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.

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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.

Why the Rest of the Candidates Should Follow Pawlenty’s Lead!

RANCHO SANTA FE, Ca., August 23, 2011 – With the plethora of candidates running for the Office of President, you almost need a scorecard to tell who’s who.  Stuck with their Party Platforms, they almost all sound the same.  Where’s the breakaway leadership we need?

Perhaps, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has found the way.  He quit!  Why can’t more presidential candidates follow his lead?  In fact, why don’t they all follow his lead … for the good of the country?

Former Gov. Pawlenty was the perfect candidate.  He is a likeable guy, and he ineffectively spent an enormous sum of money on his Iowa Straw Poll campaign that garnered only 2,293 votes.  Rumor has it that he spent in the range of $1.5 million.  That’s just under $655 per vote.  Given that ratio, he’d only need about a $42 billion war chest to capture a narrow victory in 2012.

Okay, maybe he was correct in his decision to drop out.

However, mathematics never was the strong suit of political candidates.  So, it’s tough to come down too hard on former Gov. Pawlenty and suggest that only he should have stepped down.

Fox News broadcast its own version of reality television last week when it hosted what passed for a Republican Political Debate.  It was within the context of that debate that stimulated the thought that perhaps all of the Republican candidates should withdraw from the Presidential Race.

Bret Baier asked the following question:

“Well, I’m going to ask a question to everyone here on the stage.  Say you had a deal … a real spendings (sic) cuts deal, ten to one as Byron (York) said (in a previous question) spendings (sic) cuts to tax increases.  Mr. Speaker (Gingrich), you’re already shaking your head.  But who on this stage would walk away from that deal?  Will you raise your hand if you feel so strongly about not raising taxes you’d walk away on the ten to one deal?”

All of the presidential candidates on the stage, former Gov. Rick Santorum, Mr. Herman Cain, Rep. Ron Paul, former Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Gov. Jon Huntsman, and former Speaker Newt Gingrich, raised their hands; although, in fairness, Mr. Cain seemed to be initially reluctant.

Perhaps, Mr. Cain’s reluctance was predicated upon the fact that he doesn’t sport a prior or existing government title.  So, there’s a chance he has some common sense and can actually “do the math.”  Unfortunately, he may have been a victim of peer pressure with respect to this question, but he caved just the same.

Just for fun, let’s do the math.  A 10:1 spending cut to tax increase deal would work like this.  Doing a little algebra (assuming it’s still taught in our public schools), let’s make X equal to the tax increase.  Therefore, the spending cuts have to equal 10X.  If we want to wipe out the entire $14.5 trillion in debt, the equation would be 11X equals $14.5 trillion.  Solving for X, we’d be accepting a tax increase of $1.319 trillion in return for a spending cut of $13.19 trillion.  The result:  the complete elimination of our National Debt (which is really not even remotely required) and a return of our AAA rating and happy days for everyone!

Can we really achieve this type of cost reduction immediately?  No!  However, that wasn’t Mr. Baier’s question.  The question was essentially whether the candidates would even consider it.

President Obama even mentioned the 10:1 deal at his town hall-type meeting in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, on Monday.  In reference to the Republican candidates’ rejection of the theoretical deal and an apparent endorsement of this column, the President said, “Think about that.  I mean, that’s just not common sense.”

Think about it indeed!  It would be a sweetheart of a deal if it were spread over a relatively short period of time (say, five years).  The reality is that marginal tax rates might not even have to be increased given the loopholes that could be eliminated in the 72,000+ pages of tax code if the loopholes were to be considered first.  In the alternative, even if increases in the tax rates were required, they wouldn’t need to be permanent since the National Debt would have been so radically reduced.

Why would all of the Republican candidates summarily reject the idea?  Why would any rational candidate reject it completely?  The again, perhaps that explains it.

The raising of hands was little more than a symbolic expression of “solidarity” designed to assuage those strident supporters who demand form over substance.  As a result, we should ask all of the Republican candidates to drop out of the Presidential Race.  Given the likelihood that Gov. Rick Perry would have raised his hand as well, let’s just save time and ask him to drop out as well.

Moving right along, it’s time to address the Democratic side of the coin.

While fringe elements of the Democratic Party might float a primary challenger to President Obama, the Party itself will continue to “dance with the date that brought them to the Prom” as the saying goes. That’s too bad!

If the Democratic Party really cared about America’s middle-class, it would run someone who could demonstrate at least a modicum of empathy for those people … without the assistance of a TelePrompTer.

This is a President who either didn’t have the leadership skills or the financial acumen to understand the necessity to address the issue of our National Debt before it became a true crisis.  His proposed budget was shot down by a vote of 97-0 in the Senate, and he was missing-in-action relative to the debt ceiling debate until it was entirely too late.  The fact that his specific personal recommendations could best be represented by a blank piece of paper speaks volumes.

Now that the President has chosen to pass the buck to a “super committee” (which former Speaker Newt Gingrich accurately described as “the dumbest idea Washington has come up with in my  lifetime”), his leadership choices have been interesting.  The President has played golf, gone on a 10-day vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, and now is traveling around the country on a bus tour to talk about his economic successes … seriously!

Press Secretary Carney came to the President’s defense last week when reporters challenged the President’s course of action particularly with respect to his decision to go on vacation.  “I don't think Americans out there would begrudge that (sic) notion that the President would spend some time with his family,” Press Secretary Carney said.

Of course, Press Secretary Carney is correct … because the President is in a class by himself.

Do you remember that little oil spill we experienced in the Gulf of Mexico last year?  The White House excoriated British Petroleum’s then CEO, Tony Hayward, for having gone to a yacht race with his son.  Then-Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel called Mr. Hayward’s choice “part of a long line of PR gaffes and mistakes.”

During that same time in which our Nation was suffering from the disaster the Gulf, President Obama was criticized about his concurrent decision to, once again, play golf.

Deputy Press Secretary, Bill Burton, said that the President had a right to decompress a bit after a hard week.  "I don't think that there's a person in this country that doesn't think that their President ought to have a little time to clear his mind … I think that a little time to himself on Father's Day weekend probably does us all good as American citizens," Burton explained.

When the President decides to recreate, it’s apparently in all of our best interests.  When other leaders do it, it’s patently wrong.  Welcome to the new caste system … just when you thought we no longer were ruled by the equivalent of a monarchy.

That’s why President Obama should declare that he is dropping out of the 2012 Presidential Race.  He wouldn’t have to waste any more time on campaign junkets such as his recent bus tour, and his staff wouldn’t have to struggle to frame such political boondoggles as actually being related to the Nation’s business.  The President could just concentrate on doing his job until the end of his term.  Then, he could use all of his time going forward to “clear his mind.”

Yes, Gov. Pawlenty may have had the right idea.  We might be best served is every candidate would drop out of the Presidential Race.  It might open the way for new strategies and new leadership to surface; a candidate would who cares more about the country than he or she does about the prestige of the position; a candidate with common sense.

*****

T.J. O’Hara is an executive consultant, political 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 August 25^th 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

Another Committee ... But This One is "Super"

RANCHO SANTA FE, Ca., August 23, 2011 – You’ve just got to be excited!  A “super committee” has been formed to save the day.  The “Terrific Twelve” are now in place.  It almost sounds like a summer movie of some kind.

Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid took action first (which is a story in itself).  He selected Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who was named as co-chair, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell rounded out the Senate’s members by adding Senators John Kyl (R-AZ), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) to the committee.

Then, Speaker of the House John Boehner named Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) as co-chair, along with Rep. David Camp (R-MI) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI).

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi put the finishing touches on the committee by choosing Representatives Jim Clyburn (D-SC), Xavier Becerra (D-CA) and Chris Van Hollen, Jr. (D-MD) to represent interests.

Together, they form the august (no pun intended) Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.

The “super committee,” as it’s called, is tasked with a super challenge:  to go where no politician has gone before … at least in recent years; i.e., to act in the best interests of the People in a demonstration of common sense and bipartisan accord.

The baseline goal of the super committee is relatively simple:  find a minimum of $1.5 trillion in additional budgetary savings that can be claimed over the next 10 years.   That would be added to the $2.1 trillion that was identified in the interim plan entered into on August 2nd to raise the total to $3.6 trillion.

Keep in mind that the credit rating agencies warned the United States that a possible downgrade might occur if a “meaningful” debt resolution wasn’t met, and by “meaningful,” they stated that a debt reduction plan in the range of $4+ trillion would be required.

For those of you who took math when it was still being taught in our public schools, you undoubtedly recognize that $3.6 trillion is less than $4 trillion.  Do not be alarmed!  The United States’ crediting rating will remain “AAA.”  When the Administration was queried about the possibility of a downgrade, no less of an authority than our own Secretary of Treasury, Timothy “TurboTax” Geithner, pronounced that there is “No risk of that.”  Oops!

Luckily, on the third day of the downgrade the President arose from the Fed.  He told us, “Markets will rise and fall, but this is the United States of America.  No matter what some agency may say, we've always been and always will be a AAA country.”   Having been reassured by the President’s version of “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” you can just ignore any impact you may experience as a result of the downgrade.  It’s all good!

Following the President’s words of encouragement, the stock market went into a meltdown … much like Al Gore.  Come to think of it, maybe the economic meltdown is really being caused by global warming.

Of course, there’s a better answer than that.  Senator Kerry clarified the situation.  “I believe this is, without question, the Tea Party downgrade,” he said. “This is the Tea Party downgrade because a minority of people in the House of Representatives countered the will of even many Republicans in the United States Senate who were prepared to do a bigger deal, to do $4.7 trillion dollars, $4 trillion dollars, have a mix of reductions and reforms in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, but also recognize that we needed to do some revenue.”

Senator Kerry went on to say, “What we need is a Washington that stops this bickering.  Let’s get rid of these hard positions that I noticed even in Speaker Boehner’s comments about the downgrade, politicizing it in a sense, sort of blaming it on the Democrats and the lack of the decisions … Barack Obama put a $4.7 trillion deal on the table. Three times he was refused that deal (which almost sounds biblical) because there were some people in the Republican Party, and Mitch McConnell even admitted this, who wanted to default.  He said there were some people in his Party who were willing to shoot the hostage.  In the end, they found out that the hostage was worth ransoming.”

This is obviously a demonstration of President Obama’s January plea for more political civility in the aftermath of the Rep. Gabrielle Gifford’s shooting, during which he said, “only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation … Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.”

It all bodes well for the bipartisan accord element of the super committee’s objective.  Speaking of which, some of the super committee selections were interesting. 

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), one of the co-chairs of the super committee, is the second-ranking Democrat on the Budget Committee and a long-time member of the Appropriations Committee, which is a good background.  She also happens to be chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in which her role is to make sure that the Democrats retain control of the Senate in 2012.

Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) also has a good background as he sits on  the Committee on Finance and is the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight as well as sitting on the Subcommittees on Health Care and Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy (among others).  However, he is viewed as the 4th most conservative Republican and is most famous for having claimed that abortion is “well over 90% of what does Planned Parenthood” (when the figure is closer to 3%).  Later, he explained that his comment was “not intended to be a factual statement.”  On the plus side, he’s retiring in 2013.

There are other members of the super committee whose political biases and faux pas are equally troublesome, but there is no need to bore you with the details.

However, let’s focus on the positive.  Most of the members sit on appropriate committees and subcommittees that expose them to the tax code and budgetary process.  While it may appear to be a leap of faith given the Hill’s most recent history, let’s pray that the members of the super committee will embrace the fact that their responsibility to the People surpasses their commitment to their respective Parties.

In the world of turnarounds, this really isn’t a particularly challenging problem.  The entity (in this case the United States) has created an infrastructure that cannot be presently supported by its revenue stream.

Step #1:  Reduce costs.  Eliminate any non-essential programs, personnel, etc. that threaten the long-term viability of the government.  Look internally first because it’s the area you can most readily control.

Step #2:  Restructure necessary elements to operate more cost-effectively and efficiently.  Eliminate redundancies, automate systems, reduce bureaucratic policies and procedures that slow down decision-making (particularly as it pertains to those “not so shovel-ready” jobs that the President admitted were delayed by needless levels of approval), etc.

Step #3:  Consider strategies that will increase revenue.  Republicans and members of the TEA Party, this means that you shouldn’t ignore the possibility of exploring strategies that will improve cash flow in a manner that will allow you to reduce debt.  Democrats, this means that any associated revenues should be used to reduce debt rather than to fund new social programs that will otherwise expand it.

Unlike private sector businesses that have to earn revenue, the government has the power to ordain it.  With that power goes much responsibility.  If you truly believe that “all men are created equal,” now is the time to recognize that it is wrong to place the burden of the debt, which you as our elected officials created, on the backs of the middle-class … or on the backs of the wealthy.  This is an opportunity to revise the tax code in a meaningful way that allows all Americans to share in the cost of freedom to the degree that they can.  It is an opportunity to bring Americans together rather than to further tear them apart.

Sure, you’ll have to eliminate the loopholes you have created to curry political favor, but recognize that your responsibility is to the People … not to feathering your own nest or that of your Party.

If you take this step seriously, you may actually find that everyone could experience a rate reduction on a percentage basis.  The rhetoric about the inequity of “hedge fund managers paying a lower percentage than their secretaries” will go away if you eliminate tax loopholes that were created to attract campaign contributions and political support.

The original tax code was 400 pages.  Today’s code tips the scales in excess of 72,000 pages.  To put that into perspective, the Constitution of the United States of America, which forms the basis of the entire federal government, is six pages (including a page for its Letter of Transmittal and one for the Bill of Rights).  Stop playing the class-warfare card and fix the problem that you created.

Step #4:  Tell the truth.  If a particular “entitlement” program is going to go bankrupt without intervention, tell us.  We can handle it.  Then, fix the problem in an equitable way.  Stop trying to gain a political advantage by claiming that one Party is hiding in a room trying to figure out how to create an unfair tax advantage for their particular constituency and, during the course of the discussion, decides to kill seniors or deprive aid to the disabled.  Correspondingly, don’t tell us that the other Party is plotting the overthrow of the United States government because of their fervent belief that Communism will actually work somewhere … someday.

If you truly believe that we all possess “certain unalienable rights” and “that included among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” then you know that we are not guaranteed happiness; we are only promised an equal opportunity to pursue it.  Don’t use the term “entitlement” for political gain.  We are entitled to the fruits of our labor.  We are entitled to a fulfillment of the promises you have made when you unilaterally determined what we should pay in taxes and to what purposes those funds should be used.

Step #5:  Call me.  I am tired of hearing who is to blame.  I am tired of hearing that you need a committee.  I am tired of hearing that nothing can take effect until after the next election.  Call me, and I’ll help you fix the problem.

If I have to do the President’s job, I will bill you at the President’s rate:  $1,095.89 per day plus expenses.  You can keep the house and the private jet.  I’ll have earned the money and will gladly pay my fair share of taxes on it.  That should make everybody happy.  As the President said in his address of the downgrade, “Making these reforms doesn't require any radical steps. What it does require is common sense …”  So, pick up the phone.  I can be there tomorrow.  It’s time to get America back on track.

Seriously!  Why should we believe that a “super committee,” mostly comprised of Party zealots, will be more successful than their counterparts in Congress?  More importantly, why have we known about the problem for several years and yet are just beginning to take action?  If there ever has been a time to disband Party politics, it’s now.  It’s time to introduce Washington to “common sense.”

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T.J. O’Hara is an executive consultant, political 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 August 25^th on 1170 AM, , San Diego, from 7:00-8:00 PM (PDT).  Listen live via the Internet at www.KCBQ.com.

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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.