Cool it and Just be Americans

I dislike the attitude of most radio and television talk show hosts. The reason is that most of them try to put Americans into categories. Earlier this year and last year everyone was either a “liberal” or a “conservative.” Most of the hosts could not confront the idea that most people are a mix of both and of many ideas and do not conveniently fall into those two categories.

As we approached the election those hosts began to realize that many of us are in a middle area politically. It’s like all of them have a set of talking points because so many of them say the same things with a slight twist of the words. So now they have identified two new groups “right of center” and “left of center.” I just wonder what is the “center?” I suppose their talking points information instructions will tell them. They really ought to share that information with their listeners.

As I listen to these people telling us their views I realize that most of them do take extreme positions. Perhaps that is necessary for them to keep their jobs. I do know that I am a mix of “right of center” and “left of center.” Perhaps that does put me in the “center.” I do like Barack Obama’s statement, “ There is not red America and blue America. There is the United States of America.”

I guess it would be asking too much for Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, Keith Olbermann and all the rest to cool it and just be Americans.

CARPETBAGGER

After the Civil War this term was given to anyone from the North who moved into the South for financial advantage. It was especially attached to those people who had recently moved to the South and were running for political office. After the Civil War a carpet covered bag was the popular luggage of the day.

Today the term specifically applied to those people running for office in a location that is not their historical home. Local laws do allow politicians to run for office with relatively short residency requirements or none at all.

The most recent and possibly the most flagrant example of carpet bagging was Elizabeth Dole’s North Carolina’s Senate seat. She is the wife of the former Senator from Kansas, Robert Dole. Robert Dole is also a former Republican candidate for President. She ran and won the seat from North Carolina on the contention that she really is a North Carolinian because she lived there as a child and graduated from North Carolina’s Duke University. Using her mother’s address as her home address she met the state’s qualifications for residency.

California State Senator Tom McClintock(R) is being forced out of office by term limits. His district is in Ventura County just north of Los Angeles. He has always portrayed himself up as a high minded individual unlike those scummy Democrats. However he does like being a politician. So Mr. McClintock decided to run for congressional office from a district that the Republican Party views as winnable because there is no incumbent because the man leaving office is a Republican (facing corruption charges). California legislators must live in the district they represent, but there is no such requirement for House members. So the fact that he lives in Thousand Oaks (just outside of Los Angeles County) is no problem. Mr. McClintock has won by 644 votes. According to the Santa Barbara Independent he has actually been housekeeping up in northern California.

Is it any wonder that many Americans are opposed to professional politicians?

A Nightmarish Impact On Our Economy

I am sorry to report that I was correct on August 8, 2007 when I predicted American Auto Manufacturing Is Coming To An End! The AP reported Chrysler’s U.S. sales are down 25 percent through September of this year, the worst decline of any major automaker. Both Ford and General Motors are barely surviving and have seriously reduced their needed R&D.

But wait, America’s auto manufacturers and their suppliers employ more than 2 million people. Whether the next president is Barack Obama or John McCain the U.S. government will not allow a failure of companies that will significantly impact the employment of millions of people.

How will the government save GM, Ford and Chrysler? The U.S. government will take an ownership position similar to the ownership of banks and Wall Street investment houses that was just recently approved by Congress.

The pain of divesting U.S. government ownership of these failed companies is going to take years. Our capitalist philosophy is that non-competitive business cease will force the auto manufacturers to either perform or close. Then again the federal government has threatened to withhold aid to Amtrak but has never followed through with the plan. It’s all about jobs.

Barack Obama’s idea of creating new jobs in a new greener America may be the avenue to a more robust economy. He says his proposals will create 5 million jobs. A good place to start is replacing the lost jobs in auto manufacturing.

VINDICATED

Barack Obama’s comment that his victory in Iowa’s caucuses last winter had “vindicated” his faith in the American people. What does he mean?

This is a very complicated word. Webster’s New World CD Dictionary offers five possible definitions.

1 to clear from criticism, blame, guilt, suspicion, etc.; uphold by evidence or argument

2 to defend or maintain (a cause, claim, etc.) against opposition

3 to serve as justification for; justify !a success which vindicated their belief in him“

4 to lay claim to or establish possession of (something for oneself or another)

5 [Obs.] a) to avenge b) to punish

The second definition is most likely the one that fits Obama’s use of this word. John McCain saying he has always had faith in his country indicates that he did not check a dictionary for definitions.

Sarah Palin’s reaction to the Alaska Legislature’s Troopergate report was that it “vindicates” her.

If my son’s phonograph record store is a success his idea for a business will be vindicated. That would be the use of definition number one and three. Frankly opening the store was a Hail Mary pass to independence for someone who does not like having a boss.

My wife’s decision to start a tutoring business was vindicated by her success. The publishing of a column of mine on the Huntington Post was a vindication of my writing skills.

U.S. Manufacturing and Competitiveness

In the 1950s General Motors sales exceeded 50% of total auto sales in the United States. Imported cars amounted to only small percentage of that total. By 1992 the Ford Taurus was the best selling car and Honda was on its tail. In 1995 all the American car companies were feeling quite successful despite the growing size of Japanese imports. Today the “Big Three” is on the verge of becoming the “Little Two” as more and more Americans buy cars from foreign manufacturers.

At the same time as cars are coming from foreign manufacturers we have seen appliances, clothing, and almost everything else we buy come from other nations. The manufacturing base of our nation has deteriorated to such an extent that the population of our Midwestern industrial complex has no place to work. This has been the result of big corporations moving their manufacturing to other nations that have lower labor costs. Unfortunately American car manufacturers are not in that category. They are failing due to the second rate quality of their cars. Quality of products has been a big issue for American manufacturers. We used to laugh at the inferior quality of Japanese goods and they have more than overcome that stigma. China is now going through a similar phase and it’s likely they too will overcome their quality issues. Many United States manufacturers have not yet address the issue of quality.

I know. I worked for American manufacturers for 45 years. There were always new quality programs being installed. Most of them really did not work. The reason is that the workers themselves were not devoted to producing quality products. This is not a government issue. A free society does not enable government interference in private enterprise. Government can encourage job development though tax incentives but cannot involve itself in the operation of any company.

Michael E. Porter, a Harvard Business School authority on American competitiveness suggests in a Business Week article that the United States needs a long term strategy to resusitate our manufacturing prowess. I believe he is correct. The problem is that our government lacks the will to develop this plan. The reason is that lobbyists and special interests have more influence on Congress than the real needs of our nation.

I intend to write about U.S. manufacturing and competitiveness in many of my future blog entries.

Scare the Jews and Everyone Else Too!

The population of Jews in America totals about 6.5 million people. The greatest majority of them are Democrats. Jews are very politically active. It’s not just California that has a high Jewish representation in Congress. If John McCain could scare the Jewish populations in every state there is a possibility that he could win the electoral vote in California, New York, New Jersey, and Florida.

That is exactly what he is trying to do when he brings up a story about Barack Obama “attending a 2003 party with a Palestinian-American professor and critic of Israel.” The AP report indicates that The Los Angeles Times reported on the event more than six months ago. The Los Angeles Times has reported on the controversy. There have been other columnists that have discussed Obama’s connection to Louis Farrakhan. Richard Cohen has written at least two columns on this issue. Mr. Cohen is a strong supporter of Israel and found the connection between Obama and Farrakhan to be a non-issue.

Reasonable people have discounted Obama’s connection to anti-Israel groups and people. So what asks the McCain campaign. “We need to spread all the scare language we can to win this election” has got to be a tactic of the McCain people.