leaders

Politicians Versus A Leader, Promises Made Vs. Promises Kept

/ John / Leave a comment

Let’s compare it to the 45th President, whom the above attack by claiming he did what they actually did, like take under the table deals with Russia/Ukraine/China, cause racial divide and hurt race relations, break the law, weaponize the Justice Department, Divide the country, assault women (Hillary did it by attacking the victims of her rapist husband). The dichotomy is mind-boggling.

Trump did it while being attacked by the media, celebtards, the justice department, both houses and parties of congress and social media.

1. Unemployment and economic growth.

•Unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and those without a high school diploma all reached record lows.

•Unemployment for women hit its lowest rate in nearly 70 years.

•Lifted nearly 7 million people off food stamps.

•Poverty rates for African Americans and Hispanic Americans reached record lows.

•Income inequality fell for two straight years, and by the largest amount in over a decade.

•The bottom 50 percent of American households saw a 40 percent increase in net worth.

•Wages rose fastest for low-income and blue-collar workers – a 16 percent pay increase.

•African American home ownership increased from 41.7 percent to 46.4 percent.

Trump, of course, is a “racist” and “sexist” to liberals; it is one of their prime charges against him, with absolutely no proof. It is hard to understand, though, why a man who hates minorities and women so much would institute policies that would be so beneficial to them.

2. Tax Relief

•Strengthened America’s rural economy by investing over $1.3 billion through the Agriculture Department’s ReConnect Program to bring high-speed broadband infrastructure to rural America.

•More than 6 million American workers received wage increases, bonuses, and increased benefits thanks to the tax cuts.

•A typical family of four earning $75,000 received an income tax cut of more than $2,000 – slashing their tax bill in half.

•Doubled the standard deduction – making the first $24,000 earned by a married couple completely tax-free.

•Doubled the child tax credit.

•Since the passage of tax cuts, the share of total wealth held by the bottom half of households has increased, while the share held by the top 1 percent has decreased.

•Over $1.5 trillion was repatriated into the United States from overseas.

•Created nearly 9,000 Opportunity Zones where capital gains on long-term investments are taxed at zero.

Americans were able to keep more of the money they earned. Only a Marxist (yes, Democrat) would object to that.

3. Regulations

•Instead of 2-for-1, Trump eliminated 8 old regulations for every 1 new regulation adopted.

•Provided the average American household an extra $3,100 every year.

•Removed nearly 25,000 pages from the Federal Register – more than any other president. The previous administration added over 16,000 pages.

Mr. Trump was very pro-business, something else that is anathema to the Left. Yet, the removal of onerous, needless regulations, not only helped small business owners, but cheapened costs and provided more money for average Americans.

4. Trade

•Immediately withdrew from the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

•Ended the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and replaced it with the brand new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

•The USMCA contains powerful new protections for American manufacturers, auto-makers, farmers, dairy producers, and workers.

•Negotiated another deal with Japan to boost $40 billion worth of digital trade. 

•China agreed to purchase an additional $200 billion worth of United States exports and opened market access for over 4,000 American facilities to exports while all tariffs remained in effect.

•Imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions worth of Chinese goods to protect American jobs and stop China’s abuses under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

•Achieved a mutual agreement with the European Union (EU) that addresses unfair trade practices and increases duty-free exports by 180 percent to $420 million.

•Successfully negotiated more than 50 agreements with countries around the world to increase foreign market access and boost exports of American agriculture products, supporting more than 1 million American jobs.

Economics is not something most Americans understand very well, thus the benefits of the above are not easily understood, or quickly perceived or felt, by most. Yet, the list is clear enough to make the Left angry. Mr. Trump negotiated trade deals that benefited the United States. He still had much to do in that regard, but he was denied another four years in which to do it. Obviously, the country has suffered greatly the last two years because of that.

What Do We Need In Our Next President

/ John / Leave a comment

We’ve had a variety of personalities parade through the Oval Office. Some have been effective, others not. They have come from different angles though. Recently there has been 3 governors, 3 politicians, a businessman and an actor/governor.

Before we get to the crux of the matter, this thought dawned on me in the mid 1990’s, but I didn’t realize it at the time. When I was at IBM, I saw Lou Gerstner turn a $9 billion dollar loss into a $9 billion profit in 2 years. IBM was in 160 countries with different laws, customs, politics, personalities, mores and religions. Every decision affected something directly to the problem at hand, but at the same time,affected many other issues, people, countries and competitors somewhere else around the world.

At that moment, I said I would vote for him for president because of the decision making, people skills, boldness of action and the understanding of the 3D chess that every action affects something other than it’s intended purpose. He never ran. Most likely he was too smart to take such a thankless job with half the population hating you, and the other deciding if they love/hate you based on the day.

First, it is clear that politicians are trained to work the system, but not lead the free world. We found this out with almost all of the senators who have been president in the recent decades. They were good at enriching themselves, political maneuvering and working the deep state system because they are swamp creatures.

They don’t have the people skills (look at the advisors of all of the recent administrations), profit and loss responsibility (look at the deficit since Carter) and most of all, how one action affects many others either directly or indirectly. Our first mano a mano was Carter vs. the Iranian terrorists. We haven’t had a Cold War mano a mano since Reagan and Gorbachev squared off, although Trump wasn’t a war president and did keep other countries from acting out. The bad actors have since resumed after 2020.

For personal mano a mano, I saw Gerstner force Cisco to buy the IBM Networking Hardware Division, it’s direct competitor in what turned out to be a dick measuring contest with John Chambers. It wasn’t Reagan/Gorbachev, but the stakes were hundreds of millions. Chambers wanted a contract with IBM Global Services, the mainframe leader at the time and said no to buying NHD. Gerster told his Senior VP’s and staff that if anyone talked to Cisco, they were fired on the spot. Within a week, Cisco completed the purchase of NHD, and Chambers put his dick away while Gerstner got rid of an IBM problem and showed he had a bigger dick than those at Cisco.

This is how it is on the world stage. Trust but verify. Strength leads to peace. You are a leader or a follower. The WEF great reset and the One World Government, socialism and other current power grabs make most world leaders just junior managers. We need to elect a leader.

Many recent presidents have become very rich while in office. I don’t fault people for wanting to earn money, but when you can be bought like the Clinton Foundation or the recent Burisma or China buying politicians and college professors has tainted the office. If you can be bought, you aren’t in charge. You are now just a debtor owing something. The lobbyists couldn’t buy Trump which upset the deep state swamp to this day.

I’d love to have someone who loves our country and is a patriot. I miss that.

So, the list includes not being a politician. It includes being able to manage people, world situations, building a competent staff and having the 7th sense of being able to see what are the affects of a decision or action 3 steps away from that decision. That is 3D chess.

Building a proper staff is critical. I fault Trump for trusting the existing swamp creatures like Sessions, Meuller, Strzok and his paramour, Barr, some generals and Fauci. He should have fired them all because most of Washington is made up of back stabbers. I’ll give the politicians the ability to sniff out the rats first, given that is who they really are to begin with. Biden just brought back Obama’s criminals and liars (circle back Psaki) and his staff is a group of clowns. The biggest joke of all is Harris. Affirmative Action has failed us when we need a leader there.

Playing the world leaders is tougher. Reagan was the benchmark. He got the Soviet Union to crumble without firing a shot. China and Xi bought the administration of the current administration as well as congress including Feinstein, Swalwell and others who are well documented. As I said before, Trump was already rich and couldn’t be bought. They got to him through Covid and owning Silicon Valley so no one is immune. Obama was a coward who went on a surrender tour at his first trip.

Putin is a tougher leader than what we have now, yet he didn’t act up between 2016-2020. He was matched or outwitted by the leader at that time, after just having taken the Crimea in 2014. Kim Jong Un stopped firing missiles during that same time.

So while it excludes some financially, if they can be tough morally we need a person who can’t be bought by lobbyists or another country. We need someone who is a tough negotiator. Looking at the Iran deals that were in place and those being re-negotiated are bad for America. I want a president who puts Americans first, not money.

Speaking of money, not a one of them recently has done anything to stop the deficit.

Being able to handle tough economic situations, like reducing inflation instead of causing it. Making us independent of other countries for energy, chips, manufacturing and other things that bring economic followed by military strength.

Most of all some one that we can respect. Everyone knows Biden is being abused and shouldn’t be mistreated like he is this far along in his dementia. Clinton is the #metoo poster boy. Trump made personal grievances too public. He should have shown more grace in ignoring the press, Hollywood and those who hated for hates sake.

The election process is really going on now, not just for mid-terms, but also 2024. The mid-terms should make a 2 year lame duck out of Biden. Then, we need someone who will take our country back and make Americans first rather than other countries.

Being A Good World Leader Requires 3 Dimensional Thinking

/ John / Leave a comment

It’s why you need a person who can think about many different outcomes and how it affects people and countries down the line who might not be the subject of the decision you are making. Every decision affects others, some in ways you can’t predict or even imagine

It is one of the defining characteristics of a leader vs a ruler.

boss or leader

It’s a combination of poker and chess. You have to think many moves ahead and understand others tendencies to know how to act and react. Some moves are a distraction. Some are to set up another move.

Few have this talent. Eisenhower had to lead on the battlefield and out think his enemies. Reagan brought down the Soviet Union by having them spend themselves into destruction. He had the nerve to walk out on negotiations at Reykjavik to show the ruler of the other super power at the time how to negotiate. The press said he was starting WWIII because they did not understand 3 dimensional thinking.

Trump kept North Korea, China and Russia in check by having them be unsure of his next move. He was always a step ahead of them

We are now being played by the Chinese, OPEC, the Russians and others because we are predictable and show 2 dimensional leadership.

When I saw Lou Gerstner resurrect IBM and hold it together, I said I would vote for him for president. He understood what it took to manage an octopus of an organization. He had vision for an outcome that his predecessor wasn’t qualified to do. It is why I don’t support career politicians, because their goal is egocentric, to get power and keep it, mostly to get re-elected.

It is also important to have to deal with those not from your country and those on many levels from worker to C-Suite.

Conversely, being a political animal qualifies you for being woke and knowing how to work the system, not lead a country.

Star Trek Tridimensional 3D Chess Set Replica

For our country to return to greatness, we need to have new leadership who has the ability to see the whole picture, even though it hasn’t occurred yet.

Here is a discussion of how Kirk beat Khan in the Mutara Nebula. Khan was in battle on an ocean, while Kirk fought in space. That is 2D vs 3D.

It is better to have someone who has managed a budget and hired/fired/promoted/demoted people, not have a staff who tells you what to do. You can see why either governors or businessmen have been better leaders than senators.

It is clear that we are lacking leadership. You have to keep promises that you make on the campaign trail. If not, you will be judged by them.

The world is watching what you do to predict how you will act next. It is why I fear for the Ukraine and Taiwan. When they saw that we walked away from Afghanistan, they knew we were not going to stop anyone by thought or force.

Were I a leader of an opposing country right now, I wouldn’t fear any retaliation by the US, NATO or any like organization. The US leadership has devolved that quickly.

Those that wish to attack us from within or by trade, bio-weapon or negotiation don’t fear the USA right now.

We need leadership, not politicians who spout promises and demean opponents.

The mid-term elections will have consequences.

How Is Freedom Safe, By Adlai Stevenson

/ John / Leave a comment

“My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.”

It’s always been difficult to be unpopular. We learn this lesson in school. No one wants to be an outcast.

With the dreaded social media and their censors against only certain people and certain words that they don’t agree with, the visibility of this subject has leapfrogged past logic, reason and congeniality. You say the wrong thing to the wrong person and your head gets bitten off.

First, you have to care if what people say about you bothers you. I don’t give a flying fig anymore because if they like me they do. If they don’t, what they say probably isn’t going to phase me.

The real hero’s and leaders are those who will stand up against the sheep and go the other way, or lead the sheep. Oh, you are going to piss some people off, but they were probably just there to try and get in your way.

The moral is don’t be a sheep. Fight (say to others, don’t hit them unless you are in Portland) for what you believe in and the hill you want to make your stand on.

Most of all, when you have made your decision, don’t let public opinion or popularity contests sway you. When you are right you are. If you are not sure, you probably aren’t.

Most people who get in your way are jealous or get their kicks by bringing others down instead of worrying about what they should be doing.

Friday’s Saying – Henri Fredrick Amiel

/ John / Leave a comment

“The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides.”

 

A more common version of this is he who hesitates, hesitates.

No one knows the outcome of any decision.  We only have a few scientific theorems that are somewhat certain, for now.  They could be proven incorrect (Einstein’s Theory of Relativity) if we use scientific methods.

The same can be said for our everyday lives.  We usually think we are right, but we don’t know how it will turn out.  Many times our decisions help or harm others in ways we never intended them to.

Nevertheless, most of the time, making a decision is better than not making one, or procrastinating.  I’m in favor of getting the best intel you can to make a good decision, but in the heat of the battle you have to make one.

This is why some are better leaders than others.  They have the right instincts or have been through enough to have history and experience on their side to make a better decision.

There have been good young leaders, it’s just that most don’t have the wisdom of a life lived to not know when to shut up.

We’ll never have perfect clearness because we can’t see the future.  If we did, life wouldn’t be worth living.

Great Sayings – Covid-19 Edition by Maxwell Maltz

/ John / Leave a comment

“Close scrutiny will show that most ‘crisis situations’ are opportunities to either advance, or stay where you are.” — Maxwell Maltz

 

And now we will see who are the real leaders around the world. As always, some will be better than the others.  Some will be more decisive and others will reveal that they may not be leaders at all.  History will be the judge perhaps years from now.