I have been asked by radio talk show hosts across the country to talk about President Obama’s possible – if not probable — nationalization of the banking system. But there’s more to the story than just banks.
This issue ties in with every aspect of the Obama Socialist Agenda — bailouts, handouts, economic stimulus packages, giving too much power to the Federal Reserve … and let’s not forget tax cuts to people who don’t pay taxes. Read Full Article
In Part I of this article, I discussed how the creation of surplus wealth leads to an increase in manufacturing plants and equipment, which in turn leads to the creation of both new jobs and new products. This stimulates economic growth and, in general, improves the well being of people who work for a living.
But what if businesses don’t reinvest their profits? The fact is, surplus wealth leads to growth even then. Suppose, for example, that a man builds a successful business, then “cashes out” for $10 million. He has no desire to produce anymore; he just wants to enjoy life. How does his life of luxury in retirement help the economy? Read Full Article
Compared to the cast of characters being appointed to high-level posts in Washington, Rod Blagojevich is starting to look appealing. The guy reeks with vintage Chicago chutzpah, he’s got style (What can you say about a spandex jogging outfit?), and he’s entertaining.
In fact, had B.O. appointed him Secretary of the Treasury, I think he would have added some much needed panache to the otherwise drab Obamastration. I challenge you to name anyone who has a better nose for money than Blago. He’s forgotten more about it than Ben Bernanke will ever know. Read Full Article
You will recall that prior to Barack Obama’s taking office, I wrote a three-part article titled “The Justification for Lying,” in which I discussed the approach I thought he would mostly likely take to “change the face of America.” Rather than the more subtle “boil-the-frog-slowly”approach, I thought he proceed quickly to socialize the economy and suppress liberty.
I listed four reasons for this:
Obama would have the Pelosi-Reid gang pressuring him to take action.
He would have millions of entitlement-addicted hard cases looking to him to deliver on his spread-the-wealth promises.
Rev. Wright might be lying in wait, ready to do something that might turn the love-filled Obamaganza into a humiliating Obamaclysm.
And the biggest reason of all would be the pressure of knowing that the 2010 mid-term Congressional elections would probably cut into the power monopoly the left wing now holds. A significant power shift in the House and Senate would have Obama kicking himself (or, more likely, kicking you) for not moving fast enough when the Socialist Window of Opportunity was wide open. Read Full Article
The beginning of the 44th presidency and its “success†reminds me of Jimmy Carter’s 39th: America was suffering the after-effects of an expensive war, a bad economy, an energy crisis, a weak stock market, and an overall disgust with the Republican Party — kind of like what’s happening now.
President Carter, like number 44, was supposed to turn it all around. He was a man of the people, somebody the common individual could relate to — somebody who wore blue jeans in the White House. Yes, Carter was a man just like you and me — if, that is, you and I believed government could solve more problems than it created. Read Full Article
In the Preface to Stephen M.R. Covey’s book The Speed of Trust, his father, Stephen R. Covey (of Seven Habits fame), states: “My interactions with business leaders around the world have made it increasingly evident that ‘speed to market’ is now the ultimate competitive weapon.â€
Just think about that for a minute — the ultimate competitive weapon. What a remarkable thought: The most important thing you can do to win out over the competition is get your reasons for that is that it gives you an edge over your competitors. Read Full Article
As the media and left-wing “slobbering love affair†(as Bernard Goldberg puts it in the title of his new book) reaches orgasmic heights today, maybe those of us who have not yet bought into the idea that Abraham Lincoln has been reincarnated should work hard at keeping our intellectual composure.
Just when you thought that Bill O’Reilly could not possibly outdo his rants about limiting oil company profits (You do remember high oil prices, don’t you?), he asks his viewers to answer a question that probably would not have made the cut on Wheel of Fortune: “Are you rooting for Barack Obama to succeed?†Read Full Article
I received a large number of e-mails in response to my two articles on the impossible dream, and many of the comments prompted me to go into the subject a bit further. Primarily, I want to emphasize that when you’re in a seemingly impossible situation, one of the most important but least understood tools you can employ to turn things around is detachment. Read Full Article
Let’s start today by considering three options you would have had if, like Viktor Frankl in the 1940s, you had found yourself in a Nazi concentration camp. Read Full Article
A reader recently sent me an e-mail in which he lamented about his “impossible situation.” I guess it’s all in the eyes of the beholder, because to me it appeared that his was an impossible situation with a lot of possibilities.
So what, exactly, is an “impossible situation?” More specifically, what does “impossible” really mean? Is it impossible to make a mountain move simply by having faith? That’s quite a challenge. If anyone could do it, it would probably be that Star Wars guy, Yoda. But I don’t know of anyone outside of Hollywood who’s mastered such extraordinary mind power.
On a personal level — i.e., government and politics aside — the Valkyrie story is yet another reminder that it’s much more important to be loyal to your principles than to be popular. Truth and popularity, in fact, are all too often at odds with one another.
In comparing his own life to that of Socrates, in his book The Consolations of Philosophy, Alain de Botton writes:
If you haven’t yet seen Valkyrie, the Tom Cruise film about the best-known of the fifteen or so plots to kill Adolf Hitler, it’s worth the general discomfort of a trip to your nearby overpriced popcorn and candy store (a.k.a. “theater”). Better yet, you can wait a few weeks, get it on DVD, and make your own popcorn.
Hollywood often comes up short when making films based on novels or true stories. Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities was a classic example of this. If you read the novel, then saw the film, you had to be disappointed.
My approach to life is to plan carefully, then relentlessly focus on execution. I don’t mean to sound stuffy, but to me impulsiveness is a sign of irresponsible behavior.
That’s why those who know me best would lay 100-to-1 odds that I would never make a spur-of-the-moment decision to hop on a train and head for New York on New Year’s Eve. And they would have lost their shirts on that bet this year.
Considering the headline of his legendary full-page ad, it’s no wonder the late and legendary Joe Karbo was able to sell millions of copies of his self-published book The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches. The headline I’m referring to is: MOST PEOPLE ARE TOO BUSY EARNING A LIVING TO MAKE ANY MONEY.
What’s so great about this headline is that the vast majority of people can relate to it. And one of the least-understood secrets of good writing — including copywriting — is to say things that get people nodding their heads in agreement with your words.
