While this may not have a specific relevancy to current and important political events, I believe it’s relevant simply because it is symptomatic of a broader physiological vacuum that exist in the minds of our society as a whole and manifest in a very tangible way recently for me.

Because of my activities with the Tea Party and other conservative activist groups, my tendency to pull every day conversations to relevant economic and political events, I have been banned from RedState by my family (actually all political websites including watching or reading the news).

It would be funny if it weren’t so tragic.  Actually, it is pretty funny considering I had a good laugh at the idea that there was some authority that could prevent me from being engaged in the most important political awaking and events of our times.  But, being the diplomatic and responsible person I am, I have agreed to do the following for the next 30 days, beginning 2 weeks ago:

1. Stay off of political websites.
2. Refrain from engaging people in political discussions.
3. Take weekends off (from work).

Brady Dennis wrote a piece in the Washington Post yesterday that I forced myself to read.  I felt like I was back in grade school being reeducated on how to run my business.  In watching the video clips the Post selected to accompany the article I was provided a road map of basic rules to follow with my instructions to meet my responsibilities to America.  Now as a professional in the engineering profession I thought I knew how to read a road map, but lost my way before taking my first step.

As I write this, I have the unique distinction of being an employer that robbed his savings to continue to employ workers that had no work.  Not real work, but work that I managed to come up with to justify their employment.  It cost me my marriage, my house, my savings.  I wish that I could say that it was an altruistic inspiration to sacrifice all I had worked for my entire career for the people that worked for me.  But, it was actually part of a hastily thought out business plan to save the company and prepare for the “recovery”.  It was a plan that has worked in four recessions.  It seemed sound at the time I came up with it, but hindsight is after all 20/20.

Unfortunately, what I’ve learned about the economy that we inherited is one of bureaucratic paper pushing that continues to have the real economy in a strangle hold and won’t let go until it is breathed its last breath.  It is actually the opposite of Mr. Obama’s speech, i.e., more paperwork, more roadblocks and less real goods and services that are not in the direct control of central governance.

I eventually gave way to reason and laid everyone off.  Moved into my office and started over.  That is a broad stroke of a life that I believe may be extreme for some who read and post here, but none-the-less one that may be a capsulated version of what’s really going on in American.  The American ingenuity that President Obama has spoke of in his many speeches is alive and well, but being applied to the ability to survive while he and his minions continue to misinterpret and perpetuate a misguided economic plan that will bring us to our knees (I feel as if I am already on my knees).  Everything looks up from my vantage point.

His speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was insulting to anyone that has run their own business in a free market and clearly understands what it takes.  Coming from a man who’s only experience in running a business is one that enables him to print his own money and create a nearly endless supply of cash flow, I find it hard to give him much credibility.  Let him try to go out in the real world and apply for a business loan under an assumed name and see how far he gets.

I’d better stop as this is becoming a rant rather than an objective accounting of his speech.  You can find it here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/07/AR2011020700699.html

For editors monitoring posts, I promise to learn the whole “tag” thing, but at this writing have to apply my skills to making a living.

I was going to post this in the “House Republicans Attempt to Extend “Stimulus” Trade Benefits” post by Russ Vough, but thought it would detract from his message.

My two cents….

Before I posted this I had to ask myself if this was a petty subject.  You can decide.

When Christina Aguilera sang the national anthem on national television yesterday she flubbed the lyrics to the national anthem.  It struck me that she had the unfortunate distinction of representing why this country continues it’s increasing economic and social decline.  These are highly paid professionals and the Superbowl is a high visability national event.  Is it a petty complaint to point out that we should expect a professional performance?  Forgetting the lines to the national anthem might be O.K. for a high school student at a local event, but not a highly paid professional on national television. And, lastly, has the American work ethic been so deminshed that we’ve come to expect mediocrity as the norm instead of the exception?

Petty or not, I was no less disappointed than the Jackson incident.  Were you, or did you even notice?

The Democrats political move to imply newly empowered Republicans actions on the first day of the 112th Congress were all bluster with little substance telegraphs their lack of understanding about the grassroots movement that swept them out of power.  It will continue to dilute the socialist agenda as more Americans educate themselves on the substance that has embroiled this country in an idealogical war of attrition with socialism and its not so distant cousin since the end of WWII.

To keep things in perspective, Americans that were not afforded the opportunity to learn through a proper education (either stunted by youth or the public school system) that in fact this war of ideas on government’s function in our lives lies at the fundamentals of the Constitution.  And, with the newly awakened (young and old alike) those values and concepts resonate to the core of the human spirit.

Republicans are not going to change how government works over night.  But what the Democrats are not understanding is that the Republicans are being watched as closely as the Democrats.  No one gets a free ride anymore on the political bandwagon.  All that do not uphold the oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States will be gone in 2012, and the next batch will be gone in the ensuing mid-term if they don’t live up to the pledges made in the last election.  The Tea Party movement through grassroots by definition, is in fact the mainstream and functioning as a political education funnel through which more Americans will be afforded the opportunity to learn why this is the greatest country in the world.

Don’t rush to judge the Republicans actions yesterday as merely showmanship.   It isn’t “business as usual” in Washington, and they know it.

My two cents..

Strong work ethic and fundamental economic practices were no match for the kind of economic decline I was experiencing.  The realization that mismanagement and poor decisions as a private business owner were not solely to blame for my declining economic standing, (I have questioned every decision made in the last 30 years to come to that opinion).  I found myself working 75% harder for 75% less and by now feeling grateful to be working at all).  In order to uncover the real contributing factor for my individual predicament, there was more work to do.

I thought I had a firm grip on fundamental economics, only to find I was embarrassingly ignorant.  It was then that the journey began leading to the principles of our republic and my responsibility as a American citizen.

Summer of 2004:  My business partner and I had just opened escrow on a 10,000 square foot facility.  The manifestation of a life’s work.  We both believed we would be retired by 2010.  Little did we know that as we were moving into our new facility, forces were at work that would eventually rob (in the literal sense) us of a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice.

The accumulated experiences would result in a decision to read biographies of every U.S. President from George Washington to George Bush in chronological order.  I had concocted the idea that the knowledge of those individuals, their times, economic and political environments would help me to understand the present and put things in perspective.

Aside from illuminating the path to economic salvation, it affected a fundamental change in my paradigm of the world and my place in it as an American.  I am not the man I was 7 years ago.

Like so many Americans I was too busy living the dream. I had no time for politics beyond voting. Providing for a family is after all, a full time job. The country would have to take care of itself.

I thought poorly of people sitting at card tables in front of store outlets to get signatures for various bills or candidates. Not until I became “one of those people” did I truly understand their motivation and appreciate the importance of that kind of civic activism.

Having started my business with a green pickle barrel for my chair and 4′X8′ sheet of plywood for my desk in 1977, I had no idea how to manage resources other than myself, much less employ someone.  Working out of my house for a number of years before I hired the first employee (a relative looking for part time work durning the summer) I was happy and making more money than I had ever imagined.  It was a classic example of the “technician” knowing his trade in a growing economy.  Being good at what I did (as many technicians are) when the economy grew, things took their natural course and I was on my way to financial independence.

Though at the time, I had no idea what-so-ever of what I was doing in the area of business and management.  No business plan, no financial training, knowledge or prior experience.  The phone was ringing and I either found a way to meet the demand or start turning clients away.

It’s easy to grow a company in good economic times.  One doesn’t need a degree in math, economics or business management to turn a profit and cultivate their next move.  For most of the 80′s money literally leaped from the streets and into your pocket.  I came from textbook to practical application during the “Golf Oil Crisis”.  My boss had an affair with his secretary and they ran off to Oregon together.  One can imagine my dismay to be standing outside the office on a cold winter morning wondering why no one was there. One phone call and one day later I was working out of my garage and I never looked back.

If I were to reflect on those years, my conclusion would have to be that no one I looked up to and respected as professionals and businessmen knew much about running a business.  That old saying “nothing new under the sun” certainly has been certified in my life experience.