Negotiation

        Negotiating a deal is an art.  This is true in both the public and private sector.  Good negotiation requires risk and reward.  A good negotiator must also know when to walk away.  

        In the early 70’s we had a pop machine in Lee Motors.  This machine dispensed a bottle of pop for 10¢.  This was a service for our customers and our employees.  We did not make any money from pop sales and probably lost money. 

        School children would come in for a 10¢ pop and then sneak out with the bottle.  They would then take the empty bottle across the street to the grocery store where they could get 5¢ for the empty.  We let them think they were getting away with something. 

        We owned the pop machine and stocked it ourselves, but we had a bottler deliver the pop once a week.  At the time I was addicted to Sun Drop pop.  Sun Drop has a high caffeine and sugar content so was probably not the healthiest drink.  Their slogan was “Refreshing as a cup of coffee.”

        When I bought the dealership, there was no Sun Drop in the machine.  This was totally unacceptable for me.  I asked the bottler to supply it.  I can’t remember if the bottler was Coke or Pepsi, but whichever it was they told me they could not supply Sun Drop because it was in direct competition with one of their other products.  I politely said “Fine, I understand.  Take all of your products out.”  It was fun to see how quickly the bottle decided they could supply Sun Drop. 

        In business, you must be willing to walk if you want the best deal.  The same is true in politics and especially in international relations.  President Trump wrote a book called The Art of the Deal.  He knows how to negotiate. 

        President Trump is willing to walk on trade deals with foreign countries if the deal is not good for the United States.  With rogue countries it is even more important.  Good negotiation is not possible if military action is taken off the table.  Rogue countries like Iran and North Korea are a threat to world peace.  Thank God we now have a President capable and willing to address these problems which have been ignored for years. 

        God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

                    http://BusinessFits.com    

See Something - Say Somrthing

          There  was  another terrorist  attack in New York.   Eight  people died.   Is  this  the  new normal?   If we don't  take appropriate  action these terrorists attacks will continue and become more frequent.

       This time, the weapon was a flatbed pickup rented from Home Depot, a tactic recommended by ISIS.  There are  idiots still blaming guns in spite of the fact that the terrorist was only armed with a paint gun and a pellet gun.  A cry for gun control is an attempt by the left to do away with the second amendment and has nothing to do with protecting us from terrorists.

        I am tired of all the politicians trying to get air time to promote themselves after one of these attacks.  They spout all these nice platitudes about how we are not going to let these terrorists disrupt our lives. 

        The most annoying are the idiots who say we just need to listen to the terrorists, try to understand them, and love them.  This is a war.  They want to kill us.

        One of our greatest potential defenses is See Something – Say Something.   This would be true, but is has zero chance of being successful.  We have become too politically correct to protect ourselves. 

        When someone suspects a potential terrorist, they are afraid to say something because they will be called an Islamophobic, and they fear being shunned and ridiculed.  It could mean the end of their career.  Someone knew about the danger of every terrorist attack in this country before it was committed, but was afraid to say something.

        Even other Muslims will not say anything for the same reason of being shunned or ridiculed.  They also could face potential physical retribution for outing a radical Islam.   There are also Muslims who support the violent Jihad. 

        We have to wake up and recognize that we are in a religious war.  We must put an end to the dangerous political correctness. 

        Words have meaning.  Banning words that might hurt someone’s feelings does not change human nature.  It only widens racial, religious, and sexual divisions.  This is like ignoring history.  We need to start learning from history and not trying to change it.

·       We are at war. 

·       We need to stop the extreme political correctness. 

·       We have to secure our boarders.

·       We must properly vet immigrants. 

·       We must support our military and police, and give them the tools and freedom to do their job. 

·       We must say something if we see something. 

        God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

                    http://BusinessFits.com    

Taxpayers' Manifesto

        I just read Taxpayers’ Manifesto by Daniel J. Hushek.  I don’t remember who gave me this book, but it is fantastic.  The foresight of Mr. Hushek is amazing since it was written in 1992 and much of the data is as old as 1984.

        His predictions of what was happening to our country and where we were heading are amazing.  He addresses topics and issues like: 

·       Democracy

·       The Law

·       Politicians – The New Aristocrats

·       Labor and Labor Unions

·       Fair – What’s Fair

·       Liberal vs. Conservative

·       The United Nations

·       Foreign Policy

·       Crime and Punishment

·       Gun Control

·       Economics, Capitalism, Free Enterprise

·       Minorities

·       Education

·       Religion

·       Public Transportation

·       The Military

·       Welfare

·       The Environment

·       Racism

·       The Media

        Mr. Hushek continually talks about government spending, taxation, and deficits, but points out that spending is the problem and the other two are just symptoms of the problem.  I am sure he is appalled by the growth in the size of government we have seen since he wrote this book. 

         I will give you one quote from the book. 

Remember further that up to this point (1992) the politicians and bureaucrats have been very successful at keeping us at each others throats with such typical contentions as:

          Republicans        vs.     Democrats

          Black                    vs.     White

          Catholic               vs.     Protestant

          Young                 vs.     Senior citizens

          Capital                 vs.     Labor

          Consumer            vs.     Retailer

          Utilities               vs.     Users

          Doctors               vs.     Patients

          Police                  vs.     Civilians

I could go on and on.  But remember these contentions were instituted by politicians and they will be coming up with new ways to divide us into factions to keep us diverted from the main issue which is government spending.  Don’t kid yourself one moment.  The politicians and bureaucrats know that once we recognize the only real contention they cannot benefit from is:      Taxpayer vs. Tax beneficiary

          Mr. Hushek points out how increasing the size of government has made most of the country’s problems worse instead of better, and he doesn’t worry about being politically correct.    He points out that government can do very few things better than the private sector. 

        I am not sure this book is still in print, but if you can find one, it is certainly worth a read.  It is also available as an eBook download.

        God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

                    http://BusinessFits.com    

Career Choices

        We all make choices in life.  Our career choices are some of the most important.  The first choices are deciding on a school or learning a trade.  Some people go to a four year collage and never learn anything practical except for going on to teach.  We don’t need any more art history majors.

        There is also a choice of working in the public or private sector.  In the past, the advantage of working in the public sector was job security and the disadvantage was less compensation.  Compensation is now comparable with the growth of government, but security may change if the size of government decreases.  Government employees may be held more accountable for their performance in the future.  Taxpayers deserve this. 

        There are two choices in the private sector.  We have the option of a job or self-employment.  My dad was a tenant farmer and felt working for a large corporation was the best security.  With changes in our economy including mergers and acquisitions, a job is not always secure. 

        Self-employment presents many options.  The first is starting a business from scratch.  That option sounds very romantic, but also has the highest failure rate.   The biggest problem is that people start a business because of a personal perception of a product or service with little or no consideration of what their role in the business will be.

        Buying an existing business is the second option.  If it is a good viable business, the price will include blue sky.  There is a history, but does that history guarantee future earnings?

        There many business opportunities including multi-level   marketing opportunities.  Be careful of these as there is little or no regulation covering these opportunities.  Buyer

beware.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

        The last option for self-employment is a franchise.  This option provides many options and is one reason I usually ask clients to look at franchises.  There is a franchise business model to fit almost every goal.  There is more to franchises than just flipping hamburgers.

        There are options to own one franchise, multiple franchises, area development, or be a regional franchisor.  There are franchise business systems to fit almost anyone’s strengths and weaknesses.  There are business models with and without employees.  Some business models require a lot of sales ability and some don’t.

        Some franchises simply provide a job.  An owner of a franchise may be working full-time in the business, or work full-time managing the business, or part-time, or an absentee owner with a full-time job.  A good franchise provides a proven business system.  No guesswork.

        Thanks to President Trump, the opportunities for starting or buying a business are better than they have been in decades.  If you have ever thought of owning a business, start your investigation now.  Start by reading Business Fits, which is available on Amazon. 

        God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

       

        http://BusinessFits.com    

Career Politician

       

    Our Founding Fathers were intelligent and perceptive beyond belief when they formed this great republic.  They did make one mistake.  They did not anticipate or protect us against the career politician.  They assumed our elected leaders would be selected by their peers and would receive only minimal compensation.  They would truly be public servants.

    Today, it is hard to call many elected officials public servants.  The number one objective of career politicians is to get elected and reelected.  Serving the people is way down on their list of priorities.  Wealth and power rank much higher. 

        The career politician is at the center of the political elite in the Washington DC swamp.  The lobbyists and big political donors all bid for their vote.  Many votes are bought and paid for.  This is very apparent when looking at an obstructionist like Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

        Donald Trump’s election as President was a populous revolution.  This revolution was so quiet that political analysts and the media did not see it coming.  It happened in the voting booth.  People are fed up with big government.

        I can see why the career politician, the political elite, big money, and the lame stream media are afraid of Trump.  They don’t trust the working people and they don’t want to lose control.  If the populous revolution continues, the media and big money will no longer be able to control elections and it could be the end of the career politician.  It could be the end of the bloated Washington government of today. 

        I hope the populous revolution continues and the career politician disappears.  I am reminded of the joke where a kid tells his father he is choosing a career of crime, and the father’s response is “public or private sector?”

        God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

       

        http://BusinessFits.com    

Racial Divide

        Why do  blacks, liberals,  politicians  and  the media continue to deepen the racial divide?

        NFL players disrespecting the American flag, National Anthem, country, military, police, and veterans only hurt the black cause.  People are not sympathetic when they are disrespected.  That is only common sense.

        I don’t care about the opinions of rich, spoiled athletes, singer, or actors, until they disrespect and offend me and my country.  Their only purpose in life is to entertain.  They seem to have no other knowledge or common sense.

        Politicians divide the country racially in order to gain votes and maintain power.  How long are we going to put up with this?  We are all Americans.

        We see blacks rioting and destroying their own neighborhoods.  How can this help eliminate the racial divide?  It just makes them look stupid. 

        People like Al Sharpton make a good living and gain a lot of fame and fortune by deepening the racial divide. We have to stop listening to these people. 

        We have city politicians that have promised to help distressed urban areas in order to gain votes and all they do is enslave the residents to a life of crime or welfare.  How do these politicians continue to win reelection?

        Black Lives Matters disrespect the police when the police are the most important force protecting their lives and property.  Can we blame police for not wanting to be proactive in urban areas? 

        We had a black President who immediately took the black side in any black/white incident without any consideration of the facts.  It is hard not to call this racist.  He set race relations back two decades. 

        Liberal whites must stop supporting black protests, demonstrations, and riots.  All they are doing is deepening the racial divide. 

        Minorities are given preference for jobs and in schools.  How does this make people feel we are all equal?  Many minorities have been discriminated against in the past, but we can’t change history.  We all have to move forward as Americans without preference or discrimination. 

        All minorities must lead productive lives and be responsible.  This is the only way they can be accepted as truly equal.  Protests, demonstrations, and violence are counterproductive. 

        God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

       

        http://BusinessFits.com    

Heart Attack

        

         I hadn’t written a post for this week because I had a couple distractions.  I am 73 years old and thought I was in good health.  I had never even taken any prescription medications. 

        Last Wednesday and Thursday I had what I thought was some bad indigestion and some bouts of sweating;  I did the antacid and Alka-Seltzer routine.   I now know I was having a heart attack.  Marla kept asking me if I wanted to go to the hospital.  Even our dog was trying to tell me I was in trouble, by clinging to my every move.

        Since I have been blessed with such good health, I am big on getting a good night’s sleep and trusting that everything will be good in the morning.  If I had gone to bed Thursday night, I might not be writing this.

        About 9:00 PM I finally let Marla take me to the Emergency at Lakeveiw in Rice Lake.  I told them my symptoms.  I had some pain in my left arm and left side of my neck by then.  I was rushed into an exam room where two people started an initial exam.  They gave some kind exclamation and the room immediately was filled with what seemed to be about eight people.  Everyone knew exactly what they were doing and a helicopter was ordered to transport me to Sacred Heart hospital in Eau Claire. 

        After I arrived in Eau Claire, one of the EMTs on the helicopter called Marla to let her know that I had made it to Sacred Heart and was in surgery.  The surgery to put a stent in my heart was a success. 

        The nurses checked on me every 15 minutes that night, and about 4:00 AM my femoral artery, where they had gone in, sprung a leak.  As soon as it was discover, my room filled with people again.  Everyone knew exactly what they were doing. 

        I spent Friday in the hospital and was released on Saturday.  I will have some rehab, but feel good.  Thanks to Marla and all the medical staff who saved my life. 

        Being in good health does not make you invincible.  Unknown health problem can kill you.  Learn the signs of a heart attack and listen to your loved ones. 

        http://BusinessFits.com