Is Uncle Sam A Good Businessman?
71
I received an e-mail from my friend Harvey Stelman. Harvey got kicked off the Hub, but is doing well considering his health for those who know this dear man. Something he said got me thinking. Our nation is 15 trillion dollars in debt and climbing. We're paying over $1 billion a day just on interest. Our president and most of our nations Democrats blame George Bush for the problems we're having today as everyone is aware of. I'll be the first to tell you that the ball ot rolling under Bush. Anybody who knows me, knows that I kept an open mind when the new president took office. But having been in business most of my life, I lose all respect very fast for someone who's in charge if they blame their predecessor for a lack of results. I'm a rookie in politics, but that doesn't cut in in business. In the first 19 months of our president's administration, Mr. Obama ran up the debt held by the public by $2.5 trillion. Just typing that gave me gas. That's is more than the cumulative total of debt amassed by all the presidents from Washington through Reagan. Blowing out a record can be cool, but I wouldn't want that one .. Okay, cheap shot there, so scratch it if you want to.
Dear Mr. Obama,
I am no political genius by any stretch, and I was not a George Bush fan, but I don't understand how you can continue blame him for the problems while he had a democratically controlled House and Senate for the last two years of office, then turn around and blame Republicans for the problems when they've got only one house for your first two years. Dude, you can't have it both ways! I forgot, you can always blame the dead guy because he can't talk back. Awww, shoot .. I'm sorry Mr. President, that's just some more petty sarcasm. I'll do my best to stick to the facts and drop the digs from now on. It's just that excuses don't work when I try to deposit them at the bank. I tried. Thank you for listening Mr. Obama.
jimwithnopants
The 2012 election is a coming up, and this is probably the most important election in our nations history. The Russians and the Chinese used to scare the crap out of me. Right now, WE scare me, The decisions we make between now and November, will determine whether or not America goes forward or slips backwards. If we don't get it right. we'll be the ones who brought our country to its knees. Look, it's time for Americans to take a break from listening to the politicians and pundits for a minute. What the hell do they know? Really. They have no connection with the American people. If you know how to type "Google" in that little box up there in the top of your computer, you can do your own research, and find out the whole story. Also, there's a monopoly on common sense and were the ones who have it. When it comes to the media, think of it like this; It's kind of like going to the gas station and filling your car up with gas. The politicians are the gas, and the media is the gas pump. They pop off the lid to our skullcap, and start pumping in whatever brand of gas they feel like dumping into us in order to get the old car to the voting booth. Problem is, the more they talk, the dumber we get. Do your own research.
Is Uncle Sam A Good Businessman?
How do I put this, while abiding by Hub Page rules? (scrunching up face thinking very hard) Okay, the government runs business like old people uhhhh .. make love. Neither one is very pretty. By the way, I'm no spring chicken.
Uncle Sam is a genius. Uncle Sam is my hero, and I will do anything for my uncle. I loved my mother too. She was a hell of a woman. She guided me as a child through the turmoils of life, but she wouldn't have made a very good lumberjack. Let's take a look at some of our Uncles, businesses, and see how he's doing.
The United States Postal Service .. Sam started this business in 1775. (234years ago) . It's never shown a profit and is broke.
Social security .. Sam started this little baby in 1935 and it's broke.
Medicare and Medicaid .. Our uncle put this together in 1965. And, you guessed it, it's broke.
The Department of Energy .. He started this little doozy in 1979 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has 16,000 employees with an annual budget of $24 billion dollars, and we are importing more oil than at any time in history.
The Department of Education .. You can be proud of this one for sure. When I was a kid, United States ranked number one in education. Now, out of the 34 industrialized nations. We are ranked number 17 and sliding. Our dear Uncle's 2011 discretionary budget for this little business of his was $69.9 billion dollars. (ouch!)
Like my mother, Uncle Sam is a fearless leader who can lead us through treacherous storms, but I'm not so sure that he's good at micromanaging our business. In fact, as I look at his track record, I'm convinced that running business just isn't his thing. However, our uncle is looking to start a new business, and this is the granddaddy of them all. It's called Healthcare, and it's a 1 trillion dollar investment. (gulp)
How much is 1 trillion dollars? If you started stacking tightly bound $100 bills together, that stack of money would extend 600 miles into the heavens. (Larry Burkett. economist and author of "The Comming Economic Earthquake") At a time when were topping 15 trillion dollars of debt and facing our second downgrade in credit, can we afford to let our Uncle start a brand-new business of this size? Forget what you've heard, I'm going to give you a link where you can see for yourself exactly what is in this bill. You don't have to read the whole thing, but the provisions of this bill that we need to be aware of are here. If you don't have time to read it now, copy/pasted, and read it later. I don't want to see anyone not get treated for illness or injury, but this bill sucks, and I don't want anyone taking my word for it. I want them to read the thing. Once again .. "It sucks!" We have to go about this a different way. Here's the link ..
http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/kithil.asp
If you happen to be a person who is for Obama Care, don't even think about arguing with me unless you've taken the time to read this bill. Go to the link, read the provisions, and if you still think, having looked at our uncle's track record and examining these provisions, that Obama care is the way to go, then do your civic duty, and go vote. I've got no problem with that. I just hate it when someone takes a position based on what they hear through the media. I don't bank anything that the media's experts are selling because they're not in the business of informing, they're in the business of making money. Plus there's that little thing about a lack of common sense ..
Wrapping it up with my No Pant's Opinion ..
I do not dislike our president. He is the leader of this nation, and I will not disrespect the office. But I will say this; This ship we call The United States of America is entering a hurricane, and the person at the helm sees clear to partly cloudy skies, while feeling a stiff breeze. His State Of The Nation assessment of our economic condition made this very clear. Sixteen trillion dollars in debt and facing a second credit down grading shows we are going full throttle directly into this deadly storm. Will he wake up at the last moment and change course? I don't know. But I do know this; Whoever we elect in November to take the helm will have to start spinning that steering mechanism like a freaking roulette wheel beginning day one. Fact is, there are no George Washingtons, no Abraham Lincolns no John Kennedys or Ronald Reagans in this race but ..
We have the task of picking who we think is the best pup from this non-thoroughbred litter. Whoever we pick to captain our ship, we have to make sure. that as our captain, they will change course immediately. Then! We must take a solemn oath to ourselves to become better and more involved American citizens. We have to elevate our expectations and demand excellence, as opposed to walking around like sheep accepting the status quo. remember, there are 535 of them, and 330 million of us. If we want to make some positive changes, you can ask any bookie, those are some beautiful odds.
Congressional approval is at 9%, the lowest in our nations history. If we don't trust those bastards, they shouldn't have been there in the first place. We've obviously been sleeping on the job America, but it sure feels like we're waking up. We've got to make sure that we put some people in that Congress that we do trust, then squeeze their head until it's ready to pop, if that's what it takes to get an honest days work out of them. That's how I feel. And that's the way I roll folks.
I've started a grassroots political nonprofit called the Housefire Project. For those of you who think that saving a country is a cool thing to do, visit our website and get signed up. Were not taking donations yet, we're just gathering members, So if you think you might have fun helping us fry the people in Washington who are ripping us off, get signed up. Were going to get real active after the election. http://www.housefireproject.com/
Thank you for taking the time to read my stuff.
tmwnp
vote upvote downshareprintflag
- Useful (5)
- Funny
- Awesome (3)
- Beautiful (1)
- Interesting (5)
CommentsLoading...
Thanks for being the first to stop by Mike. You get the coldest beer next time we get together. I'll keep my response short as our president is getting ready to give us the state of the union. Us common folks don't know what the state of the union is, so we better watch closely. Actually, I'd love to be President of the United States but there again, I have a mega freaking attitude, just like those bumbs
jim
Like I said, there is only one way to go. Up!
Thanks for coming by Mr. Curry!
jim
I watched the State of the Union address tonight--no I was not impress. The rhetoric makes good sounds bites, but as the old saying goes, the devil is in the details. But that is not the point I want to discuss.
Many of the hubs are critical of our government--as am I,sometimes. However, fewer seem to recognize the need for government.
You mentioned the post office,Social Security, Medicare and Medicaide, Department of Energy and Department of Education.
First, all had good intentions. Benjamin Franklin created the concept of a controlled postal service when letters were being sorted in a tavern and someone picked up the letter addressed to another and left saying he had to know what it said. The Post Office was the first step to protect our privacy.
Social Security was created by President Franklin Roosevelt as a partial solution to the Great Depression. Our government has now always been good stewards of it. The 2 percent reduction enacted last year in Social Security withholding was a joke. The reduction should had been in the form of a tax rebate.
Medicare and probably Medicaide, were part of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society program. Medicare is broke in part because of the amount of Medicare fraud that takes place every year. My mother was on Medicare. She died of ALS. I received two notices that feeding pumps had been ordered for her. She did not need them, they were never ordered by her doctor. Some vendor tried to sneak it through. I stopped it.
My son is 27 and is legally blind--almost completely blind. He is covered by Medicare. I pay for a supplemental policy. He has numerous conditions. He was on my insurance. After losing my job of 22 years I had 12 months of Company paid Cobra to find coverage for him. Medicare, with help from Medicaid was the only option. I am glad it was there.
The Departments of Education and Energy were conceived with good intentions. Both do a good job at compiling statistics, which can be valuable, but certainly cuts can be made in both Departments.
Government is not inherently bad, but it does require maintenance, just like your house and car. It requires good financial planning. Those are the elements that are missing. Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. A country this size, needs a strong central government and it needs people who express their opinions here and to there elected officials, who vote regularly and try to be a part of the system.
Jim,
Like always, very well said, and you manage to get to your point in a fashion we can all understand and follow.
I sat and watched the SOU speech last night, and though Obama has a way of delivering a message that has no content, with enthusiasm.
I wondered how many folks out there that buys this crap. People who do not take the time to actually do just a “little” research, as you stressed all of us should do.
All I could see is Obama trying to BS his way through another year.
This guy and his cronies honestly think that they can create a strong middle class of citizens by expanding government jobs that is paid for with borrowed dollars.
All he seems to know how to do is spend money we do NOT have, and try to make things appear better.
Just as you said Jim, a businessman cannot spend money he does not have, and expect to make a profit unless he has investors to back it up. America (his investors) does NOT have the money, as a matter of fact we are borrowing one of every three dollars that we spend. I’m not a mathematician, but I do understand simple math…and this does not add up.
All we have to do is look at Greece and other European countries right now and look what is happening to them and their socialistic policies...they are having a devastating economic collapse.
I think, “My Man Mitch” summed it all up yesterday in his GOP response ending with that I think your Housefire Project is all about (tell me if I am wrong)...that is we need to work together and create an atmosphere, where Americans who understand what it takes to turn this ship around...Mitch said the following in his closing...
“ In 2012 we welcome all our countrymen to a program of renewal that rebuilds the dream for all, and makes our "city on a hill" shine once again.”
It may sound corny to some, but when I hear about a shining city on a hill, I see a thriving America.
I kind of got lost in the moment there.
Keep it up brother!
Chris
Larry,
Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment. If you are a first-time reader. I can understand that it probably looks like I don't like government. (laughing) It's very important to understand that is not the programs or the government that I don't like. It's the way the programs have been managed by the PEOPLE in our government. It's very difficult to find, if not impossible, a business in the private sector that the government has been successful in managing even though these are badly needed programs. In the same token, our Constitution is pure and beautiful. There is absolutely nothing wrong with our Constitution, but look how badly our leaders have managed it. It's not the programs that need to go, it's the people who've done such a poor job managing these programs.
I'm very sorry to hear about your son and hope that he gets all the help he needs. I too have a disability in my family.
Thank you for taking the interest in this, and carefully laying out your thoughts.
Jim
jim - tsadjatko left this link on the Hub I published yesterday. Check it out.
Chris,
I like it when you get caught up in the moment. Sometimes I think I STAY caught up in the moment. (laughing) Yes, our president can deliver one hell of a speech. Kind of spooky isn't it? Sort of like feeling something nice and warm in your hand, then smelling awful older, only to look down and find out holding a handful of crap. Raise taxes to 30% across-the-board? That means doubling capital gains tax, and our economy just fell through the floor.
Yes, Chris, I think it's important for Americans to come together on a small group of goals and principles without the distraction of the multitude of issues surrounding those goals and issues. That's what the Housefire Project is about, and I believe that if we focus on the eight initiatives in the Project, that all the issues will fall into line behind them. We can fix this country my friend. We just have to stick to the Roman numerals and not get caught up in the ABCs. It's about finding the basics, getting on the basics, and not letting anyone derail us from those basics by attempting confuse us with political spins. Thanks for coming by my brother. Always a pleasure hearing from you!
Jim
Thanks Jim, I will.
jim
TMWNP,
As always you present issues in your fashion and we have come to enjoy them. I did not get to see the SOTU address last night as we were hit with good storms. Cable and internet were down. I printed and read the transcripts of the speech, where do I begin, it must have been tough to watch. It was nothing more than what I thought it would be, a campaign speech. Great hub my friend.
George,
I can hardly wait till late spring, when I start speaking to the college kids, and going door-to-door with a pretty smile and tough message.
Thanks, coming by my friend. We'll get on the blower this afternoon, and get some stuff figured out.(laughing)
jim
Great read, Jim, and I know when I read anything you write, it will be honest.
I lost interest in Obama's State of the Union message when he said (with a straight face) we are heading in the right direction and we can't stop now. I just saw where J.C. Penney is laying of thousands of employees since they are changing their sale policies. No more ads, no more need for employees that do the "marking down", etc. They are offering a blanket "low prices everyday" bottom line, which I decipher as soon we will see them file for bankrupcy or go out of business. The news is constantly "flip-flopping", with back to back discrepancies on the economic status. All I know, which is the only thing I trust, is every person I personally know is still out of work. The rest of the numbers that the media throws around are bullshit. And, despite the fact I don't believe Obama "any further than I can throw him", I don't believe or trust one Republican candidate either. They are self-serving, out of touch, money mongers. This beautiful country has been carelessly, unscrupulously mismanaged. It is very sad.
Amy,
Kid, I agree with everything you said here. I don't trust any of them either, but I do trust the American people, and while we may not be political wizards, we do have some basic common sense. The new jobs figure that the administration puts out, does not reflect the underemployed, nor the huge number of people who have just given up and taken an early retirement or whatever. Also, a huge portion of these new jobs are temporary government jobs. It's a deadly mistake to think that government creates jobs. Jobs come from the private sector, and we have to create fertile soil for the private sector to grow in while keeping in place reasonable regulations to protect us.
Thanks for coming by. Hope all is well your way and we really need to catch up sometime soon.
jim
Thanks for your upfront and realistic look at the scope of the economy. Just like the seasonal, temporary, Christmas jobs and the hype about the lower unemployment claims. I knew that as soon as those workers were dismissed, and they were, the American public would get the real story. I recently applied for an office assistant at a local ad agency and was not hired for their position. I was certainly qualified, but short of begging (I was confident, upbeat and enthusiastic), I have the feeling a 25-year old got it. Next, I applied for the mass part-time, seasonal hiring at the STL Zoo. I imagine I will hear something, but at this point, I won't count on it. My latest brainstorm is offering errand services for the elderly or anyone who can't get out independently. The problem with my latest idea is that the elderly probably can't afford a courier, meaning I may just be "spinning my wheels". No one can say I'm not trying, but it is humiliating and discouraging to get use to be turned away. I know I'm not alone. The young, gorgeous girl upstairs just got laid off from her job at a local bar.
Thanks for the dose of reality and hope, Jim.
Years ago I kind of wondered at the expressions of some country people. They would refer to taxes for the government and taxes for the state.Are they not both government? I thought. Now with the federal government getting so heavy handed I know what those folks were talking about.
First of all what could Harvey possibly have done to get him kicked off the Hub? Outrageous. This fantastic piece you wrote tells the whole story of the past three years and clearly it is a tale that should be required reading for anyone who is old enough to cast a vote. The speech last night was filled with sound bites that the president must believe sound good. Clearly, truth was not one of his priorities. Yp and awesome, Bro.
Amy,
I am sincerely sorry for the way the job market is treating you. You are a very intelligent, multi talented, strong woman. You deserve much better. I wish I had something magic to say, but this is difficult. Perhaps I'll have to go with my first plan of ruling the world, in which case I'd make short work of this problem of yours. Perhaps I will just rule the United States. That won't take as long to accomplish, and I can solve the problems just as well. Guess I'd better get busy! :)
Jim
Dahoglund,
Thanks for stopping by my friend . I think in most cases, the state government runs a lot more efficient than the federal government, with maybe the exception of California, which the federal government under this administration seems to be modeling itself after.
jim
Little sister With Giant Brain,
Harvey and I communicate daily via e-mail, but I'm not sure what it was that got him kicked off. Harvey may be in a wheelchair, but he still loves to flirt with the ladies. He's a 40s style romantic, and even when he flirts he's a gentleman, but no doubt some hoity-toity took offense. I don't know. It's just a guess, because he was a lot less crazy than me when it came to writing.
Obama said something last night that makes everything else he said look small. He casually said that he would like to see 30% taxes across the board, which means doubling the capital gains tax. If that happened, about the only thing that you could buy that was made in America might be a bag of popcorn.
Thanks for coming by you little patriot, you!
bro
The point about our beloved uncle not being talented at managing our money is a major one. In my opinion, Obama care is the financial cliff we can not fall off or we shall not recover.
I visited The House fire project page. You have put a ton of work and thought into this. I have not finished reading it all yet, I'm about 80% through the entire site.
It's well thought out, seems goal driven and best of all has a plan of action that is both useful and makes sense. THANK YOU SIR! I thank you for this hub and for that staggering effort you must have been working on full time for the last year. God bless you!
poetvix,
Thank you for stopping by reading this hub and giving a well thought out comment. The website is going through changes as I (we) narrow and define our scope. Due to the fact that me and my tiny unpaid, loyal staff don't have years of experience in this thing, we're doing some on-the-job training. I appreciate the fact that you're taking interest in this, and hope that if you become comfortable, you'll join us. I need all the help we can get. (laughing)
I'll say this so that anyone visiting this site can see it. You, in my opinion, are a political writer with something very special going on. Kiddo, I would encourage you to drop a link to your latest if you come back and comment again. You've got my permission to drop a link anywhere, any time when you come and read my stuff. thanks again my friend!
Jim
...well for a good man who cares about people - I must preach to the Facebook choir with a posting of your passionate intelligent views to my FACEBOOK page with a direct link back here and get them chanting that famous chorus referring to JIM-MANIA!!!!!!
lake erie time ontario canada 7:13pm
Colin,
Hey, my friend! I need to seriously consider hiring you for my personal manager. lol You would always have my back, and I would never have to worry about you ripping me off.
Your friendship and loyalty are very important to me, and I want you to know that I'm very loyal to you also.
Jim
I am not sure if I care all that much if Uncle Sam is a good business man. It seems to me the only projects he should be into are the unprofitable ones, that is those that private industry cannot or will not handle. Post Office, for example,might be contracted out. Some of it already is.
Name one business the government has ever been involved with that doesn't lose money every year. Any private business who operates like the government would be bankrupt their first year in operation. We think it costs us 44 cents to mail a letter, but we don't know the real cost. At the end of the year the USPS is reimbursed all their losses with taxpayer money. Heck it could be costing us $44 to mail a letter but we are trained to think it is 44 cents.
I realize the government was never intended to make a profit, but they could at least try to break even when they attempt to run a business like the USPS. I would rather pay a private company to haul my mail and parcels so at least I would know the actual cost for this service. But then those who pay no taxes could care less what the real cost is, it's not their money being wasted.
dahoglund,
as we creep closer and closer to socialism, it will behoove our government to learn how to run a business efficiently. Otherwise, we may go broke.
jim
Mike,
Everything you said is not only true, but widely accepted. It gets back to what I keep saying about the importance of changing the citizens of this country's expectations.
jim
Obama likes to brag about his huge success with GM. Has anyone told him that the normal business does not get tax money to save it? He has no idea what it means to take a lot of your hard earned money, open a business, get it up and running then watch it all go down the toilet because of a recession. I lost my 4 bedroom pool home, my 2 cars, etc, etc, during a horrible recession (related to real estate fraud) I also lost about l00,000.00. Struggling back from that at my age isn't going to happen.
I almost lose my mind everytime I see that nitwit Obama speaking, and every single day I ask myself this depessing question, "Can America be saved?"
I hate to say it no pants, but there are not enough men with no pants running around to save it. There are almost half the population praying for Obama to be reelected so they can keep getting their food stamps and free stuff, and that is a lost country.
So, stock up, lock and load. :)
lizzee
mslizzee,
I left business in 2006 and dabbled in a few projects, but spent most of my time doing my adventure hopping. I was financially set. Then the housing bust, and the dominoes started falling. In 2009, I was faced with the fact that I would have to start over. That's precisely what made me decide to dive headfirst into politics instead of starting over in the business that I know like the back of my hand. I am no spring chicken either, but starting over, doesn't discourage me .. instead, it fuels me. What we face now in America isn't a disaster, it's an opportunity, and that opportunity offers us the greatest adventure we will ever enjoy.
The road ahead isn't an easy, but it's nothing compared to the road that laid in front of our forefathers. They didn't get discouraged, as they looked at the enormous task in front of them. They rolled up their sleeves and got busy. My message is this; we don't have time to look back. We have to throw some Band-Aids on our wounds and get back into the fight. As bad as things are, we still have the resources to work with that other countries can only dream of.
Like you, I've lost a lot. But there are things to be lost that are much more valuable than what I've lost, such as my grandchildren's future. Let's not forget who we are. We are Americans, and Americans love to fight. We were bred for it. The sweat from battle marks our DNA. I can't do this by myself, but I'm watching membership grow in our little organization as people respond to our positive reminder, and common sense solutions.
Don't think for a minute that I don't have compassion for people who are forced to put on their running shoes at a time when they should be enjoying the comfort of their evening slippers. I do. It's just that we have a wonderful battle in front of us, and there will be plenty of time to sit back, have a beer and compare battle scars once we're victorious. I appreciate you sharing these very private frustrations. I truly understand them, but let me assure you that where there's a way in, there is always a way out.
Jim
Thank you no pants. that is truly a nice response. You are a good man.
mslizze,
You hang in there girl. Your in my prayers.
jim
Old Poolman Level 7 Commenter 4 months ago
Hey friend and neighbor, good to see you on HP again. I thought perhaps you had gone on vacation and didn't tell me.
You cite some really good examples of government failure in this hub. The post office being a classic example. Because they lose money every year, lost money that is replaced with tax payer funds, we really have no idea how much it costs to mail a letter. If this were a private business it would have folded many years ago. Don't get me wrong, there are some great people working for the USPS and for the most part they do a good job. It is just the leadership and management part of this operation has been a dismal failure. Fortunately, many private delivery systems are willing to take their place, and will make money be doing so.
You are right, a new CEO of any company is not allowed to blame his predecessor for any failures. He said he could do the job and is expected to do it.
Your also correct that our choices are not that great for this election. One would almost have to question the sanity of anyone wanting the job of President considering the current state we are in. Congress just needs a really clean sweep and a new start. Those who occupy these highly paid chairs now have sure not done much for their pay checks. I believe they got the lowest approval rating in the history of this country. I wonder if they feel any shame over this or just figure the polls were flawed or those who were polled just don't have a clue?
It will be interesting, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.