Unless you have a law degree or an MBA from a highly regarded university, your chances of rising through the ranks of corporate America are pretty slim. For most Americans, the most likely path to financial success lies in operating a small business. It’s true that most small business fail, but that is Americans taking a shot at their dream. Let’s hope that spirit never dies.
The government could significantly help the American dream. There are two things that government does to get in the way. They create regulations and they provide protections for workers. Both regulations and protections are necessary. Yet the government goes too far and ends up crushing the dreams of many Americans in the process.
Think about what burdensome regulation does in the real world. A large corporation can send a team of lawyers to make sure that they are in line with regulations. Many regulations are written with a big time lobbyist using influence to steer regulations that favor big business over small. They can also use those lawyers to attack pesky competition who may step outside the guidelines imposed by the government. Small business can not afford burdensome regulations. Think of big oil. How many small oil companies do we have in the United States? You can’t just pop a hole in the ground in your back yard and pump out oil even if it is there. You would need a team of lawyers and EPA specialists even if it was bubbling up out of the ground.
Government also sides with workers over employers on too many issues. As a small business owner, I feel that workers have the benefit of the doubt and employers are assumed to be both guilty and rich. I cannot get a straight answer when checking references on potential employees. If past employers give a bad review of ex-employees, they open themselves up to legal action. Hiring is a crap shoot.
Small companies can’t afford law suits from employees. I know of many cases when an employee was fired for just cause and sued for some trumped up reason. Each time the employee has won. Even when an employer wins the legal battle, the company loses. The cost of lawyers and the time lost to fight the legal battle ends up draining valuable time and resources that a small business can not afford. This in turn ends up hurting those that would otherwise work for a small business.Â
In my opinion, frivolous law suits are on the rise because so many court decisions are based on what a judge views as fair instead of what the law says. This in turn makes any case a possible victory. Judges who see victims and villains instead of laws as they are written hurt small business by giving every crack pot a chance at a legal payday.
If the Democrats were serious about helping the middle class of America, they would help small business. This could be achieved by making the law more fair for employers, reducing regulations and by stopping frivolous lawsuits. Democrats are supported by unions (workers), enviornemental zealots and lawyers. All of these groups hurt small business and therefore are an impediment to fulfilling the American dream. I know that is not Democrat’s intentions, but that is the outcome of their policies as seen from this small businessman’s perspective.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in
Common Sense on August 31st, 2008
I have lived in PA for 13 years. I have become familiar with the local politics and politicians. Joe Biden was always that blow hard from Delaware. Like much of the country, I recently found out the Senator Biden is from Scranton Pennsylvania. All of a sudden, he is no longer the Senator from Delaware…he is the Senator from Scranton? He has spent more time in Washington D.C. than he did in Pennsylvania.
Isn’t convienant for Democrats to decide where they are from depending on the election? PA is a big swing state and Rendell couldn’t leave his post (the lt. governor is a loon), so Obama picked Biden who all of a sudden has found his roots.
I hate when our politicians talk to us like we are stupid.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in
Election on August 31st, 2008
John McCain has picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate. We will get to know her over the course of the next 60 or so days. So far, I like what I see. She fights corruption. She is fiscally conservative. She wants to drill for oil. She is pro-gun. She will stand up to Republicans when they are wrong. She is tough.
Some claim she is inexperienced. From now until November, her experience as governor and mayor will be compared to that of Barrack Obama…the community organizer. I don’t think that is an argument the Democrats will want to engage in.
The Democrats picked an attack dog for the Vice Presidential contender. The most visible display of the Vice Presidents will be the Vice Presidential Debate. Joe Biden will have to go tread very gently as Rick Lazio discovered when he ran against Hillary. Sarah Palin has a record of accomplishments. Joe Biden has a record of ridiculous statements and failures. My money is on Sarah Palin.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in
Election on August 29th, 2008
Joe Biden weeps while thanking Democrats (LINK).
Call me old fashion. I don’t want to see our leaders getting emotional during a speech. At one time, weeping at the podium would have been the end of political career. Now, it is acceptable to the point that most politicians have done it at one time or another.
Do we really want men who can’t control their emotion to sit across the table in a showdown with Putin?
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in
Election on August 26th, 2008
In the past, I have claimed that Barrack Obama has no real executive experience. My claim was that he has never run anything…not even a hot dog stand. Many other conservatives have made the same claim. I hope my fellow conservatives are no ready to stand up and admit that we were wrong.
Barrack Obama does have experience. He was the chairman of an education reform commission. That is executive experience, so I was wrong. He ran the commission with fellow liberal Bill Ayers (you know, the American Terrorist who went to Venezuela to tell Hugo Chavez that “La educacion es revolucion!”)
Why don’t we hear about position in his defense when the charge of inexperience is cast about? Maybe because it was a complete flop. He has experience. Obama just doesn’t have any successful experience.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in
Election on August 25th, 2008
Barrack Obama was attracted to radical, communist professors. He succeeded in politics in the most corrupt city in America. He has radical friends and mentors. For years, he listened to radical preachers.
Now he want to bring change to Washington.
Be very afraid of the change Obama seeks.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in
Election on August 24th, 2008
Accusing Republicans of “gutter politics” after 8 years of Bush Bashing is a bit much to take. Debra J. Saunders takes it to the Democrats and Baby Barrack
Democrats have crafted the conceit that Republicans are attack dogs, while Democratic candidates are not sufficiently ruthless. After years of calling President Bush every name in the book, the left nonetheless manages to see itself as the victim in the smear game.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama knows how to play to that conceit. In a speech before a Veterans of Foreign Wars gathering in Florida on Tuesday, Obama went into woe-is-me mode as he responded to Republican candidate John McCain’s criticism of Obama’s opposition to the successful U.S. troop surge in Iraq.
“One of the things that we have to change in this country is the idea that people can’t disagree without challenging each other’s character and patriotism,” said Obama. “I have never suggested that Sen. McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition. I have not suggested it, because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America’s national interest. Now, it’s time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same.”
Poor baby. To hear his lament, you’d never guess that Obama repeatedly has argued that McCain picks his positions out of ambition. Obama recently told a group, “The price (McCain) paid for his party’s nomination has been to reverse himself on position after position.” (LINK)
He can’t stand up to Republicans without whining like a 3rd grader, but he wants us to trust him to stare down Putin and the Mullahs of Iran.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in
Election on August 21st, 2008
The Congress wants to bail out every one who is doing badly (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Baer Sterns, over extended home owners) and punish everyone who is doing well (oil companies, drug companies, people making over 200K per year)
Failure is rewarded, success is penalized. Will these policies lead us to Utopia and straight down the drain? We can’t take the masses from middle class to super rich, but we can make sure that no one is wealthy.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in
Common Sense on August 20th, 2008
Barrack Obama has shown that he is as sensitive as a snake that has just shed his skin. All criticisms are smears, or worse…racially motivated.
For eight years, George Bush has been accused of the most hideous crimes. He has been called a liar, a criminal, a murderer, a chimp, an idiot…the list is endless. Throughout all the insults and accusations, he has remained above it saying that politics is a tough business.
Barrack Obama is rattled by Jerome Corsi. How is he going to stare down Putin? If Hugo Chavez calls him the devil at the United Nations, will Obama respond to the “smear” or will he ignore him as a President should? Image the outrage if someone wrote a thinly veiled book about Michelle’s sex life?
We often overlook the most vulnerable when the economy takes a downturn. This year’s foreclosure woes are bring hardships again to those how are unable to take care of themselves. According to a staff writer at the Daily Local, pets are “feeling economy’s pinch”
Tammy, an 11-year-old toy poodle and a rescue at the Chester County SPCA, will need $500 to $600 for dental bills.
A victim of a foreclosed home, Tammy is part of a growing trend of animals being taken to the kennel. (LINK)
If there is a victim, then there must be a purpatrator. Those greedy lenders care nothing for the helpless dogs of the world. They only care about money. Now, poor Tammy is going to have bad teeth.
END SARACASM
Why isn’t Tammy a victim of irresponsible pet owners. My guess is that if you have no problem borrowing money that you can’t pay back, then irresponsibly taking on a pet is not much of a stretch.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in
Common Sense on August 13th, 2008
Nancy Pelosi purchased $50,000-$100,000 in CLNE, the T. Boone Pickens clean energy fuels company. Three words describe this investment…”conflict of interest”. CLNE stock has not performed well, but if the Speaker gets behind the T. Boone Plan, then you can expect the stock price to improve.
For someone who rode a “culture of corruption” PR stunt, this whole thing reeks of manipulation and insider trading.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in
Congress on August 12th, 2008
Maybe you have heard this argument. The liberals say that even if we start drilling today, it won’t effect the price much because it will be absorbed by the world market. According to liberals, drilling today would have little effect on the price of oil.
This is the first time I have ever heard liberals discuss the “world market”. As with most new concepts, they are still getting their arms around it.
Yes there is a world market. But that market sets prices based on supply and demand just like any other market. Oil is a commodity like corn or iron. The price is also a function of future speculation.
In our current market, oil prices have become very volatile. They shot up to over $4 per gallon and within a couple of months have dropped by more than 8% . The price of gas has closely followed the price of crude oil (link). The reason for the volatility is low worldwide production capacity. Any shock to the supply could shift the market and drive the price up very quickly.
Knowing this, speculators are willing to pay a premium for oil. Some of this speculation is done just for profit, but others are hedging against rising oil prices. If you ran a trucking company with long term contracts, it would make sense for you to invest in oil futures as a hedge against an oil supply shock.
Take a look at where oil comes from: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Nigeria. Many of the world sources are in politically unstable areas. Russia just attacked a pipe line in Georgia. Saudi Arabia is run by Muslim zealots. Venezuela has nationalized its oil business. Nigeria regularly has terrorist attacks on oil production. It does not take a genius to figure out that the world supply can be easily disrupted.
If we were to drill off the coast of the United States we would be not only be increasing the supply of oil, we would be increasing the supply of oil from a region of stability. More stability means less speculation on high oil prices in the future. This will drive down the price of oil today…not in five years.
Drill Here…Drill Now…Pay Less
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in
Free Markets on August 12th, 2008
Joe Klein is pushing for diplomacy against Russia (LINK). I’m not ready to go to war over Georgia yet, but diplomacy will accomplish absolutely nothing.
At the end of the article, Klein fits in as much stupidity as possible in one statement
And it (Iraq Invasion) has severely damaged our moral authority in the world…I mean, after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, after Abu Ghraib, after our blithe rubbishing of the Geneva Accords, why should anyone listen to us when we criticize the Russians for their aggression in the Caucasus?
My retort:
- We are the only country that will stand alone protecting people from brutal dictators. We are the only county with any level of moral authority. The rest of the world has NONE.
- The U.S. invaded Iraq after years of them not living up to a cease fire agreement and U.N. approval of consequences if they did not comply to U.N. mandates.
- We punished the soldiers involved in Abu Ghraib.
- I don’t remember the terrorist signing the Geneva Accords. If we sign a free treaty with Canada, does that mean the rest of the world can export to the U.S. duty free? If Canada starts charging us an import tax, does that mean we still have to live up to the treaty. The terrorist are not signatories to the Geneva Convention.
- He claims we should use diplomacy and then says why would anyone listen to us. In other words, we should talk while no one is listening. Did he go to some special school to learn that kind of idiotic logic?
Joe Klein is a flaming liberal just like 90% of the press in this country. Every once in a while, I tune into what they have to say just to gauge where liberals stand. They never seem to disappoint.
Evan Bayh was with Barack Obama campaigning today in Indiana. Many people think that Bayh is high on the Obama VP list. This is how the Tom Raum describe Bayh’s experience:
 Bayh, a former two-term governor and son of former Sen. Birch Bayh, is a former supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton, has executive experience and sits on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees. Furthermore, Democrats view Indiana – which has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1964 – as competitive this year. (link)
Bayh has more experience that Obama, including executive experience. Bayh also has relavant experience from the Senate. He has always been thought of as a moderate and could easily work across party lines. Evan Bayh has everyting that Obama claims to have – experience and moderation.
If selected as his running mate, will Evan Bayh be a constant reminder of what Barack Obama lacks?
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in
Election on August 6th, 2008
There is an ideological divide in the country. Some say that we should be tough on illegal immigrants while others hold the position that tough immigration laws keep good people from coming forward to report crimes. There are anectodal accounts to support both cases. The question that should be debated is how does it effect the society at large.
Cities across the nation have taken different tracks. San Francisco has not only allowed illegal immigrants a sanctuary, policies are publicly announced with total disregard for national and state laws. Great…now lets get down to the debate.
Is San Francisco safer because of these policies? The question is not easily answered. I would submit that the burden of proof falls to those who support breaking the law. Supporters of sanctuary cities must show that their policies have actually reduced crime. If they cannot, then there whole argument falls apart. The sancuary policy is a failure even if crime is not appreciably changed.
Law abiding citizens need not prove that following the law is the better course of action. The burden of proof falls to the open border crowd.
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