An Opportunity Lost

 In an interview yesterday, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. blamed Apple Inc. for inventing the iPad which has led, in his view, to the elimination of thousands of American jobs.

Let's leave aside the economic arguments of job creation attained by technological innovation and advancements by companies such as Apple.

Let's focus on motivation.  JJ Jr. might be lamenting that he didn't get a piece of the action by using his father's playbook.

Remember the Budweiser shakedown?

Years ago, Jesse the father conducted a  campaign against Budweiser.  He called Budweiser insensitive to blacks and charged the company with a horrible record when it comes to minority hiring, recruitment and advancement.

But then he stopped. 

All of a sudden, Jesse went silent on Budweiser, which given his track record, is an impossible thing to contemplate. 

What happened?

The soul shakedown is what happened.

Jesse got Budweiser to give a very lucrative distributorship to two of his sons.  In return, Jesse's claims against the company's minority hiring  mysteriously went away.

How lucrative?  The distributorship they are the exclusive supplier of all Anheuser-Bush products on Chicago's North Side.


One thing I am not sure of is whether the kids that got the distributorship are the children the good Reverend has with his wife or are the product of his love affairs outside of his marriage.

So maybe Junior Jackson wishes he went after Apple using the Budweiser template.

His kids could have owned an Apple store....





  

The Band

The concert scheduled for Prospect Park Thursday night was cancelled because the band is from Cuba and could not receive their visas in time. In the past, the United States would not give visas to Cuban artists. The reason: all Cubans (except Mark Cuban) are considered state employees, so the money they earn goes right into Castro's pocket. Obama-what a shock- changed that policy, so Castro becomes the one person benefiting from this economy.

The word from the Stoop is once the Cuban band cancelled, the Prospect Park organizers tried to book the North Korean Symphony to take its place.

The Socialist Does Not Fall Far From The ACORN

Washington Post: Touring the Midwest, President Obama said he was "very pleased" a deal had been reached, and he criticized Wall Street lobbyists for trying to dilute the bill's most stringent provisions. Obama said he did not "begrudge" wealth that is "fairly earned." But in a departure from his prepared remarks, he added, "I think at some point you have made enough money."

When the man wanders too far from the Teleprompter this is what happens. The true socialist comes out.

When the most powerful person in the world says that "at some point, you have made enough money " that is something we should all pay close attention to.

I have an idea. Since the man is very earnest about people making too much money (he did not appoint a pay czar for nothing) why not have him replace David Stern in 2012?

The NBA already has a salary cap, and it is full of people who have made lots of money. He can tell Lebron he has made enough money.

Clinton Fu*ked An Intern; Obama Fu*ks Companies That Use Interns

Remember how Clinton had the problem with the intern? Well Obama has a problem with companies that use interns. Specifically, it's the for- profit companies that Obama has a beef with. (Something about people making a profit drives this man nuts.) Obama has sent his legal henchmen (and women & anything else I left out) from the Department of Labor to crack the whip-because all of a sudden, in Obama's America, the use of interns violates the minimum wage laws. Never mind the valuable experience and contacts that young people gain by becoming interns. In Obama world, it's exploitation of the masses, simple & plain.

But it's only exploitation if a for-profit company does it, you see. Non-profits are exempt. Never mind that interns get paid the same whether the company is a for-profit or non-profit: zero.

And guess who has hired thousands upon thousands of interns? Obama. He used interns for his 2008 campaign. He uses them now. He pays them nothing. He gives them no travel expenses. He does not provide them lunch.

But the Labor department crackdown does not apply to Obama's interns. They work for a non-profit.

And working for free to extend the socialist agenda is a very rewarding experience in Obama's America.





The Unpaid Intern, Legal or Not - NYTimes.com

Never too Early for 2012......

If you ever pass by the Stoop, don't be surprised if one day you see a "Bachmann For President" sign. Who is she? That would be Michele Bachmann, a Congresswoman from Minnesota. Why her? She is a Conservative to her core, and was one of the few people willingly to speak out during the last Presidential campaign on the radical cabal now in the White House. Check out her speech on the House Floor below. In this speech, she uses the General Motors takeover by the Obama crowd to illustrate all that is wrong with the current administration.
We Now Have A Total Gangster Government
© 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

A Very Revealing Answer

I believe we get the real Obama in those rare unscripted TelePrompter-less moments. (By the way, with the amount of Maoists in his administration, I would not be shocked if the words on the teleprompter were written in perfect Mandarin.)

About two weeks ago, Obama made his first trip to New Orleans since he became President. He only stayed a couple hours, because the man of the people had a more important event to attend too later that day: a Democratic Party Fundraiser in the People's Republic of San Francisco.

Now here is where the unscripted moment comes in. To me, its the New Orleans version of the Joe the Plumber moment. It is a simple question from an American to his president:

"I expected as much from the Bush administration, but why are we still being nickeled and dimed in our recovery?" asked Gabriel Bordenave, 29, of New Orleans.

"I wish I could write a blank check," Obama replied, promoting Bordenave to shout back, "Why not?

Three Observations on the Question & Response

First, Obama implies that his hands are tied on this one. That he cannot do what he wants to do. Is he kidding? He has the Presidency, the House & the Senate. There is no government gridlock going on here. The American people tossed the keys to the car to the liberal politicians.

Now drive.

Second, the response "I wish I could write a blank check" is a peek into Obama's hopelessly liberal soul. What does it tell us? It tells us a lot. First, it says that money can solve any social problem. Just look at our rotten to the core public school systems and you will know it is not true. Second, it shows no planning, no growth, just throw money at the problem-community organizer style. What about tax incentives to get businesses to relocate to Nee Orleans and give the people some decent jobs? He says nothing about this. He is a spread the wealth man-never forget that. Finally, by saying he would issue a blank check, he shows that he has no respect for our tax dollars, or the deficit. A blank check? How irresponsible could a President be with the people's money?

And third, if this came up during the campaign, Obama's answer would have received tremendous scrutiny. And you know what would have happened? Gabriel Bordenave, the American who asked the question, would have had his life turned upside down by liberal rats going through his finances, his personal life, etc., all because he asked Obama a question. That alone will lead to a smear campaign, from the "right to privacy" cabal.

Free Markets: Supply & Demand-A Park Slope Story

And to Ralph Kramden, I leave my fortune.

Get the bag Norton!-Honeymooners dialogue

As the Federal Government continues its assault on the free markets, by among other things, buying banks & car companies, disregarding the rights of secured creditors, and the biggest intrusion of all, the health care fiasco, its refreshing to look back on how the natural laws of supply and demand work without the interference of government.

All we have to do is remember a story from our common past. Its the Summer of 1987. U2 is the biggest band in the world, schedules a concert for Giants Stadium, and is the hottest ticket in town. But even hot tickets at some point lose their temperature. Why? The natural laws of supply & demand.

Now, as soon as the concert is announced, one of our friend's (the legal code of ethics does not allow me to reveal his name) has a brain storm: he will buy a s**t load of tickets, the concert will sell out, and he will be able to command top dollar for the tickets he bought.

So our friend (lets call him "Tom Foolery") buys a ton of tickets. I mean, he had more tickets than Ron Delsner. And there is a lot of lag time between the time the tickets went on sale and the actual concert.

During this time people were constantly coming up to Tom Foolery, offering him a modest premium in return for a couple of tickets.

Foolery would hear none of it. "I'm here to make money, not friends" was his reply to everyone who asked. And they asked. And continued to ask. Foolery did not budge. That phrase "I'm here to make money, not friends" still resonates 22 years later to those who heard it over and over again.

Foolery's Plan: Get to Giant's Stadium early, set up shop, and sell the tickets to those desperate enough to pay through the nose.

But the free markets worked against Foolery. Some people when hearing his price, decided to buy pot instead. Others would buy some U2 CD's. Others did..... whatever.

Some decided to seek out other ticket scalpers who had a better deal. And there were plenty of people who had extra U2 tickets that were willing to sell them for just a little over the ticket price.

One of them reads this blog.

Come the day of the concert, and Foolery was in the Giants Stadium parking lot like a carnival barker announcing to all that he had excellent seats for sale.

How did he do?

He might as well have been wearing a Sandwich Board stating "STAY BACK! I AM A LEPER & I NEED TO GET BACK TO MY COLONY."

The crowd walked thru him like he was the main character in the movie "Powder".

No runs. No hits. And NO TICKETS SALES.

Once Bono starting singing, and Foolery was left with enough tickets to fill KeySpan Park, Foolery entered the stadium. "Show me your Ticket" says the Usher. "HERE'S MY TICKET!" Foolery shoots back, showing the Usher the entire section that he turned into a party for one.

Foolery had a bunch of rows for himself. While looking over his vast holdings,he noticed a couple that had settled into two of his seats. Foolery immediately snapped to attention and summoned a security guard "GET THEM OUT OF THERE! THOSE ARE MY SEATS! Foolery showed the Guard the tickets and the couple had to move, wondering why they could not sit in a section that was completely empty.

Big Lesson: Free Markets punish & reward in their own unique way. Let the free markets deal with greed, keep the feds far way.

Be Your Own Siskel & Ebert

(This was written 6 months ago when the President presented his Stimulus Bill. I did not see how it would work. Six months later, has it?)

I been in the right place
But it must have been the wrong time
I'd of said the right thing
But I must have used the wrong line-Dr. John

Remember that scene in Jaws when Chief Brody is tossing out the chum and the big shark comes swimming by? "Your gonna need a bigger boat", Brody mumbled in awe.

Brody saw that the tools they wanted to use against the shark were ineffective.

Well, I just delved into the President's economic Stimulus Package that he wants the legislative branches to pass pronto. If Chief Brody were around, he would evacuate Washington rather than have this thing pass.

Now I know many of you support the Stimulus package. But tell me honestly, have you read the thing? If you have, can you explain to me how this will revive the economy? If you haven't read it, and support it solely because Obama proposed it, you need to put down the Kool Aid. It's government for the people, not the sheeple.

Just as you would never tell someone "I loved Gran Torino" when you didn't see the movie, how can a person be in favor of a piece of legislation without knowing what it says? Now, I am not saying that you need to go through the actual proposal line by line, just know the highlights, and evaluate them in connection with what the bill is supposed to address. Is that so hard to do, or ask?

I know a couple of people on here that have told me that Clarence Thomas is a horrible Supreme Court Justice, and yet they admit they have never read one of his Supreme Court opinions! Ignorance, like Tiki Barber against the Redskins, runs wild.

Now, I began drafting a dull & dry response against the Stimulus Bill. And I ripped it up.

So basically, let me put it in a nutshell: it spends on the wrong things and at the wrong time.

Let's first focus on the wrong time aspect of the bill.

People are losing jobs now. Industries are dying now. Unemployment is out of control now.

Now look when the spending takes place in the Bill. Less than 20% of the spending takes place in 2009. In fact the Bill allocates huge spending thorough 2018! Much more is spend from 2012 through 2018 than 2009.

How does that help the economy now? I thought the stimulus is to get us out of a current rut, not to project 9 years down the road. Let's say the economy recovers in the next 2 years. Do we really want this massive influx of spending built into a just recovering economy?

One thing we know about the future is we don't know about the future. Dot com busts, Enron, Wall Street Research Scandals, World Com, Accounting Fraud, 9/11, Katrina, Bernie Madoff-all in the last 10 years. You don't know what is going to happen. To lock into massive Soviet-Style long term spending is more reckless than accepting a ride from Jim Leryitz at the end of happy hour.

So the big question I have is: Can someone break it down to me how huge amounts of cash spent in dubious areas (see next section) in the years 2012-2018 will create jobs today? How does that get people back to work?

Which brings us to what the President wants to spend the cash on. Remember, this is being labeled as an Economic Stimulus Bill. But when you look at where the money is going, 90% has nothing to do with the economy, or job restoration. Instead, it is a win-for life lotto ticket worth billions for government directed social programs.

Here are the areas that are getting at least $10 billion each:

• $20.0 billion to increase the maximum benefit under the Supplemental Nutrition Assurance Program (i.e., Food Stamps)
• $18.5 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs
• $20.4 billion for programs administered by the Department of health and Human Services
• $20.0 billion to renovate elementary and secondary schools
• $17.6 billion for Pell grants and other student financial assistance at post-secondary institutions
• $29.1 billion for other elementary and secondary educational programs
• $30.0 billion for highway construction
• $13.1 billion for other transportation programs
• $11.2 billion for housing assistance programs administered by HUD
• $19.5 billion (minimum, could be higher, as per Title XIII) for education grants to states
• $27.1 billion for increase unemployment benefits
• $13.3 billion to increase health insurance for unemployed workers
• $11.1 billion for “Other Unemployment Compensation”

What does this sound like to you? It sounds to me like a wish list for the left wing of the Democratic Party.

Other than the highway and school building, how exactly do any of these things stimulate the economy? (And even these are not permanent jobs, they end when the last shovel is out of the ground.)

Clearly, any fair-minded reading of the bill will show the the bill is FDR-LBJ styled social programs bill.

Granted I am no economist, but flooding the nation with food stamps, wind mills and elementary schools will not get Americans their jobs back.

Yet, the President calls this an economic recovery bill. Trust me, he knows better.

Do you?

The Car Cash Presidency

(This was written when the federal government took over General Motors. It is now known as "Government Motors")

He got a sweet gift of gab,
he got a harmonious tongue
He knows every song of love
that ever has been sung
Good intentions can be evil
Both hands can be full of grease
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace
Bob Dylan

"That Congress cannot delegate legislative power to the president is a principle universally recognized as vital to the integrity and maintenance of the system of government ordained by the Constitution." The Supreme Court of the United States of America

The President of the United States just fired ..... the President of General Motors. I looked at the Constitution, and as far as I can tell, the President has the power to hire and fire Presidential motorcades, not the CEO of a major corporation. (Don't tell me that Reagan fired the air traffic controllers. They were federal government executive branch employees, and Reagan headed the executive branch.)

The President also says have no fear, if you have a warranty with GM, the federal government will honor it. Awesome. Isn't it great to know that the right to an oil change has just been added to the Bill of Rights? "Give me liberty or give me a new transmission" is the new American call for freedom. Are squeegee men considered federal government employees now?

In a power grab unprecedented in American history, in the last month,the executive branch of the federal government has taken over the banking and automotive industries. Ever watch sports on television? Just about every commercial is for banking or automobiles. The end of every commercial should have Obama saying "I'm Barack Obama, and I approve this message."

Seriously, the lines between business and government are more blurred than ever before. And the Congress? They have abdicated their constitutional authority. "Just don't do something, stand there" seems to be the Congressional response.

By giving the President a pile of money and saying, "do whatever you want with it" Congress has turned over to the President its constitutional authority to legislate. And you see what the President has done with unprecedented power- he has taken us on a Socialist path.

If 9th Street and Prospect Park West represents capitalism,and Smith & 9th represents socialism, then we are on the Smith Street bridge.

By nationalizing banks and cars, the President has naturally put the Government in the banking and car business. Do you really think government knows how to run these businesses? If the government could not make a profit in running OTB, how will it make a profit in the cut throat auto industry?

Ah, but making a profit does not seem to be the point. Its all about wealth redistribution and creating further dependency on Mama Government with Mr. Obama.

As for me, I much prefer a federal government that buys tanks rather than selling cars.

Slouching Towards Sweden

(This was written in October 2008, when the federal government starting bailing out and taking over private businesses.)

Every American child has the chance to grow up and be the next Bill Gates or Antonio Gates.- Junior

When you, here, everyone of you, were kids, you all admired the champion marble player, the fastest runner, the toughest boxer, the big league ball players, and the All-American football players. Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. -General George S. Patton speaking to the Third Army in England June 5, 1944

As I write this, the Dow is lower than a Reverend Wright sermon. GM stock closed so low, 5000 shares will buy you a spare tire.

Being employed in my industry (financial services) nowadays is like being an American Indian when Columbus arrived upon the shores. Firms are biting the dust left and right. Unicorns, or liberals with smart ideas, are more frequently sighted than an employed financial services attorney.

And to my horror, the government's solution is to subsidize every bad business decision made on Wall Street.

With each bailout, we become closer and closer to a socialist nation, and move further away from what has made us the greatest nation in world history.

You see, the economic system we have in America matches the natural condition of the human spirit.

You see human beings yearn to be free to create and achieve.

In America, economically speaking, we are free to go for the gold. The American capitalistic system rewards innovation, ingenuity and creativity with big prizes, if that is your thing.

You think its a coincidence that Franklin, Edison, Henry Ford and Bill Gates were American? Don't be silly. These men are products of a system that allowed for their talents to flourish, to the benefit of the world.

Leave those great men aside. Just look at the lives of the people on this email. Many have made their mark in sales, business, law and many other areas. You all have worked hard for what you have achieved. And why have you worked hard? Simple, you are working under the premise that the harder you work, or the more sales you get under your belt, the more money in your pocket.

But lets turn the equation around: What if you worked under a system where no matter how many sales you made, you got paid the same. Would you work hard? Why would you? Where is the incentive?

And that is where we are heading folks. With each government bailout, we are killing the American form of capitalism.

If the bailouts continue, how are we going to distinguish good business practices that should be rewarded from bad business practices that the market should (and would) naturally punish? The answer is we won't be able to distinguish.

No winners, no losers, just mama government subsidizing it all.

You know that Bob Marley lyric "When one door will close, another one will open"? In America, from Hamilton until prebailout America the motto was "When one store, will close, another one will open" but not now, as we are suddenly throwing out the economic playbook that was the envy of the world for 200 years.

If you are nervous now, how does this vision of America grab you:

Everybody makes $28,000 a year. You have 8 weeks vacation, but no money to go anywhere. The government will supply your housing. If you need a heart operation, the guy mopping the blood off of the Hospital floor will be making as much money as the surgeon operating on your heart.

You will have no incentive to get ahead, cause the fruits of your labor will go to the government.

Socialist governments kill the human spirit. It will kill us dead as well. That is why I am deeply troubled. These bailouts are a narcotic that the people can easily get hooked on.

A friend of mine described the current economic crisis in a way that I found very illuminating. He sees the American economic system as a great engine that roars across the top of the sky with the speed of light. Every once in a while, it will crash into a mountain. However, it quickly reassembles and is back to its roaring flying self.

Socialist economies, he explained crawl around in circles, or lay on their backs like turtles.

We are Americans. We fly like the Great Lindbergh. Let's not turn into a nation of upended turtles.

Say no to the bailouts.