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Termyn8or -> RE: An Open letter to President-elect Obama (11/14/2008 7:50:43 AM)
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We have been socialist for a long time, except only for the wealthy. Think of a contractor who is going to build a bunch of houses in a new development. Who builds the roads to get there ? What about the rest of the infrastructure ?
It's been said that up to 40% of the workforce is employed by the government, either directly or indirectly. My Mother was head of the purchasing department for a small single plant gastet company in Lakewood, Ohio. We talked about work, mainly because we don't talk about bullshit. Half of what they did was for the government, not directly, but the manufacturers to whom they sold their product were producing equipment for the government. As a vendor, that company had to deal with governmment specifications, sometimes mil-spec.
Millions more than people expect, who are gainfully employed, have jobs dependent upon government contracts. I don't know if it's actually 40% but that figure seems plausible. You could be working in a foundry grinding flash off of small castings and there is a good chance that the ultimate use of those parts may be in something bought by the government.
That is only the tip of the iceberg. Mandatory car insurance is socialistic in nature. Seat belt laws, just think about it. Of course much of this was spurred on by the insurance industry.
Perhaps we are more what could be termed quasisocialist or semisocialist, as we seem to have all the disadvantages yet none of the advantages.
I bet noone around here has ever looked into the exchange between Horatio Bunce and then congressman David Crockett. Bunce understood the proper role of this government, as it was intended. In short, the government is not supposed to take from anyone to give to anyone else. In this way, many more people would have the means to bail themselves out if hard times hit. That was the idea. Personal responsibility for one's own well being, as well as actions.
But things changed. Big money moved in and made necessary the enactment of the Sherman anti-trust act. I believe it was directed at the railroad industry. One railroad had deep enough pockets to operate at a loss for a long time, thereby putting the competition out of business, attempting to create a monpoly. Pretty much what Walmart does these days. Some would say this is the proper role of government, to keep control over such things and I have no valid argument against that.
However, a properly drawn line between something the government should control and what they should not has not been established. Under a real socialist view, the government should have been in conrol of say, Chrysler, before the first bailout. They used anti-trust to make ATT break up, but look what has happened hence. They are reconsilidating. Why did they bother ?
Become a necessity, get nationalized. The only problem there is electing competent leaders, something at which we have been woefully inadequate for a long time.
During the industrial revolution, people you seem to love to hate, such as Hitler and Ford, made great strides in productivity and to this day we enjoy some benefit from their efforts. Meantime the people you seem to love to love have been taking our money and giving it away. Sometimes you have to think 'I am alright, the world is all wrong'.
And then we had Nixon. On a quick aside, I found out the other day that Nixon financed his 1948 campaign with money he won in a high stakes poker game. But then as President he instituted a wage and price freeze. How can he do that ? If I want a raise that is strictly between my employer and myself, how does government come into it ?
I would think that if the government can dictate wages and prices, they should be able to dictate a few other things, don't you ? I am not talking about environmental issues here, wages and prices are not environmental.
Good management would have kept all this from happening, and if we really could get good people into government we would be alot better off. Mandate that each US auto maker build a safe and reliable car for a certain amount of money. When they see them selling like hotcakes maybe they learn something eh ?
I read in an article so long ago no cites or quotes are likely to be available that Japanes auto makers used price driven costing in their design approach while US automakers used cost driven pricing. The way I understand it that means while some engineers put things down on paper (yes there used to be paper) they did not give primary concern to the cost, while other engineers were told "We intend to sell this car for $_____, make it happen". Who do you think wins in the marketplace ?
Well we have witnessed it if we were able to see it. The mess we are in is a direct result of poor management both on the part of industry and government. Could I do better ? I think so. People were chosen for these positions on the wrong criteria, and today is no different. We had to vote for Obama because he is the lesser of two evils.
Some companies still do this, but a while back many of them required candidates for major management positions to have worked every job in the company first. Some still do and actually I can't think of the name of one right now, I know one did. My buddy's kid was cum laude and got such a job. I can't remember the name of the company but if they appear in the news looking for a bailout I will recognize it. I doubt I'll see it. The company is a major meat processing plant in Kansas City IIRC. This kid (about 23 now) is among the best and brightest. However that doesn't mean he is qualified to run the place.
To succesfully run a business long term takes a special skill, one that isn't taught in school. Part of the problem is that people are chosen for the letters after their name. Look at Bush. He graduated near the top of his class, but ran a half dozen businesses into the ground before proceeding to the Whitehouse. I think a lack of experience is just fine about now.
Then look at the self made capitains of industry who dropped out of college. They are out there, more than most people think.
You got four years to see what happens, there is no sense in bitching about it right now.
T
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