The Hamburglar's Got Nothing On Progressives Thievery.

The government understands raising the minimum wage increases unemployment and limits choice for the consumer, ultimately decreasing opportunities for low skilled workers, in turn leading more and more of them to become dependent of entitlements presented by the federal government.  The progressive government leaders welcome additional idiots, which can be found protesting for the raising of the minimum wage, to become dependent on entitlements, which increases the power of the government over the people.

It should be noted those "working for you" politicians powerful enough to give gifts are powerful enough to take them away.  Speaking of government officials flexing their power, in this case through association with the workers unions, we find Hillary Clinton.

She tweeted out attacking GOP presidential candidate and Wisconsin governor Scott Walker informing him how "unions help keep working families strong."  Clinton's comment is demonstrably false, and while Ms. Clinton in no Ludwig von Mises, she fully understands this. The comment was directed at the low information voting class she actually has little to no regard for.

Scott Walker hammered her, and his response, while it bitch slapped Clinton, is very important for folks to understand his comments.  While the low information workers think the unions and supportive politicians are getting up everyday to help them, while they are giving small benefits to them, they are actually increasing their power over them, choking them with punitive constraints. 

The truly excellent website Zero Hedge had a long piece titled "when work is punished," which chronicled in great detail the stranglehold places on entitlement recipients, noting "how financially destructive it can be for low-paid workers to try and break free of their dependence on the public purse."

McDonald's has been the target of paid union protesters, demanding a raise to $15 per hour for minimum wage.  When you lack common skills and educational prowess, your position for bargaining is most weak. While many would say this is why the union is needed, rather than forcing through extortion and bullying (Hi Hillary), some responsibility should be placed on the individual for not taking advantage of the public school system, advancing their education and skills and making poor life choices they expect their employer to pay for.  

The minimum wage is not a wage a citizen should expect to raise their family on. Raises in wage levels should be performance based, not given to those lacking in education, responsibility and skills. When companies are forced through government intervention to raise wages, the result is a reduction in the work force, an economic principle the idiots in the picket line fail to comprehend.

Soon, very soon, the jobs of these low skilled workers will be replaced by robots. Do you think they have a life plan for that?

Hillary and her cohorts do. It involves establishing a permanent voting class of folks who are dependent on government handouts (entitlements). Under President Obama, very limited full time jobs have been created and wage growth is non-existent.

All part of the plan, a plan that not only fails to be recognized by the low skilled workers who are noting short of useful idiots, but eludes discovery by a large part of the sensible and educated folks who are working and are paying the entitlement tab.

The Hamburglar has got nothing on the progressives when it comes to thievery.

Super Sport G8

General Motors is really in a world of hurt these days.

Troubles for the company became highly visible during the financial crisis of 2008, where obligations the company had, most notably poor union contracts not remotely associated with reality, were "discovered" as unsustainable.

Both George W. Bush and then candidate Barack Obama thought it prudent to offer the company bailout money, which GM gladly took.  Once Obama took office, after evaluation, his team orchestrated the making of a new GM and made "recommendations" for the company, which most notably included the elimination of the proud Pontiac Motor Division. 

In addition, bailout monies failed to make their way to the appropriated parties as outlined in 200 year contract law, with union partners and political partners reaping cash benefits.

GM, under the "direction" of the administration and viewed by most as "Government Motors" embarked on effort to produce high mileage low powered cars which were beneficial to environmental concerns.

In recent months sales are reported to have been slightly increasing.  However, as reported by ZeroHedge, reported actual sales "were largely irrelevant" due to channel stuffing of inventories with 805,769 units in inventory at months end in February of 2014.

Issues surrounding a faulty ignition switch has resulted in massive recalls and has company executives testifying before Congress. While the issue not restrictive to just one model, the Chevrolet Cruze appears to have, by far, the most noted cases, with tens of deaths having been reported.

In anticipation of a barrage of lawsuits as a result of the ignition defects, because the sales of most of the affected models took place before GM's 2009 bankruptcy, the company has filed a motion in US Court to bar lawsuits on pre-bankruptcy sales.

Shares of General Motors, GM:NYSE, closed at $34.48 per share, down almost 20% from its 52 week high achieved in mid December.

I have owned GM products all my life, and have been very pleased with the products, which were generally Pontiac cars and Chevrolet trucks.  However, due primarily to the government takeover of GM, using bailout money and terminating the Pontiac Motor Division, I have opened up my candidates for a new vehicle outside of GM.

From an SUV perspective, I am looking at the Ford Explorer Limited.  With respect to a four door sedan, without Pontiac, the door has been kicked wide open.  Previously, the Pontiac G8 GXP would have been the choice. 

However, it looks like Pontiac G8 lives on in the form of the Chevrolet SS.  The SS debuted in 2014 to much fanfare, filling a need for a four door performance sedan Chevrolet has been missing for decades.  Lets check a review to see how they did:



It is not a Pontiac, but the reviews for the Super Sport Chevrolet cousin to the Pontiac G8 have been outstanding.  Not as flashy as its Pontiac predecessor, the performance and handling, a longtime Pontiac wide track feature, exceed expectations.  In addition, the interior in really impressive.

The SS does seem pricey, but vehicle inflation is in full swing, and when a comparable analysis is performed, it actually is a heck of a vehicle for the price, which is about $45K.

The price includes a gas guzzler tax, implemented by the Obama administration.  Eat my exhaust!

A few reviewers wondered why Chevrolet left the acclaimed Magnetic Ride Control system off the 2014 SS, but indications are it will on the 2015 models.

In keeping in the Pontiac family, it looks like an SS will be in my very near future.

Orchestrated Lies Fuel Group Conflict

Early in the first term, the Obama administration engaged in an effort to bring under the authority of the executive branch The Census Bureau.  With most of American still immersed in their slobbering love affair with the anointed one, those tethered to common sense were puzzled at such an effort.

Most thought this effort, which was successful, would be utilized to somehow bolster election oriented results for Obama and his progressive lemmings.  Surely, the administration used The Census Bureau in every way possible to help the prospects of their followers.

Perhaps many did not foresee the arena in which The Census Bureau would play an integral role; unemployment numbers.  Breaking on Tuesday, we learn in a New York Post column by John Crudele that the administration has been alleged to have sought out, (demanded) the manipulation of these numbers just prior to the election.

At the time of their release, many spoke out claiming foul, but those who did, inclusive of famed CEO Jack Welch, were dismissed and discredited as not in command of the facts or extreme opponents of the president who present false accusations.

Welch, and others, were correct, which is why they were so vehemently attacked.

Let me be clear.  The unemployment number criterion has been altered and the number presented to the public today is not the same number presented to the public twenty years ago.  Please examine our previous post on unemployment, Shadow Stats and take a moment to read a recent editorial in Investors Business Daily for further clarification.

The media wont inform the public as Rick Santelli of CNBC further explains, lamenting the media for their complicit action in deceit.



There are 90 million people out of the work they desire, a simply staggering number. When job seekers exhaust a time period of search, they fall off the count which lowers the unemployment rate.

Furthermore, if the economy was improving and job opportunities were increasing, members now on the sideline would re-enter the job search and become part of the statistical pool once again.  With additional workers seeking new jobs, the result would be a slight increase in the unemployment rate.

Therefore, given the minuscule growth taking place in spite of the policies of the Obama administration, the claim Obama made signaling the sudden lowering of the unemployment rate was due to an improving economy, although it sounded good when you say it fast, was yet another falsity presented by our Commander in Mistrutths.

The administration wants to give lip service to working to create jobs, but the actions thrust those able to see in another nefarious direction, one bearing witness to the crashing of our economic system.

Only in the full embrace of socialism is pay dictated by sources with no skin the game, no investment in the process and with no legal right to interject.  Take for example the protests, set to be performed and orchestrated with the full support of those sharing goals with the administration, to have worker strikes at fast food restaurants where the organizers of the movement seek to demand a $15-an-hour wage for fast-food workers, which when boiled down is a transfer of wealth from "haves to have nots" Karl Marx dreamed about.

Although it is portrayed differently in the news media and by union leaders, the minimum wage is not what would be designated as a living wage; better stated, it is designed to accommodate temporary employment and not to produce an income for a head of household.

This is a basic thought process in economic theory, but an alarming number of people think it is good to raise the minimum wage. That action actually decreases employment and reduces prosperity

In the world of free market economics, pay is most often dictated by performance, and should your skills elevate your performance beyond the ability of the employer to adequately compensate, the employee advances to a higher level of employment. 

As the ends justify the means in true Saul Alinsky style, engaging in the misrepresentation of the truth to the public is of little risk to an administration manipulating a trivial society drowned in a sea of irrelevance. The misrepresentation on the aspects of employment in America is one tentacle of several actions designed to encourage class struggle and divisive altercations between the haves and nave nots, culminating in civil unrest ushering in a crashing of our economic system resulting in the fundamental transformation of The United States of America.

Breaking the Boardwalk

There were such high hopes.

I became aware of Chris Christie from his frequent guest appearances on CNBC's Squawk Box and was thrilled when he announced he would run against incumbent New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. After his tenure with Goldman Sachs, Corzine had run Jersey into the ground, and given both Obama and Biden often sought his economic council, is it any wonder our country is in economic peril. A wonderful opportunity to implement free market principles in a blue state exisited, and Christie was just the guy to take it on.

Christie understands free markets, and has no patience for the unions and their interference in the marketplace.  His tenure as Governor has brought New Jersey new found prosperity, even against the backdrop of the stagnant if not recessionary national economy.

The fever pitch for Christie came as the 2012 presidential approached.  Would Christie get in?  An exemplary speech at the Reagan Library brought a high level of enthusiasm, but Christie threw in behind Mitt Romney and would sit it out.

Since that point, it has been downhill slide for Christie and his relationship with those on the GOP right. Christie spoke at the GOP convention, but rather than explaining why Mitt Romney was the properly experienced person to lead this country, Christie discussed his own successes and fell far short in touting those of Romney.

Then, New Jersey was hit by Hurricane Sandy, and shortly thereafter came a visit by President Obama.  Christie was far too welcoming to our sitting President, whose economic policies were combative to the goals set forth by Christie.  In the days after, Christie praised the leadership of Obama on his commitment for assiting the region, elevating his declining stature among the nations voters.  The compliments for Obama far exceeded what was required, particularly because there was no actual leadership implemented or enacted by Obama.

With much of the hurricane ravaged area still reeling, President Obama returned to attend a ceremony on the Jersey shore as the famed boardwalk re-opened for the summer.  Christie gleefully awaited Obama with open arms, and before the love fest was over, we pondered if Brokeback Boardwalk would become a movie sequel.

Obama, who media elites tell us would likely be playing in the NBA if he were not doing the heavy lifting in Washington, missed in four football tosses in embarrassing fashion.  Have no fear, as a blushing Chris Christie hit the target, winning Obama a stuffed bear a four year old would cherish. Oh, what a day?

Meanwhile, Frank Lautenberg (D), a long sitting New Jersey Senator, passed away the other evening, opening up his seat.  For someone not trying to score political points, the opportunity to appoint a republican to this seat should be promptly taken.

One would have to go back a long way to find a more critical time for the GOP, with our republic practically hanging in the balance.  There is the attack on the second amendment, potential immigration legislation, the train wreck of Obamacare, Islamic terrorism, nuclear weapons and God forbid the potential replacement of a supreme court judge.  While it is only one seat, that one seat can make a huge difference.

So with Christie throwing open the seat, in conjunction with the recent series of actions by the Gov, we can conclude that he is not all that worried about the destruction to the country his new found boyfriend is engaged in.  In fact, odds favor he is a progressive republican with many of the same controlling big government ideas of Obama.

For those who champion liberty and freedom, any opportunity to legally thwart Obama from achieving his goals should be exercised with precision.  With Christie failing to act in this regard, we have learned all we need to know prior to 2016.  Sadly, he is not one of us.

It might be all for naught, as by the time 2016 comes around, Rush Limbaugh would not be surprised if Christie ran as a Democrat.  Maybe former Florida Governor Charlie Christ could be his running mate.

The Eagle Will Fly

As most Americans were preparing for Super Bowl Sunday, as reported by Bloomberg, Goodyear (GT:NYSE) the largest U.S. tiremaker, will close its main French plant and cut its workforce in the country by 39 percent amid labor disputes and plunging auto demand in Europe.

Why Goodyear has a plant in France is puzzling, but given the five years of negotiations with workers to resolve labor disputes with union leaders, the closing of this plant could not come as a shock.  Imagine that, unions making unrealistic demands and killing jobs.  Who could have seen this coming?

On the heels of regrettable slavery issues and some rather disturbing worker relations as the industrial revolution was emerging in our country, there can be no doubt that union representation played an important role in our history.

The French are notorious for hardly working, as evidenced by union victories against employers inclusive shortened work weeks and increased vacation. It would be great to hang our all the time, but nothing constructive comes from an inefficient work force handicapped by uncompetitive workers demands.

As such, Titan International, (TWI:NYSE) who specializes in tires for farm equipment and off-highway vehicles and acquired the Goodyear North American farm tire assets in 2005, was rumored to potentially be a purchaser of the plant.  No so fast!

Maurice Taylor, Chairman of Titan, wrote a letter to the French industry ministry informing them the company would not be purchasing the plant, citing French workers as "lazy" and "overpaid".  Taylor, it was reported, noted the French work force get "one hour for breaks, talk for three hours and work for three."  No doubt, that workforce will be unable to compete our global economy.

In America, unions have completely infiltrated and infested many large work forces, and the evidence of destruction is truly staggering.  More money is spent on our public school system than just about anything else with very poor scholastic results, alarming indoctrination and inhibiting political correctness.

Union bosses collect fees to line their pockets, elect progressive democrats and increase control over those they have fooled.  Can you imagine being forced to donate money our of your paycheck to thugs who distribute those funds to groups, associations or politicians who are at odds with your beliefs?  Unions are opponents of the free market system, as they establish wage and benefit packages for their workers that exceed common variance of similar packages in the private sector and create inefficient markets. Corporations who have lost these negotiations pay a heavy price and struggle to compete in the marketplace due to their bloated overhead. 

Their socialist objectives, inclusive of wealth transformation, fly in the face of the freedoms our country was based on.

Oppose these union bosses at your own peril, because these thugs do not operate on the same playing field you do. You may recall James Hoffa, Jr. threatening Tea Party members, who advocate free markets and fiscal sanity. The ends do justify the means with this group.

Meanwhile, this was a good decision for Goodyear.  The customers of Goodyear are hard working individuals and families all across the fruited plain, and the tires they travel on are very important. 

But the most demanding customers of Goodyear are the good ole boys who travel NASCAR's Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Camping World Truck Series on tracks across America.  NASCAR provides a great testing center for research and development, helping Goodyear provide their everyday customers with the best product possible.



This type of excellence in an extremely competitive environment does not allow for the infiltration of impostor representatives who think they know better how the Goodyear workforce should be treated and compensated than the company itself. 

The market will dictate, and as such, that France plant will in fact be closed as opportunities for a more efficient plant location can be identified.

I continue to be a longtime shareholder of Goodyear Tire & Rubber (GT:NYSE),  having once ridden in the famous Goodyear blimp out of Pompano Beach, FL, and International Speedway Corporation (ISCA:NASDAQ).

Bailout Bull

Pontiac GXP

Few have been bigger supporters of General Motors over the years than yours truly. I have driven Chevrolet SUVs for decades and have had a racy Pontiac ever since I got my drivers license. The products have been outstanding, and I have until recently been a longtime cheerleader for Chevrolet and Pontiac over the years.

But my relationship with GM has soured considerably due to their relationship with President Obama, under whose direction came the closure of the Pontiac division.  Obama and GM are joined at the hip with the unions, not the shareholders, the benefactor of the bailout.

Regrettably, it was President Bush who got the ball running on the auto bailout. Chrysler, which took the bailout, is now owned by Fiat.  Ford, (F:NYSE), did not accept bailout money and is doing fine.

Under the bailout, President Obama did not follow protocol and left the preferred shareholders with nothing while funneling cash to the unions.  Obama's team punished dealerships who were republican donors while keeping open those who donated to Democrats.  With GM under foot, Obama forced them to focus on developing vehicles designed to accommodate green energy sources, rather than seeking a profit producing vehicles the market wants.

The auto bailout has become a significant topic of discussion during the campaign, and its very relevant in Michigan and the key swing state of Ohio.  Although the facts differ from the rhetoric President Obama has been delivering on the campaign trail, the issue has been favorable to Obama rather than Mitt Romney, whose father George Romney was formerly chairman and president of American Motors Corporation.

Obama touts General Motors (GM:NYSE) as bailed out and saved, but the stock price of GM would have to moue than double for the company to stand on its own with the taxpayers to be made whole.

There are many more troubling facts that those in Ohio, and across the nation, are likely not aware of.  Glenn Beck did an outstanding job covering the topic recently on his radio program.  This is important, so please take the time to listen in the entirety.



Sadly, the campaign rhetoric Obama is soaring with, on both the fronts of GM being solvent and who is actually shifting jobs to China, is alarmingly false. 

On the campaign stump recently, Obama says we know him, and can trust him.  Indeed, we know him as a liar on numerous issues and note we can always trust him to be not trustworthy.

Not Close

Not close, nor should it be.

Often, a presidential election is thought to be the most important of our lifetimes. I thought the Bush-Kerry matchup was due to the importance I placed on, appropriately so, the Global War on Terror.

But make no mistake; this election is the most important since 1860.

President Barack Obama seeks to complete his fundamental transformation of the United States of America and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney seeks to stop his administration and restore America to the foundations and principles, most notably free enterprise, our Founding Fathers set for our course.

As The Drudge Report noted, it is going to be a long and nervy weekend.

 

Back in March, we posted a piece predicting the electoral college after the election would resemble the football stadium at The University of Nebraska; a sea of red. Many people who supported the historic candidacy of Obama are not supporting him again, while nobody who voted for McCain-Palin now thinks Obama is worthy.

Most of the polls say it is very close, but some influential pundits have seen what we saw. Dick Morris says Romney will win in a landslide, although today, due to Hurricane Sandy, Morris felt his feet getting cold. 

Whole Morris shakes more than usual, today, perhaps the most knowledgeable of all the election prognosticators, Michael Barone, says Romney will win handily. Barone knows county voting trends in swing states like college football coaches know recruiting hot beds, and is usually right on target.

Romney should win handily, for America is in very sad shape due to the stewardship of Obama and his anti free market policies and dangerous foreign policy positions. For example, just this week, we got the following:

*a massive coverup regarding the events in Benghazi, where we failed miserably in foreign policy, protecting those charged with doing the business of America and untold lies that have been presented to the American people. The situation gets worse as information continues to drip out.

*an unemployment rate which is no lower than it was the day Obama took office, even with all the tinkering the administration is doing with the real numbers. Plainly stated, significantly less people are fully employed than when Obama took office due to these individuals leaving the work force.

*after presenting himself above partisanship, the lowest level of discourse seen in many of moon, with administration members constantly spewing disrespectful and divisive rhetoric.  Obama's chief consult Valerie Jarret, a communist, has threatened those who did not support Obama, which seems bordering on illegality to me.

*an America scared to death regarding their constitutional rights, including the second amendment.

* a illustration of how government fails in supporting the people as thousands remain without power, food and energy in a cold, disaster stricken northeast even after Obama toured the are and promised sunshine.  One should recall the words of Ronaldus Magnus that government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem.  Unions are impeding problem solving, as usual, and those waiting for the government help are bitterly disappointed.  Tempers are flaring, and rightly so given the failure of delivering energy to those in vital need.

*the collapse of the free market system, expansive entitlements aimed at transforming America from a free market based society to a socialistic society beholden to government distribution of service.

*food stamp usage at record levels, and those who can no longer benefit from food stamps claim disability, and gather entitlement benefits in this regard.  A culture of dependency is being created by Obama.

BAHL Revere could go on for days with the horrendous news of the state of America.  There is no doubt, that unless your family benefits from the crony capitalism implemented by the Obama administration, your standard of living has fallen dramatically in the last four years.

We must regain control of America, or we may be launched into a thousand years of darkness, an existence under government control robbing individuals of their identity, curtailing opportunities for free market expression and capitalistic economic growth.

America has had enough, and as Michael Barone points out, we are poised to thwart to socialist movement.  However, we must remain committed to victory.  We must hit the polls with our hair on fire to cast a ballot for those who aim to Restore America.

Given the destruction of America over the last four years, this is an easy decision. We must cast our ballot for Mitt Romney, and Restore America!

Mitt Romney

Educational Failures an Exponential Problem

Last week, The King of All Media, Howard Stern, sent a staff member out on the street to check in with some Obama supporters. Stern discovered many already know; that we have a sizable uneducated portion of the electorate that extends far from a level of embarrassment, but is actually a serious matter of national security. Take listen, but do grab a seat first:



Untold gazillions have been spent in effort to bolster our educational system, but as you can see from the results, the unions are getting rich while many of our citizens are nothing short of idiots. Rick Perry had troubling thinking of governmental departments to be eliminated, but I got one; the Department of Education.

After all, for the teacher unions, their objective has nothing to do with a great public school system, and it is not about the kids. This is impossible to imagine, but don't take my written thoughts to truth; take the words of NEA Chief Counsel Bob Chanin:



With taxpayer dollars pouring in, the public school system, run by the government, has failed miserably to significantly raise the standard level of education, not because we have poor teachers, but primarily because of the significant infiltration of the teacher union.

While this may seem like an isolated problem, if applied in macro terms, an extremely troubling objective comes into light. President Obama has spent much of first term implementing a significant extension of governmental control of the citizenry, a citizenry deemed lacking in intellectual aptitude to engage in proper decision making.

The arrogance of those involved in the orchestration of a socialistic system heavy on central planning with progressive increases in governmental power based on the needs of the collective is astonishing, but it is in full implementation right under our eyes. The government has installed and expanded policies which offer minimal benefits, trapping those uneducated individuals to a lifetime of governmental dependency, robbing them of their identity and democracy and their ability to engage in the pursuit of happiness.

On the heels of Stern's effort, we were offered another glimpse of this in Cleveland with SEIU protesters outside a Romney campaign event:



Idiots are suckered in, as they have not been adequately educated to understand freedom and basic economics. These folks welcome the benefits, not recognizing the freedoms they are giving away.  In addition, as Mitt Romney pointed out in the hidden video he is being incorrectly being hammered on, those handing out the gifts will secure almost all of the votes cast by those receiving the benefits. 

Securing a small portion of a particular voting base can swing an election, and if President Obama and his cohorts succeed in transforming America away from free enterprise, untold numbers will suffer with violence and despair taking root.

Mitt Romney was asked last week what the election was about, and he responded "freedom". Romney was without question correct. This election is about free stuff versus freedom, and I hope enough of those making their way to the voting booth understand a basic economic principle: there is no free lunch.

Walk Over in Wisconsin



Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker

The thunderclap heard hither and yon last night was the recall victory by Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker, and his lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, in what was was described by DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Shcultz as a prelude to the 2012 presidential election as Obama and his dreams from his father of a socialist utopia face off against Mitt Romeny and his ideas of free market capitalism and entrepreneurial spirit.

Well, THIS is what democracy looks like.

We recall this all began when Walker sought to curb union influences as deficits began to grow out of control across Badger Country.  America witnessed thousands of thugs overtaking the state capitol as Walker opponents gathered signatures to force the recall election.  We witnessed Democrats leaving the state to escape performance of the duties they were elected to perform. Cowards all.

Unions bused in customary thugs from anywhere and everywhere to "occupy" Madison.  With the lap dogs news media slobbering at the sure to come demise of Walker, it would appear the voters of Wisconsin were turned of by, not in to, the despicable antics of the union representatives and communists who made Madison a temporary home.  On Wisconsin!

With Walker winning by a greater margin than in 2010,  Badgers from Barry Alverez to Paul Ryan mus be thrilled.  Wisconsin voters spoke loudly, demanding fiscal sanity.  While many do appreciate the central tenants of unions, as Sarah Palin appropriately noted, the union leadership are not serving the members properly, operating as thugs wasting dues supporting progressive, socialist and communist candidates.  Palin summed up the win in pinpoint fashion in an interview on FOX News "On The Record" with Greta Van Susteren.



Wisconsin, land of the progressive, strongly sounded support for free market capitalism.  Bathing in arrogance over at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, I suspect it was like a tree falling in forest for the Obama campaign. 

Good, for it sure seems a much, much stronger thunderstorm is in forecast for November.

First On Race Day

I have been a happy GM customer all my automobile driving life. Chevy Trucks and Pontiac cars, with the Wide Track Grand Prix my favorite. Currently, each of one of those sits in the garage.

Then Obama and his biblical wisdom came along, forming a team to bailout the car companies, violate the rule of law screwing the auto bondholders, funnel money to union supporters and end the long running historical Pontiac brand. On top of that, now that the Government controls GM, out comes production of "green initiative" vehicles, such as the Chevy Volt. The Volt, which was on the way to be a sporty success before Obama's team stepped in, is now a cost prohibitive joke.

Ford Motor Company rejected government assistance. Although I am sure they needed help, it seems CEO Allan Mulally knew the costs of teaming up with the government. Taking risk seeking reward without using the taxpayer as a crutch is what America commerce is all about. America knows it, and so does Ford.



Have you driven a Ford lately? I see it in my future.

Now that the government owns GM, also known as Government Motors, they don't take kindly to Ford slamming them and the government in a recent advertisement.

With his poll numbers on a ski slope, the Obama administration, thugs that they are, take action to silence critics, as evidenced by reports the administration has strong armed Ford to pull the ad. The Blaze has the full report, which originally came from The Detroit News.

Although Ford denies they removed the ad due to White House pressure, just like your transmission going south, when there is smoke there is fire. Make no mistake, Ford does not want to be in the cross hairs of the White House, for they punish opponents.

With the government involved in free enterprise, free markets become negatively impacted due to the artificial influence and fail to function at full efficiency.

Needless to say, I am sprinting to the voting booth in November 2012, but in the meantime, I will refrain from supporting companies associated with Obama, which includes GM. And while we are on the subject, my rental properties will be GE appliance free going forward.

Have you driven a Ford lately? First on Race Day!

Forgive You Not!

A friend of mine recently bragged on Facebook that he signed a petition floating around the social media world.

What he gleefully signed was The Forgive Student Loan Debt petition at SignOn.org, which is being presented as a immediate stimulus to the economy, allowing those forgiven to increase consumer spending to jolt the economy. They also insist this will lift all boats and is a much better alternative to tax cuts for corporations, millionaires and billionaires.

Yep, class warfare at its finest, sweeping up useful idiots across the fruited plain.

As an attorney and a fellow graduate of my alma mater, The Florida State University, I certainly expected more from my friend intellectually. But then again, he is a proud progressive, the political element that aims to usher in socialism, and this line of thinking falls right under the umbrella. It also lines up against the Founding Fathers, free market capitalism, commerce and the rule of law.

Unfortunately, efforts in this regard will actually have a negative long term effect on the economy, and the evidence can be traced to contract law, which if broken, causes catastrophic damage to economic confidence. The Obama administration, in one of their first moves, broke the rule of law by altering the contractual obligations of the bond holders of the car companies in favor of union thugocracy. In redirecting this order, the Obama administration broke the rule of law and immediately destroyed investor confidence. By design.

For my attorney friend, lets review some things. A company (the University or college) produces a product (the education) at an expense (instructor salary, building costs, utility cost, property costs, etc.) in an effort to attract (seller) consumption by a buyer (student) at a mutually agreed upon price (compensation), which is an implied contractual agreement. Keep in mind the buyer was not forced to purchase this product; they made the choice to do so.

So, now all those former students, who consumed the product, now seek to not pay for it, thinking everything just resets and all will be well, seemingly unaware of the damage to the market impacting their consumer choices moving forward.

Well, there is no free lunch.

When buyers don't pay sellers, the seller eats the costs. Many make effort to attempt to recapture the cost through avenues such as raising prices or limiting or increasing the costs of credit for future consumers. With respect to student loans, state university systems attempt to pass the costs along to the taxpayers, which one might conclude includes the original purchaser. If they are unable to do so, this could cause a restriction on the availability of classes or the existence of courses available. And God forbid at FSU we can't pay Jimbo Fisher's contract!

Individually for the purchaser, or student, personal accountability seems absent, as they are choosing to not live up to their personally pledged obligations, damaging their own credit and making their word meaningless.

Might they consider those of us who have satisfied our student loan obligations? Kept our word?

It is now time for deadbeats and freeloaders to step to the plate and satisfy their obligations, not throw it back on the seller or the taxpayer. Bad things happen to good people, and if it gets to a point of no recovery, bankruptcy is a legal option these folks should pursue.

Unfortunately, the Obama administration is encouraging default for individual Americans. But why would the administration make default the path of least resistance? Cloward and Piven. Under extreme economic duress, folks seeking help find the easiest answer to be the government. This crashes the system and enables the government, never letting a good crisis go to waste, to increase their power over the people, which decreases our liberty and freedom.

I recognize how difficult the economy is, but I urge all Americans to make every effort to meet their responsibilities and obligations, keep a commitment to the rule of law our economic system is based on and be wary of those bearing to good to be true answers and gifts from the same people who are central in creating the increasingly challenging economic landscape.

There is no free lunch. Freedom is not free.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. --Ronald Reagan

Banish the Badgering Progressives

Fighting for the "working families" in Wisconsin are local union members, and a collection of the violent professional agitators. Along side the local school teachers, city and county employees and fireman stand the likes of Code Pink, SEIU, Organizing for America, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, The Rainbow-PUSH Coalition, the Socialists and the Communists. Idiots to be sure.

While I have the utmost respect for our fireman, police officers and teachers, although I am a former county worker myself, I stand strongly against the union protesters. In addition, I do not stand with Communists and Socialists, and certainly not with the likes of Andy Stern and Richard Trumpka.

A great example of the hypocrisy at play is the teachers and their union. Everyone loves our teachers, most of whom are truly outstanding, so surely we can did deeper in our pockets for them, right?

Lets listen in on a presentation by the retiring NEA General Counsel on his thoughts on how your money is used to help better education in our public school system:



There you have it. It is not about creating a better public education for our children, it is about their power.

Not with my money.

Never in my capacities in the public or private sector have I needed collective bargaining to enhance my position negotiating my employment compensation and benefit package. I have handled that myself, and quite enjoyed it.

The financial crisis, orchestrated in many ways by union organizations and the like, most notably ACORN, has forced us all to tighten the belt. Along with much of our citizenry, states are teetering on defaulting.

For those without skin in the game to protest slim reductions in their union negotiated compensation contracts in an effort to keep the states from defaulting is appalling to those of us in right to work states that are the "real" working families of this country.

At the end of the day, the union members are torqued that they are being forced by those who pay their salaries to join the rest of us and face reduced compensation, whether in the form of wages and/or benefits, to weather the current, and lingering, financial crisis.

I recommend they learn a lesson from this evil turn of events and take a course of action that would guard them from ever having to experience this again. Start your own business, where your compensation depends on your efforts. How about that!

No longer will you depend on the whims evil corporate executives or bloated bureaucrats. Don't want to pay six figures salaries for union bosses, then don't. You are in control. The only working family you need to pay for is yours, unless you wish to engage in some form of charity.

Sure, there is no free lunch. It is hard work, but it is rewarding. After a few years of building your success, the only thing torquing you will be your taxes rising to pay bloated benefits for the progressive union member idiots who think you owe them something.

Union Dopes Dash Disney Magic

Although Walt Disney is based in Anaheim, California, the Walt Disney World theme park here in Orlando is a worldwide tourist attraction central to the local economy. Central Floridians take great pride in Disney, and the NBA's Orlando Magic are named as such. On Tuesday, the Walt Disney Corporation (DIS:NYSE) released earnings which surprised to the upside, beating expectations across the board.

Maria Bartiromo of CNBC discusses the earnings report:



This is great news. It has been a rough decade for shareholders, beginning with 9-11, which drastically reduced theme park traffic, followed by the Michael Eisner episode culminating with the recent financial crisis.
For the first time in over a decade, Disney has recently traded above $40 per share. With revenues up, out come the useful idiot employees under the direction of the unions protesting for Disney to "share the wealth".

Union president Eric Clinton is president of one of the six unions trying to strike a new deal for the thousands of Disney World employees.

Clinton said "We've known for a long time Disney's image is something that's very near and dear. One way to get them to move is to attack that." For Disney employees, this a real bad move to attempt to sabotage their employer, but for union thugs
attempting to engage in a shakedown, it is all good.

WFTV ABC Orlando spoke with Disney World Representative Andrea Finger, who said "We have proposed a very fair and competitive offer that's a very good deal for our cast members."

Union leaders claimed rising health care costs would wipe out salary increases for Disney workers. With apologies to Dopey, what a bunch of dopes! Unions were central in the compilation of the health care package, as well as the failed stimulus. In fact, labor unions are "going after" those who did not support Obamacare.

But it is Disney's fault.

They have the money to do it; it's just that they're cheap. They didn't get rich by giving their money away, we understand that, but our members are struggling," Clinton said. Welcome to the world under Obama! Most everyone is struggling, and you should be thankful there are enough folks who still have money who can come to Disney and enjoy themselves. For the company to excel in this environment is a testament to management and the fantastic job the cast members do.

Because I am a big supporter of Disney, I am going to waive my consulting fee for the employees and issue the following three recommendations:

A. If you are unhappy as a cast member, seek employment elsewhere. I recognize, due to current idiotic policies of the Obama administration, that jobs do not currently exist, so you must use the ballot box at your earliest opportunity to expedite your departure.

B. Invest in the 401K package the Mouse House makes available to you. And by all means, invest in your own company, so a rising stock price benefits you along with the company.

C. Form your own theme park, and run it as you see fit.

As it turns out, I do not recall as revenues and the stock price were in decline anyone over at The Magic Kingdom contacting the local media to offer to work for decreased wages. Where was Mr. Clinton, a fine American I am sure, at the shareholders meeting? Voting present?

It is far time for these dopes to distance themselves from the cancer that is the unions and get some skin in the game. Then, as it should be, everyone associated with Mickey and Minnie would be celebrating a job well done.

NOTE: I AM A LONGTIME SHAREHOLDER OF WALT DISNEY CORPORATION. WFTV USED A SOURCE.

Wake Up! Alarm Bell Ringing!

Did you see 60 Minutes last night?

I do not know what has gotten into the Obama loving crowd over there, but on the heels of a scathing report on unemployment last month, comes a very troubling piece on the day of reckoning facing the states.

Decades of irresponsibility, wreckless spending, far to excessive expenditures for entitlements and the refusal to slam the door in the face of unions have led many states to a critical time for choosing.

How bad is it? Meridith Whitney, who called the housing blow up, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are among those interviewed on the subject. A must watch:



The decisions facing the states are not only the states problem, but in the era of bailout nation, likely the United States problem well sooner than you may think. Christie, who is taking on the powerful unions and winning, has New Jersey on the right path, but California, who just re-elected many of left wing moonbats who put the Golden State in peril, continues to travel down a road leading them, and likely us as California is the eighth largest economy in the world, off the cliff.

Illinois was singled out as a economic catastrophe. The comptroller of the state minced no words in describing the deadbeat status of the Land of Lincoln. Unfortunately, Abraham Lincoln is no longer around to run things in Illinois, but among those who were, and helped put this state in such a horrendous economic condition, is none other than our champion of change himself, President Barack Obama. It is quite evident Obama is using many of the same policies that put Illinois in peril, most notably the transfer of wealth through entitlements, in his effort to rescue the United States in time of severe recession. I got a news flash for you. It will be unsuccessful.

These are not revenue problems, but are spending problems.

Whitney is someone worth listening to, and she is predicting historic defaults on municipal bonds, long ranked among the most stable investments with typically low levels of risk. Not anymore! Municipal bonds, or munis, are bonds sold by states, counties, cities and other political titles other than the federal government and are most often exempt from federal taxation. Although risk does vary on these instruments, the fear of widespread default has been rarely considered.

This is the other big crisis besides housing, and the scariest part, says Whitney, is the level of complacency. Oh good! Everyone is re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic! Dump bonds if you still have them and buy commodities.

Chris Christies said the credit cards have reached their limit, and there is no money available in New Jersey. Few in Washington recognize this as the federal government continues attempts at spending us into irrevocable debt, but help may be on the way. A newly elected batch of conservative Tea Party Patriot Republicans are coming, and once things get set on track in Jersey, a true conservative leader with economic insight and some chutzpah may come in 2012 in Chris Christie.

Lead, follow or get out of the way!