August: Setting the Bar Even Lower for Jobs

RANCHO SANTA FE, Ca., September 8, 2011 – With a fondness for comparing himself to some of his predecessors, President Obama has finally channeled President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  In 1945, when FDR was being challenged by The Great Depression and a little thing called World War II, his Administration endured a month of zero job growth.  That statistic has been unmatched ever since … until now.  Without a depression or World War to throw into the mix, we can only assume that the Bush Administration is somehow to blame.

Three years ago, we began to experience an economic downturn that evolved into a full-blown recession.  Senators Obama and McCain were vying for the Office of President of the United States.

Senator McCain was tied to the Bush Administration and mocked with the chant of “Senator McCain … More of the Same.”  Senator Obama was distinguished by the can-do attitude of “Yes We Can” and the offer of “Change We Can Believe In.”  On the basis of hope, Senator Obama was elected President of the United States.

Neither candidate entered into the general election without knowledge of the emerging economic crisis.  While in the Senate, both had voted on issues that effected and, in some cases, contributed to it.

Of course, it was politically expedient for the winner to blame one individual for the entire meltdown.  Forget Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; forget Acorn’s bank protests; forget Wall Street’s insatiable greed … as President Nixon poignantly learned:  when you’re at the top of the political world, they will always have you to “kick around.”

Now, we come to President Obama in his desperate attempt to remain relevant as a leader.  He has had three years to address the United States’ economic woes.  He has had three years to protect its credit rating.  He has had three years to provide the leadership that would rebuild our Nation’s confidence and reestablish its fiscal stability.  He has had three years to deliver speeches that promised a solution.

And today … for the first time since 1945 … we have experienced a month during which we achieved ZERO net job growth.

The President’s challenge resides in the fact that most people realize that the economy over which he presides is now his economy.  While some individuals will cling to the mantra that it’s President Bush’s fault, that excuse is beginning to wear thin on those of us who must live in the present.

Of course, the new scapegoat is Congress.  Well, not all of Congress (“wink, wink”) … just the part of Congress that hasn’t agreed with the President’s heretofore undocumented plan for recovery.  Some things you just have to take on faith … unless we’re talking about religion.  Then, you need proof!

Luckily, the economic dilemma will be resolved no later than Thursday when the President delivers his “jobs plan” to a Joint Session of Congress.  It will undoubtedly be filled with detailed action items that can be implemented immediately and others that will contribute to continuous improvement over time.

It should be good!  It’s been three-years in the making.

Unlike other speeches that may have reflected nothing more than the input of pollsters, political strategists, and the staff of writers that support the President Obama, this one will almost certainly be stamped with the President’s personal imprimatur.  Who can doubt the amount of time he must have spent refining the strategies that he will be delivering during his nationally-televised speech?  In between his bus tour, golf games, and the quality time he was spending with his family in Martha’s Vineyard, he was indubitably immersed in reviewing alternatives, testing assumptions, and selecting a final course of action.

Putting aside the political games associated with jockeying for primetime exposure (which resembled what you might expect from an impassioned race for Student Council President in junior high), those of us who are not watching the NFL’s pre-game show on September 8th should be treated to the following:

• The President will connect with “the People” by demonstrating his recognition of the hardships they face (the plight of the “middle class” will be duly noted);
• The President will tell us that “we have been making progress” to correct the problem “that we inherited” … but “not as fast as we would like;”
• The President will call for a “balanced approach;”
• The President will call for an elimination of “wasteful spending;”
• The President will call for an increase of revenue in the form of “eliminating loopholes for private jets owners and oil companies” and increasing taxes on “millionaires and billionaires” so that they’ll “pay their fair share;”
• The President will put the burden squarely on Congress and indirectly suggest that its failure to pass any associated legislation will be tantamount to treason (the phrase “It’s time for certain people to put country over Party” will almost certainly be used); and, if he’s not careful,
• The President might even allude to a few actionable ideas.

In response:

• The Republican guard (no reference to Saddam Hussein intended) will undoubtedly react negatively and reject anything that doesn’t relate to cutting expenses;
• Governor Rick Perry will give dozens of interviews reminding everyone of how he created hundreds of thousands of low-paying jobs in a State doesn’t have any income tax;
• Representative Michelle Bachmann will wave her hand frantically trying to get someone to interview her (we can only hope that God will assist her in that regard);
• Former Governor Mitt Romney will talk about the thousands of jobs he personally created while simultaneously calling for the repeal of Obamacare;
• Representative Ron Paul will look a bit disheveled and appear to be frustrated;
• Former Speaker, Newt Gingrich will be shopping with his wife and unavailable for comment; and
• Former Governor Palin will ask if anyone knows where she can get a big bus just like the President’s.

In the meantime, we will continue to experience unemployment in excess of 9 percent while pundits debate whether we are entering into a double-dip recession.  Quite frankly, other than from a definitional perspective, who cares?  To the 14+ million people who are unemployed and the additional 5-to-10 million people who have given up looking for a job and are no longer “counted,” it doesn’t matter how you brand our current situation.

Unfortunately, for the politicians, it’s all about branding … personal branding.  Armed with inflammatory rhetoric or positioning themselves as arrogantly above the fray (i.e., as being the only adult in the room), our tradition politicians share a common denominator:  they generally do not offer any definitive solutions.  If they did, their solutions would be subject to public scrutiny and would likely fall short.

That is why we rarely hear tradition politicians discuss anything with specificity.  It’s just too threatening to their campaigns.  You see, they could actually be held accountable.

As for Thursday night, you’re probably better off watching the game.  (Rumor has it that Tea Party members will invariably favor the Saints.)

The real news is that the Packers and Saints will actually have game plans.  They will call plays and try to execute them with precision.  The players will cooperate with their teammates in an effort to achieve a positive outcome.  Fans will actually pay attention to what is happening, and at the end of the game, they will know who won and have every statistic known to mankind to evaluate the reason for the outcome.  It’s just too bad that we can’t say the same for our “team” in Washington, D.C.

So, watch the game; enjoy seeing a group of adults work together toward a common goal; and know that the players will be trying their best.  It could be a long time before you witness anything similar in politics.

*****

T.J. O’Hara is a political satirist, media personality and author of three best selling books:  The Left isn’t Right, The Right is Wrong, and The National Platform of Common Sense.  To Order Books, go to: http://tinyurl.com/2a9rztg

Website:                      www.TheCommonSenseCzar.net

Facebook Fan Page:  http://tinyurl.com/2dlwum7

Tweet the Czar:          @TCSCzar

Read more of T.J.’s work at The Common Sense Czar in The Communities at The Washington Times.

***** 

Copyright © 2011 T.J. O’Hara. To support viral distribution, this article may be copied, reprinted, forwarded, linked, or published in any form as long as proper attribution is given to the author and no changes are made.

GE … It Brings Good Things to Life … Somewhere Else

RANCHO SANTA FE, Ca., September 8, 2011 – President Obama recognizes how vital job growth is to America these days.  He’s given many a speech about it.  For example, during his State of the Union Address this year, he said, “We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world … At stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else.”  He’s absolutely right!

Prior to the SOTU, President Obama reached out to “big business” to help him address this issue.  Since his Party normally eschews anything to do with “big business” (other than when it comes to soliciting campaign donations), he must have swallowed deeply before asking General Electric’s Chairman and CEO, Jeffrey Immelt, to become the Chairperson of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

After all, GE is the epitome of “big business” in the annals of American history.  It was a company that, at one point, had fallen upon hard times.  Then, Neutron Jack Welsh came on board to craft the second phase of the company’s history; a phase during which GE regained its position of market dominance.

GE set the bar for corporate performance.  The company’s Six Sigma programs, its internal dictate of being number one or two in every targeted market, and its other signature strategies became the standards to which other businesses aspired.  Even its slogan, “GE … We bring good things to life,” was woven deeply into the fabric of America as if it were a thread in our flag.

Then, Mr. Immelt took the reins from the venerable Mr. Welch in 2001, and a third phase of the company’s history was born; a third Reich if you will.

Mr. Immelt quickly distinguished himself.  By 2008, he enjoyed the unique status of having been honored as one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” while also being named one of the five worst “Non-Financial-Crisis-Related CEOs of 2008” by another organization.

For a period of time, he was also regularly pummeled by Fox News Commentator, Bill O’Reilly, for doing business with the Iranian regime.  But who could blame Mr. Immelt?  There were profits to be made, and that’s what “big business” does!

By 2009, either the President’s stated aversion to “big business” had subsided or, ever the consummate diplomat, he felt inclined to reach out to the dark side with an olive branch.  Then again, perhaps it was just Mr. Immelt’s demonstrated willingness to work with factions in the Middle East.

Whatever the reason, Mr. Immelt bonded with President Obama and became a mentor of sorts.  Given the dearth of business experience among the President’s staff, Mr. Immelt must have appeared to be a veritable sage.  As a result, he was appointed to the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board.

As its name suggests, the Economic Recovery Advisory Board was tasked with providing the President with advice and counsel relative to our Nation’s economic recovery.  There’s a Latin phrase that’s used in the law:  res ipsa loquitor … which translates to “the thing speaks for itself.”  That seems like an applicable theory to apply to the effectiveness of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board.

With the economic crisis apparently behind us, President Obama signed an Executive Order that created the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.  Who else could he appoint as its Chairperson other than Mr. Immelt?

To quote the President, “Our job is to do everything we can to ensure that businesses can take root and folks can find good jobs and America is leading the global competition that will determine our success in the 21^st century.” 

The White House website provides: 

“The President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness (Jobs Council) was created to provide non-partisan advice to the President on continuing to strengthen the Nation's economy and ensure the competitiveness of the United States and on ways to create jobs, opportunity, and prosperity for the American people.

“The Jobs Council is made up of members appointed by the President from among distinguished citizens outside the Federal Government, including citizens chosen to serve as representatives of the various sectors of the economy to offer the diverse perspectives of the private sector, employers, and workers on how the Federal Government can best foster growth, competitiveness, innovation, and job creation.”

That sounds good!  Is Mr. Immelt up to the task?  Of course, he is!

Last year, GE reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion.  Clearly, Mr. Immelt knows how to create jobs and compete!

But wait!  Only $5.1 billion of the total came from GE’s U.S. operations.  How can that be?

It’s because GE has been “exporting” jobs in recent years.  It has reduced its U.S. base of business by approximately 21,000 employees and now employs about 53% of its workforce overseas.

Who cares … as long as it pays taxes?  That is … if it did pay taxes.  You see, under Mr. Immelt’s guidance, GE has become very proficient at exploiting the tax code.  The company not only didn’t pay any taxes last year on its $14.2 billion profit, it actually claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion.  Isn’t America great?

At least, we can hope that Mr. Immelt paid personal income taxes on the $14+ million he earned in his capacity as Chairman and CEO of GE while flying around in his corporate jet.

And speaking of jets, the Chairman of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness made another big announcement around the time the President appointed him.  Mr. Immelt revealed that GE will be participating in the development of jet aircraft that will create jobs and improve competitiveness.  The business opportunity is also projected to result in about $400 billion in additional revenue for the company over the next 20 years.

Just imagine the benefit that our Nation would derive from the deal if GE had to pay taxes on those revenues!

Just imagine the benefit that our Nation would derive from the deal if the jobs were actually in the United States!

Just imagine the benefit that our Nation would derive from the deal if the jobs were in China enriching that nation’s ability to compete with U.S. firms like Boeing!

You remember Boeing.  It’s the company that is being sued by the National Labor Relations Board over its attempt to open a new manufacturing plant in South Carolina that would create 1,000+ new jobs.  Luckily, the NLRB intervened; the same NLRB whose composition was greatly impacted by the President’s pro-labor appointments that were made while Congress was in recess.

The NLRB saw through Boeing’s heinous and lightly-veiled attempt to crush the union at its facility in the State of Washington.  Lots of taxpayer dollars will be spent to insure that Boeing doesn’t get away with it.  As a result, over 1,000 people will be denied jobs in South Carolina because, otherwise, they would have the freedom to determine whether they wanted to be represented by a union … and if there’s one thing we can’t have in this country, it’s freedom of choice!

In the interim, production of Boeing’s state-of-the-art 787 Dreamliner is on hold.  But don’t worry!  GE will be sharing its most sophisticated electronic systems, many of which would otherwise have been included in the 787 Dreamliner, with its Chinese partner … creating jobs for the Chinese … and making them more competitive with Boeing, a U.S. company that employs American workers in the States when it’s permitted to do so.

Are you connecting the dots yet?  We’re denying jobs in South Carolina while creating them in China.  We’re generating revenue in China and for GE, but not taxing GE on those profits in the United States.  We’re making China more competitive in the long-term and exposing Boeing’s U.S.-based manufacturing to more competition in the future.

What government agency is going to protect the union jobs that are being lost by this fiasco?  There isn’t a field office of the NLRB in China to the best of my knowledge.

And speaking of competition, let’s not stop with Boeing.  How about the competition that exists between those non-private sector entities:  the United States Air Force and the Chinese Air Force?

You see, the advanced technology that GE will be sharing with its partner in China could accelerate China’s ability to close the technological gap between its Air Force and ours.  Did I mention that Avic, GE’s partner in this endeavor, also supplies China’s military aircraft and weapons systems?

Luckily, China’s never demonstrated the ability to copy our technology if you don’t count its recent demonstration of a Stealth fighter.  Besides, if GE didn’t share our technology, Pakistan probably would.

To its credit, GE has briefed the Department of Defense, the State Department, and the Department of Commerce.  Stringent rules have been put in place by bureaucrats to preclude any threat to our country (outside of the economic havoc the deal could wreak).  Specifically,  the joint venture will have to establish offices that are separate from Avic’s military development operations; the JV’s computer systems can’t pass data to Avic’s military development operations; and the JV’s employees must wait two years before they can transfer to the military side of Avic’s operations.

Here’s another suggested measure:  let’s all keep our fingers crossed and pray.

Lest you think that I’m picking on GE, I’m not.  Other American companies have also given in to the temptation of money … just not to the same degree as GE.

This isn’t to suggest that the President’s selection of Mr. Immelt as Chairman of the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness might indicate a lapse of judgment on the President’s part.  It doesn’t.

Do you remember how the President saved the United States automobile industry and how he redirected its production to more energy efficient cars like the $40,000 Volt with a range of 35 miles?  Well, General Motors sold a whooping 125 Volts in July of this year … and that includes the taxpayer-financed $7,500 rebate.

However, fear not!  For the mighty Mr. Immelt has stepped up to the plate to order about 12,000 Volts for GE.  Ignoring the $90 million in rebates GE will receive, this is a generous act that will help our country create jobs and add to its competitiveness.

Mr. Immelt said, “Electric vehicle technology is real and ready for deployment and we are embracing the transformation with partners like GM and our fleet customers … By electrifying our own fleet, we will accelerate the adoption curve, drive scale, and move electric vehicles from anticipation to action.”  Finally, the Chairman of the President’s Council is “giving back” to America.

Then again, it could be because GE builds charging stations and a wide variety of components that are tied to the infrastructure that will be required to support the electric vehicle market.  It also owns one of the world’s largest fleets and runs a huge fleet management business.  The investment is estimated to potentially be worth $500 million in revenue to GE over the next 3-5 years.

On the positive side, it could provide the President with the opportunity to take a few more victory laps for saving GM and creating the electric car that consumers were demanding; even if the only real consumer was his good, rich, big business friend, Mr. Immelt.

Perhaps the answer lies within the old GE slogan:  “GE … We bring good things to life.”  What if we just “refreshed” it a bit?  “GE … We bring good jobs to the U.S.”  would be a welcomed start.  In the interim, may you find a job somewhere in America, and may it be in an industry in which we are still competitive.  Either that, or you may want to begin taking lessons in Mandarin or Cantonese.

*****

T.J. O’Hara is a political satirist, media personality and author of three best selling books:  The Left isn’t Right, The Right is Wrong, and The National Platform of Common Sense.  To Order Books, go to: http://tinyurl.com/2a9rztg

T.J. will be the Guest Host of The Rick Amato Show on September 23^rd on 1170 AM, , San Diego, from 7:00-8:00 PM (PDT).  Listen live via the Internet at www.KCBQ.com.

Website:                      www.TheCommonSenseCzar.net

Facebook Fan Page:  http://tinyurl.com/2dlwum7

Tweet the Czar:          @TCSCzar

Read more of T.J.’s work at The Common Sense Czar in The Communities at The Washington Times.

*****

Copyright © 2011 T.J. O’Hara. To support viral distribution, this article may be copied, reprinted, forwarded, linked, or published in any form as long as proper attribution is given to the author and no changes are made.