Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Spare Us Your Brilliance

        “Spare us your brilliance for the first year” is a common instruction to new franchisees by franchisors. A proven business system is the greatest asset of a franchise.  The new franchisee must learn and implement that system before making or suggesting any changes.  If the new franchisee is not going to follow the system, he or she should never have bought the franchise.  Not following the system is a leading cause of franchise failure, second only to divorce.
        After the first year, franchisees do make significant contributions to the business system.  McDonalds started with a hamburger, cheeseburger, fries, and a shake.  The rest of today’s menu came from franchisees.  Franchisees serve a vital market research role to keep the franchise viable in an ever-changing market.   No individual business could afford this continual market research. 
        For more about franchising read Business Fits.  http://BusinessFits.com
        This is the season for graduations.  High School and collage graduates could also heed the “Spare us your brilliance” advice.  It would be nice to start one’s career in the perfect job, but that is often unrealistic.  Get a job, any job, learn that job and do it well.  Only then should the new hire try to show their brilliance.  Remember the world is not fair and does not owe you a living. 
        Congratulations to all new graduates.  Best wishes and good luck.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

The Root of the Problem

        I’ve been so worried that our great Country had some serious problem.  I was concerned with an out of control federal government, government debt, failed federal policies, big money buying elections, partisan politics, corrupt and incompetent government officials, and government cover ups.  I was thrilled to learn these were not the problem. 
        I heard our Commander and Chief, President Obama say the real problem was Fox News.  I am so relieved.  I thought we had problems.  Now that we have identified the real problem it should be easy to find the solution.
Or maybe not.  Trying to blame Fox News for all our problems is so ridiculous that it would not even make a good Saturday Night Live skit.   The really sad thing is that the Progressives actually believe this bull.
        I am a news junkie.  I watch several networks every morning.  I usually start with ABC or CBS, then CNN, and finally Fox.  I admit I seldom watch NBC or MSNBC (AKA government networks) unless I am looking for a laugh.  Fox News does not do as good a job at covering sports and celebrities, but does an excellent job covering government.  I do believe Fox tries to be “Fair and Balanced”, but it is hard sometimes.  I can certainly relate.
Every network makes mistakes and some even have anchors manufacturing stories about themselves to improve their stature and credibility.  Some politicians do that too.  The interesting thing is that when Fox screws up, the disclaimer is front page with everyone including Fox.  With the other networks, the mistake is and forgotten if possible. 
FOX News is not the problem.  We need to deal with the real problems including out of control federal government, government debt, failed federal policies, campaign spending reform, partisan politics, corrupt and incompetent government officials, and government cover ups to name a few.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Freedom of Speech

         The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees us the right of free speech.  Unfortunately, some extremists think we should have free speech only if that speech agrees with what they believe. This includes political, religious, race, and gender extremists. 
        Two Islamic extremists attacked a Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland, Texas.  An alert traffic cop put the two gunmen down.  Some political extremists try to make the argument that freedom of speech should not allow people to offend Muslims with a Muhammad cartoon contest.  I agree the contest was probably a stupid idea, but that right is certainly protected under the First Amendment.
        I get frustrated with the political correctness of avoiding offending Muslims.  We are at war with radical Islam and they are Muslims.  Muslims need to rise up against radical Islam. 
        Freedom of speech does not give radical Islam or anyone else the right to use the Internet for recruiting Jihadist fighters to kill Americans.  This is a terrorist act of war and should be dealt with as such.
        Why is it we are only concerned about offending Muslims?  Christians are made fun of every day and it is totally acceptable.  Christians are restricted in how they can practice their religion in a clear violation of First Amendment rights.  Politicians sometimes refer to Christians as right-wing extremists.  How did this happen in a country founded on Christian principles?
        Some words are considered politically offensive, but freedom of speech gives us the right to use them.  The “N” word is one of the most offensive, but I was recently in a production of To Kill A Mockingbird and the “N” word was used extensively.  The word was necessary for a realistic production. 
        I had a sister who fought cancer for decades.  I lovingly refer to he as a “tough broad”.  I certainly don’t feel the word “broad” is derogative used that way.  Different words have different meanings for different people and we have the right to use these words. 
        There are restrictions to our right to free speech.  For example, we cannot yell FIRE in a crowded theater creating a panic.  We cannot incite a riot. That is a crime.  If we intentionally slander someone, we may be liable for that action.  If we lie under oath, it is perjury and a felony. 
        I feel our elected officials and leaders should be held to a higher standard and not a lower standard.  Why is it okay for an elected representative to make flagrant lies on the floor of Congress and not be subject to any prosecution?  I strongly support the right to free speech, even if stupid, but politicians need to be held to the same standard or a higher standard. 
        We need to elect political representatives that are honest and trustworthy.   

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Personal Responsibility & Behavior

       Coverage of the race riots in Baltimore, Maryland last week showed a woman removing her teenage son from the scene.  She was scolding him and physically hitting him.  The video shows her pushing and shoving him and pulling a ski mask from his face.  It shows her slapping him in the face several times while giving him a verbal tongue-lashing.
        The boy was not hurt except for his dignity and pride.  The embarrassment in front of his friends will take some time to get over. 
        The woman is a single parent with several children.  Some people say she should be nominated for Mother of the Year.  Maybe she should, but isn’t it the responsibility of a parent to teach their children proper behavior?  Where were the other parents?
        I am a little surprised I haven’t heard any liberals saying the mother should be prosecuted for assault.  Slapping him is corporal punishment and he could have experienced some pain.  He certainly experienced some embarrassment and emotional trauma.  She even used language that was not politically correct.  Maybe she should be reprimanded for that.  Maybe she should have met her son at the bus or school and walked him home.  He is a teenager, but I have heard of people being jailed for letting a ten-year-old walk home alone.  Why haven’t we heard from the liberals?  I guess they are just too busy promoting the protests. 
        Things have changed since I was raised, and I don’t think for the better.  That was a long time ago, but I was taught to respect the police and my teachers.  If I did something wrong, I was even more afraid of my parents.  I never heard of a timeout.  That would have been a treat. 
        I was taught responsibility and a strong work ethic.  Parents assumed this responsibility.  There were no excuses or attempts to transfer parent’s responsibility to the schools or government.  
        In the rural area of Iowa where I was raised, kids grew up fast.  They were given responsibility at an early age.  All farm kids had chores from a very young age.  Parents would have laughed at someone being prosecuted for letting a ten-year-old walk home alone.   At ten, farm kids were operating tractors and cultivating corn without supervision.  At age ten or eleven, my ex-wife cooked, cleaned, and cared for a neighboring farmer and his five children while the mother was in the hospital with number six. 
        There seems to be a direct correlation between the decline of the strong, traditional family unitand the lack of personal responsibility, responsible behavior, and a good work ethic in our young people.  Government should consider this, and stop throwing money at programs that not only don’t work, and in some cases make the situation worse. 

It is time for real change.