You know what grinds my gears this week? Let’s start with the GM bailout where we funneled tons of money to the car maker and now learn that they most likely will file bankruptcy (if they haven’t already). And their bankruptcy will be unlike others because they do not have to pay it back! Instead we Americans will become the shareholders for this company. I don’t know about you, but I certainly would not have chosen to purchase ANY equity in ANY auto company these days. But, there’s no choice for us, is there. We will work hard and diligenty in our businesses that heaven forbid fail (we will not see a bailout) –yet our proceeds that we pay taxes on will invest in these mis-managed, bloated companies with no vision for the future.
I have always maintained that if these large corporations were run like our small businesses we would not have the mess that we have today. I never met ANY entrepreneur in a small business that would ever run their company as haphazardly as the Fortune 500’s. And those top corporations executive payscale is many times hundreds or thousands that of the successful small businesspersons. It really grinds my gears.
Moving along to some other gear-grinding news… The space shuttle. Now, maybe I’m not a rocket scientist (no pun intended) but I just heard on the news that because of the bad weather last week for the space shuttle landing they had to divert the landing from Florida to Edwards Air Force Base. OK, that’s fine and we were all glad that everyone landed safe and sound. However, the second part of the news today was that they now need to get the Shuttle back to Florida and they will piggyback it to a jet at a cost of over $1 Million. I actually heard it is more like $2 Million. Then, they will clean it up and send it back into space.
Now, I don’t want to sound like I am anti-space program, but these days I think maybe we can put the space program on hold, leave the shuttle at the Air Force Base for a little while and use some of the millions and billions of dollars we shoot into space towards repairing our nation’s economy and infrastructure. I’m just saying! Maybe the government keeps shooting things into outer space as their escape plan — you know, they’ll pack up the top leaders and transport onto another planet — having driven the earth into disrepair. Look, I love Buzz Armstrong and I fly my flag as a proud American – but priorities people! Again, thinking as a small businessperson – how many of us who have financial difficulties are going to invest money we do not have into exploratory programs? It just doesn’t make sense.
Let me close with this….I was in New York City for the Book Publishers trade show which was delightfully crowded with book companies and filled two floors of the convention center. The book industry is showing it still has legs. On the way home I drove down 6th avenue and noticed a good deal of police action, barricades and crowds. I figured it was one of many parades or street festivals the city holds on weekends. Lo and behold on the news this morning I learned that President Obama and the first lady took an afternoon trip into the city to see a play and have dinner. My wife and I like to see a show and have dinner once a month or so also. The difference is that our expense for the evening is around $400 or so, not $150,000 that it costs the taxpayers yesterday. And if my business isn’t doing well I sure as heck will pass up the $400 theatre tripand substitute it with Netflix and take-out food for that month. But, again, I’m not in the government. I don’t begrudge the President a night out but that $150,000 (and you know it’s probably more than that) is our tax money at work. I’d rather it be working somewhere else. Maybe next month the first kids can put on a home-made show for the folks in the third living room at the White House. And I hear the catering at that place is great!
Till next time…