You Will Suffer Long and Hard

Posted on 26/05/2009 by Grumpa Joe
My Flag Flies Everyday

My Flag Flies Everyday

The Sunday May 24 edition of the Chicago Tribune ran an article titled, “Adding Up What CEOs Made.”  The piece includes a list of the 100 top companies in Chicago and Northern Indiana, and the total compensation package the CEOs receive. Even though the title says “Adding Up…” it doesn’t really add it up. They only list 100 salaries, but I went to the trouble to input them into a spreadsheet to get the sum. I was curious to see what the flap is about the outrageous salaries being used to demonize Capitalism. The media has been busy barraging us with huge bonuses and salaries being paid. They bark the  need for regulation. This is truly the output of a socialist mindset.

I was surprised by the total of the top 100 salaries,  by the rate at which the salaries drop. Granted there isn’t a poor guy on the list, and the money they make in a year is more than most of us will earn in a lifetime. These CEOs lead companies that are producing and selling billions of dollars in products and services. Why is there such a penis envy of these leaders for their compensation? Are we envious? Do we want to lead the same life style they do? Do we want to work 24/7  to the detriment of our families? Why do we resent high salaries? The left leaning individual resents it because he truly believes the CEO and the company has made that salary off the sweat of his brow. Most employees will work forty hours per week at some incremental position stocking shelves or answering phones, or taking orders, but they are paid commensurate with the requirements of the position. What that employee doesn’t seem to understand is that his job is a commodity. There is a supply and demand for workers. The salary he is paid  is competitive with other companies who need the same level of skill.

The liberal also argues that the wealth paid to  CEO’s must be redistributed to those who are less fortunate. This is the reason for my article today. If we were to take all the money paid to the top CEOs in the country what magnitude of social spending would it  pay for?

Here are some facts and assumptions:

1.) The accumulative  salary paid to the CEOs of the top 100 companies in Illinois, as stated in the Tribune article, is  $559,940,329.00. This is a little more than a half billion dollars.

2.) Assume that every state in the union has a list of 100 top companies whose CEOs are paid the same. For the sake of simplicity let me use round numbers (50 x $600,000,000) = 30 billion dollars.

3.) Assume that I am too low and I am off by a factor of 10, the number becomes $300 billion dollars.

Wow! that is a lot of money, but wait, the TARP cost over two times that much, the stimulus package cost over three times that much,  and the proposed Federal Budget will cost over five times that much.

Here is my argument. We have just taken away all the money made by the top 50,000 executives in the USA and given it to the government to pay for it’s super duper programs, and we have barely paid for 11.4 % of it. Where will the remaining 88.6% come from?

Liberals don’t give up easy. They will argue that the remainder will come from taxing the companies that these CEOs lead. Okay, how many of these CEOs will work their ass off for $1.00? Even a liberal would have to agree that a salary of $1.00 per year would make life hard. Most likely, none of them would. They will quit, or let the company be run by the worker bees who believe it is by the sweat of their balls that the big money is made. (It will be interesting to see if the UAW can run Chrysler and compete in the world market.)

Actually, what will happen, is that none of the above will play out. The CEOs will continue to work for big money because that is the market value of their skills, and the Government will tax the living hell out of everyone to make up the money needed to implement thier utopian schemes. In the end, they will destroy the greatest country on earth and the deny the liberty of each and every one of us.

All of you youngsters out there who voted for “Change We Can Believe In,” have fun. I am near the end of my life cycle, and will not live to see too much grief.  You are going to suffer long and hard for your decision to take the country into this devastating direction.

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Tired Arguments and Worn Ideas…(edited)

Posted on 01/05/2009 by Grumpa Joe
My Flag Flies Everyday

My Flag Flies Everyday

“Don’t come to table with the same tired arguments and worn ideas that helped create this crisis.”…Barack Obama

 Here are some tired old ideas that seem to be bothering, and creating  POTUS’ crises:

 1. United States Constitution

It’s only served us well for two hundred and twenty two years (1787). Why should we believe that these rules should be  followed any longer?  POTUS believes it should be a “living document,” i.e. change the rules we live by as society changes. Since amending the Constitution is a long expensive process it needs to have a fast track system. POTUS proposes that the Supreme Court  interpret the rules by today’s morals, and the laws of other insignificant countries. This way, we get new laws that are being written, not by the Legislative Branch (because they are not capable nor trustworthy to do so) but by the Judicial Branch because the Supreme Court  justices have bigger brains,  more ethics, and are less influenced by lobbiests.

2. Preamble to the Constitution

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,[1] promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Who needs Justice,  Liberty, or Domestic Tranquility? The government will take care of us from cradel to grave. God forbid our Posterity be allowed to enjoy the same freedoms we have enjoyed.

3. Right to bear arms, Second Amendment

Guns taken out of our hands will keep us from killing each other. As a society we will be safer if we give up our guns. It also makes it much easier for a new dictator to take over the country.

4.  Marriage; between a man and a woman

This one has worked since Adam and Eve, it is so old it must be a lousy concept. Besides, the gays are left out. Marriage was invented to make parents responsible for the children they bring into the world. In the new world definition, sex is for recreation. Children are something the government will dictate when and how many we have.

5.  Right to life

The act of procreation is a natural function of our species to bring life into the world, and to ensure the propagation of man. In the new order, new life is something we allow women, and only women to decide to keep. If they chose not to, the population declines. End of life will be determined by the expense of keeping you alive. If it is cost prohibitive, kiss your ass goodbye. If you are a murderer it’s a different story. The death penalty is abolished across all the states. The worst punishment you can receive  is to serve your days in happy contentment living off the system.

6.  Ten Commandments

In service since Moses accepted them from God. Since God does not exist, the commandments are a hoax. Anyway, they are too old and tired to be of value anymore.

7. GOD

The concept of an eternal being is too radical to believe by some educated minds, therefore all references to God must be eliminated from government and places of education.

8.  Capitalism

The system is the root of all evil, and a deterrent to making all men equal.

9.  Personal Responsibility

The idea that we should depend on our own ability, and energy to survive is a notion that is incomprehensible. Our personal responsibility is delegated to  the government.

10.  Work

Why?

11.  Profit

A dirty word used by capitalists. Profit must be redistributed to the worker. 

12.  Wealth

A radical right wing concept which must be stamped out. All personal wealth must be redistributed.

13. Democracy

How can a dictator survive in a two party system?

14.  Freedom of speech, First Amendment Right

Criticism of the government is totally out of place. Why should we have the freedom to express facts, ideas, beliefs, or opinions that may expose corruption, and oppose the government?

15.  Taxation with Representation

How can the government survive if they have to legislate laws to tax us? Senators and Congressmen do not represent us anymore, they are in government to make a living for themselves, and to re-distribute the profits and wealth of others as they see fit.

16. Strong Defense;

What are we afraid of? The world is made up of peace loving people and governments

 17.  Three Branches of Government

Just listen to the Dictator.

18. Private Sector Jobs

Who needs them? Everybody is taken care of by the government.

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Patriots Weep

Posted on 25/04/2009 by Grumpa Joe

Mount Rushmore Weeps
Where are you headed America?

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We May Indeed Be Nuts!

Posted on 12/11/2008 by Grumpa Joe
My Flag Flies Everyday

My Flag Flies Everyday

I am almost over the election. I haven’t blogged because the need to do so dried up when BO won. This week, however, I have to speak my piece on the latest of Uncle Sam’s idiotic moves. Why do we want to bail out GM? This car company has consistently thrown poor quality, and reliability at us in the name of “Made in the USA.” The same goes for the UAW. I tried my best to hold out by buying American for many years. I owned an Oldsmobile Intrigue for eight years. It was without a doubt, the best GM car I ever owned. I bragged about it’s reliability and performance. I tried in vane to get my kids to buy “American.” No amount of reason or guilt worked. Two of my kids  don’t even know that there are cars made in America that are not Honda or Toyota. They grew up on Honda, and Toyota. They are brand faithful. At the same time I was bragging about my Intrigue with 110,000 miles on it, my daughter bragged about her Honda with 180,000. All she ever did was change oil, and put brakes, tires and gas in it.  At 111,000 miles my Intrigue crapped out. It leaked fluid into the cyclinders and locked the engine tight. After I spent $1800 to replace a leaking intake manifold, I learned on the I-net that GM cars are notorious for this failure. They have had the problem for years, but have never taken any steps to fix it. 

The US car companies, management and the UAW, have let the Japs take them down. Now GM wants the tax payer to bail them out. The argument is that if they are allowed to go bankrupt, many thousands of jobs will be lost, thus fueling the recession.

The truth is that filing for bankruptcy will not be a loss of jobs. They can go on making crappy cars as is their usual business. The difference is that they won’t get any “free money,” from the taxpayer.

A few years ago, GM divested itself of a division called Delphi. Delphi makes electrical systems for GM and other car companies. GM gave Delphi as much pension debt as they could. Eventually, Delphi filed for chapter eleven. They couldn’t make a profit with all the baggage GM dumped on them. I know, because I am a stockholder. Want to know what happens to the stockholder when a company files for bankruptcy? The old shares become worthless, meaning the stockholder loses his investment. GM didn’t give a hoot about losing Delphi, it became Delphi’s problem.  Even though Delphi filed for bankruptcy, it has continued to operate for several years. They keep on shipping orders. They even entertained the purchase of another electronics company. How can a business that is in bankruptcy buy another company?

What GM is afraid of is all it’s incompetent managers losing their options and bonuses paid in stock.

The capitalistic system rewards companies that can design, make, and sell useful products that buyers want. GM does not do any of these things. They design cars that have a shorter life than their competitors, their designs are ugly, and they are made by the most unproductive union in the world, i.e. the UAW.

If we reward GM and the UAW with a government bailout, we are indeed nuts. Let the system work, we’ll all be better off for it. We won’t have to worry about BO turning the country socialist. WE will hand a socialist government to him on a silver platter.

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Kill the Goose

Posted on 03/10/2008 by Grumpa Joe

BO promises to tax the rich to feed the poor. Sounds like Robin Hood to me. He has told us that ninety five percent of us will get a tax cut. Really? Does he have his pants on backwards? Is his knowledge of economics, or worse yet, his common sense so lacking as to believe that we will be better off? Doesn’t he know that the five percent will merely pass their extra taxes down to us. We will see it in the form of higher prices on goods and services. BO will not acknowledge that as his problem, he will blame it on greedy Wall Street corporations, and therby absolve himself of all blame. Socialists do that. They are the root cause of many problems in the world, but fail to take responsibility for any of them. They always their own failures on the greed of capitalism. The USSR gave socialism a try for more than seventy years before they finally gave it up. We all know how screwed up they are. Do we want to be equally screwed?

By taxing the five percent BO will kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

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