Barack Obama is not the solution to the problem. Barack Obama IS the problem.


After I posted a story about how there is virtually no one in the Obama administration with private sector business experience, I began to further consider the practical implications of this.  Intuitively, one would conclude that a group of policymakers who don’t understand business and capitalism probably would not have a clue about making public policy that is friendly to business.  And indeed, this appears to be the case.  At every turn, the Obama administration is promoting legislative action that is harmful to businesses – new taxes, regulations and other economically harmful policies.

This ignorance of what drives the private sector was proven by Barack Obama himself this week, at his so-called “Jobs Summit,” where the POTUS stated:

Despite the progress we’ve made, many businesses are still skittish about hiring. Some are still digging themselves out of the losses they incurred over the past year. Many have figured out how to squeeze more productivity out of fewer workers. And that cost-cutting has become embedded in their operations and in their culture. That may result in good profits, but it’s not translating into hiring and so that’s the question that we have to ask ourselves today: How do we get businesses to start hiring again?

Heaven forbid! Productivity? Profits? Does Mr. Obama believe that businesses exist to hire people? I’m sorry, sir, but it is ALL about the profits. Productivity, and in turn, profitability, is improved either by enabling a constant number of people to produce more, or by reducing the number of people and maintaining constant production. New hiring may improve producTION, but not necessarily producTIVITY. Obama’s ideology, like that of his staffies, is disconnected from the realities of a capitalistic economy. And the policies he supports are similarly disconnected.

And now we come to the by-product of the Administration’s disconnect on private sector economics. If the policies of Barack Obama are truly damaging to business, we would expect to see that demonstrated in the marketplace. And indeed we’ve seen it. Remember this diagram showing the trajectory of the unemployment rate, despite the grandiose “stimulus” program implemented by the Left?

Obviously the business community didn’t respond to the “stimulus” as the Obamites anticipated. Strike one on understanding the private sector. But that’s not all.

At the recent “Baird Industrial Outlook” conference in Chicago, David Farr, CEO of St. Louis-based Emerson Electric, stated:

“Washington is doing everything in their manpower, capability, to destroy U.S. manufacturing,…Cap and trade, medical reform, labor rules.”

“What do you think I am going to do?” Farr asked. “I’m not going to hire anybody in the United States. I’m moving. They are doing everything possible to destroy jobs.”

“We as a company today are putting our best people, our best technology and our best investment in these marketplaces to grow,” he said. “My job is to grow that top line, grow my earnings, grow my cash flow and grow my returns to the shareholders. My job is not to shrink and roll over for the U.S. government.”

That is the voice of a man who understands the responsibility of a private-sector corporation and the antagonism of the Obama administration against businesses in the United States. Mr. Farr’s position is unfortunate, as no one wants to see an American company ship jobs offshore. But as Farr states, his job is to grow returns to shareholders. He must do this in spite of the anti-business policies of the government. Strike two for the Obama administration.

Farr is not the only business person expressing such opinions. The WSJ reports:

A number of chief executives say the government should clear up uncertainty over health care, energy prices and financial regulations. “Companies large and small are saying, ‘I am not going to do anything until these things — health care, climate legislation — go away or are resolved,’ ” said Dan DiMicco, chief executive of steelmaker Nucor Corp.

USA Today cites a similar example of trepidation due to Obama policies:

Porta-King of the St. Louis area, which makes prefabricated offices and other enclosures, cut spending on new gear from $1 million a year to less than $100,000 in the slump and isn’t planning an increase next year. Like Lubrano, Porta-King CEO Steve Schulte worries that proposals in Congress to tackle climate change and overhaul health care would raise costs. “It’s going to be survival mode in 2010.”

Strike three.  You’re out, Mr. President (Or at least we hope that will be the case in 2012)

We should have known this would happen.  We received a hint from none other than Rep. Barney Frank, when, in September, 2008, Frank stated “‘THE PRIVATE SECTOR got us into this mess. The government has to get us out of it.”  Compare and contrast with Ronald Reagan, who famously stated “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”

Emerson’s Farr is by no means the only business leader who finds the Democrats’ policies threatening to their company’s survival.  Businesses are not going to begin hiring again until they are comfortable that the economy and government policies will allow them to be profitable without having to resort to cost-cutting to maintain margins.  The prospects of business-friendly policies emanating from Capitol Hill are quite dim at this point, and the Obama administration’s sheer lack of experience in private sector fundamentals is most certainly a primary factor in the lack of job growth in the marketplace.

To borrow from Reagan, “Barack Obama’s policies are not the solution to the problem; Barack Obama is the problem.”


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20 Comments Leave a comment

Brazil...here we go!

lurker9876 Tuesday, December 8th at 8:36AM EST (link)

Perhaps Brazil may be the only country in the world for all of our Corporate American to move to?

Because Brazil is drilling right and left. That is where the jobs are. Brazil is already replacing USA with is booming economy.

As for Barack being the problem. He IS doing these things intentionally. He wants the power and control over us.

Anyone read Philip Klein’s article over at The American Spectator?

Thanks for directing me to that article!

autiger89 Tuesday, December 8th at 1:20PM EST (link)

Excellent post, by the way. These moves are definitely intentional.

As far as using regulation, rather than legislation, to get these things through, we can already see it. Just look at the EPA’s declaration on carbon dioxide.

 

We are hiring...

egonm206 Wednesday, December 9th at 6:08AM EST (link)

in Brazil.
We moved our farming operations to Brazil 8 years ago thanks to excessive government meddling, high cost of pre-emptive “lawyering-up” and compliance with regiulations and tax codes.

Lawyers are at the core of America’s economic problems. We need to elect more business people, entrepreneurs instead of the usual greedy, clueless lawyers.
America needs a sweeping house cleaning, by significantly cutting back on our out of control bureaucracies, tort reform and a ban on “political correctness. In doing this we might have a chance towards redemption.

 

Tort Reform would be huge

teridavisnewman (Diary) Wednesday, December 9th at 9:08AM EST (link)

Jobs are going to Brazil–not to save labor costs but to get away from the government red tape and culture of litigation in the USA. Allowing lawyers to advertise was the single biggest mistake in the history of legislation–there’s a website: www.whocanisue.com that is dedicated to helping idiots find someone to sue because the hope of getting rich in a big lawsuit settlement has replaced education and hard work in the American culture. The trial lawyers (Democrats) contribute millions to keep thing going the way they are. America is sinking to her knees and the tiny shining light here is that people are being shaken up and are fighting back. I’m running for Congress to lead them and we are coming–we the people are coming–and we are wicked P O’d.

Teri Davis Newman
2010 Republican Nominee for Congress
2012 Candidate for Congress
12th Congressional District of Illinois
www.terinewman.com

Lawyers are indeed the problem

gemimail Wednesday, December 9th at 12:41PM EST (link)

That is because the vast majority of both houses of Congress are lawyers. There is no way they will ever pass tort reform. My proposal is to pass a Constitutional Amendment to prohibit anyone who ever passed any bar exam from serving as a member of Congress.

Such an amendment would never get through Congress so we will have to get 38 state legislators to pass the exact same language to amend the Constitution without Congress having any say in the matter. This is possible because there are very few lawyers in state legislatures because it does not pay well enough.

See this and other ideas at http://www.marstonchronicles.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=292&Itemid=1127

Paul N. Marston
Republican Candidate for Congress
1st Congressional District of Arizona

 
 

Friendly Environmentally Waco Obama EPA Czar Lisa Jackson

louesc (Diary) Wednesday, December 9th at 12:26PM EST (link)

They are going to kill the free market with the (Obama’s) EPA. I just wanted to get you familiar with your Friendly Environmentally Waco Obama EPA Czar Lisa Jackson. These videos are of her speaking at Power Shift Conf the same place were Van Jones Spoke.

https://www.americanpatriotsprevail.com/12809_Obama__A_Czar__EPA.html

https://www.americanpatriotsprevail.com/ObamaCzarLisaJackson10b.html

https://www.americanpatriotsprevail.com/ObamaEpaCzarScienceRelig.html

Reject Tyranny and Defend Liberty!

Reject Tyranny and Defend Liberty!

 
 

Get a Clue

mkozikowski (Diary) Tuesday, December 8th at 8:44AM EST (link)

Perhaps Mr. Obama should take his statements back to the White House and apply them to his government. At least his cabinet and Czars.

Reduce overhead and spending.

Increase productivity.

That will get us out of this Government Oppression path we are headed down

 

Many companies are planning to leave the U.S.

Old_Crow (Diary) Tuesday, December 8th at 8:56AM EST (link)

I do a lot of business traveling overseas and the planes are filled with folks looking to move portions and in some cases their entire business out of America.

The reason we are only at 10% unemployment (17% if you include those who have given up seeking work) is that the federal government has been pumping deficit money to the bloated state governments. We will have another huge spike in unemployment when that money flow is reduced. Add in all the companies that are leaving due to the anti-business policies of the Obama administration and we will be wishing for the ‘good old days’ of only 10% unemployment.

Even if we take over the House and Senate in 2010, it will be too late to turn things around given the ‘lets be friends’ nature of many Republicans.

We’re looking at a lost decade or longer.

“Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.” — James Madison

You may be right Old Crow

egonm206 Wednesday, December 9th at 6:14AM EST (link)

Personally, I think it might take at least one, maybe more, generations to sort out the mess the lawyers/politicians in DC and states have wrought on us.
We are broke and, surprisingly, Moody’s only now is threatening to downgrade our AAA ratings.
For China, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and other creditors the “de facto” ratings in the real world are all red lights albeit unspoken.

 
 

Obama and his Leftists Socialists have shown enough

penguin2 (Diary) Tuesday, December 8th at 9:03AM EST (link)

to businesses and the rest of the country, that I would not be surprised to see a continued jobless recovery. There has been graphs posted before comparing the U.S. economy under Democratic administrations with Republicans admins, and the economy always seem to do much better under the Republicans. In addition to this, I think the mistrust and lack of confidence with the extremism of this administration, is the shovel that is going to keep on digging us into the ground, and sending corporations and jobs elsewhere.

Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God. – Benjamin Franklin
When Good stands up to Evil, Evil blinks. – Vassar Bushmills

Conservative Education: Suggested Reading List

Activists Taking Action: Unified Patriots

 

Why would anybody wants to invest in America until obama and his thugs are thrown out

bobojake (Diary) Tuesday, December 8th at 10:05AM EST (link)

in 2010. Tthere is not a company in their right mind that will do anything to compromise their businees with the LIAR obama saying one thing but letting his thugs promote his incompetence and destroying business. It is to bad obama didn’t have an economics class or two if he attended college. Community organizing is kind of like getting a basket weaving degree. No transcripts, what are we to believe??? Kill obamagate healthcare, elcrapo and tax before it kills America.

 

I talked with a lot of companies at the ANS conference in D.C.

Xasteius (Diary) Tuesday, December 8th at 11:13AM EST (link)

Excepting the government, the hiring has moved over overseas. Good thing I have my passport….

Don’t leave the party, hijack it back!

The only poll that counts is the one at the ballot box.

I don’t want to be Reagan. I want to be a Chance/Soros hybrid.

 

Obama is a marxist

Castor (Diary) Tuesday, December 8th at 11:56AM EST (link)

Obama the marxist is anything but stupid.He´s smart as a fox. His goal is to hurt private enterprise, not help it! Look at the czars in his administration. They would not have been out of place at all in the old USSR. It´s a sad day when the Chicoms know more about capitalism than the democrat party. If Obama can cripple free enterprise enough in our country, it will be difficult for the everyday brand of Republicans to fix things even with a landslide in 2010 and a Republican president in 2012, that is unless they are real solid tea party conservatives!

 

The O is not either

anotherindyfilmguy (Diary) Tuesday, December 8th at 12:46PM EST (link)

an ignorant overly educated man or deliberately trying to ruin the nation.

Neither is good for the US.

Santorum? Well, at least he’s not Romney…
http://www.zazzle.com/enemy_of_the_statist_tshirt-235977043035297478

 

LYING

reelman (Diary) Tuesday, December 8th at 2:00PM EST (link)

LYING: HOW MUCH CAN YOU STAND?
“Conservatism solves problems. Liberalism blows ‘em up and amplifies ‘em in the name of fixing them. So once you accept that every liberal politician in Washington or your state capital or on your city town council is a liberal and therefore is a liar, then the rest is easy. You simply don’t believe anything they say and you will be right.” RL, Dec09
=====
The toughest part of politics these days is having the secular socialist party members boldly calmly lie. They distort and lie as easy as you snap your fingers. Historical fact is ignored. Economic law is ignored. Your eyes are ignored. Your instinctive common sense is aghast.
Data not fitting their agenda is ignored. Experience is ignored. The will of the people via dozens of polls for months is ignored.
The lamestream diaper-changing media strains their brains to continue defending fantasy statements. The 15% approval congress (for years) ignores the worried jobless voters as it piles up more debt in 2009 than the previous eight combined while it continues its lies… continues private closed meetings pushing huge bills the taxpayers are discouraged from reading…continues running for microphones and refusing questions while spouting lies when nearly 20% of our people are in serious financial difficulty.
Almost daily our pompous blame-shifting POTUS confidently shoots us line after line of pure socialist baloney coated in lies for the gullible. Only the red chinese dare to bring the socialists back to fiscal reality. Go figure that one.
Its always the economy and foreign policy that doom the modern democrats because their religion is secular socialist pacifism.
Remember the socialist party has run controlled congress since Jan. 2007…notice this is also ignored.
What will become of America if many these arrogant lying sleazy thugs are not sent home next year?

http://conservablogs.com/theconservativecrawfish

“Ignore what is said, watch what is done”
The problem is congress…is congress…
Secular Socialism is never the answer…
“This is where we hold them, this is where we fight”
The “reelman” in central Louisiana

reelman, the best post

martyinaz Wednesday, December 9th at 8:12AM EST (link)

here, you are right on point reelman. I totallyn agree. we need to send them packing, and start fresh. Vote out every Democrat, and take a hard look at any Republican caught smiling when he looks over at the left side of the aisle..

—————————————————————————————-

Like a spider, Socialism spins its sticky web, to hold powerless its victims until they are devoured.

 
 

President Obama's vision a third world USA

avgamerican (Diary) Tuesday, December 8th at 10:35PM EST (link)

That Obama speech you cited is very telling of the Marxist he is. He labels the business owner as the burgeois. He advocates higher taxes and regulation and then criticizes when his socialist philosophy doesn’t produce the results he promised. In his book, The basic principle of socialism is that no matter what a person does he should share equally in the outcome. That is Tyranny. Expecting the businessman to assume all the risks and endure the taxation and regulation, then turn around and redistribute the reward. Soon, there is no incentive to produce and waalllaa we have a third world country. Welcome to the One’s vision for America.

 

Correction

avgamerican (Diary) Tuesday, December 8th at 10:38PM EST (link)

“In his book” should have not been inserted there. That’s a typo.

 

Many people see it and that's great. The one's who don't are going to be hit hard..... soon.

Kenny Solomon (Diary) Wednesday, December 9th at 6:26AM EST (link)

Great write-up, BS. Wish I could hit a “reco” button.

To me, this is way bigger than our Dictator In Training Pants and I started to comment here yesterday very shortly after you posted. But where I went with it would have been considered a hijack, so I posted a separate diary.

http://www.redstate.com/etcartman/2009/12/08/its-not-all-about-him

 

our country

sarge324 Wednesday, December 9th at 9:40AM EST (link)

he is taking over our country,with the help of the democrate congress and senator .and the press.i just feel bad for my grandkids,they will suffer their whole lives because.they will not know freedom.2010 is when we vote the usurpers out of office.