam Walton, Henry Ford, Dave Thomas, Bill Gates or Samuel Colt? These names belong to a group of American success stories that span decades of small and large businesses that have succeeded in our great nation. These names have provided hundreds of thousands of jobs to engineers, clerks, truck drivers, assembly line workers, stevedores, secretaries, cooks and laborers for several generations in America. These names are responsible for most of the taxes that are collected for the running of our government; not only what the company pays, but the taxes on the income that was generated by the employment of hundreds of thousands of American working people. In turn, these people and people like them, have reaped a profit because of their risk and investment in America. There are many other names that you won’t know; list after list of failed businesses where those who invested their time and finances didn’t become successful. Some ideas, some products and some dreams don’t come true; there is risk in the market place and failure may only be one quarterly statement away.

Engineers, clerks, truck drivers, assembly line workers. stevedores, cooks, and laborers can lose their jobs when business goes bad and an economy goes dry. Those displaced workers will have to find employment elsewhere; they will clean out their lockers and walk out the door of their old job and start to hunt for something new. They are walking away, but their former employer has probably lost most of his financial solvency and is left with unpaid bills that only he is responsible for. It isn’t likely that a former owner will get any funds from those workers who just lost their jobs; and he doesn’t expect any funds from them, after all, it was his business. No business owner wants to close down and leave his employees without income. No worker wants to leave his position as long as it provides the income he depends on for survival for himself and his family, yet other than his years of work and expertise, he has lost little in comparison to the losses his former boss has incurred. The owner built the business, the owner invested the money and time to make it successful and he only expected labor from his employees. You probably heard the term “a day’s work, for a day’s pay”; that is what your employer expects!

Recently, our President, Barack Obama, made a statement saying “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen!” Now I know a business won’t succeed without customers, or qualified staff and management; that’s common sense. I would like to say this to all business owners “YOU DID BUILD THAT BUSINESS, YOU DID MAKE IT HAPPEN!” The statement by Barack Obama shows just how out of touch he is with the American economy and the principles upon which America has been built. Risk is always a part of business, and failure is always a possibility. Those who choose to venture into business ownership do so at their own risk (unless you are SOLYNDRA), and success or failure is only theirs to bear.

Perhaps Mr. Obama was talking about the Founding Fathers when he said “Somebody else made that happen”, because those who invest in themselves truly embrace the principles of our Constitution, and have pursued that happiness those Founding Fathers wrote about in that Declaration of Independence and Constitution. I do believe you can attribute some of your success to those men who had the foresight to give individual freedom prominence in America; other than that, I don’t know what Obama was talking about! Well, maybe it is because he never held a regular job in his life, and had NO CLUE OF HOW FREE MARKETS WORK!!