Russian Involvement

        I have to laugh when I hear people making a big deal out of Russia being involved in our elections.  The United States has been involved in and tried to influence every election in the world for the last seventy years.  What idiot would think a world power like Russia would not be doing the same thing?

        If collusion or obstruction of justice was involved, that is a different thing.  Anyone committing those crimes should be prosecuted. 

        I find it interesting how the liberal left and the lame stream media are still trying to say President Trump did something wrong involving Russia in spite of a total lack of any evidence.  I hope the independent prosecutor brings the matter to a prompt conclusion so we can get on with running the country. 

        Why doesn’t Congress do something about the surveillance of U.S. citizens, unmasking of those citizens, and leaking of that information to the press?  Those leaks are a felony and someone needs to go to jail. 

        Our national security is so threatened by these constant leaks that our closest allies, like Great Britain, are afraid to share confidential information with us.  This has to stop.   

       

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

http://BusinessFits.com

National Security

        We should all be concerned about our national security.  We have had too many leaks.  Some leaks are real and some are total fabrications.  All of them are politically motivated and the lame stream media blows them totally out of proportion. 

        I agree with freedom of the press and protecting their sources, but the media must also be held accountable if the information received is the result of a crime.  There was a time when the media was held to a higher standard and verified the information in any story.  This is certainly not true today.  The more outlandish the fake news is, the bigger the headline.

        Leaking classified information is a crime and must be prosecuted.  Good intentions and political motivations are not an excuse.  Americans have and will die because of these leaks. 

        Chelsea Elizabeth Manning (born Bradley Edward Manning) was sentenced to a 35 year sentence after leaking classified information to Wikileaks while in the Army.  President Obama commuted his/her sentence after seven years and she is now free, and she is trying to get all her veteran benefits reinstated.   What kind of a message does this send?

        There recently was a story that President Trump verbally gave classified information to a Russian representative.  The law clearly allows the President to declassify any information as he feels appropriate. 

        This is not the case with Hillary Clinton’s classified e-mails.  In fact, the law clearly states this is a felony regardless of intent.  Carelessness or stupidity is not a defense.  Not only wasn’t she prosecuted, but she ran for president. 

        There has been a special prosecutor appointed to look into foreign governments that meddle in our elections and national security.  I think this is great if he looks beyond Donald Trumps campaign staff.  He needs to investigate many things, like unsolved deaths of people with political information, selling 20% of our uranium to Russia, the Clinton foundation, the Benghazi cover-up, Fast & Furious, and a dozen other things. 

        This investigation must also be done quickly with prompt justice.   If it drags on for years and no one is cleared or held accountable, it will hurt this country. 

        These leaks must stop and people must be held accountable.  They are putting our country in danger and putting it in danger. 

        Politics is not an acceptable excuse.  God bless the United States of America.  God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

http://BusinessFits.com

Congressional Investigations

        I am sick and tired of Congress wasting time and taxpayer money on investigations that are irrelevant or never reach a conclusion.  Congress often wastes time on things like sports.  Sports are entertainment and should not concern Congress. 

        When they do investigate something important like Benghazi, Fast & Furious, or Hilary Clinton’s e-mails, nothing ever happens.  The lame stream media makes a big deal out of Congressional investigations, but they are a joke.  Everybody lies, evades the questions, or takes the 5^th and no one is ever held accountable. 

        Some people testifying before Congress commit perjury with no fear of consequences.  People might be held in Contempt of Congress, but, again nothing happens.  Everyone continues to go about their business with no consequences.

        On occasion, someone resigns from their job, but they still receive all their benefits and pension.  That is how the political elite reward them for helping with the cover-up. 

        Benghazi is a great example of how Congress wastes its time.  After months of hearings, we never found out who made the call to have the military stand down.  We never found out who gave the order to blame the attack on a video, well after they knew it was a terrorist attack.  All that time and money was wasted, and they never got answers to the two most relevant questions. 

        The investigations are wrapped up in partisan politics and seem to have nothing to do with getting to the truth or holding anyone accountable.  Senators and Representatives of both parties primary objective is to protect the members of their party and criticize the other party.  Sometimes I think members of Congress just want to hear themselves talk. 

        The FBI and the Department of Justice should be the ones responsible for investigating these alleged crimes.   These investigations must not be influenced by politics, and   investigations must also be timely.  When they drag on for months and years, the lame stream assumes guilt, especially if it involves a conservative.  If President Trump is involved, it is even worse.  He could find a cure for cancer and the media would still say he did something wrong. 

        People have to be held accountable for their actions and crimes in a timely manner.  We must stop giving politicians a free pass.        

        God bless the United States of America.  God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

http://BusinessFits.com

Deconstruction of Government

        I don’t often quote Nancy Pelosi except to make fun of her, but she did get something right last week.  She said that the health care bill which was passed by the House last week was the “deconstruction of government.”

        We need a lot more deconstruction of the federal government.  A vote for Donald Trump for President was in large part a vote for a reduction in the size and control of the federal government and against the political elite. 

        I don’t like the health care bill, personally, because the federal government is trying to fix a problem caused by medical insurance with medical insurance.  Secondly, having the federal government mandate our health care is a clear violation of the 10^th Amendment. 

        The new bill is good because it gives people more control over their health care than under Obama Care.  I don’t want insurance companies or the federal government telling me what my options are for my health care.  Obama Care, single payer, or government provided health care, all take away a patient’s freedom of choice. 

        Something had to be done because Obama Care was imploding.  It was not sustainable.  Many people had medical insurance, but because of deductibles, co-pays, and premiums they had no health care.  They were worse off than before. 

        Obama Care always was a plan to increase the size of the federal government and increase control over our lives.  Most politicians knew the promises; “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor” and “if you like your insurance company, you can keep your insurance company” were outright lies.

        The federal government needs to be deconstructed a lot more.  A government shut down or downsizing would be a good thing.  I don’t mean cutting back on the things the federal government is responsible for under the Constitution.  This includes things like the military, border control, and law enforcement.  These areas need to be maintained or even increased. 

        The rest of the federal government should be cut by 75%.  I bet we would never know the difference.  This can’t be done all at once, but in stages. 

        A 75% cut would not be enough for some agencies and departments.  Some should be cut 90% to 100%.  The IRS is an example of one that should be cut 90%.  With a good tax plan like the Fair Tax or even a flat tax, a 90% cut would be reasonable. 

        The Department of Education is an example of one that should be cut 100%.  Our children’s education was much better off before there was a Department of Education, when education was the responsibility of the people and the states.  Past heads of the department of the DOE have even stated the department did more harm than good.  School test scores and world ranking have dropped in direct relation to the increase in federal spending on education.  Now politicians want the federal government to spend even more.  Sounds like the definition of insanity to me. 

        This deconstruction of government may sound radical, but is certainly justified by history, our Constitution, and the 10^th Amendment which reads: 

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are      reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

                 

        God bless the United States of America.  God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

                   http://BusinessFits.com

Legal Problem

        We have a huge legal problem in this country.  There are too many attorneys with too much power.   While they do provide a valuable service, they do not produce anything.  That is why in many countries, attorneys are considered service people and are considered very low in social and economic status. 

        The United States has only 5% of the world’s population, but 70% of the world’s lawyers.  We are allowing them to shape our country. 

        Our federal government is controlled by attorneys.  43% of the Congress is made up of lawyers, 60% of the Senate and 37% of the House.  Those numbers explain why legislation is thousands of pages long, and no one, including the lawyers, understand the bill or law.  

        No law should be more than fifty pages long, and if it cannot be clearly understood by a high school graduate, it needs to go back to the drawing board.  Attorneys are intelligent enough to write a law that meets these requirements. 

        One measure of intelligence is the ability to communicate in a clear and understandable manner.  By that standard, the authors of most of our laws and legal documents don’t show a lot of smarts.

        Our courts are totally controlled by attorneys, including the judges.  We have all heard the statement: “Only a fool defends himself.”  How did we get to that mindset?  Any competent individual should be able to represent himself. 

        Sometimes the local courts turn into good-old-boy clubs.  If you ever have to bring a civil action in another city or state, it becomes necessary to retain a local attorney.  If you bring in council from outside the area, you may have lost before you start.

        Some Courts like the 9^th District Court of Appeals has become so politically partisan that something has to change.  The Supreme Court has overturned over 85% of their decisions brought up on appeal.  The 9^th District Court needs to be broken up or the judges fired. Our courts must stop legislating from the bench. 

        We need tort reform.  Attorneys and the courts have taken personal injury cases, medical malpractice cases, and class action suits to the point of being ludicrous.  These ridiculous awards for punitive damages cost all of us with higher cost of goods and services including health care.  No one can make a product idiot proof. 

        People who bring frivolous lawsuits must be penalized financially for wasting the time of the court and the defendant.  No one should be hurt financially for defending themselves against a frivolous law suit. 

        We all sign contracts for services.  Most are so long and complex that no one reads them and couldn’t understand them if we tried.  We can’t afford to take them to an attorney every time we’re faced with one. 

        I once worked for a company that had in-house council.  I asked him if something I wanted to do was legal or if I could do it.  He asked me which question I wanted answered, because the answers were not the same. 

        I am not saying lawyers are corrupt or necessarily bad.  Most are honest, hard-working people that follow the rules and work within the system.  I have a son who is an honest attorney who provides a valuable service.  The problem is with the courts and the government.  Both have become too powerful. 

        Is the current legal system about justice and protecting our freedoms, or is it about expanding business and control for attorneys?   Our entire legal system, including our government, has become too complex. That is great for the legal profession, but terrible for the rest of the country. 

        Attorneys are smart people.  They can make it simple if they want.  The problem is that does not make them money and does not promote big government.  We need change.

         

        God bless the United States of America.  God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

                   http://BusinessFits.com

Price

        Price is such an essential part of product management and marketing  that I devote an entire chapter to the topic in my book  Business Fits.   Does a high  price  insure quality?  Definitely  not.     Does  a  low  price  indicate  poor  quality?  Definitely not.

        Many entrepreneurs start a business with the intention of competing on price, which is usually a formula for failure.  A larger, more established competitor is in a better position for a price war. 

        I was involved in a price war once when I was in the recreational vehicle manufacturing business.  We basically bought the business in an eight state area.  There was no way a smaller competitor with less financial reserves and a smaller geographic market could compete. 

        I know of several products that are poor quality, but have the perception of quality due to an extensive advertising campaign.  Companies often make a conscious decision to spend money on promotions and advertising instead of product quality. 

        Engineering is so good today that many products are only made to last as long as the warranty period.  Keith Elwick was the founder of Hawk Bilt.  He once told me that they originally made their products to last, but then the engineers got too good. 

        I give an example in my book of a product that did not sell because the price was too low.  When the price was raised, it sold very well and continues to sell today. 

        Some products need a high price to denote quality and exclusivity.  The cosmetics industry is a great example of this.  Cost of production is minimal.  The biggest portion of production cost is the packaging. 

        When I was a Ford-Mercury dealer, I noticed that many parts for a Ford, Mercury, or Lincoln, were identical, but had different part numbers and prices.  The Lincoln owner expected to pay more than the Mercury owner, and the Mercury owner expected to pay more than the Ford owner.  Ford Motor Company was kind enough to accommodate them. 

        Most pricing is called odd pricing or psychological pricing.  The idea is that $19.99 sounds less then $20.00.  This practice is very common and is especially successful with lower priced items. 

        When I was in the collector car business I did not use odd pricing on cars.  If I priced a collector car at $49,950, the customer only heard $49,000 and expected to negotiate from there.  I priced the car at $50,000 and told the customer we did not negotiate.  The car now had a much higher image of quality. 

        Shipping costs can affect the price of a product.  If the product has to be shipped to the customer, the shipping cost is often included in the price.   Shipping costs can turn off a potential customer.  I give a great example involving grass-fed buffalo meat in my book. 

        For more about pricing, read Business Fits which is available on Amazon. 

        God bless the United States of America.  God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

                   http://BusinessFits.com

Liberal Education

        When people graduate from a four-year college they often receive a Bachelor of Science degree or a Bachelor of Arts degree.  A BS degree is usually in the applied sciences like physics, chemistry or mathematics.  The BA degree is usually in liberal arts areas like literature, music, or art. 

        Of all collage degrees, a Bachelor of Arts is probably the worst for preparing the student for the real world unless they are going into teaching.  Teaching is a needed and honorable profession, but we might not need many more art history majors. 

John Adams, one of our great founding fathers, wrote this to his wife during the Revolutionary War:

“I must study politics and war, that my sons may have the liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.  My sons ought to study mathematics, philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.”

        We have become very spoiled in this great country.  Four-year college degrees are great for some people, but we also need students to learn specific skills necessary for our economy.  

        Too many people graduate from collage with no clue how to manage their lives.  They don’t know anything about essentials like personal finance or insurance.  I hope most collage and high school graduates have at least learned the 3Rs and how to find and evaluate information with logical thinking. 

        When I titled this blog liberal education, I was not focusing on liberal arts.  I was talking about how politically liberal our education system has gotten.  How can students learn logical thought if they only receive one side from their professors?  History has even been rewritten to present the liberal agenda.  This reminds me of George Orwell’s 1984.

        When Donald Trump was elected president, Hampshire College lowered their flag to half staff.  College professors in several universities cancelled or postponed tests and assignments because the students were too upset with Trump’s election.  This is ridiculous.    

        Our colleges and universities have gotten so politically liberal that educators are often denied tenure in universities if they are not liberal.  Students won’t learn logical thought if the professors they respect only give them their personal political beliefs.

        Notre Dame students are now protesting Mike Pence as their commencement speaker.  Notre Dame is a Catholic University and Pence is a Catholic and the Vice President of the United States.  Since when does free speech only apply to liberals?

        Students at a free speech rally in Berkley physically assaulted American veterans.  They wore masks and acted like anarchists.  These students need to wake up. 

        I would never hire someone this naïve, and many employers feel the same.  Maybe these students can get a government job or make a living as a liberal educator until the rest of the country wakes up and those jobs go away. 

        Liberal education has gone too far.  Appalachian State University offers a class called “What if Harry Potter is Real?”  The University of South Carolina offers a class called “Lady Gaga and the sociology of Fame.”  We need to teach our youth job skills, logical thinking, actual history, and government to prepare them for the real world. 

        God bless the United States of America.  God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

                   http://BusinessFits.com