Making Ripples: post-corporate adventures in Floyd County Virginia

Maybe it's time to recycle Congress

We started out, as I recall, with a representative form of government which has gradually morphed into an elite group of lawmakers who are no longer accountable to the people who elect them.

For example, our Congress critters vote themselves raises even as the economy tanks because of their inept leadership. These same public servants have a health care system that is not affected by the health care legislation that was voted on today.

In case after case, we find the leadership of the House and Senate buying votes through special deals, funneling money to relatives through contract awards and special tax breaks, and holding closed-door sessions to circumvent established procedures.

I think the problem began with us voters assuming that our representatives would represent our interests and not realizing that once in Washington, DC. our representatives play to a different audience.

Too many Congressmen and Senators have turned a deaf ear to constituent's complaints. Some have even utilized union goons to intimidate voters who asked embarrassing questions. We are seeing a climate of corruption that is getting worse every month.

Even 30 year veterans like Rick Boucher seem indifferent to constituent's questions. Send him an email on a specific measure and you will get a canned response in a month or two with a few platitudes and no specifics.

US financing oil exploration in Brazil - who is involved?

My interest lay in the paradox that the US was financing oil exploration in Brazil with US tax dollars while barring development of oil fields in and about the US.

The story gets more interesting as we look into it. Thanks to Rick Parrish for referring me to the the Export-Import Bank website. The Ex-Im website has a response to the Wall Street Journal article I quoted in my earlier article:

Background on Ex-Im Bank: (from the Ex-Im website)

* The Export-Import Bank of the United States’ (Ex-Im Bank) mission is to help create and sustain jobs for American workers. The Bank does this at no cost to the American taxpayer; in the past sixteen years the Bank has netted the American people $4.9 billion and the jobs those exports have supported.

    * More than 80% of Bank authorizations during the last fiscal year directly benefited small businesses.

Charges and facts:

Charge: The U.S. government is giving away more than $2 billion in taxpayer dollars to Brazil’s largest oil and gas company to drill for oil in Brazil.

Fact: The Bank has approved a preliminary commitment to lend up to $2 billion to Petrobras for the purchase of American-made goods and services. The funds will go to American exporters as payment for their sales to the company. Of note, the Bank is self-sustaining and no taxpayer dollars are involved.

Charge: The loans to Petrobras represent a giveaway of U.S. tax dollars.

Fact: The Bank’s activities do not cost the American taxpayer a dime. In fact, since 1992 the American people netted more than $4.9 billion and the jobs those exports created.

Charge: America is exporting jobs to Brazil as a result of the loans.

Fact: Only American made goods and services qualify for Ex-Im Bank loans or guarantees. This is the government doing what it's supposed to do - helping to create U.S. jobs, making sure that Americans get a fair shot at selling goods and services, and helping American workers compete on a level playing field against foreign competition.

This response comes from a government agency that has been criticised for allegedly favoring special interests ahead of that of the U.S. taxpayer.

This agency also uses US tax dollars to underwrite their loans and this loan is being made while the deficit is climbing to unprecedented levels. The loans may not cost taxpayers a dime if they are repaid, but the money comes from taxpayers, not out of thin air.

It is also worth noting that billionaire investor George Soros bought an $811 million stake in Petroleo Brasileiro SA in the second quarter, making the Brazilian state-controlled oil company his investment fund's largest holding. So we have Soros investing in Petrobas shortly before the Ex-Im bank underwrites a loan for Petrobas. That shows excelent timing.

From Offshore Magazine: Petrobras finance director Almir Barbassa says that negotiations are under way with Eximbank to double its present trade credit limit of $2.2 billion for the purchase of goods and services from US suppliers. He was also quoted as saying that the loans are expected to reach $10 billion.

That could go a long way toward developing domestic energy.

This story is like an onion, every day that goes by uncovers another connection.

When will we get the full story on who owns the US companies that are supposed to benefit from this transaction? Remember the first line of the Ex-Im quote?

The Export-Import Bank of the United States’ (Ex-Im Bank) mission is to help create and sustain jobs for American workers.

My guess is that there are Congress critters and Senators with a big stake in the companies that are benefitting from this loan.

You may say, so what if taxpayer dollars enrich politically connected individuals! This is just business as usual, the party in power gets the spoils of war.

The downside is that losing sight of the common interest while serving private interests has aroused resentment among a growing number of citizens. We need to allow development of domestic energy sources and this is not being done.

Sarah Palin writes about true Health Care Reform

Sarah Palin has written another note on her FaceBook page and I think she speaks for a lot of us.

She writes:

"We need to address a REAL bipartisan reform proposition that will have REAL impacts on costs and quality of patient care".

Many of us see a need for real health care reform and our opposition to the Administration's HR3200 is not based on resistance to reforming health care. It is based on our view that this bill is not about improving health care and saving money.

A growing number of voters view this bill as a pork-filled spending fest with overtones of Orwell's 1984 and realize, after reading portions of it, that it is not about reform and does not cut costs.

In my opinion the current Health Care bill is a giant step towards total control of the public. I think we can do better if we insist on a thorough airing of the issues involved. If we allow another rush to enact like the ill-fated Stimulus bill, we deserve the hardships we will inherit.

Read Sarah Palin's article and let us know your thoughts.

Obama underwrites offshore drilling in Brazil, but not in the US?

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Obama Administration is financing oil exploration off Brazil, while still blocking offshore drilling in the US.

Sarah Palin has written a thoughtful commentary on this situation on Facebook:
YOUR TAX DOLLARS HARD AT WORK: FIRST CARS, NOW FOREIGN OIL.

Both articles are worth reading.

It doesn't make sense to me that we should spend taxpayer money to expand Brazil's oil production while prohibiting commercial expansion of US oil production.

Perhaps some of you may have insight into the thought processes behind this paradoxical state of affairs.?

Keeping a Bad Bill Bad - hidden agendas must be kept hidden

When a bill is written in a confusing fashion, it can be the result of incompetence or guile. If sensible amendments to clarify the intent of the bill are defeated, it is fair warning that dirty work is afoot. As many people have noticed, the things Obama SAYS he wants to accomplish could be handled with a much simpler bill.

For those who insist that protesters are completely nuts in claiming that the Health Care Bill is going to ration healthcare, cover illegal aliens, and choose “favored” physicians, here is a list of 31 sensible amendments that have been DEFEATED by Pelosi and company.

It appears from a cursory reading that this 1300 page bill is huge only because there is so much pork to dole out and there are so many things like rationing of services that need to be hidden away from view.

Read Keeping a Bad Bill Bad from John Boehner and draw your own conclusions.
Democratic leaders blocked 31 common-sense changes to Health Care Bill H.R.3200. What would have been the result if all these amendments had passed?

One last example from life for those of you who do not understand what is going on here:

Have you ever had to sign a contract for a car or an apartment and objected to the language or penalties in some section of the contract because it didn't apply in your case?

In many cases, the person on the other side of the table will say, "Oh, don't worry about that! That's just standard boilerplate, it doesn't apply to you.

In those cases, I whip out my pen and suggest that we cross out that section and both initial the change.

If the person objects to the removal of this section that "doesn't really apply to me", I hand the contract back and make my exit. There is a hidden agenda and my suggestion exposed it.

H.R.3200 is full of hidden agendas. The proposed and defeated amendments reveal some of them.

Concerning the "Death Panels" in H.R. 3200

Sarah Palin has written a detailed response to Obama's fervent denial that the mandatory end of life counseling in H.R.3200 is nothing like a "Death Panel".

Her article on Facebook is titled, Concerning the "Death Panels" and it contains exact references for her statements.

One of the things that shows me how hollow Pelosi's and Obama's promises are is the fact neither ever quotes page reference for the positions they are taking. It may be that neither of them has read the entire bill and are relying on the words of others, but I think their denials are intentionally evasive.

To me, the strongest indication of devious intent by the bills supporters has been the voting down of amendments that would specifically prohibit rationing of heath care or would deny free health care to illegal immigrants. Amendments that would have clarified the intent of this bill have been voted down on party lines.

Confusing language is not a "bug" in this bill, it is a feature. If the law is "silent" (meaning non-specific) the general practice is to continue prior practice or let judges decide. If we have a 1000 plus page bill that is confusing, there is a very good reason for it being written that way.

I have set myself the target of reading this bill and it's amendments so I can get a more comprehensive view of what is actually being proposed. Secondhand viewpoints, even from trusted writers, reflects their reality and is not necessarily true.

Feel free to take my views with a grain of salt as they are not true for you unless you have verified the facts yourself.

Another look at Data Knight 365 / Power Direct Marketing

There is more to be seen at 4805 Pearl Rd in Cleveland Ohio, the headquarters location of Data Knight 365 aka Power Direct Marketing.

The building shown in my previous post seems to be part of a three building office complex. It is not an anonymous storefront as it originally appeared. Instead it is the kind of office complex that many small businesses occupy before they are large enough to build their own building.

This is the view from the front of the building:

 

And this is how it looks from a satellite:

 

So they may occupy a little or a lot of this three-building complex.

Here is another view, this time from across the parking lot in back of the building:

 

From this vantage point it could be any of a thousand small marketing companies scrambling for a piece of the market. It does not look like a company that runs data centers, but there may be more to their portfolio than is visible at this distance.

Having been personally involved in mergers and acquisitions, I would suggest a thorough investigation of this companies finances and enter into many discussions with their existing customers before announcing grand plans for building new buildings and investing $25,000,000 in Floyd.

The most troubling thing about this company is the lack of corporate and executive visibility on the Internet. Most marketing companies fill pages on a Google search. This one doesn't. Perhaps I am not searching on the right key words, but they do not seem to fit the profile of a successful data center/marketing company.

If anyone has direct experience with Power Direct Marketing or Data Knight 365, send me an email so I can fill in the gaps.

Those who are following this story should read Doug Thompson's latest article on the people involved in Data Knight 365.

Can Obama make the transition from Super Salesman to POTUS?

Super Salesmanship

By any standards, Barack Obama is a world-class sales person. He created a brand image and a sales campaign that captured the hearts and minds of a majority of voters even though the product, himself, has no performance history or visible records of accomplishment that relate to the position he sought.

One of the defining characteristic of a super salesman is that they will do anything necessary to get the order. Getting the order is what counts. The other details like whether the product functions as advertised or even exists are minor and can be glossed over if the order can be secured.

Such super salesmen excel at building a support team that finds allies and minimizes obstacles and they excel at inventing/exploiting the weaknesses of competitive offerings. The only measure of success in such a person's eyes is: Did we get the order or not? Fudging, omitting essential facts and outright chicanery are all permitted and even approved by others as long as the goal of getting the order is achieved.

I have known a number of incredibly persuasive sales people in my career and the only real measure of their success was that they could produce orders when others could not. They were masters of campaign strategy, of PR and image creation. They were also ruthless in pursuit of an order. Obama is all of this and more. He is a world class salesman.

The Measure of a POTUS

The President of the United States (POTUS) has to sell his programs, but the real measure of success is can he get things done in a way that improves life for those on whom he depends for support. This includes his financial backers, his closest supporters and finally the voters who will decide if he is to be reelected.

Like the CEO of a corporation, he is measured more on actual results over a period of time than by his ability to inspire. This takes executive ability which is of a different order than campaign strategy. Coolness under fire, the ability to make hard decisions in the absence of complete data, and the ability to keep the country safe and growing by delivering what is promised. CEOs and the POTUS are measured on meeting expectations.

In a properly run corporation, there is a natural tension between Sales and the CEO. The wise CEO encourages Sales in every way possible, but attempts to make sure that no more is promised than can be delivered. CEOs are measured by results, not by promises.

What happens when a top sales person becomes a CEO or POTUS?

It all depends on the ability of the sales person to transform from promising anything to get the order to making results happen. I have not seen Obama changing his approach from campaigning to delivering yet. His "results" are much like the conclusions of a sales campaign. Throw the order in the door for Engineering and Production to fix and gallop off in search of new orders.

The Trillion Dollar Stimulus Package, largest in the history of the US, was rammed through with less than a dozen elected representatives reading it in full. It is chock full of pork goodies and nasty surprises as well. Its passage was a triumph of salesmanship, but it changes the relationship between the States and the Federal Government. I, for one, see it as a major depressant to business and to consumer confidence.

Perhaps Barack Obama is wise enough to move out of the frenzied campaign mode where he is spreading Fear Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) to close the order and will remake himself in the image of an effective POTUS who inspires confidence and trust.

I do not see this yet and it concerns me.

Twice in my career I have seen companies which were eager to change conditions promote their top Sales person to the CEO position and it created a disaster because the Salesperson was still thinking about closing sales and not about profitability.

I think Obama is still in partisan campaign mode when he needs to be fully in executive mode and delivering on his promises. Until he does that, he will not inspire confidence.