Tuesday, September 28, 2010
And people wonder why america is upset with hypocritical politicians
WOW - this is so amazing, how do these people keep getting elected
Jesse Jackson's Newest Staff Member: You can't make up stuff better than this!
Jesse Jackson's Newest Staff Member
Mel ReynoldsJesse Jackson has added former Chicago Democrat Congressman Mel to Rainbow/PUSH Coalition's payroll. Reynolds was among the 176 criminals excused in President Clinton's last-minute forgiveness spree.Reynolds received a commutation of his six-and-a-half-year federal sentence for 15 convictions of wire fraud, bank fraud, and lies to the Federal Election Commission. He is more notorious, however, for concurrently serving five years for sleeping with an underage campaign volunteer.
This is a first in American politics: An ex-congressman who had sex with a subordinate....won clemency from a president who had sex with a subordinate...then was hired by a clergyman who had sex with a subordinate!
His new job? Ready for this??
YOUTH COUNSELOR
http://www.snopes.com/politics/sexuality/reynolds.asp
Jesse Jackson's Newest Staff Member: You can't make up stuff better than this!
Jesse Jackson's Newest Staff Member
Mel ReynoldsJesse Jackson has added former Chicago Democrat Congressman Mel to Rainbow/PUSH Coalition's payroll. Reynolds was among the 176 criminals excused in President Clinton's last-minute forgiveness spree.Reynolds received a commutation of his six-and-a-half-year federal sentence for 15 convictions of wire fraud, bank fraud, and lies to the Federal Election Commission. He is more notorious, however, for concurrently serving five years for sleeping with an underage campaign volunteer.
This is a first in American politics: An ex-congressman who had sex with a subordinate....won clemency from a president who had sex with a subordinate...then was hired by a clergyman who had sex with a subordinate!
His new job? Ready for this??
YOUTH COUNSELOR
http://www.snopes.com/politics/sexuality/reynolds.asp
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Another reason I'm glad I stoppd buying Newsweek
Waiting to get my oil chamged today and grabbed 2 copies of Newsweek,
the first I read was a 4 page article by Alther about how Obama is actually just misunderstood, then he blamed the media for the way the "real Obama" is incorrectly portrayed.
well, i read all the media reports about Obama before, during and after his election; i would have to disagree greatly with Jonathan. But, nice try, i understand that reframing the real issues before November is part of your narrative.
then i opened the next issue of Newsweek. It listed the USA as the 11th best country in the world, then went on and on about why we are still great. What?!? This is THE Greatest Country in the World. Every country has its flaws, we are not alone, but last time I checked people were literally dying to get into this country. And once people get here, they don't seem to turn around and go back. Nor is there a flood of Americans bedning over backwards to leave.
The only good thing I read in both issues was a one page article from an employee of McKinsey about how to build a strong American economy. That was a great article, that should have been the lead, but instead it gets buried like any article that tout capitalism and competition.
oh well, at least I don't waste my money on a subscription when I get the same "message" on my evening news at home.
the first I read was a 4 page article by Alther about how Obama is actually just misunderstood, then he blamed the media for the way the "real Obama" is incorrectly portrayed.
well, i read all the media reports about Obama before, during and after his election; i would have to disagree greatly with Jonathan. But, nice try, i understand that reframing the real issues before November is part of your narrative.
then i opened the next issue of Newsweek. It listed the USA as the 11th best country in the world, then went on and on about why we are still great. What?!? This is THE Greatest Country in the World. Every country has its flaws, we are not alone, but last time I checked people were literally dying to get into this country. And once people get here, they don't seem to turn around and go back. Nor is there a flood of Americans bedning over backwards to leave.
The only good thing I read in both issues was a one page article from an employee of McKinsey about how to build a strong American economy. That was a great article, that should have been the lead, but instead it gets buried like any article that tout capitalism and competition.
oh well, at least I don't waste my money on a subscription when I get the same "message" on my evening news at home.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Only the Strong are Left
Recently I have spent a great deal of time selling consultative services to manufacturers. My firm actually works in many industries, I just happen to be focused on a manufacturing area.
Only the Strong have Survived.
1 or 2 years ago, our conversations were all about "cutting costs." Lets stop the bleeding, control cash flow, scale back the "company's lifestyle."
Only those that successfully cut costs are still around. Yes, there is an exception to every rule, but dozens of dozens of manufacturers in 6 states can't be wrong.
Today, the owners know they dodged a bullet, they know that they survived because they were proactive. BUT, now its all about sales!!!
Get me the sales, show me the sales, help me find the best salespeople, lets look at pricing to generate sales, etc., etc., etc. Thats all I hear.
Since only the strong have survived, now we are down to the Quarter Finals of a tough tournament. All the riff-raff are gone. Time to work on sales, quality is a given, fight for a bigger piece of a smaller pie, or get ready to grab market share when your industry turns around.
Only the Strong have Survived.
1 or 2 years ago, our conversations were all about "cutting costs." Lets stop the bleeding, control cash flow, scale back the "company's lifestyle."
Only those that successfully cut costs are still around. Yes, there is an exception to every rule, but dozens of dozens of manufacturers in 6 states can't be wrong.
Today, the owners know they dodged a bullet, they know that they survived because they were proactive. BUT, now its all about sales!!!
Get me the sales, show me the sales, help me find the best salespeople, lets look at pricing to generate sales, etc., etc., etc. Thats all I hear.
Since only the strong have survived, now we are down to the Quarter Finals of a tough tournament. All the riff-raff are gone. Time to work on sales, quality is a given, fight for a bigger piece of a smaller pie, or get ready to grab market share when your industry turns around.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Obama at the Bat (a take on Casey at the Bat)
The other day I forwarded an e-mail to my friends and family,
I was disappointed with yet another decision by the Obama administration, at the end of the e-mail I wrote, “It’s a sad day in Mudville,” in a reference to the famous poem Casey at the Bat. Then before I sent the e-mail, I thought about that line. Then I thought about how so many people put an unrealistic amount of hope into Obama’s ability to single handedly change the government.
Then I realized that given the current state of the economy, the war in Afghanistan, Gitmo, the Cash-for-Clunkers missteps, and the 16 point fall in the polls that Obama was a lot like Casey. So, I took the liberty of changing some of the words to the famous poem, its written below. Enjoy. If you have forgotten the famous poem, scroll to the bottom and read the poem, it will help you with the rhyme and rhythm of my version.
The Outlook wasn't brilliant for America that day:
The election was close, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Edwards died in June, and Romney did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Obama could get a whack at that –
We'd put up even money, with Obama at the bat.
But John went after Bar-rack, as did also Hillary,
The former was a hero, the latter an enemy;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Obama getting to bat.
With Palin nominated, to the wonderment of all,
Mc-Cain, the much despis-ed, began his steady clumsy fall;
And when the dust had lifted, the men saw what had occurred,
There was Biden safe at second and Clinton hugging third.
Then from 5 million throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, and it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Barrack, mighty ‘bama, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Obama’s style as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Sharpton’s bearing and a smile on Jesse’s face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Obama at bat.
The whole world’s eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five billion tongues rejoiced when he rolled the sleeves of his shirt.
While the new majority started shooting from their hip,
Defiance gleamed in Boehner’s eye, a sneer curled Michelle’s lip.
And now Chrysler, G-M and A-I-G cruised through the air,
And Bar-rack stood a-watching ‘em in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Barrack. "Strike one," Rush Limbaugh said.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill Rush Limbaugh!" shouted Maddow and Olbermann’s staff;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Biden made a gaffe.
With a smooth smile delivery Obama’s visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; and he bade the game go on;
He toured the Arab nations, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Barrack still ignored it, and Hannity said, "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;
But one speech from Emanuel and the crowd was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
They knew Obama wouldn't let that ball go by again.
Healthcare spills from Obama’s lip, Pelosi leers with hate;
Unemployment, Afghanistan, Resigned Czars seal his fate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
Now the air is shattered by the speed his polls fell so low.
Oh, somewhere in North Korea the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing in Iraq, Islamists hearts are light,
In Iran clerics are laughing, in Pakistan children shout;
There’s no joy in America - mighty Obama struck out.
********CASEY AT THE BAT*********
The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -
We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despis-ed, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.
I was disappointed with yet another decision by the Obama administration, at the end of the e-mail I wrote, “It’s a sad day in Mudville,” in a reference to the famous poem Casey at the Bat. Then before I sent the e-mail, I thought about that line. Then I thought about how so many people put an unrealistic amount of hope into Obama’s ability to single handedly change the government.
Then I realized that given the current state of the economy, the war in Afghanistan, Gitmo, the Cash-for-Clunkers missteps, and the 16 point fall in the polls that Obama was a lot like Casey. So, I took the liberty of changing some of the words to the famous poem, its written below. Enjoy. If you have forgotten the famous poem, scroll to the bottom and read the poem, it will help you with the rhyme and rhythm of my version.
The Outlook wasn't brilliant for America that day:
The election was close, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Edwards died in June, and Romney did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Obama could get a whack at that –
We'd put up even money, with Obama at the bat.
But John went after Bar-rack, as did also Hillary,
The former was a hero, the latter an enemy;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Obama getting to bat.
With Palin nominated, to the wonderment of all,
Mc-Cain, the much despis-ed, began his steady clumsy fall;
And when the dust had lifted, the men saw what had occurred,
There was Biden safe at second and Clinton hugging third.
Then from 5 million throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, and it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Barrack, mighty ‘bama, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Obama’s style as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Sharpton’s bearing and a smile on Jesse’s face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Obama at bat.
The whole world’s eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five billion tongues rejoiced when he rolled the sleeves of his shirt.
While the new majority started shooting from their hip,
Defiance gleamed in Boehner’s eye, a sneer curled Michelle’s lip.
And now Chrysler, G-M and A-I-G cruised through the air,
And Bar-rack stood a-watching ‘em in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Barrack. "Strike one," Rush Limbaugh said.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill Rush Limbaugh!" shouted Maddow and Olbermann’s staff;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Biden made a gaffe.
With a smooth smile delivery Obama’s visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; and he bade the game go on;
He toured the Arab nations, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Barrack still ignored it, and Hannity said, "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;
But one speech from Emanuel and the crowd was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
They knew Obama wouldn't let that ball go by again.
Healthcare spills from Obama’s lip, Pelosi leers with hate;
Unemployment, Afghanistan, Resigned Czars seal his fate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
Now the air is shattered by the speed his polls fell so low.
Oh, somewhere in North Korea the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing in Iraq, Islamists hearts are light,
In Iran clerics are laughing, in Pakistan children shout;
There’s no joy in America - mighty Obama struck out.
********CASEY AT THE BAT*********
The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -
We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despis-ed, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.
From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."
"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
"Fat Tax" - unbelievable
There is a gentleman from the East Coast that works for my company; he was recently in Chicago for some advanced training. While we were talking about work we ventured into a conversation about politics, which happens a lot. He told me about a 4% tax on sugar (soda, cookies, and junk food) and fast food that was probably going to happen in his state.
I wish I could say that I was surprised. New York already outlawed trans-fats in the entire city; and in most cities admitting to being a smoker is tantamount to a Scarlett Letter.
I believe that any penalties for health issues (obesity, not “preexisting conditions) should be relegated to the world of health insurance. If someone is in good shape, and has the occasional sweet tooth, why should they pay a “fat tax” to support the health needs of the obese? Is this not an issue of choice and self control?
Just to be sure I have this straight: everyone that eats “unhealthy” foods must pay a penalty in the form a “fat tax” to supplement the increased health care costs of the obese that have no self control in the face of the same “unhealthy” foods.
Pay attention, I want you to read this here first:
If the price of “unhealthy” food skyrockets (because of increased taxation) then eventually it will create a black market for Big Macs. That right, I said it, there will be drug-trafficking arrests for people that smuggle Whoppers & Coke across state lines. Does that mean phrases like “Burger King,” or the “Hamburgler,” or even Skittles’ “Taste the Rainbow” will take on new meanings in pop culture; even finding their way into popular music as euphemisms for “contraband,” or for getting a “sugar high.”
Soon the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives) will become the ATFEFS for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Fast Food & Sugar. I don’t like the sound of that. How about: FATFES. Yeah, that’ll look good on a hat or badge.
Here is an interesting observation, since becoming obese has more to do with quantities-eaten than it does with the item eaten; does that mean there will be a frequent-diner-surcharge. Think about it, the average family of four only needs 8-10,000 calories a day to meet FDA recommendations. So, if a family buys too much food (traceable with their saver-cards at the grocery store), then there will be an “indulgent diet tax.” And if that happens, no longer will people throw BYOB parties; they will throw Bring Your Own Food parties because buying food for a cookout in mass quantities will be too expensive.
Am I being ridiculous? Really? You think so? Go back in time 50 years to 1959, tell people that smoking would be outlawed in bars, trans fats would be outlawed in New York City, the government would own most of General Motors, cameras would ticket you at red lights…shall I continue?
I wish I could say that I was surprised. New York already outlawed trans-fats in the entire city; and in most cities admitting to being a smoker is tantamount to a Scarlett Letter.
I believe that any penalties for health issues (obesity, not “preexisting conditions) should be relegated to the world of health insurance. If someone is in good shape, and has the occasional sweet tooth, why should they pay a “fat tax” to support the health needs of the obese? Is this not an issue of choice and self control?
Just to be sure I have this straight: everyone that eats “unhealthy” foods must pay a penalty in the form a “fat tax” to supplement the increased health care costs of the obese that have no self control in the face of the same “unhealthy” foods.
Pay attention, I want you to read this here first:
If the price of “unhealthy” food skyrockets (because of increased taxation) then eventually it will create a black market for Big Macs. That right, I said it, there will be drug-trafficking arrests for people that smuggle Whoppers & Coke across state lines. Does that mean phrases like “Burger King,” or the “Hamburgler,” or even Skittles’ “Taste the Rainbow” will take on new meanings in pop culture; even finding their way into popular music as euphemisms for “contraband,” or for getting a “sugar high.”
Soon the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives) will become the ATFEFS for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Fast Food & Sugar. I don’t like the sound of that. How about: FATFES. Yeah, that’ll look good on a hat or badge.
Here is an interesting observation, since becoming obese has more to do with quantities-eaten than it does with the item eaten; does that mean there will be a frequent-diner-surcharge. Think about it, the average family of four only needs 8-10,000 calories a day to meet FDA recommendations. So, if a family buys too much food (traceable with their saver-cards at the grocery store), then there will be an “indulgent diet tax.” And if that happens, no longer will people throw BYOB parties; they will throw Bring Your Own Food parties because buying food for a cookout in mass quantities will be too expensive.
Am I being ridiculous? Really? You think so? Go back in time 50 years to 1959, tell people that smoking would be outlawed in bars, trans fats would be outlawed in New York City, the government would own most of General Motors, cameras would ticket you at red lights…shall I continue?
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Musings (more of a relay) on new Healthcare Bill
So, even today, no one really knows what the new Healthcare Bill (if it passes) will mean.
The only thing people really seem to understand is that the system should be improved;
the question is how.
well, that being said, and since I speak to dozens and dozens of small business owners every week, I thought it would be intersting to put their opinion on the web. [for those that are wondering why I'm talking about healthcare every day, I work for a consulting firm to small & medium sized business, it comes up a lot)
The overwhelming concensus among small business owners that I speak to is that they will....
wait for it......
eliminate full time employees from their companies.
Now, there are exceptions. Many small business owners have said they will keep (most) family and (a few) their most essential employees on full time. That will be interesting, today you are a full time employee, tomorrow you have two part time jobs and actually spend more money on benefits, so now you work more hours at two jobs and don't have more money leftover to show for it.
The small business owners in the service industries (trades, contractors, and even many white collar services like architects, lawyers, etc.) said they will transition to 1099 employees whenever possible. This already exists in brokerages & agencies; flooring & trucking, to name a few. How many employees that say "yes" to benefits from the employer will chose "no" on their own. These are the "willfully uninsured" we hear about on the news, and in this system the numbers may swell.
Seems like the new bill, if it mandates employeer payments, will actually have the opposite effect - essentially driving millions of employees into part-time or independent contractor status where they will need to pay full price for their own insurance. Now won't that be an interesting case of unintented consequences.
I must agree, changes should be made. But don't forget:
Change is Easy; Improvement is Something Different.
The only thing people really seem to understand is that the system should be improved;
the question is how.
well, that being said, and since I speak to dozens and dozens of small business owners every week, I thought it would be intersting to put their opinion on the web. [for those that are wondering why I'm talking about healthcare every day, I work for a consulting firm to small & medium sized business, it comes up a lot)
The overwhelming concensus among small business owners that I speak to is that they will....
wait for it......
eliminate full time employees from their companies.
Now, there are exceptions. Many small business owners have said they will keep (most) family and (a few) their most essential employees on full time. That will be interesting, today you are a full time employee, tomorrow you have two part time jobs and actually spend more money on benefits, so now you work more hours at two jobs and don't have more money leftover to show for it.
The small business owners in the service industries (trades, contractors, and even many white collar services like architects, lawyers, etc.) said they will transition to 1099 employees whenever possible. This already exists in brokerages & agencies; flooring & trucking, to name a few. How many employees that say "yes" to benefits from the employer will chose "no" on their own. These are the "willfully uninsured" we hear about on the news, and in this system the numbers may swell.
Seems like the new bill, if it mandates employeer payments, will actually have the opposite effect - essentially driving millions of employees into part-time or independent contractor status where they will need to pay full price for their own insurance. Now won't that be an interesting case of unintented consequences.
I must agree, changes should be made. But don't forget:
Change is Easy; Improvement is Something Different.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Business Poll
I find that one of the most frustrating aspects of selling consulting to small-medium business owners is that they have an unhealthy degree of trust in the accountants ability to solve their problems, and secondly, their desire to blame politics and "the economy" for their problems when in actuality the economy usually just exposed the weaknesses of their business.
Below is an intersting survey conducted by my company:
PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS - July 7, 2009 - Visit the press room in the George S. May International Company website (www.georgesmay.com) to read our latest press release.
55% of the business owners surveyed say they are profitable,
yet 50% say they are not satisfied with their workout plan.
Next, 60% of SMB polled named 'The Economy' as the #1 reason for not being profitable.
"The #1 reason for their lack of profitability will always be the 'soup du jour.' If not 'The Economy,' then it's 'The President,' if not that, 'The Cost of Fuel' and on and on and on. This would be consistent with the question, 'What professional advisor do you consult for business help?' where 45% polled named their accountant as the person they go to for advice. Well, if wanting to know what happened in the past is your agenda, then they are consulting the right person. George S. May International Company knows that accountants/CPA's look back at what happened while consultants develop a preplanned profit model with little room for variance." (comments made by GSMIC managing director Paul Rauseo)
Below is an intersting survey conducted by my company:
PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS - July 7, 2009 - Visit the press room in the George S. May International Company website (www.georgesmay.com) to read our latest press release.
55% of the business owners surveyed say they are profitable,
yet 50% say they are not satisfied with their workout plan.
Next, 60% of SMB polled named 'The Economy' as the #1 reason for not being profitable.
"The #1 reason for their lack of profitability will always be the 'soup du jour.' If not 'The Economy,' then it's 'The President,' if not that, 'The Cost of Fuel' and on and on and on. This would be consistent with the question, 'What professional advisor do you consult for business help?' where 45% polled named their accountant as the person they go to for advice. Well, if wanting to know what happened in the past is your agenda, then they are consulting the right person. George S. May International Company knows that accountants/CPA's look back at what happened while consultants develop a preplanned profit model with little room for variance." (comments made by GSMIC managing director Paul Rauseo)
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
DERIVATIVE MARKET EXPLAINED :-)
Too bad no one stands up and speaks "plainly" to the American public about whats going on.
An Easily Understandable Explanation of Derivative Markets:
Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit . She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem, she comes up with new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later.
She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).
Word gets around about Heidi's "drink now, pay later" marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in Detroit.
By providing her customers freedom from immediate payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Consequently, Heidi's gross sales volume increases massively.
A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for any undue concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral.
At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert traders transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then bundled and traded on international security markets. Naive investors don't really understand that the securities being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of unemployed alcoholics.Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb, and the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation's leading brokerage houses.
One day, even though the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar. He so informs Heidi.
Heidi then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed alcoholics they cannot pay back their drinking debts. Since, Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations she is forced into bankruptcy. The bar closes and the eleven employees lose their jobs.
Overnight, DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS drop in price by 90%. The collapsed bond asset value destroys the banks liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity in the community.
The suppliers of Heidi's bar had granted her generous payment extensions and had invested their firms' pension funds in the various BOND securities. They find they are now faced with having to write off her bad debt and with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the bonds. Her wine supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 150 workers..
Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi-billion dollar no-strings attached cash infusion from the Government. The funds required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed, middle-class, non-drinkers.
An Easily Understandable Explanation of Derivative Markets:
Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit . She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem, she comes up with new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later.
She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).
Word gets around about Heidi's "drink now, pay later" marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in Detroit.
By providing her customers freedom from immediate payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Consequently, Heidi's gross sales volume increases massively.
A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for any undue concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral.
At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert traders transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then bundled and traded on international security markets. Naive investors don't really understand that the securities being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of unemployed alcoholics.Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb, and the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation's leading brokerage houses.
One day, even though the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar. He so informs Heidi.
Heidi then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed alcoholics they cannot pay back their drinking debts. Since, Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations she is forced into bankruptcy. The bar closes and the eleven employees lose their jobs.
Overnight, DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS drop in price by 90%. The collapsed bond asset value destroys the banks liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity in the community.
The suppliers of Heidi's bar had granted her generous payment extensions and had invested their firms' pension funds in the various BOND securities. They find they are now faced with having to write off her bad debt and with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the bonds. Her wine supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 150 workers..
Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi-billion dollar no-strings attached cash infusion from the Government. The funds required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed, middle-class, non-drinkers.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Eurabia - warning for culture conflict in Belgium
Below is the e-mail I sent to my friends about the clash brewing in Europe:
Think back to stories from history, or better yet, go watch Gangs of New York and see how ugly it got in NYC when differnet people (both from similar western Judeo-Christian cultures) clashed.
recall look at how messy it got when the Persians and the Greeks clashed,
or when the Ottomans clashed with the Balkans
Then, check out the article below, people get sick of the boy who cried wolf, but you can mark my words that there is going to be some real conflict in Europe before many of us under 35 die.
Don't be surprised if the USA gets involved in Europe, in another war, to preserve our desired way of life.
(by the way, this isn't an isolated article, but after a bunch of similiar articles I was motivated to post my preface before sending this on.)
Politicians Fret as Muslim Population Swells in Europe Amid Little Integration
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 By Greg Burke
BRUSSELS, Belgium — A clash of civilizations may be taking place on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, but it's also happening a lot more quietly in European cities.
Old Europe's population is dwindling even as immigration and high birth rates among Muslim groups are swelling in cities all over the continent.
And in Belgium, it is no different.
Filip Dewinter, a leader of the far-right separatist party Vlaams Belang, predicts there will eventually be a kind of civil war when the longtime residents of Brussels — the nation's capital and administrative seat of the European Union — realize their city is about to be taken over by Muslim immigrants.
Although there are no official statistics on how many Muslims live in Brussels, it is believed they make up about 25 percent of the city’s 1 million urban residents. Dewinter, who opposes immigration and has called Islamophobia a "duty," claims three of the 19 sections of Brussels, each with its own mayor, now have Muslim majorities.
"In those neighborhoods it's not our government that's in power," he said, "but the Muslim authorities — the mosques, the imams — who are in charge."
FOX News visited one of those neighborhoods, called Molenbeek, which looks more like North Africa than the heart of Europe.
For some Belgians, that's not a problem. The mayor of Molenbeek, Socialist Philippe Moureaux, has worked hard to help Muslims try to integrate over the past decade and a half.
Moureaux believes multiculturalism is a good thing. He says even those who disagree with him should get used to life as it is in Brussels today: "Be realistic. They're here. They're relatively numerous and they're growing."
Many Moroccans have been in Belgium for decades and are now citizens, as are their children. The imam of one of the main mosques, which thousands of young Moroccans attend each Friday, stressed that Muslim immigrants have starting blending in around Brussels.
During FOX News' brief visit, there were no fiery demonstrations of the kind that have wracked the Netherlands, though the municipality is sometimes considered dangerous to traverse at night.
Yet Molenbeek remains disconcerting. Belgian police assigned three plainclothes officers to watch over a FOX News team shooting street scenes one morning in Molenbeek. When FOX News returned in the afternoon as more people were out and about, the police said it would be safer not to get out of the car. It wasn't even dark yet.
Part of that fear stems from particularly nasty street crime, something that can happen in bad neighborhoods in any big European — or American — city. But part of it is due to strong anti-Western sentiment among Belgium's Muslims, which suggests that true integration is still a long way off.
Mayor Moureaux blames the problems on a tiny number of very violent youths who are condemned by everyone, including the Muslim community.
But for Dewinter, integration simply isn't working. He claims the great majority of the Muslims don't want it to work. So instead of being a melting pot, Brussels has become a city that does everything possible to appease Islam, he claims.
"Halal food is served in the schools, not only for Muslim children, but for all the children," said Dewinter, adding that municipal pools in Brussels now have separate hours for men and women to swim.
The anti-immigrant Vlaams Belang, once considered a pariah party, now controls about 24 percent of the Belgian vote, a trend matched in other European countries with burgeoning Muslim populations.
Though the immigration debate has not yet reached the fever pitch it has in the U.S., a real test will come when a major European city has a Muslim majority. The first could be Marseilles, in France, or Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. But don't count out Brussels, the heart and capital of Europe.
Think back to stories from history, or better yet, go watch Gangs of New York and see how ugly it got in NYC when differnet people (both from similar western Judeo-Christian cultures) clashed.
recall look at how messy it got when the Persians and the Greeks clashed,
or when the Ottomans clashed with the Balkans
Then, check out the article below, people get sick of the boy who cried wolf, but you can mark my words that there is going to be some real conflict in Europe before many of us under 35 die.
Don't be surprised if the USA gets involved in Europe, in another war, to preserve our desired way of life.
(by the way, this isn't an isolated article, but after a bunch of similiar articles I was motivated to post my preface before sending this on.)
Politicians Fret as Muslim Population Swells in Europe Amid Little Integration
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 By Greg Burke
BRUSSELS, Belgium — A clash of civilizations may be taking place on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, but it's also happening a lot more quietly in European cities.
Old Europe's population is dwindling even as immigration and high birth rates among Muslim groups are swelling in cities all over the continent.
And in Belgium, it is no different.
Filip Dewinter, a leader of the far-right separatist party Vlaams Belang, predicts there will eventually be a kind of civil war when the longtime residents of Brussels — the nation's capital and administrative seat of the European Union — realize their city is about to be taken over by Muslim immigrants.
Although there are no official statistics on how many Muslims live in Brussels, it is believed they make up about 25 percent of the city’s 1 million urban residents. Dewinter, who opposes immigration and has called Islamophobia a "duty," claims three of the 19 sections of Brussels, each with its own mayor, now have Muslim majorities.
"In those neighborhoods it's not our government that's in power," he said, "but the Muslim authorities — the mosques, the imams — who are in charge."
FOX News visited one of those neighborhoods, called Molenbeek, which looks more like North Africa than the heart of Europe.
For some Belgians, that's not a problem. The mayor of Molenbeek, Socialist Philippe Moureaux, has worked hard to help Muslims try to integrate over the past decade and a half.
Moureaux believes multiculturalism is a good thing. He says even those who disagree with him should get used to life as it is in Brussels today: "Be realistic. They're here. They're relatively numerous and they're growing."
Many Moroccans have been in Belgium for decades and are now citizens, as are their children. The imam of one of the main mosques, which thousands of young Moroccans attend each Friday, stressed that Muslim immigrants have starting blending in around Brussels.
During FOX News' brief visit, there were no fiery demonstrations of the kind that have wracked the Netherlands, though the municipality is sometimes considered dangerous to traverse at night.
Yet Molenbeek remains disconcerting. Belgian police assigned three plainclothes officers to watch over a FOX News team shooting street scenes one morning in Molenbeek. When FOX News returned in the afternoon as more people were out and about, the police said it would be safer not to get out of the car. It wasn't even dark yet.
Part of that fear stems from particularly nasty street crime, something that can happen in bad neighborhoods in any big European — or American — city. But part of it is due to strong anti-Western sentiment among Belgium's Muslims, which suggests that true integration is still a long way off.
Mayor Moureaux blames the problems on a tiny number of very violent youths who are condemned by everyone, including the Muslim community.
But for Dewinter, integration simply isn't working. He claims the great majority of the Muslims don't want it to work. So instead of being a melting pot, Brussels has become a city that does everything possible to appease Islam, he claims.
"Halal food is served in the schools, not only for Muslim children, but for all the children," said Dewinter, adding that municipal pools in Brussels now have separate hours for men and women to swim.
The anti-immigrant Vlaams Belang, once considered a pariah party, now controls about 24 percent of the Belgian vote, a trend matched in other European countries with burgeoning Muslim populations.
Though the immigration debate has not yet reached the fever pitch it has in the U.S., a real test will come when a major European city has a Muslim majority. The first could be Marseilles, in France, or Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. But don't count out Brussels, the heart and capital of Europe.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Results of Poll - accepted votes from Dec 29, 08 - Feb 28, 09
I ran a poll on LinkedIn (a professional social networking site) for two months, this was the result of my poll.
The vote were pretty even between men & women
The higher the income-group (assumed income group by self-identified job type: professional, student, laborer, etc) the more likely they were to vote for "bankrupt."
If either of the Big Three runs out of money in '09 should the gov't
Overall Results
5% Give Another Bigger Bailout
5% Give a Second Equal Size Bailout
5% Take over the Auto Industry
29% Do Nothing
59% Allow them to go Bankrupt
The vote were pretty even between men & women
The higher the income-group (assumed income group by self-identified job type: professional, student, laborer, etc) the more likely they were to vote for "bankrupt."
If either of the Big Three runs out of money in '09 should the gov't
Overall Results
5% Give Another Bigger Bailout
5% Give a Second Equal Size Bailout
5% Take over the Auto Industry
29% Do Nothing
59% Allow them to go Bankrupt
Saturday, November 08, 2008
How much Gov't is too much?
Here is an elementary breakdown of how many Americans the gov’t supports.
There are just over 300,000,000 Million people living in America :
About 75,000,000 are under the age of 18 (225,000,000 adults).
122,021,103 people voted (about half the adult country)
64,000,000 - or - 52% voted for Obama
Therefore, 28% of Adults (64,000,000) knowingly voted for socialism Tuesday, whether they know what it is or not.
47 million employed Americans do not pay income taxes.
More than 15 million Americans work for state and local government.
More than 900,000 Americans work for the quasi-governmental U.S. Post Office.
Totaling 16,000,000 Americans that work for the government.
75 million minors + 47 million that do not pay income tax + 16 million government employees = 135 million
Therefore, 46% of ALL Americans or 28% of Adults directly live off of the government.
and that doesn't even begin to address the Illegal Alien costs, MedicAid costs and other "entitlement programs."
There are just over 300,000,000 Million people living in America :
About 75,000,000 are under the age of 18 (225,000,000 adults).
122,021,103 people voted (about half the adult country)
64,000,000 - or - 52% voted for Obama
Therefore, 28% of Adults (64,000,000) knowingly voted for socialism Tuesday, whether they know what it is or not.
47 million employed Americans do not pay income taxes.
More than 15 million Americans work for state and local government.
More than 900,000 Americans work for the quasi-governmental U.S. Post Office.
Totaling 16,000,000 Americans that work for the government.
75 million minors + 47 million that do not pay income tax + 16 million government employees = 135 million
Therefore, 46% of ALL Americans or 28% of Adults directly live off of the government.
and that doesn't even begin to address the Illegal Alien costs, MedicAid costs and other "entitlement programs."
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Look back to (and fighting for) Republican Roots
This weekend, being July 4th, I like many Americans participated in various patriotic activities. I spent a portion of my day reading a biography of Alexander Hamilton. There are many quotes, passages and ideas in the book which I will bring to this blog in the future. However, for now I will say that the more I read of this book, the more I agree with Hamilton's politics. So, this got me thinking to the start of the Republican Party.
Today, July 6th, marks the 154th Anniversary of the Republican Party.
In Jackson, Michigan in 1854 the first convention of the United States Republican Party was held. It was a coalition of Whigs, Northern Democrats and "Free Soilers" who opposed the expansion of Slavery (opposed Kansas-Nebraska Act) and held a Hamiltonian vision for modernizing the country. Besides opposition to slavery, the new party put forward a vision of modernizing the United States—emphasizing higher education, banking, railroads, industry and cities, while promising free homesteads to farmers.
Given the historical significance of today, I got to thinking: In business, the best way to justify a higher price for a better value is to educate your customer on the difference. Teach your customer to appreciate the better quality, allow them to grow accustomed to the better quality, then they will pay for it. Similarly, I think the best way to expand the base of the Republican Party is to explain the historical and practical reasonings for its beliefs. Educate the people as to why Republicans feel the way they do, illuminate the responsible choice, and people will follow.
The modern Democrat Party, with their Jefferson-Jackson dinners to name one example, have some how managed to hijack the legacy of early presidents to justify their political positions. Yes, Jefferson was in favor of a purer democracy while Hamilton was more in favor of republicanism. However, the Republican Party needs to celebrate Adams & Hamilton and draw a straght line to Lincoln - TR - Reagan. The GOP also needs to explain how Washington was a Federalist and how John Marshall (Chief Justice), as a Federalist, preserved nationalism and the integrity of the Constitution. The Republican Party is losing the battle to protect and celebrate its history. Some how the Democrats have used Jefferson's popularity as a means to bury Hamilton; they have used John Marshall's judicial review as means to justify their activist-judges. And, in the biggest historical-scam of all, the modern Democrat Party has used early Democrat-visions of a purer democracy, in the hands of the people to protect against a strong executive, and have turned it into a justification for socialist programs via Wilson, FRD & LBJ.
More importantly, and this goes back to educating the masses, the Republian Party (in its true form, when not being watered down by quasi-conservatives who spend too much) is failing to showcase how fiscal responsibility, a strong executive and conservative judges are not modern creations. These ideas are not a creation of the modern GOP to take advantage of fear (war on terror) or cultural opportunities ("religious right") or money, as the Democrats would have you believe. These principals of fiscal responsibility, a strong executive and conservative judges are the root of our founding as a nation. They were at the root of our first 2 Presidents, our first Secretary of the Treasury and our first Chief Justice. They were at the root of the first meeting of the Republican Party 154 years ago, and these were the guiding principals of Lincoln, the First Republican President, when he saved our nation from ruin. These pillars of conservatism can be seen at the turn of the 20th century in Teddy Roosevelt and at the end of the 20th century in Ronald Reagan.
I have alway believed that conservatism is a more intellectally challenging belief system. The onis is on the Republican Party to educate the voters, highlight the historical precedence for Republican beliefs, and do not let the Democrat Party own the political history of the USA.
Today, July 6th, marks the 154th Anniversary of the Republican Party.
In Jackson, Michigan in 1854 the first convention of the United States Republican Party was held. It was a coalition of Whigs, Northern Democrats and "Free Soilers" who opposed the expansion of Slavery (opposed Kansas-Nebraska Act) and held a Hamiltonian vision for modernizing the country. Besides opposition to slavery, the new party put forward a vision of modernizing the United States—emphasizing higher education, banking, railroads, industry and cities, while promising free homesteads to farmers.
Given the historical significance of today, I got to thinking: In business, the best way to justify a higher price for a better value is to educate your customer on the difference. Teach your customer to appreciate the better quality, allow them to grow accustomed to the better quality, then they will pay for it. Similarly, I think the best way to expand the base of the Republican Party is to explain the historical and practical reasonings for its beliefs. Educate the people as to why Republicans feel the way they do, illuminate the responsible choice, and people will follow.
The modern Democrat Party, with their Jefferson-Jackson dinners to name one example, have some how managed to hijack the legacy of early presidents to justify their political positions. Yes, Jefferson was in favor of a purer democracy while Hamilton was more in favor of republicanism. However, the Republican Party needs to celebrate Adams & Hamilton and draw a straght line to Lincoln - TR - Reagan. The GOP also needs to explain how Washington was a Federalist and how John Marshall (Chief Justice), as a Federalist, preserved nationalism and the integrity of the Constitution. The Republican Party is losing the battle to protect and celebrate its history. Some how the Democrats have used Jefferson's popularity as a means to bury Hamilton; they have used John Marshall's judicial review as means to justify their activist-judges. And, in the biggest historical-scam of all, the modern Democrat Party has used early Democrat-visions of a purer democracy, in the hands of the people to protect against a strong executive, and have turned it into a justification for socialist programs via Wilson, FRD & LBJ.
More importantly, and this goes back to educating the masses, the Republian Party (in its true form, when not being watered down by quasi-conservatives who spend too much) is failing to showcase how fiscal responsibility, a strong executive and conservative judges are not modern creations. These ideas are not a creation of the modern GOP to take advantage of fear (war on terror) or cultural opportunities ("religious right") or money, as the Democrats would have you believe. These principals of fiscal responsibility, a strong executive and conservative judges are the root of our founding as a nation. They were at the root of our first 2 Presidents, our first Secretary of the Treasury and our first Chief Justice. They were at the root of the first meeting of the Republican Party 154 years ago, and these were the guiding principals of Lincoln, the First Republican President, when he saved our nation from ruin. These pillars of conservatism can be seen at the turn of the 20th century in Teddy Roosevelt and at the end of the 20th century in Ronald Reagan.
I have alway believed that conservatism is a more intellectally challenging belief system. The onis is on the Republican Party to educate the voters, highlight the historical precedence for Republican beliefs, and do not let the Democrat Party own the political history of the USA.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Interesting Quotes & Passages from John Adams #1
While reading John Adams by David McCullough I found a number of interesting passages and quotes that I will share here over the next few weeks.
I always thought that easiest way to dissassemble something, is to find the person who assembled it, and ask them what to do. With that in mind, I find Adams' passage below very interesting. First, he honestly believed-in and could visualize America's grandeur before it had even become a sovereign state. Secondly, in an almost prescient warning to future Americans, Adams implies that American disunity (does this include today's current lack of assimilation?) or perhaps American culture (does this include the supposed corrosion of morality today?) may lead to our undoing. Alas, we have the benefit of history to draw upon and learn our lessons. We need not follow these paths to ruin; heed Adams' warning.
October 12 1755, Adams wrote to a classmate and his cousin Nathan Webb:
"Even mighty states and kingdoms are not exempted. If we look into history, we shall find some nations rising from contemtible beginnings and spreading their influence, until the whole globe is subjected to their ways. When they have reached the summit of grandeur, some minute and unsuspected cause commonly affects their ruin, and the empire of the world is transferred to some other place. Immortal Rome was at first but an insignificant village, inhabited only by a few abandoned ruffians, but by degrees it rose to a stupendous height, and excelled in arts and arms all the nations that preceded it. But the demolition of Carthage (what one should think should have established it in supreme dominion) by removing all danger, suffered it to sink into debauchery, and made it at length an easy prey to Barbarians.
England immediately upon this began to increase (the particular and minute cause of which I am not historian enough to trace) in power and magnificence, and is now the greatest nation upon the globe.
Soon after the Reformation a few people came over into the new world for conscience sake. Perhaps this (apparently) trivial incident may transfer the great seat of empire into America. It looks likely to me. For if we can remove the turbulent Gallics, our people according to exactest computations, will in another century, become more numerous than England itself. Should this be the case, since we have (I may say) all the naval stores of the nation in our hands, it will be easy to obtain the mastery of the seas, and then the united force of all Europe, will not be able to subdue us. The only way to keep us from setting up for ourselves is to disunite us. Divide et impera. Keep us in distinct colonies, and then, some great men in each colony, desiring the monarchy of the whole, they will destro each others' influence and keep the country in equilibrio.
Be not surprised that I am turned politician. The whole town is immersed in politics."
I always thought that easiest way to dissassemble something, is to find the person who assembled it, and ask them what to do. With that in mind, I find Adams' passage below very interesting. First, he honestly believed-in and could visualize America's grandeur before it had even become a sovereign state. Secondly, in an almost prescient warning to future Americans, Adams implies that American disunity (does this include today's current lack of assimilation?) or perhaps American culture (does this include the supposed corrosion of morality today?) may lead to our undoing. Alas, we have the benefit of history to draw upon and learn our lessons. We need not follow these paths to ruin; heed Adams' warning.
October 12 1755, Adams wrote to a classmate and his cousin Nathan Webb:
"Even mighty states and kingdoms are not exempted. If we look into history, we shall find some nations rising from contemtible beginnings and spreading their influence, until the whole globe is subjected to their ways. When they have reached the summit of grandeur, some minute and unsuspected cause commonly affects their ruin, and the empire of the world is transferred to some other place. Immortal Rome was at first but an insignificant village, inhabited only by a few abandoned ruffians, but by degrees it rose to a stupendous height, and excelled in arts and arms all the nations that preceded it. But the demolition of Carthage (what one should think should have established it in supreme dominion) by removing all danger, suffered it to sink into debauchery, and made it at length an easy prey to Barbarians.
England immediately upon this began to increase (the particular and minute cause of which I am not historian enough to trace) in power and magnificence, and is now the greatest nation upon the globe.
Soon after the Reformation a few people came over into the new world for conscience sake. Perhaps this (apparently) trivial incident may transfer the great seat of empire into America. It looks likely to me. For if we can remove the turbulent Gallics, our people according to exactest computations, will in another century, become more numerous than England itself. Should this be the case, since we have (I may say) all the naval stores of the nation in our hands, it will be easy to obtain the mastery of the seas, and then the united force of all Europe, will not be able to subdue us. The only way to keep us from setting up for ourselves is to disunite us. Divide et impera. Keep us in distinct colonies, and then, some great men in each colony, desiring the monarchy of the whole, they will destro each others' influence and keep the country in equilibrio.
Be not surprised that I am turned politician. The whole town is immersed in politics."
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Tax Reality
For those who honestly believe that the "Rich" are getting tax breaks, and for those of you that think the "Poor" are over taxed, here is the reality of the tax system (through 2005).
Given that it is an election year I hope this e-mail will help illuminate who is & WHO ISN'T PULLING THEIR WEIGHT. These numbers are available through the IRS.
The Top 1% of Tax Returns pay 39% of ALL Federal Income Taxes
(up from 37% before Bush took office)
The Top 25% pay 86% of all Federal Income Tax
The Top 50% pay 97% of all Federal Income Taxes.
So, in a country of 300 million people there were 133.6 million tax returns in 2005.
Which means, in a country of 300 million people, 1.3 million pay 39% of the taxes.
Which also means, 33 million tax returns (you & me) pay 86% of the federal taxes.
So, next time someone claims that tax cuts for the "Rich" are unfair, ask them how much income makes someone rich? [As a side note, as married couple, one of which is a 25 year veteran of the police department and the other has in 25 years as a teacher, this couple will earn $125,000 in 2007 if they live in Chicago. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't consider a police officer and a teacher to be rich, would you?] Then, explain to them that since the bottom 50% of wage earners pay virtually no taxes, how in the world can you cut taxes below zero ?!?
Given that it is an election year I hope this e-mail will help illuminate who is & WHO ISN'T PULLING THEIR WEIGHT. These numbers are available through the IRS.
The Top 1% of Tax Returns pay 39% of ALL Federal Income Taxes
(up from 37% before Bush took office)
The Top 25% pay 86% of all Federal Income Tax
The Top 50% pay 97% of all Federal Income Taxes.
So, in a country of 300 million people there were 133.6 million tax returns in 2005.
Which means, in a country of 300 million people, 1.3 million pay 39% of the taxes.
Which also means, 33 million tax returns (you & me) pay 86% of the federal taxes.
So, next time someone claims that tax cuts for the "Rich" are unfair, ask them how much income makes someone rich? [As a side note, as married couple, one of which is a 25 year veteran of the police department and the other has in 25 years as a teacher, this couple will earn $125,000 in 2007 if they live in Chicago. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't consider a police officer and a teacher to be rich, would you?] Then, explain to them that since the bottom 50% of wage earners pay virtually no taxes, how in the world can you cut taxes below zero ?!?
