Over promised, under delivered

 

 

"Such a drop dead gorgeous country. Such a rich heritage of history. Such a financial mess..."

Well history was made this weekend. Not here. Not by ISIL. But by Greece. The people of Greece had a referendum and they told the rest of the Euro Zone to "stick it". They are done with austerity measures. No more. In the opinion of many of the Greek people, this was not their fault. They had been sold a bill of goods. In other words, their government had promised more than they could deliver.

Some refer to the southern countries of Europe as PIGS (no insult intended). PIGS would stand for Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain. For some reason, the countries of southern Europe seem to struggle financially more than their northern neighbors. As I was watching a financial show this morning, of course Greece was the center of attention. Nobody could even guess what would happen next. One analyst thought the other three countries in PIGS might hurry up and get some financial religion based on what is happening in Greece. But again, nobody knows for sure.

Looking at Greece as a case study is a bit like looking in the mirror. For years their government had over promised and then under delivered. At the end of the day when a government does that long enough, the "unsustainability factor" sets in. Humpty Dumpty falls off the wall. Now the Greek government is broke and has empty promises going out to the horizon. Sound a bit familiar?

Every good party ends with the clean up. Every good drunk ends with the hangover. Every good shopping spree ends with a bill. Greece kept putting off the evitable - the payment for the party. Most knew this day would eventually come. But they were stuck. They only way to pay the piper was to pay for the party which had long been over. People were going to have to accept the fact their government lied to them. They are going to have to live on a whole lot less. Much less than their government promised them. Over promised and then under delivered.

Well our day is coming. Like the people of Greece, we ignore the facts. We listen to the snake oil salesmen in Washington. We shout down truth tellers like the Simpson-Bowles Committee. Rather than fix the current entitlements which are bankrupting us, we add another one - ObamaCare. Yes, the road to Athens is loaded on our GPS, and we are speeding down the highway to financial damnation.

My advice is we pay close attention to how this plays out in Athens. It might be our future. Should we decide in 2016 to elect another Socialist or a Progressive, it will be our future. As all elections have consequences, our next election will have a dozzie.

The Second Half

 

 

"Wow! Here we sit right smack dab in the middle of summer!"

I always look at Independence Day as being "halftime" for the summer. It is a day to stop what you are doing, take a pause in the action, and enjoy. I can think of very few Independence Day's which were not memorable. Yesterday was one of the memorable ones. It was a good day indeed.

Looking back on the first half of the summer, here are my observations (just to name a few):

• Had a dead perfect month of June. Just enough rain, not too hot, not too cold.
• The crops around the area are looking extraordinary! Could be another bumper harvest.
• The Supreme Court has kept up with its reputation. It never stops disappointing. Two huge rulings which are going to shape our future for years to come.
• We have declared war on the Rebel Flag. I will not call it the Confederate Flag as it was not.
• Greece is on the verge of going belly up. Only this time it might be for real.
• Our economy continues to be stagnant. There are plenty of jobs out there right now for those who want part time and low pay. The "living wage", "raise a family" type jobs are still rare and incomes remain stagnant.
• ISIL continues its reign of terror in the Middle East. Just today there were reports of a mass execution in Syria of Syrian soldiers. They were executed by children at the direction of ISIL.

What is coming up in the second half of the summer? Here some thoughts on that:

• Now that gay marriage is the law of the land, look for the courts to be tested with some new and innovative relationships. Three people getting married, polygamy, polyamorous, and so on.
• Based on the ObamaCare SCOTUS ruling, look for MNSure to be axed. It is a waste of money.
• More terror incursions in Europe by ISIL and others. They are not as prepared as we are, and their proximity works against them.
• More executive actions by POTUS. Next up - amnesty for drug users.
• On the plus side, the good summer weather is expected to continue. There should be ample supplies of good summer time fresh fruits and veggies to be had by all.

Today being Sunday the 5th of July, I will continue to enjoy halftime. Tomorrow I will be back at it. Tackling the projects (and there be many) we started when the summer started. That being said, each day, every day, I enjoy this time of year. For those of us who live here know just how fleeting it is...

Part Two of Red, White and sometimes Blue...

"It has been tattered, torn, spit on and even burned. Yet this grand old flag still attracts freedom loving people like bees to honey..."

This morning on the news we learned more about why the threat level is so high in the country right now. It is high because ISIL has been flooding the social media chat sites with terror orders to all who want to follow their cause. The FBI is worried primarily about a chemical attack. So much so, they have dozens of makeshift command center set up all over the country. I am hoping against hope this entire thing is just so much about nothing. If it is not "nothing", today could be another game changer in our history.

 

It is hard for me to think anyone trying to harm our country. Like many of you, I love this country. I love our flag. My wife asked me very politely not to be too political on this 4th of July, on the annual celebration of our Independence Day. Therefore today will be a reflection on what this day means to me, both present and in the past.

Like many, I look at Independence Day as being the midpoint of the summer. Some pessimists believe after today, summer is almost over. Days will get shorter, "dog days" are right around the corner, and back to school ads start to appear. Some even think about last winter and start planning for the next deep freeze. Yuck!

I however, shun thoughts of Old Man Winter on this most glorious day of summer. Not only is it a day to be with family and/or friends to celebrate summer, it is a day to remember how this exceptional country got started in the first place. As we know, our national spirit was born out of an intolerance for tyranny. It was our thirst for freedom, for independence.

How deep was that feeling? The men who signed our Declaration of Independence knew what the cost would be. Should they fail, should our fledgling country fail, the document they signed most likely would been their death warrant. Even though we succeeded in gaining our independence, some of the signers did not live to see it. They truly did pledge "their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to each other."

But we did not fail. We went on in slightly over two centuries to become the shining light on the hill. The light for all people who yearn for freedom, to look for and to follow. Spending our precious national treasure and blood, we saved the world from tyranny more than once. We feed large parts of the world, we help poor countries with basic necessities, and yes, we still welcome legal immigrants. As beat up and tattered as our flag has been, it still attracts freedom loving people like bees to honey.

As much pride as I feel in this country, in our flag, I get blue when I see the direction we are headed in. What I see at times is not the America I know and love. Our world continues to be an ever dangerous place. As a said at the beginning, our terror war continues. Russia and China are on the prowl. Even though some in Washington would like us to believe otherwise, the facts are very simple. When America is strong and engaged, tyrants and terrorists do not stand a chance. When America is weak and isolated, bad things happen quickly. Just as nature abhors a vacuum, so do the villains in the world.

I have said often times before: All people are born free - someone just has to take that freedom away from them. I love our freedom in this country. I wish that all countries in the world had the same.

 

On this Independence Day, that will be my continued hope and prayer. For America to once again be the country, the beacon of hope, the demonstration of liberty, the world so desperately wants and needs. Yes, may God continue to bless this great nation!  

Are they winning?

 

 

"Living in fear is no way to live your life. Bullies, terrorists, cold blooded murderers, need to be taken care of, and quickly..."

If we accept the definition of "terrorism" as the ability to inflict terror in someone or a group of people, the Jihadists might just be winning. It is rare to turn on the news, read the paper, or browse the internet without seeing brazen acts or threats against us being made by these people. And all I have been hearing all week long is the heightened alert status we are in for our Fourth of July celebrations.

Because of the Islamic terrorists, we have to now be frisked before getting on an airplane. Our e-mail is read and stored by the NSA. Warrantless wire taps have become common. Some of our basic freedoms we have either willingly been given up or they have just been taken away. And when will it end? How will it end? Will it ever end?

First off, as we all know by now, these people are ruthless. They are soulless. They kill with abandon and many times in the most gruesome fashion. Just this past week it was reported that ISIL has started to decapitate women. Today in the newspaper we found out Boko Haram went into a mosque in Northern Africa where people were praying. They gunned down a hundred or so. They must not have been the right kind of Muslims for Boko Haram.

People are living in terror all over the globe. And it is mostly due to Islamic terrorists. Terror, brought on by terrorists. The other day I tried to imagine just in dollars alone what these people have cost our country since 9/11. The number must be in the trillions. And our efforts to put an end to this worldwide terror has been tepid at best.

What I would like to see from the civilized world is very simple. Declare war on terrorism. Not just saying the words - really and truly declare war. Inform the terrorists they are all dead men walking. They welcome death anyway. We will just help them along. Whether we use drones, fighter jets, special forces, the CIA, or infantry troops, we will exterminate this terror by exterminating the terrorists. Or, we can continue to do little or nothing and wait until the cancer becomes invasive throughout our country. When we not only lose American lives, but we will also lose what is left of our freedoms.

I am sick of it, sick of it, sick of it. I am sick or terror alerts. I am sick of reading about or seeing unspeakable carnage on the media. I am sick of innocent people begging for, crying out for help, and then receive nothing but brutal death from the terrorists. And I am sick of being a bystander.

So on this Fourth of July, have a great time with the family. Enjoy the fireworks as we celebrate our independence. As we cook our steaks, have a beer, or sit by the lake, carnage will continue overseas. And if we are not careful, or are just unlucky, carnage will find us here also.

It is time to do something. It is time to act. It is time to end this. 

The good life in Minnesota!

 

 

"Life is good here, very good. That is, if you are a member of the DFL 1% club..."

Life is good here! If you don't believe me, ask the Governor. Ask the Mayor of Minneapolis. Or St. Paul. Or Duluth. Oh heck - just ask any Democrat in power. Just don't ask "Joe Six Pack" on the street trying to feed his family of four. Things are a bit different down there.

But who cares about "down there"? The power brokers, the department heads in state government, the Progressives who are the buddies of our Governor, are headed for a big, big payday! How big? Some of these clowns are going to get a 25 to 30 percent raise. Based on nothing!  And the new head of the Met Council, the highly qualified husband of the Governor's Chief of Staff, is in for a really big payday. The Governor had made this position full time and doubled the salary. Ahhhh, the good life in Minnesota!

What is the "DFL 1% club" doing to help out good old "Joe Six Pack"? First off, the Governor wanted a huge increase in the gasoline tax which would further drain any remaining dollars out of Joe's wallet. Then the war on coal has come home. The Governor would love to see the Sherco Power Plant in Becker shut down. Being a coal burning plant, the Governor thought might add to our "global warming". You know, that climate change which might lead to warmer winters in Minnesota (yea!).

So what happens to Joe's wallet if the Sherco Plant closes? Well, first off, this state gets almost half it's power from Sherco as well as the nuke at Monticello. We have no substitute power source that we can "plug right in" to replace them. So the price of electricity will go up like a Saturn rocket. That is, if we can get enough electricity. Brown outs and black outs could be on our menu. But who cares? Who needs electricity when we have winter six months out of the year.

The bottom line in Minnesota is this. If you are one of the Progressive elite, life can be very good in Minnesota. But if you are a retired military vet, a senior living on Social Security, a person with a family making slightly above poverty wages, life is tough here. There is no "good life in Minnesota".

The Governor must have jewels the size of Texas to offer those pay increases to his cronies. And guess what Governor? We may be cash strapped, but we also have good memories. You may not be running again, but Tina probably will be. And she will bear the brunt (along with Tom Bakk and your DFL buddies) for this one. You want your good life in Minnesota? We got your "good life" right here! 

 

Good bye and hello...

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It is going to be a tough road of haul to get to the goals of Thrive 2040...Maybe another tax hike would help..."

The Met Council's dream of building Minneapolis to be of mecca of high rise employment has sure had some puts and takes as of late. The debacle of the downsizing at Target has really hurt as many from the "Target Mother Ship" were given their pink good-byes.

At the same time, other companies have decided to move to town. As others were leaving, there developed and ebb and flow. However, the bottom line is this - more employees are leaving downtown than are being transferred there.

The latest kick in the teeth was to have the TCF Bank HQ pull the plug. They decided life in the burbs might be better (or cheaper) than live downtown. As many know, life downtown can be very expensive due to confiscatory taxation. However, even with high taxes, one of my former clients from my IBM days (ECMC), is moving 500 employees to downtown Minneapolis. They will reside at the Ameriprise Client Building on 3rd Avenue.

Here is the problem. Every time Mayor Betsy talks about curing the ills of her city, money is involved. Usually big money. Being a lifelong Democrat, Mayor Betsy firmly believes money grows on trees someplace in the city parks. She does not understand programs (and there are many of them in Minneapolis), end up being paid for by property or other taxes. After a while, a company whom is concerned about their bottom line, will cry "Uncle". The company will then vote with their feet. In other words, they will move.

Even though many Euphorians (like Mayor Betsy) believe companies should just "take it", and be good "corporate citizens", that is not how the game is played. As much as many think it might be unfair, in a free country such as ours, companies can leave. They can leave the county, they can leave the state, and they can even leave the country.

Expect to see more of this "movement" as we meander down the road towards 2040. Just like when sand fills an empty hole, or when water finds its own level, companies as well as corporate headquarters, will find their path of least (financial) resistance. In other words, they will gravitate towards where the taxes are the most favorable.

So fare thee well TFC. You have been a guest of Minneapolis for many years now. The city will miss the 1,700 employees you are taking with you. Don't worry - you will not be the last. As your departure will mean less fuel for the tax base, it might have to be raised. And then more companies will leave. I can see Mayor Betsy coming up with a new law. One which states that companies in Minneapolis need to just "grin and bear it". No matter how painful it might become...  

Once again, screw the rules!

 

 

"These two, along with their daughter who has been trained well, are the biggest users I have seen in my adult life..."

I have never seen anything like these two (three counting their daughter). They are the poster children on how to use, misuse, and abuse our government. How to turn everything into a perk. They have become filthy rich just for being in government service. And then parlaying their experience obtained from government service by soaking organizations in charging outlandish speaking fees. And to make matters worse, they are shameless. Totally and absolutely, shameless.

I think the biggest scheme, the biggest shell game the Clintons have come up with to date is the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Foundation. Or as Rush Limbaugh like to put it, the Clinton Crime Family. It has done quite well actually. Putting the money laundering aside for a minute, it has raised over $2B since 2001. That is a lot of cheese! This foundation has become a whirlpool of money which feeds many causes - some of which are even charitable. However, it has also been a tool for enriching the Clintons as well as funding another race for the White House.

This "good old boy" from Hope, Arkansas, along with his lawyer wife have done quite well. They have gone from rags to riches just by practicing the old P. T. Barnum adage - "There really is a sucker born every minute!" And it is STILL going on today! How do I know? A bunch of Millennials have been asked who they would like to see as the next President. Many answered "Hillary". Why? "We need to have our first woman President!" Just like we elected a clueless, experience less guy to be our first half black President, we now want to elect a corrupt, user to be our first woman President.

One of the things that really, really smells bad about these two are the speaking fees. Bill, the master user of the group, starting charging outrageous speaking fees as soon as Hillary became Secretary of State. Some might say (not me of course), these fees were nothing more than influence peddling. Countries and organizations paid big bucks for favors from the State Department. I am sure that was just dumb coincidence! You know, that Bill's fees went up like a Roman candle as soon as his wife became SOS. Silly me!

But the apple does not fall far from the tree. Some university is paying Chelsea Clinton $65K to give a 10 or 15 minute speech. On what you might ask? Good question. Probably on what she has learned by being the child of the Clintons. Like how to use people as an example.

So while a hundred unanswered questions on Benghazi continue to smolder, while thousands of lost critical Clinton e-mails continue to be sought, Hillary is running for President. If anyone votes for this woman, and if they know her past, I would simply like to know why. Her record is not spotty - it is terrible. Some even believe treasonous.

Long after the Clintons are gone (and it can't be soon enough for me), books will be written about them. I think the name of the first book should be called "Screw the Rules!", or "Rules need not Apply!" The fact this family is still in the news amazes me. The fact they are still in politics amazes me more. Simply amazes me.