PRIORITY ONE: ECONOMIC GROWTH

Tags

Economic Growth- the key to jobs and the American Dream, The choice is easy

The solution to economic growth is a mystery to many voters because they don’t understand, or have been deliberately misled about the political environment that encourages prosperity for all.  The relationship between risk and reward determines what a business will do, and not do.  If the potential reward for starting or growing a business is limited, or not available, then the risk will not be taken by businesses and entrepreneurs. Opportunity, jobs, and economic prosperity are subject to government tax and regulatory policy. When a government overtaxes and over regulates, the economy will suffer recession, or mediocre economic performance…even in a supposedly free country.  When a government consistently spends more than it’s income, the economic impact will be devastating.  Without economic growth, America will never be able to create enough jobs, reduce the debt, fund welfare programs, fund Social Security and Medicare, finance roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects, and provide for the common defense.

Tax Reduction and Regulation Reform are the key incentive catalysts necessary to stimulate economic growth.  Reform is also desperately needed to address fairness.  Tax policy must ensure that all people pay their fair share of taxes. When everyone pays, the people will hold politicians accountable for wasteful spending.  Socialist demagogues use deceptive tax policy to buy the votes of a large percentage of the population that don’t pay any income taxes.  Under the Obama Administration, the federal government has adopted punitive tax and regulatory policies that retard economic growth, and limit opportunity for all Americans.  Government has become the enemy of the free enterprise system.  Current government policies make it more costly for businesses to hire employees, and make it unattractive for potential employees to take a low paying job because they can receive more money on welfare. These anti-growth policies are bankrupting the country.  As a result, the federal debt has doubled over the last eight years.  The federal debt is increasing by over two billion dollars every day!  Because of anemic economic growth, almost fifty percent of American workers do not pay income taxes and this number is increasing every year.  Job creation in inner cities, is almost nonexistent, due to increases in the minimum wage, unsafe streets, a failing education system, and lack of parental guidance. Higher paying jobs are becoming scarce due to government mandates like ObamaCare that add so much cost to businesses that they only hire part-time employees.   Is it any wonder that businesses are relocating out of the country?  The risk-reward incentives for economic growth have been turned upside down.

When I was a teenager, I was told that if I worked hard and stayed in school, I could achieve the American Dream.  Back then, jobs were plentiful.  Entry level pay was low, but a hard worker, willing to learn, could increase his pay and opportunity over time.  Back then, government was business friendly.  After all, government was a silent partner in a business’s success because of taxes on business profits.

That economic environment doesn’t exist today.  It didn’t happen overnight, and the decline was caused by politicians of both parties over the last 50 years.  But, Obama’s socialist policies have doubled, and redoubled the assault on business, and have almost destroyed the American Dream.

There are four immediate steps that must be taken to become an economic powerhouse: [1] Dramatically lower tax rates for all businesses and individuals, and enact a sliding scale of lower rates depending on income, but with the goal that everyone pays federal income taxes.  The maximum rate should be 15%, and the bottom rate should be 1%.  A reformed tax policy must include a requirement that any change in rates will affect all rates. i.e.- if the top rate is increased to 16%, then the bottom rate must be increased to 2%.  This will prevent politicians from using the tax code to buy votes.  The tax code needs to be simplified by eliminating all special interest deductions, exemptions, and the earned income tax credit [no more tax refunds for people who don’t pay taxes]. The tax code must be an incentive for investment in the US. This will eliminate the need for a US company to save taxes by moving to another country, and allow them to reinvest foreign earnings in the US without incurring double taxation. [2] Review and reform all laws and regulations from all federal agencies that add costs to American businesses. [3] Consolidate, and closely manage all federal welfare programs: so that waste and fraud is eliminated; to ensure that the combined social safety net is high enough to alleviate poverty; but not so high as to discourage going back to work. [4] Provide incentives to federal employees to cut federal spending by the amount needed to balance the budget each year.  Federal spending is inherently wasteful because politicians are spending other people’s money.  There is no oversight…no one is minding the store…there are no incentives to operate efficiently.  The overwhelming majority of waste is due to programs that should not exist…the government has expanded into many areas that government has no business being in.

None of these steps are being proposed by the democratic candidates for President.  Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are proposing policies that will raise taxes and increase punitive regulations on businesses and entrepreneurs…proposing the opposite of what needs to be done.

There will be those who say that the numbers don’t add up.  They are looking at the problem the wrong way.  Tax revenues will dramatically increase when businesses are given the incentives to locate, and expand in America.  Rather than adding numbers up, the naysayers need to look at subtracting numbers down.  Out-of-control Federal spending must be cut.  Subsidies and cost killing mandates must be eliminated.  Congress needs to stop the practice of annual, across-the-board automatic increases due to inflation, and do the job of overseeing every expenditure, every year.  Some agencies need to be eliminated entirely.  The list of potential cost savings is endless.

There will be those that say this is “just a tax cut for the rich”.  Those that say this are greedy politicians that are willing to suck the lifeblood out of freedom in order to gain political power.  Other than the War on Terror, the corrupt Socialist “war on the rich” is possibly the greatest threat to America’s freedom and the freedom that drives the American Dream.  America became great by allowing every American, the freedom, and the opportunity to become wealthy, even fabulously rich.  The Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States form the foundation of freedom.  The idea that anyone can become rich in America is the basis for America’s greatness…and it is this greatness that has lifted millions out of poverty into a standard of living that is the envy of the world.

President Reagan initiated a twenty year economic boom with a maximum tax rate of 28%.  That won’t be enough to grow the economy today. The maximum rate has to be lower to attract investors from all over the world.  The maximum rate of 15% should apply to both businesses and individuals.  But a minimum rate is also necessary to be fair.  No more voting for deceptive socialist politicians that try to buy votes with anti-freedom redistribution schemes. This is the one fair way to protect the American Dream.

 

 

 

MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN

Tags

Restore the American Dream, Unite for prosperity

At every campaign event, Donald Trump claims he’s going to “Make America Great Again”. His charm is his boundless confidence, coupled with his blistering criticism of politicians who can’t get anything done. He is a master of politically incorrect statements…and people love it.  He claims that he will be a job creating machine; he will repeal and replace ObamaCare; he will rebuild America’s military; he will deport illegal immigrants; he will build a wall at the border; he will take care of wounded warriors; and he will make “good deals”.

I believe America can be made great again, but it will take someone who can unite Americans…someone who understands how America became great in the first place.  Every serious problem facing America can be solved if Americans are united.  It will take a president who can communicate solutions to complex issues to unite a majority of Americans. People will unite if they understand the issues. The key to understanding the issues is to understand the impact of government on freedom, and the importance of freedom in every issue.

Several issues are critical to making America great again:

[1] Economic growth – providing a pro business environment to reenergize the economy, to create jobs, to fund entitlements, to fund a strong military, to fund the social safety net, and reduce the debt.

[2] Tax reform – enacting one low tax rate for businesses and individuals, that provides simplification, fairness, and incentive to restore the American Dream.

[3] Spending reform – Returning to a limited federal government – making limited government efficient by eliminating waste, and by phasing out every non-essential program.

[4] Regulation reform – revising all federal regulations that add costs, and complexity to businesses, and individuals; plus revising all regulations that add costs, and complexity to state and local governments.

[5] Civil Service reform – revising civil service rules to improve productivity and efficiency, including the ability to reward outstanding performance, and terminate all poor performing employees.

[6] Public employee union reform –  outlawing all public employee unions, providing all public employees with the right to work, and eliminating dues checkoff from all public payrolls.

[7] Entitlement reform – dramatically reducing costs, and insuring solvency, including means testing to determine benefit levels based on income; adjusting for longer lifespans to be eligible for Social Security, and Medicare; repealing ObamaCare, and replacing with competitive health insurance plans that are tailored to individual needs instead of a government one-size-fits all plan.

[8] Tort reform – allowing innocent victims legal protection against frivolous, and punitive lawsuits; dramatically reducing health care costs by eliminating the need for defensive medicine costs in health care; reducing liability insurance costs for all US businesses, by enacting a “loser pays” amendment to Liability laws.

[9] Immigration reform – including sealing all borders, defunding sanctuary cities, deporting criminals, and determining practical solutions for those who need to come out of the shadows.  Practical solutions would include temporary visas, paying taxes, and a plan for reentering the country to be eligible for a permanent visa.

[10] Environmental reform – eliminating the war on fossil fuels, reversing all punitive rules that add crushing energy costs to businesses and individuals.

[11] Education reform – eliminating common core mandates, and replacing with best practice suggestions; limiting funding support to colleges for priority research projects only; shifting federal student loan programs to non government lending sources.

[12] Restoration of America’s Military strength – rebuilding and supporting America’s Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Special Operations, Coast Guard, and National Guard; supporting an enhanced intelligence capability and creating an unbeatable cyber security capability.

[13] Rebuild and restore decaying inner cities – creating an American “Marshall Plan”; protecting the streets, parks, and homes of inner city residents; destroying gangs and drug distribution ;providing a quality education to inner city children, and jobs for teenagers; creating an economic environment that encourages businesses to locate in the inner city; and ending the crime culture that populates prisons with absentee fathers.

[14] Infrastructure upgrade of roads, bridges, ports, and the energy grid – creating a huge supply of good paying jobs throughout the country. and

[15] Reforming and combining all welfare programs –  providing a comprehensive social safety net with strict conditions that encourage the incentive to work and a provide a pathway back to employment for all able-bodied citizens.

 

Where Are The Plans ????

Tags

Freedom or Socialism

Where are the plans to fix America’s many problems?  Terrorism?  Job Creation?  Punitive Taxes and Regulation? Out of Control Spending?  Health Care?  Immigration?  American Dream? Education?  Environment? Government Debt?  Entitlements? Welfare?  Foreign Relations?  Politicization of Federal Agencies: IRS, EPA, NLRB, Justice Department, and many more…The problems are overwhelming, yet many politicians pretend that they don’t exist.                                                                                                  Now that most of the 2016 presidential candidates have declared, its time to revisit the key issues needing attention and how the candidates propose to fix them.  I’m very concerned about our government, 
Everything is going in the wrong direction.  

The economy is depressed,
 and there has been no effort by the Obama Administration to fix it.
We are at war with radical Islam…
Don’t know how to fight it.
…Can’t even define the enemy.
We are in another war.
..And aren’t even aware of it.
Socialism is the enemy… 
And we are losing this war.
Socialist politicians…are trying to 
tax and regulate all behavior, putting
 government in control of everything.
The American Dream is disappearing…
 The loss of freedom has been staggering.
It’s not too late to fix things.
..                                                                          Before we can fix…we have to understand…and we need to take action!
Dramatic incentives are required for job creation and economic growth.
The time has come for a new… Contract With America:

[1]  America should become a tax haven to the world.
Today, US Corporate and Individual Income tax rates are so high
 that they depress economic growth and innovation.  
Ronald Reagan cut the maximum tax rate to 28% and initiated a twenty year economic boom. 
 More dramatic action is needed now. 

Why not cut corporate and all other income tax rates to a maximum of 15%? The rate that’s good enough for Warren Buffet ought to be good for every American. 
And every American should be paying income taxes. 50% of wage earners are not earning enough to pay.
  There is a huge danger to freedom and prosperity when so many people don’t have good jobs…they lose hope…and they think that there is nothing they can do.  But they can. They can get involved. They can learn from states that have strong economies, and understand the policies that generate economic growth. They need to know that 
low tax rates attract new businesses, expand existing businesses, and create jobs.

[2] Government must become a partner with business, not an adversary.
 Government needs to become business-friendly.


The people need to know that any government regulation that adds cost and complexity to business should be rewritten or replaced. 

 Start with ObamaCare.
  ObamaCare is the most deceptive, disruptive, divisive,
 and economically destructive pack of lies ever enacted in my lifetime. 
This abominable law does nothing to improve health care.  
Everything about it was a lie…your doctor; your plan…the cost…
the negative impact on jobs…one size fits all mandates…and new taxes.

 The law was over 2,000 pages,
 the regulations are over 20,000 pages

.
And the most onerous provisions have been postponed, delayed, and temporarily waived…                                                                                                                                                   There are many other laws that not only do not achieve their goal, but create new problems that reduce American business’s ability to compete.                                  Laws aren’t the only job killers…many regulations are worse, especially those coming from the Environmental Protection Agency.

[3] End frivolous lawsuits that are nothing more than legalized extortion. 

Surprisingly, most people don’t know that lawsuit abuse adds costs to every US business.  A major reason that health care costs are out of control is because lawsuit abuse adds billions of dollars in extra health care costs each year… [defensive medicine]

.                                                                                                                A simple language change that allows innocent victims to recover the cost of defending themselves in court will fix this glaring flaw in liability law. 

 It’s known as “Loser Pays” tort reform and would have been enacted years ago if Bill Clinton had not vetoed it when he was President.  Clinton was protecting his lawyer friends, and ignoring everyone else.

[4] End the war on fossil fuels, and become energy independent … free from Middle East oil addiction.
People don’t know why gasoline costs so much.  They’ve been told that big oil companies are to blame.  They need to know that our own government is to blame.  Americans have been deceived.  But we can dramatically reduce the cost of driving our cars, 
heating and cooling our homes,  flying our planes, and defending our country.  

Manufacturing jobs, economic success, and American quality of life are dependent on cheap and abundant energy.  

Government needs to accelerate permits to drill for oil and gas, to expand and upgrade refineries, to build new nuclear power plants, and to build pipelines. We should also allow the export of oil and gas to allies and friendly countries that are currently dependent on energy sources from enemies of the United States [Russia, Iran, Venezuela].  This would jump start an enormous number of new, good paying jobs, give every American more money to spend, lower the cost of every American business, and lower household costs all across the country.
Pollution control must be vigorously enforced, but government has created an economic disaster to correct an environmental theory.  Government is proposing regulations and mandates that will bankrupt the economy. The Environmental Protection Agency must develop reasonable solutions to real environmental threats without adding astronomical costs to American businesses, and significantly increasing energy costs for every American.

[5] Outlaw public employee unions. Put student education first.
 Put critical government activities first.                                                                                  There are reasons to protect workers from bad employers, but the idea of a government employee union is absurd.
Unions are intended to protect workers from oppressive employers.  
Today, Government is oppressive to taxpayers, and employers,
 but overwhelmingly supportive of unionized employees.
Federal agencies like OSHA, the EEOC, the NLRB, the PBGC, the Department of Justice, and others provide comprehensive protections for workers so that there is no reason for a union.

While we’re on the subject of unions…
 All workers deserve the freedom of choice.  
Government should guarantee a right to work in every state for all employees that elect not to join a union.

[6] End Government involvement in so many activities that it has no business in, 

and…Invest in critical projects that government should be doing.
People need to read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States to learn why Americans formed a government to serve this country.  Many government functions are critically necessary, but lack funding and focus to do the job that’s desperately needed.  We need to restore funding and priorities for military readiness, 
for rebuilding roads and bridges, 
for rebuilding and protecting the energy grid, 
for police protection to ensure safe streets [especially in inner cities], 
and protection from computer viruses and cyber attacks.  Government has expanded so much into non-vital areas that it is doing a horrible job in almost everything it does. Administration of VA Hospitals and treatment of our wounded warriors is a national disgrace.                                                                                                            Many laws have nothing to do with the purpose of government and these need to be eliminated, or refined to allow funding for basic government responsibilities.

[7] Require that all new laws be subject to a freedom impact study… and a cost benefit analysis…and pilot testing.  Refine old laws that were drafted without proper review.                                                                                            Too many laws are drafted by bureaucrats that have limited knowledge of the subjects that are impacted by these laws.  The results of poorly crafted laws are unintended consequences that add cost and complexity.  Every new law and regulation needs to be reviewed.  

These reviews should be similar to the depth and breadth of detail, as required by the FDA for a new drug, or the EPA for an environmental impact analysis.

Too many laws have been enacted that don’t solve the problem they were supposed to solve. 
Many laws like the Ethanol program, Cash for Clunkers, the Davis-Bacon Act, the Community Reinvestment Act, Dodd-Frank, Sarbanes-Oxley, and Obamacare have created costs and problems that far exceed their benefits. We need to step back and reexamine the goals of every program, assess whether we are achieving these goals, and do cost-benefit comparisons of the laws and regulations enacted to meet these goals.
All existing laws that were implemented without the time to study and test their impact must be reopened for amendment and refining.
Review all regulations implemented by all agencies to see if the agency’s regulations comply with the law’s intent.

[8] Reform Immigration Policy to ensure security, to retain highly skilled foreign workers, identify illegals in residence, and convert a serious problem into a win-win solution.
This is a national problem that won’t go away and will require a comprehensive approach to fix.  It is impractical to think that we can successfully deport every illegal alien from this country.  Our government allowed this problem to happen, and both political parties are to blame.   It might be helpful to remember that our original pilgrims were illegal aliens, and I’m sure that the American Indians would have loved to deport every one of them too.  That being said, this is a problem that can be fixed, and it can be good for the country:                                                                                                                                                                                                                           First, secure the border, this is a national security requirement.
Second, identify illegal aliens in residence, and
 offer temporary residence [green cards].
Deport, or jail the criminals, gang members, and malcontents.
Dramatically increase permanent visas for highly skilled, and educated foreigners.
 
Offer permanent visas to green card holders that have jobs and are paying taxes.
Allow a path to citizenship at the back of the line for permanent visa holders.
 who speak English, have a job, are paying taxes, and… are not on welfare.  America needs many more workers that pay both income taxes and taxes that support Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

[9] Fight the War on Terror without regard for political correctness.
People are unaware that America may already be involved in World War III, and need to wake up!  Radical Islam has declared Jihad against infidels in all countries, especially against the US.  We and our allies need to identify and fight the real enemy…the radical teachers and preachers of hate that speak in Mosques, Schools, jails, and the Internet, encouraging Holy War, Death to Infidels, and Shiria Law.
They are the ones who create the Osama Bin Ladens by the thousands.

We need a robust military, a strong intelligence capability, and a will to fight to win.  This war will take decades, will involve collateral damage, will require enhanced interrogation techniques, and sometimes brutal responses to brutal behavior.  The enemy is like no other we have fought.  They believe that GOD has instructed them to do what they do and that eternal happiness awaits those that die in the process.

[10] A Plan for Real Health Care Reform is needed to make quality health care affordable, and accessible.  Dramatic Health Care Reform was needed before Obamacare was shoved down our throats. For decades, politicians have enacted additional government insured health benefits in the Medicare and Medicaid programs without a realistic plan to pay for them. Health Care costs have risen out of control year after year as a result.  Politicians, driven by a self-serving desire to be reelected,  have routinely chosen to shift increased health care costs to doctors and hospitals rather than patients.  After all, there are far more voters that need health care than voters that provide health care. This has resulted in a Socialist quagmire: increased costs; lack of health insurance coverage; lack of access to health care; disillusioned doctors, and many other problems.

A well devised law can reduce costs of health care.  Several steps can reduce costs immediately: [1] eliminate all government mandates [2] enact liability law reform, [3] end the medical device tax, and all special taxes related to health care [4] end the threat of physician reimbursement cuts, [5] raise the age eligibility for Medicare, [6] end mandatory taxes for lack of insurance coverage [7] allow insurance companies to tailor plans according to individual need, [8] Provide block grants to allow states the freedom to design medicaid coverage plans, and control eligibility for their plans [9] provide catastrophic reinsurance backup for preexisting conditions [10] allow individuals, and health care providers more freedom to determine health care solutions rather than by government dictate.

[11] Introduce the concept of efficiency and quality improvement to all government agencies.                                                                                           Big government is too big to manage effectively. Divide gigantic entities into smaller, more flexible, more efficient operations.                                                                Revise Civil Service law to regularly reward good performance and terminate poor performers.                                                                                                        Provide huge incentives to government employee teams that eliminate waste and improve productivity.

[12] Ensure That All Americans Receive A Quality Education.   A comprehensive, effective, and continuous campaign is needed to educate the public on reading, writing and arithmetic, but also economics, civics, history, geography, human relations, and information technology.

Education is the building block of freedom.  We do not need “common core”, but we do need high standards and a way to achieve those standards.  States can design education curriculums without government dictates.  Without a quality education, Americans are not truly free.  Government’s second highest priority should be education, second only to government’s duty to protect it’s citizens from foreign and domestic enemies. A highly educated population is essential to all businesses., and is the bedrock of the American Dream.  The public is grossly uninformed about the free enterprise system and it’s positive impact on jobs and economic prosperity.  A highly educated population would know that freedom is the key to prosperity.

[13] SOCIALISM is the ENEMY of FREEDOM. 
Freedom is the key to prosperity,
 and the key to good jobs.                                                                                     People need to know that government can provide the greatest opportunity to it’s people by guaranteeing freedom.  The education focus above must include the purpose of government, and an assessment of how well government policies are meeting the goals of government,
If people understand… they will unite.
We have to unite as a country.
If we unite, there is no problem we can’t solve.
The 2016 Presidential election is a chance to restore freedom.
We need jobs, economic growth, debt reduction, and a chance for everyone to achieve the American Dream.
Freedom was the focus when America was founded, 
and is the sole reason why America became the most prosperous, successful country in the world.
We need to renew that focus.

A new Contract With America will 

stimulate investment from all over the world, 
create economic prosperity, 
create good-paying jobs, 
reduce the debt, 
educate the poor, 
make American business competitive, 
provide protection from foreign and domestic aggressors, 
and restore the American Dream.

Compare these pro-growth, job creating, debt reducing, and protection of freedom programs with the Democratic programs of the last seven years:

The Democratic economic focus has been on expanding Socialism…
Expanding unemployment benefits; 
Expanding and redefining eligibility for food stamps;
Expanding and redefining repayment terms for student loans;
 Raising taxes on the rich;
 Raising taxes on the middle class; Mandating extra costs to business and state governments;
 Expanding the eligibility for overtime pay; Increasing the minimum wage; Increasing energy costs to all Americans; Ignoring Immigration laws; Ignoring our veterans; and mismanaging the entire health care industry.

The Democratic political focus has been to corrupt, and politicize
 the Justice Department; the EPA; the NLRB; the EEOC; and the IRS.
Dividing the country by falsely claiming a war on women; scaring seniors; fomenting racial hatred;
and buying votes with deceptive promises to fix “income inequality;”
opposing voter ID requirements; 
and emasculating military readiness and capability.

The Democratic misplaced priority focus has shifted from real problems to imaginary ones.  Believe it, or not …Two federal agencies, the Federal Communications Commission, and the U.S.Patent Office, are now trying to force the Washington Redskins to change its name because it is supposedly “offensive” to native Americans. Worst of all, the Obama Administration has declared that Global Warming is the greatest threat facing America.

What do all of these democratic efforts have in common?
– They destroy freedom, and the American dream.
– They do nothing to improve the economy…they depress the economy.
– They do nothing to create well paying jobs…
 they create low paying… part time jobs.
 – They do nothing to improve the quality of health care…they increase costs…and discourage physicians from the practice of medicine.
– They do not reduce the national debt…they add to it…significantly.
– They do not provide any incentive for businesses to grow, expand, and invest.
– They have increased the energy cost of every single individual and business.
– They do nothing to educate inner-city children and give them a chance to succeed.
– They put our nation at risk from foreign enemies.
– They create a bloated, inefficient, incompetent, and complacent government.

Todays headlines are all about foreign policy. 
Disaster after disaster…
A President who doesn’t know what he is doing, 
doesn’t listen to his generals…his Secretary of State…his Secretary of Defense…
the CIA…the Congress.
This President doesn’t listen to anybody… domestic policy is a bigger failure than foreign policy because he didn’t listen…didn’t understand…didn’t care.  Or…maybe the President is not incompetent at all…maybe what he’s doing is deliberate.  After all, once elected, he stated that he was out to “fundamentally change America.”  Maybe he has deliberately alienated our allies, made bad deals with our enemies, emasculated our military, failed to support our police, demonized business, ignored the Constitution, paid lip service to fighting the war on terror, politicized every federal agency, and poisoned relations with congress.  He has promoted government micromanagement of health care, energy, education, banking, and transportation.  He has neglected inner city issues, and has inflamed racial tensions.  After he leaves the Presidency, his ultimate goal appears to be to become a community organizer on a national scale.  Using his fame, he plans to unite African Americans, Latinos, students, Socialists, and disaffected groups who consider themselves victims of the free enterprise system.  He can do this even though he has deliberately done nothing to solve the root causes of problems that affect these groups.

SO MANY CHOICES

Tags

Be Informed Not Manipulated

While Hillary is ignoring the media and cruising toward the 2016 democratic nomination, we are overrun with candidates seeking to be the republican nominee for President.   Every day I hear questions asked about candidates, issues, policies, qualifications, experience, etc., and what is my opinion?: “Who do you like?”  “Who are you going to vote for?” “What about Trump?”  “Can Hillary survive another scandal?”  I’ve also heard statements that are reasons for not voting like: I won’t vote for a candidate because he/she is: “Too liberal”…”Too religious”… “Advocates Pro-choice”… “Supports common core”… ” Believes in amnesty for illegals”…”Not tough enough” “Tea Party favorite”…”Warmonger”…”Too moderate”…”Thinks global warming is a greater threat than terrorists”, etc.

I don’t know why people have made up their mind this early, especially on a single issue, but I understand their frustration.  I am going to pay attention so I can better understand candidate positions.  There are a lot of choices and a talented field of republican candidates.  I want to hear every idea from every candidate.  Even if I don’t agree with every position of a candidate that becomes the nominee, I cannot imagine not voting.  Not voting because of one issue [abortion, immigration, gay marriage, race, religion, common core, etc.] will likely elect someone who you disagree with on every issue.

What I do know is that I’ll vote for a candidate that is a uniter, not a divider.  I want someone to represent all of the people.  I want someone that will appeal to all Americans, regardless of race, gender, age, political party, sexual preference, religion, education, wealth, or ideology.  I want a candidate that can communicate solutions to economic, social, environmental, and national security problems.  A candidate that follows this campaign approach won’t have to use negative ads and smears.  I do not expect any candidate to have the perfect solution to every problem, but I want a candidate willing to listen and act on expert advice regardless of political affiliation.  I want a candidate that is willing to meet the needs of America, not a political party.

I am more worried than ever about the future of our country.  The next president will be faced with all the problems that Barack Obama inherited, plus all those that he has created.  Most of the problems we face today have been caused by Socialism.  It is a failed ideology that leads to economic ruin, and never solves the social problems that Socialist politicians promise to fix.  Socialism is a monstrous ponzi scheme that politicians use to buy votes and gain power.  Examples of Socialist failure are everywhere.  Greece is the latest failure: bankrupt, borrowing money from other countries to pay for promises it can’t keep.  Cuba is a prime example of a Socialist country achieving income equality…make everyone poor.  We don’t have to use another country as an example, our national debt is increasing by hundreds of billions of dollars each day!  This is a threat to Social Security, to Medicare, and to every welfare program that needs funding.  This is why our military capability, our ability to defend our country, is shrinking.

The Great Recession of 2008 that caused so many American workers to lose their jobs was a direct result of a failed government Socialist policy that attempted to provide home ownership to millions of people who couldn’t afford to own homes. The failure to deal with the recession after seven years of mediocre enonomic performance is typical of Socialist politicians.  Rather than implement economic reforms recommended by the Bowles-Simpson Commission, the Socialists enacted ObamaCare, which is a perfect example of Socialist deception and failure.  Nothing was done to save the economy.  Socialist “solutions” inevitably lead to more failure: Raising the minimum wage, expanding the food stamp program, increasing unemployment benefits, forgiving student loan debt, providing government benefits to illegal immigrants, increasing overtime eligibility, are all examples of failed Socialist attempts that don’t solve the problem, but do more damage to the the economy.  Adding and expanding welfare programs, increasing taxes, and demonizing big business, wall street, banks, energy companies, drug companies, and “the rich”, are nothing more than Socialist attempts to buy votes.

Many voters have been, and continue to be manipulated, and deceived… not because they are stupid, but because they are uninformed.  Sadly, in addition to the uninformed, some minds are so poisoned with blind Socialist ideology that they will never accept the truth…that Socialism is the enemy of freedom.  For two hundred years, economic freedom has consistently proven to be the better path to solving social problems.

My choice, and I hope the choice of conservatives, moderates, Libertarians, Tea Party members, the religious right, independents, Latinos, African Americans, and millions of Americans, will unite to vote for the candidate that has a plan [not a promise] to undo the damage done by Socialism: A plan that will restore economic growth and create good jobs; A plan that will rebuild military strength; A plan that will provide safe streets and a quality education for all Americans; and A plan to rebuild relationships with our allies around the world.

FREEDOM – THE SOLUTION TO ALL ISSUES

Tags

divided we fail, United we stand

America is divided on so many issues, its a wonder that things aren’t worse than they are.  Too many politicians use wealth, gender, race, religion, and other tactics to divide us.  As long as we are divided, we will be unable to solve critical economic and social issues. Divisive rhetoric can lead to riots, destruction of property, and death.  Shootings of police officers, abortion doctors, military personnel, and innocent civilians, are the result of hate speech delivered by demagogues who would divide us.

Corrupt politicians lie, deceive, scare, and smear to buy the votes of various groups.  Abortion, health care, Islamic terror, global warming, income inequality, immigration, education, gun control, welfare, tax policy, foreign policy, and other issues are used to divide us.  The deceived often vote for politicians who never keep their promise.  As a result, social and economic problems never get solved…they often get worse.

The next president will inherit a catastrophic mess, made worse by an Administration riddled with incompetence, deception, and a poisonous determination to remake America into another Socialist failure.  Obama does not have to spend time on developing his legacy.  The Obama legacy will be: “The Worst President Ever.”  But the problems the next president will face began long before Obama. Decades of political mismanagement will have to be overcome.  America requires a leader who can unite the country to support tough decisions.  The leader must be a great communicator who can address every issue with honesty, and clarity.  The issues are critical:

The Federal government cannot afford to borrow 40 cents of every dollar it spends on political promises that can never be kept.  Funding schemes for Medicare, Social Security, food stamps, unemployment insurance, and other government obligations are unsustainable with so much of the population out of work and not paying taxes. When interest rates increase, as they surely will, drastic reductions will be required in every program.  Future administrations will be faced with difficult choices.  It may take decades to get out of the mess that politicians of both parties have created.

With an extraordinary leader, America can recover.  Millions and millions of new jobs must be created.  Jobs enough to employ the unemployed, and enough to bring back the millions of Americans that have given up looking for work, that are not even counted as unemployed.  Jobs enough to create a labor shortage, so that competition for workers creates wage increases across the board.  Jobs enough so that millions of illegal immigrants are given temporary green cards so that they can come out of the shadows, and become taxpayers.  Jobs enough to shrink the welfare population, and dramatically reduce the cost of welfare.

Jobs cannot be created without incentives for those who create jobs.  Instead of punishing businesses and entrepreneurs, Government must become a partner with these job creators.  Government must restore the American Dream that allows risk takers the opportunity to achieve, and keep, fabulous riches.  Tax rates must be cut much more deeply than anything yet proposed so that businesses and investors around the globe will flock to America.  Any regulation that adds cost to business must be refined to achieve the goal without adding cost.  Punitive regulations must be permanently removed.  Spending policy needs to be redirected from partisan political goals to goals that meet the needs of all Americans: Defense; Energy; Education; Economy; Infrastructure; and the like.   Funding must be made available for the general welfare, not for some political special interest.  Government will never be efficient unless the Civil Service regulations are revised to reward outstanding employees, and replace poor performers.  Government unions must be abolished. Mandates and subsidies should be ended.  Government spending programs must be reevaluated, rejustified, and refined: Is the cost of a program worth the benefits?   Does the program enhance freedom?  Is the program sustainable?  Can the goals of a program be achieved more efficiently?  Is the program working as promised?

Americans are not stupid, as some have suggested, they are just ill-informed, or misinformed.  Most don’t know how jobs are created, how government can impact the economy in a positive way, the beneficial steps that can be taken to improve education, health care, Social Security, poverty, racism, and so much more. Freedom is the only reason that America has the opportunity to fix all the issues that divide us. Freedom can unite America. If America is united, we can solve any issue using freedom as the key. Now that the 2016 Presidential contest is beginning my hope is that candidates will focus on freedom, and goals that will bring people together.

Immigration Policy Can Be Good For America

Tags

Immigration fix

Socialists continue to poison the minds of Latinos by smearing Republicans as bigots who want to deport and jail Latinos who are in the country illegally.  President Obama could have fixed this problem as he promised when Democrats were the majority party in both houses of Congress.  He did not fix it because he wants an angry political base for now, and especially when he leaves office.  He will not compromise because he does not want to fix anything but his political goals.  When he said he wasn’t running again, don’t believe it.  He will never stop campaigning to divide and change America.  His affiliation with Al Sharpton is not accidental.  He intends to go from community organizer to a national organizer.  The only way to deal with this threat to Freedom…and it is a threat…is to offer solutions to every problem that is key to Socialist deception.  Freedom, the American Dream, economic prosperity, justice, education, and social solutions can be achieved when people, not government, become the priority.

The successful approach to this issue is to offer a proactive solution that is realistic. Immigration policy is a disaster because millions of illegal immigrants have been allowed to work and live in America for decades. In addition to this problem, current Immigration policy prevents, and deters highly skilled immigrants from permanent residency. Most of the highly skilled receive their education in the US, and should be encouraged to stay.  They would be valuable employees, and/or potential job-creating entrepreneurs. Both problems with our out-of-date immigration policy could be resolved with legal visas, and a potential path to citizenship subject to strict requirements.
America needs many more law-abiding workers who pay taxes…especially skilled workers. These workers would embrace the opportunity to pursue the American Dream. Their path to citizenship would not be accelerated, but would begin when the visa is granted, and would not affect the application process of legal immigrants. The current illegal population needs to be identified, allowed to come out of the shadows, and become legal contributors to society. Immigration quotas need to be significantly increased to offset a growing population of retirees, and a declining US birth rate. The idea that millions of illegal immigrants could be identified, fined, and deported is unrealistic, and fails to take advantage of future citizens that this country needs.

The path to citizenship should become available when visa holders get in back of the line of legal immigrants, establish a history of working, and paying taxes, and completing all of the legal requirements for citizenship.  It makes no sense to add welfare recipients to a Socialist voting base.

A robust border enforcement policy is a necessary National Security requirement and is the highest priority.  Border enforcement will become much more manageable if temporary visas are available.

Illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, and/or are members of gangs must be deported or jailed.

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND JOB CREATION

Tags

It's the Economy, Stupid...

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY – what causes it? Some say the way to economic prosperity is to cut taxes. Others say balance the budget. Others say tax the rich and reduce the difference between rich and poor. Others say preserve better jobs in America by preventing them from going overseas. Others say stable prices and low interest rates are key.
What factors are necessary to bring about economic prosperity and job creation? This is one of the most important issues that free people can discuss. It is vital that all citizens understand what conditions are necessary for a prosperous economy. Children should learn this lesson in kindergarten. Every single teacher should know, and, where possible, teach, what causes economic prosperity. Every employee should know what it takes to make their company prosperous and successful. Every employer should know how valuable each employee is, and more importantly, can be.

You do not have to be an economist to understand factors critical to economic prosperity. You need common sense. You need to understand basic human behavior. You need to be open-minded. Almost every politician refers to the loss of jobs, or the lack of high paying jobs, but they never explain what they are going to do beyond stating that they will correct the failed policies of other politicians. What can government do to enhance job creation? How can we offset the loss of jobs to foreign competition? Should we support free trade, or fair trade, and how does this impact the domestic job market?

Many of the major concerns and issues are interrelated. Almost all of them impact economic prosperity, but they need to be repeated again and again. Following is a list of basic factors that affect economic prosperity:

1. Economic prosperity is directly proportional to, and dependent on, individual freedom. The greater the freedom, the greater the opportunity for economic prosperity. This is the basis of the “American Dream” as highlighted in “The Declaration of Independence”, describing our inalienable rights: The right to “Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness”. Taxes take away freedom. Taxes reduce the fruits of our labor. Regulations that limit our behavior take away freedom. Taxes and regulations influence entrepreneurial risk. The risks of starting a new business, expanding an existing business, hiring a new employee, always include the combined burden of taxes and regulations. These burdens can be lightened by sensible government use of its power to tax and regulate.

2. Individual freedom must be the same for all people. The majority, whether they be of a political party, a race, a gender, a geographical class, an age group, a religion, or whether they be rich or poor, must not reduce the freedom of minorities, no matter what kind of minority. One person’s Individual freedom must not interfere with the individual freedom of another.

3. Education is a fundamental building block of freedom. If a citizen is not educated, that citizen is not really free. America’s education system should require student mastery of critical subjects such as reading, writing, speaking in English, mathematics, geography, history, civics, computer science, and basic economics. Education should begin at the earliest age because a child’s mind is like a sponge.

4. Government mandates too often add unnecessary costs to business. Requirements such as minimum wage rates, unemployment insurance rates, overtime rates, health insurance, retirement benefits, hiring and firing rules, and so on, restrict economic growth. Every regulation that requires business to spend money needs to be reviewed, and reformed to reduce business cost. These reforms can be achieved without losing protections for workers, customers, stockholders, and the public.

5. Government spending must be constantly monitored and evaluated in terms of costs and benefits. In the absence of spending oversight, government costs will always be too much and freedom will always suffer, resulting in reduced prosperity.

6. Government regulations must be clearly written so that they can be easily understood and followed. Complex, difficult to understand regulations, are wasteful, costly and inefficient. Therefore, complex regulations have a negative impact on freedom.

7. – Economic prosperity is further enhanced by abundant natural resources; a quality education system; availability of capital; availability of affordable skilled and unskilled labor; low inflation; availability of affordable energy; a quality transportation system, including highway, rail, sea, and airport access; and a quality of life that includes, affordable housing, arts, entertainment, sports, health care, safety, etc.; and a clean environment.

With the exception of natural resources, every one of the above prosperity factors can be improved by a government focused on freedom.
Of all the influences on economic prosperity, nothing is greater than being free and at peace with low taxes and fair regulation. It bears repeating until every citizen understands economic prosperity. Prosperity comes from a limited government focused only on …PEACE, FREEDOM, LOW TAXES

GLOBAL WARMING … CLIMATE CHANGE

Tags

Don't Hold Your Breath

I am a believer in Global Warming… and Climate Change.  Over the years, I’ve experienced dramatic changes in the weather: hot and dry; cold and wet; heavy snow; ice storms; floods; blistering heat; hurricanes; drought; tornadoes; earthquakes; lightning strikes; fog; wind; rain; and drizzle. For most of my life, I have endured migraine headaches every time the weather changed. I even get an early warning that the weather is about to change. Sinus pressure in my head begins to increase as a weather front approaches. I’ve seen it all, and don’t need scientific proof that warming, cooling and climate change exist.
However, I am not convinced that man is responsible for the dramatic degree that climate changes every year. Man could not have caused the warming trends that happened thousands of years ago which caused glaciers to recede, and polar ice caps to melt. Volcano eruptions, ocean currents, sun spots, earthquakes, tectonic plate movements in the earth’s crust, and other natural events surely have more to do with weather change than the activities of man. We have not measured the magnitude of these naturally occurring events, and their influence on the weather.

By all means, we must vigorously enforce pollution control. A basic entitlement of freedom is clean air and clean water. Even if we assume that man is 100% responsible for Global Warming due to recklessly emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the solutions being proposed by environmental extremists are reckless, and economically destructive.  The extremists have determined that unilateral economic disarmament is the only answer to Global Warming. The Environmental extremists have developed computer models to predict environmental disaster that may occur 50-100 years from now. They then predict future economic disaster based on their prediction of future environmental disaster. They blame every weather-caused problem on man. They blame any rise in sea levels on man.

They demand enactment of new, punitive taxes and regulations on current energy sources [oil, gas, coal, and nuclear]. They are spending billions of dollars to subsidize and mandate use of bio-fuels, wind power, battery power, and solar power. They are not willing to wait for these sources to be commercially developed and economically viable. They do not consider the impact of China, India, Russia, and other nation’s carbon dioxide emissions. They act as if the United States, alone, can correct the outcome of their computer modeled disasters. They do not consider man’s incredible ability to adapt to the impact of climate change. They do not consider the positive impact of natural gas, and nuclear power as a cleaner, more viable source of future energy power. Instead, they have deliberately caused today’s energy prices to drastically increase. For years, they have limited supply, and over-regulated the entire industry. They are responsible for false and misleading television ads that compare carbon dioxide emissions to smokestack pollution that occurred at the beginning of the industrial revolution. As a result, prices are too high…way too high. It wasn’t that long ago when gas at the pump was $1 per gallon. The costs to cool and heat our homes, to drive our cars, and to fly our planes are much higher due to a reckless, and economically destructive policy. These fanatics are blindly ruining US manufacturing, and US business competitiveness by unnecessarily increasing costs. They are hurting the economy, and destroying jobs. Perfect examples of this misguided policy include: Delaying the Keystone Pipeline; wasting millions of dollars on the “cash for clunkers” program; preventing expansion of oil and gas refining; preventing exploration of oil and gas on Federal lands; subsidizing politically-connected, commercial alternative energy projects that routinely go bankrupt; initiating a war on coal; and continuing to waste billions of dollars on mindless ethanol mandates.
They have usurped government environmental policy based on a theoretical environmental disaster that may happen 50-100 years into the future…and have created a proof-positive economic disaster that is affecting Americans right now…TODAY!
By the way… every time each of us exhales when we breathe, we emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. But don’t hold your breath, if we work together, we can solve any problem without bankrupting the Country.

RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM – ONE OF THE FOUR MAJOR THREATS TO FREEDOM

Tags

World War III

I first published this article in August, 2014. It needed to be updated and reissued after the events in Paris, the downing of a Russian passenger plane in Egypt, and a renewed threat to the US homeland.  President Obama would have us believe that the greatest threat to our freedom is climate change. His solution to this imaginary threat is to unilaterally bankrupt the country with punitive taxes and crushing regulations which would have zero effect on the climate.  His so-called strategy to “degrade and defeat” ISIS is cosmetic. His strict “rules of engagement” micromanage, and limit military capabilities. His failure to define the enemy as a perversion of Islam prevents an approach to Islamic leaders for a coordinated effort to defeat the perversion.  Islam’s clerics must be engaged in the process. This is a religious issue with life or death consequences. His deal with Iran was nothing more than appeasement and puts the nation at great risk with catastrophic potential.  He is not stupid, he is not naive,  his actions on every issue, domestic, or foreign, have been deliberate. There are four major threats to freedom: RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM; DECADES OF DESTRUCTIVE GOVERNMENT ECONOMIC POLICY; MISGUIDED ENERGY, and ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ; and SOCIALISM.  President Obama has exacerbated the threat in every area.

THE FIRST IMMEDIATE THREAT IS WAR- We are at war with radical Islamic terrorists, who are intent on destroying America. It is a mistake to treat this enemy with political correctness, as if we might offend the followers of Islam. Islamic terrorists are enemies of Islam too. It is a mistake to limit this threat to the remaining war in Afghanistan, and the renewal of war in Iraq, and Syria. Rather, the war on terrorism is one war with many battlegrounds in every country all across the globe. It also a mistake to think that the war will go away if we just pull our troops out of foreign battlefields. These terrorists have a world mission. They are obsessed with our destruction.
Radical Islamic terrorism is the greatest military threat since World War II. Never before have we faced an unlimited supply of enemy soldiers willing to blow themselves up along with everyone else. Because of their perverse interpretation of Islam, they have no regard for their own lives, or any other human life. They have no problem killing civilians. Rather, they hope to cause the greatest possible collateral damage. These terrorists willingly fight their battles in hospitals, churches, schools, mosques, and in other non-military places. They hide behind women and children, mocking our unwillingness to hurt the innocent. Furthermore, this enemy is unique in its commitment to terrorize: they would not hesitate to detonate a nuclear bomb where it could kill millions. This willingness to die coupled with a determination to destroy makes the threat greater than anything else. During the Cold War we had the deterrent of Mutually Assured Destruction. We don’t have a deterrent with these fanatics. We don’t have an enemy country to attack. Other than ISIS, We don’t even have an army to attack. The damage that a few determined fanatics could do is greater than in all previous wars.

These terrorists will do anything, no matter how long it takes, in order to win. One of their greatest weapons is patience…and they know that Americans have none.

They also know that President Obama is unwilling to fight this war.  He threatened to shut down the government over a budget that denied funding to Planned Parenthood… Even though the budget included  increases to military spending.

THE SOLUTION – Demand that the President and Congress provide for a Strong National Defense. Given renewed aggression from Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and the increasing global threat of Islamic radicals, now is not the time to reduce our military and intelligence capability. The current misguided effort to unilaterally disarm is incredibly naive… and borders on dereliction of duty.
As a minimum, government must:

– Maintain a strong military and intelligence network. Reverse the insane effort to defund, and reduce our military and intelligence capabilities.

– Supply each military service with the latest weaponry and equipment.

– Provide research funding for advanced military weapons.

– Expand special operations capabilities and troop levels.

– Reenergize the intelligence services with all the tools they need to fight terror, including: profiling, wiretapping, and enhanced interrogation techniques.

– Establish a robust recruiting effort to attract sufficient numbers of highly qualified military and intelligence personnel.

– Offer a competitive combination of incentives to retain experienced leaders with special skills.

– Establish a policy that clearly recognizes that fighting a war requires different methods than fighting crime.

– Ensure that all terrorists are tried by military courts, rather than civilian courts. Such policies must be clear that those not executed for their crimes against humanity will be held indefinitely while the war on terrorism continues. Let the terrorists know that they will have the same rights that they give their hostages.

– Warn those who breed and harbor terrorists, that they will be targets of war. Such targets must include the clerics who preach hate and death to America.

– Define the enemy without regard for political correctness.

– Maintain the bases for holding terrorists at Guantanamo, or anywhere else, without apology, and without worrying what our enemies, and other countries, may think.

– Reexamine the Rules of Engagement. Adjust the RoE based on reality as observed by soldiers in the field. Give combat soldiers the flexibility to act based on conditions on the ground.

– Never let the enemy know the Rules of Engagement.  Never tell the enemy what you are not going to do.  Never tell the enemy what you plan to do.

– Attack and destroy ISIS wherever they may be.

– Arm and support the Kurds, and the Ukrainians.

– Support Israel against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran,  and it’s other Islamic enemies.

– Fight to win, not to postpone.

War is inherently evil, brutal, and uncivil… even when warring parties adhere to the Geneva Convention. War must first be avoided through every diplomatic tactic, and the use of any other tactic short of appeasement. Peace cannot be won through appeasement. When war is the only way to achieve peace, then we must fight with all our might to destroy our enemies. War cannot be fought within the rules of the Geneva Convention unless the enemy is a party to the Convention, and is abiding by those rules. Warriors cannot be micromanaged, especially when decisions on the field of battle must be made in seconds. Terrorists do not honor any convention, and warfare against the Terrorists will require unusual, sometimes brutal, methods to overcome such evil. Collateral damage cannot be prevented when the enemy hides behind women, children, and civilians.

A renewed “Reagan-like” emphasis on America’s military strength…and resolve…will give our other enemies notice that aggressive behavior will result in unpleasant consequences. NATIONAL DEFENSE must be given the highest priority, and not be confused with criminal justice. Government’s first responsibility is protection of its citizens, and war is totally different from crime.

UNIONS and LABOR RIGHTS

Tags

A RIGHT TO WORK IS A BASIC RIGHT OF FREEDOM

My first awareness of unions was in the border area between West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia, in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. I had noticed a huge difference in poverty and economic activity in West Virginia compared to where I lived in Virginia. Even though the people, the culture, and the topography were the same, West Virginian’s were experiencing an economic downturn, and there were many abandoned businesses and houses. The coal business in Virginia was thriving and the economy was robust. I was told that the economic difference between the two states had to do with West Virginia being a “Closed Shop” state and Virginia being a “Right to Work” state. Of course this made no sense to me and I asked for more explanation.
“Closed Shop” meant that if a majority of non-management workers in a West Virginia business voted for union representation, then all workers in that category would have to join the union, whether they wanted to, or not. If a West Virginia worker did not join the union, and refused to pay union dues, he would lose his job. It still didn’t make sense to me and I asked for more explanation.
I was told that, Coal Companies, especially many small independently owned coal companies, chose not to do business in West Virginia, because of “Closed Shop”. But, these companies had another reason to avoid West Virginia: the Union Pension Royalty.
At the time, the United Mine Workers required that Coal Companies pay a royalty of 40 cents per ton to the UMW pension plan. The royalty was in addition to the wages that miners earned. Forty cents per ton of coal mined was a lot of money in those days because coal sold for $4.00 per ton.
Therefore, I learned two things:
One – Closed Shop laws favored unions over companies; and,
Two – Companies chose to do business in states where they had a better opportunity to be profitable. States with “Right To Work” laws did not prohibit employees from electing union representation, but employees would not lose their jobs if they chose not to join the union.

During my career, I had the experience of working with several different unions, including: the Operating Engineers, and the Communication Workers of America. We operated manufacturing plants in closed-shop states and right-to-work states. In all cases, the union workers were sincere, hardworking, and well meaning…i.e.- they were good workers.
The Union leaders did their best to gain higher pay, to establish protective work rules, and to increase health and retirement benefits for the workers they represented.
Companies did their best to avoid unions, because too often, union representation created an adversarial relationship that led to lost jobs and diminished competitiveness.
There is a better way. Both unions and management need to recognize that U.S. businesses are now in a global competitive environment. Future success depends on working together and alignment of corporate goals with employee goals. A management that fails to consider the needs and expectations of its employees is doomed to fail.
Likewise, a union that insists on restrictive work rules, uncompetitive wage rates, and uses the Strike weapon is deluding itself. Strikes are self-defeating.

There is a reason that companies with unyielding unions are going bankrupt. There is a reason that companies are relocating out of union “closed shop” states to right-to–work states, or even relocating out of the United States.
There is a reason that government employee unions are bankrupting some cities and states.
What has an aggressive union policy accomplished if the company, or city, or state goes bankrupt? When companies, and/or public entities go bankrupt, workers lose their jobs, wages and benefits are reduced. and retiree benefits may even be cut.

Companies and Unions will find a better way if they work together to improve competitiveness and reward both owners and employees.

I experienced a perfect example of what can happen when workers and management understand the value of working together. We had a plastics manufacturing plant in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Many of the employees had been union members in other companies. Over one third of our employees became stockholders in our company. Whenever it was time for a wage increase, this plant would present its request for increases in wages and benefits along with a series of cost cuts and efficiency improvements that would pay for their request. Management could never refuse their request.

A company becomes dangerous to the U.S. economy when it becomes “too big to fail”.
Likewise, a union becomes dangerous when it can affect the U.S. economy. The Air Traffic Controllers strike in the 1980’s was an example of a union activity being disruptive to the entire U.S. economy.

These companies and unions must never be allowed to become such a danger. They need to be regulated to limit their economic impact. Companies need to be regulated. Unions need to be regulated. The U.S. cannot be held hostage by any entity, be it company or union. Union tactics to win concessions must be limited to a specific employer. Whenever the damage extends beyond an employer to the public at large, the union must be held accountable.

Union efforts to restrict trade with protectionist legislation will not work in a global economy.

Increases in the minimum wage do nothing to help unions, they serve to reduce opportunity for poor people seeking jobs.

The insane Davis-Bacon law, which requires government-funded projects to pay “Prevailing Wages”, prevents governments from receiving competitive bids. As a result, government always pays more than it should, and taxpayers wind up with the bill.

Union efforts to do away with secret ballots, and restrict freedom are anti-American. They ultimately don’t work because companies will close, or relocate in order to become more competitive and increase the economic return to owners.

Restrictive trade laws don’t work because other countries will retaliate with their own trade restrictions.

Union members need to ask themselves why their dues are being spent on issues that have nothing to do with their jobs.
Why not take union dues and invest them in the company?
States that have enacted “Closed Shop” Union rules need to reconsider. Unions need to rethink this restrictive rule. Closed Shop policies take away the rights of workers who do not want to join a union, and some companies will not locate their businesses in a Closed Shop environment. More and better job opportunities will become available if Closed Shop is repealed.

During my lifetime, I have worked under two bad bosses: one in the army, and one in business. They don’t know who they are, because I never let them know they were so bad. A common problem of both was their inability to listen, much less accept criticism. They did not treat their subordinates with respect and dignity. Worse, they did not get the benefit of their subordinate’s knowledge, creativity, and energy. Being blind to the talents of your subordinates means a waste of those talents.
I’ve also had to deal with two unethical purchasing agents, and two business owners who did not honor their commitments. That’s six out of thousands!
Almost all business owners, managers, and CEO’s are honorable people who know that the key to business success is treating people right: customers, suppliers, stockholders, and especially, EMPLOYEES.

The union-management mindset of “us versus them” is insane. It leads down the road to failure. When employees and companies work together for a common purpose, they each have a best chance to succeed. Global competition demands this change.
Unions need new leadership that emphasizes employee ability to identify and eliminate waste, poor working conditions, and achievement of goals that benefit company as well as, employee.

If politicians continue to demonize employers, and foster union “victimhood” in order to gain campaign contributions, then the FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM will never reach its potential. This has a negative impact on employees and companies.