Stacked Deck

         I used to play a little poker.  I kept an eye out for a crooked game with a stacked deck, which would make it impossible win.

        When I watched the Presidential debate last week, I felt Trump was trying to win with a deck stacked against him.  I don’t think Trump lost any voters, but he probably didn’t win any either. 

        I am sick and tired of biased partisan moderators with stacked questions.  Lester Holt said he would not do any fact checking, but he did just that at least four times with Trump.  I give Trump credit for not letting him get away with it.  At least he did not roll over and play dead like Mitt Romney did in 2012.   Holt never once corrected Hillary even when she made obvious misstatement of facts like saying the murder rate in New York had continued to go down after Stop-and-Frisk was discontinued. 

        The questions were extremely biased.  Holt attempted to make Trump look like a racist and a sexist.  Hillary did an excellent job of baiting Trump, and unfortunately he took the bait.

        Trump’s tax returns were brought up implying he was hiding something.  He has produced complete, audited financial statements.  Anyone that has ever taken an accounting course knows these are much more comprehensive.  Trump probably has not paid taxes.  What idiot would pay taxes if they could legally avoid them?  We need a President that understands our tax laws if we are going to make them fair for the middle class.

        It is interesting that Holt never asked Hillary about her deleted e-mails, Benghazi, the Iran deal, the Clinton Foundation, or her lying to Congress proven by the FBI.  I think Trump was negligent in not bringing these issues up himself. 

        Maybe Trump was trying to follow debate rules.   I was on the debate team in high school, and as I remember the rules, Trump made an attempt to follow the rules, with the exception of interrupting Hillary several times.  Interrupting seems to be the new normal for political debates.  Unfortunately, Hillary and Holt made no attempt to follow the rules.

        I never wanted to play in a stacked-deck poker game and if I were Trump, I don’t know if I would want to participate in another rigged debate.  Trump probably does not have that option.  Public perception would be that he was afraid to debate her. 

        Trump must stop taking the bait to going on the defensive.  He must take the offensive.  Hillary has so many things he can bring up that it will be hard to choose.  The question is; do we want more corrupt big government or do we want change so the government represents the working people of this country?

        Hillary is very controlled.  One of the few times I have seen her show her true character was when she said, “What difference does it make?” when talking about the Americans that died in Benghazi.   Trump will probably not get Hillary to lose control and fight.  She will just stand there with that stupid fake grin. 

    

http://BusinessFits.com

Customer Service

        Good customer service is essential to the success of any business.  It is so important that I devote an entire chapter to customer service in my book, Business Fits.

        There are a couple rules that guarantee good customer service in most instances.  The first is never lie to a customer.  This should probably also be number two, three and four. 

        The other rule is to deal with any customer complaint promptly.  Return phones calls and e-mails immediately.  Don’t wait or put it off until you think you have a solution.  Ask the customer what the problem is and what they want or think is a fair resolution. 

        A lot of products are sold on the internet today.  I am currently in community theater production where one of the props is a stage pistol.  I ordered the pistol and 200 blanks from a company called Stage-Props-Blank-Guns.  They sounded like a professional organization for our needs.  I placed the order a month before needed to make sure there were no problems. 

        The gun and blanks arrived and we tested a few rounds to make sure it fit our needs.  We did not actually fire the blanks during rehearsal until three days before opening.  We had to conserve ammunition since each performance needed over twenty rounds. 

        When we started to use the blanks, approximately one out of four misfired. I contacted the supplier.  I expected an apology and reliable blanks to be shipped in time for opening night.  What I got was, “There is only a 30 day warranty.”  I could not believe my ears.  This is a company that supplies pistols and blanks for stage productions.  What good is a stage pistol that does not fire? 

        After some discussion, the company did offer to send me new blanks of the same brand and probably the same quality if I paid for the overnight shipping.  This made no sense so we were forced to find reliable blanks locally. 

        I will certainly not do business with the company again or recommend them to any other community theater.  This company will probably not be in business for long.  It is much cheaper to retain a customer with good customer service than it is to obtain a new customer. 

        It is interesting that we demand honesty and good customer service from the companies we do business with,  yet some people actually vote for a political candidate who is a proven liar, sells political influence to the highest bidder, and considers him or her self to be above the law.  Shouldn’t we demand a higher standard for our elected officials?

        In November, this country has an opportunity to reduce the power of the political elite and give the power back to the people.  I pray people take advantage of this opportunity at the polls.

        To learn more about customer service, Business Fits is available on Amazon as a paperback and as an eBook.

    

http://BusinessFits.com

If I Were President . . .

        Some of you may have seen the Sunday, September 11th issue of Parade magazine.  The lead article was “If I Were President…”  Several readers of Common Sense, Business & Politics mentioned it might be a good topic for a blog. 

Some of the comments in the Parade article were good:

·       Improve the economy by cutting taxes and regulations that       hurt jobs.

·       Push for term limits in all branches of government.

·       Focus on being a leader, not a reactor

·     Take care of our military veterans and homeless people first. 

·     Every 18 year old should serve a year of service to our            country.

Some were personal, superficial, or nonsensical:

·       Free breakfast burritos for all.

·       Have live comedy tours.

·       Insist on three-day weekends.

·       Pay moms.

·       Tell kids to try their hardest and stay in school. 

·       Create a state-of-the-art national rail service.

·      There is no issue more important than recapturing the health     of the environment.

        Parade polled 6,500 plus readers and some of the results were a little disturbing.  I am uncomfortable with these people voting.

·       10% thought Judge Judy was on the Supreme Court.

·       33% did not know the Supreme Court was one of the three        branches of government. 

·       28% had never read the Constitution.

The top priorities of the poll were:   

1.      Economic growth - This should be a priority.

2.      Health Care - Very important.  It is to bad the government      keeps addressing medical insurance and ignores health            care.  They are two different things.

3.    Defense - Always has been and should be a top priority of       the Federal Government.  This job is changing with the           terrorist threat of radical Islam.

 4/5.   Gun laws - We have good gun laws.  They just need      

          to be enforced.  Criminals don’t observe gun laws, and

          additional laws would achieve nothing.   

 4/5.  Immigration – Legal immigration is great.  Illegal

         immigration is bad. 

    I think it is interesting that no one mentioned the one solution that would solve all the relevant problems facing this country.  If I were President, I would enforce the Constitution and the laws of this country.  One person did suggest making Constitution Day (September 17^th) a national holiday.

The President’s Oath of Office is:

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

        It is time we require our President to live up the Oath of Office.   

     

Support Your Team?

        It is time for football.  I am not a big sports fan, but I do like football, especially collage football.  I have a BBA and MBA from the University of Iowa and have lived in Iowa City three times, so I am an Iowa Hawkeye fan. 

        As with most sports fans, I watch the games and cheer for my team.  I praise their wins and mourn their losses.  I wear sports apparel showing support for my team and go to some of the games.  It is a lot of fun.  The tailgating outside Kinnick Stadium is an experience in itself.   

        It is fun to support a favorite team and provides some great entertainment.  A winning season like the Hawkeyes had last year and hopefully this year is great, but if they have a bad season, there is always next year.  It does not affect my life in any serious way.  A bad season does not affect the life of my children, grand children, or great grand children. 

        This is not true for people who faithfully support a political party.  This is not a game.  It does affect our lives and the lives of our children and grand children.  I do not understand how someone can support a political party’s nomination when that candidate will forever change the principles that made this great Republic.  There is no “Wait till next year.”

        I heard a political analyst talking about the Presidential election in 2020.  The Presidential election in 2020 may be irrelevant.  If Trump is elected and does a poor job, he can be voted out in 2020 and there will be very little lost. 

        If Hillary is elected in 2016, our country as we know it, is gone for generations and possibly forever.  If Clinton appoints two more incompetent, partisan, liberals to the Supreme Court like Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, our country may never recover.  These Justices always ignore the Constitution and try to make laws by voting, as a team,  for the current liberal agenda.  There is no way either of these Justices would have been confirmed if they had been white males with the same record.  If Clinton puts two more of her team players like Sotomayer and Kagan on the Supreme Court, the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Tenth Amendments will soon be considered irrelevant by the Supreme Court. 

        The Tenth Amendment is already ignored by the Supreme Court, Congress, and the Executive branch of our government.  If the Tenth Amendment was enforced, half of our federal government would have to be shut down.  That sounds like a good idea to me. 

        The 2016 Presidential election is without question the most important election in my lifetime.  If the wrong person wins, there will be no wait for next time.  It may never be possible to correct the mistake.  We will be living in a socialist country run by the political elite.  The middle class, personal freedoms, and economic opportunities will soon be things of the past. 

        Support your sports team, but put God, family and country before your political party.  We must have Supreme Court Justices that uphold the Constitution and our laws.  Your vote will affect future generations. 

http://BusinessFits.com

Trump on Immigration

      We  have  a  huge  problem  with  illegal   immigration   in  this country.   It  is  costing  us  a  fortune in  many ways, and has  been getting worse  for  decades.    We have  not  had  a  single President enforce our immigration laws in 50 years.   

      Securing  our  borders  has  to  come  before  any  legislation on immigration reform.  We have been fooled by legislation promising to secure the borders and granting amnesty to illegal aliens.   Illegal immigrants were  given a path  to amnesty  and citizenship,  but the border was  not secured.   All this  did  was increase  the number of illegal immigrants coming into the country,  who only had to find a way in and wait until they got amnesty.  

       I  started  Common  Sense,  Business & Politics  in  January of 2012.   My first blog on illegal immigration was in May of 2012.  I have not changed my position on immigration since.  I am in favor of  legal immigration  and  against  illegal  immigration.   We  need immigrants who respect  our  laws,  contribute to our economy and support themselves.  We don't need illegals that we have to support and continue to break out laws.   It  is  presently easier to enter and stay in this country illegally than it is legally.   This must change or we will have no country.  

      The  solution  is  simple.    We  just  need  a  President  who will enforce our laws.  Now after fifty years, we have a chance to elect a law-and-order President.  

    The media says Trump has flip-flopped on immigration.  This is not true.  The media and the liberal’s interpretation of what he has said has changed.  They prefer to read something extra into what he says. 

Trump’s ten point immigration plan is:

1.      Build a wall

2.      End “catch and release.”

3.      Create a deportation task force and focus on criminals in the country illegally

4.      Defund sanctuary cities

5.      Cancel President Obama’s executive orders on immigration

6.      Extreme vetting and block immigration from some nations.

7.      Force other countries to take those whom the U.S. wants to deport. 

8.      Get biometric visa tracking system in place

9.      Strengthen E-Verify to block jobs for the undocumented

10.  Limit legal immigration, lower it to historic norms and, set new caps

       Trump has always said this should be done humanely.  He has never said we would deport every illegal, but if we enforce the laws, they have no way to support themselves and they will have to look at legal options.  This is nothing new or different. 

        I cannot see how any rational citizen can object to this plan.  It will benefit the entire country and especially the poorer Black and Hispanic communities. 

        I heard one person say that the undocumented workers would never vote for Trump because of this plan.  Undocumented workers are not citizens and cannot vote.  I think I see why liberals are opposed to voter IDs.

        Trump’s entire plan is just to enforce our existing immigration laws for the first time in 50 years.  What a novel idea it will be to have a President who actually honors his Oath of Office and enforces the laws of this country.

         

                

Libertarian & Green Parties

        Politically, I like to think to myself as an independent.  I am not a staunch Democrat or Republican.  Surveys show that I am first, a libertarian and second a constitutionalist.  I am conservative on fiscal issues and more liberal on social issues.  This may make me weird, but I never claimed to be normal.

        Since my profile shows me to be a libertarian, you would think I should be a supporter of Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate for President, but after listening to him, there is no way I can support him.  Normally, I would expect him to draw votes from Trump, but after listening to him, he might draw more votes from Clinton.  Johnson is a joke, and will certainly not get my vote. 

        The Green Party is the fourth largest political party in the country.  They are far left and promote big government, global warming, gun control, income redistribution, gender equality, LGBT, and anti-racism.  They use words that are politically correct, but that is their platform.  I am not sure how they really differ from the Democratic Party, although they may be a little farther left, if that is possible.  The Green Party Presidential nominees for President and Vice President are Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka.  If the names do not tell you enough, check them out.  I am sick of politics trying to divide people along the lines of sex, race, and religion.

        When someone does not agree with the liberal left, the standard rebuttal is that they are racist or sexist.  I think that race baiters and politicians who use race as an argument are the real racists.  Every person living in a disadvantaged urban area should look at who has been in political power over the last fifty years and then vote for real change.  

        I have a problem with anybody who always votes a straight party ticket.  When party members have this kind of attitude, there is no incentive to clean up the party.  The party continues down the road to big government and the political elite without ever representing the working people of this country.   

        Some states and some cities always vote for one party regardless of who is on the ticket.  This is just ignorant and promotes the political elite, government graft, and corruption. 

        My dad always said he voted for the person and not the party.  I agree 100%.  Do we want to vote for the political establishment, big business, big media, and big government, or do we want to vote for change?  The only vote that has any chance of changing the direction this country is going is a vote for Trump. 

http://BusinessFits.com

                

Inside-Out

   

        I wrote Business Fits because after years as an entrepreneur, small businessman, consultant, and coach, I realized that many entrepreneurs were not prepared for starting a business.  They often picked a business for the wrong reasons.  No other book addressed this issue.

        Most people select a business based on their perception of a product or service, they may have prior experience in the business, or they just think the business would be fun, like turning a hobby into a business.  Some may have a perception of demand for the business based on their personal tastes.  This is what I call an Outside-In approach, which can lead a potential business owner down the wrong path.   

        I recommend an Inside-Out approach that matches your strengths, weaknesses, and resources, to a business model that can achieve your goals.  Many new businesses owners are not properly prepared to market and operate a business.   We don’t know what we don’t know. 

        The saying, “Do what you know and love, and you will be a success.” is true only if you are talking about daily activity which has nothing to do with the product or service.  If you hate your daily activity, you will fail, or be very unhappy.  This does not achieve anyone’s goals.  A specific product or service should not be part of the initial screening process for selecting a business.

        One example that guarantees failure is opening a coffee shop in a location where a coffee shop has already failed, expecting to succeed because you have a specific flavor of coffee to offer that you personally prefer.  Your personal taste will not guarantee success.  I’ve seen this and similar cases happen over and over again.  These failures can be prevented. 

        I often have friends and relatives call me about this “Great Opportunity” they have discovered.  It is usually based on activity or food they really enjoyed.  When they ask me what I think of their business idea, I can only respond, “For who?”  No business is right for everyone, and any business can fail with the wrong owner.

        Business Fits addressed all aspects of running a business.  I discuss how a business makes money and why some businesses are destined to fail.  I also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of new independent startups, buying an existing business, franchises, and other business opportunities. 

        Business Fits is available as an eBook or a paperback on Amazon.  To learn more about Business Fits: How to find the right business! go to http://BusinessFits.com