http://www.ronaldhart.com en-ushttp://www.ronaldhart.com/display_column.php?column_ID=426Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.ronaldhart.com/display_column.php?column_ID=426 September 7, 2010  

The laws of economics are the new Jim Crow laws. If the Democrats cannot paint their opponents as racist or greedy, then they are pretty much out of solutions for any issue.

Economic numbers tend to be more biased when the administration overseeing them knows nothing about business and the economy. Attorney General Eric Holder has a team of lawyers trying to figure out whom to sue over our dismal economic state. As every liberal Democrat from John Edwards to Eric Holder knows, the way to make money in America is to sue someone who is productive and has money to take.

But the Democrats' problems are nothing some nice word-smithing cannot fix. Instead of focusing on the four million jobs lost in 2009 alone, they have invented their own metric, "jobs saved or created." The main jobs they are looking to save now are their own in November.

The "me, my and I" speeches Obama gives, in which he takes credit for his minor accomplishments and blames Bush for all else, no longer work. The economy has been under Democratic House and Senate rule since 2006. Obama taking credit for jobs "saved" is like the 9/11 hijackers taking credit for creating TSA jobs.

I would not be surprised if the White House spins the latest bad jobs numbers to somehow make them look better for businesses in America. To their way of thinking, each month businesses have a larger and more talented pool of unemployed workers from which to hire.  But businesses are not hiring, because they have no idea how much extra cost ObamaCare will mean for each employee and how much increased regulation will be placed on them at the fiat of this bumbling administration.

The states with the worst unemployment are Democratic-dominated bastions where years of liberal policies have wrought havoc. States like California, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, which have been the Petri dishes of Democratic economic theories, have the highest unemployment rates. If that is not a leading economic indicator of the results of Obama's economic policies, I do not know what is.

My guess is that by continuing to use semantics and by nuancing each economic issue, the Obama White House will appeal to its base for re-election. These are the 51% of Americans who can be told "things are better" but who are not good enough at math to know they are, in fact, not. We know them as the liberal Democrat base.

The Obama cabinet seems like it was assembled at Ikea by a college poli-sci professor.  JP Morgan did a study of administrations which had the most and fewest cabinet members with business experience.  The result helps explain our current economic mess.

The president whose cabinet had the highest percentage of private sector folks was none other than Dwight Eisenhower, who oversaw an era of sustained economic growth. Fifty-eight percent of the members of his cabinet had private sector experience. Until Obama, Kennedy's cabinet had the lowest percentage of members with private sector experience, at about 27%. The average since 1900 of every president is about 38%. As he has with many things, Obama's cabinet has set a new low on this metric of real world experience; only 7% of his cabinet members have private sector experience. That 7% probably matches the percentage of his cabinet members who paid their income taxes properly.

The reason businesses are sitting on $1.7 trillion in cash, and banks hoarding another $1 trillion in reserves they could be using to make loans, is that they have no confidence in this administration. Many believe there will be a "double-dip" recession caused by those double-dips in Washington. Until it knows it will not be taxed through the roof, regulated to death, and then lambasted for political gain, no business is going to make the leap of faith to invest in the USA. Ultimately, growth and expansion are private businesses' expressions of faith and confidence in the economy, something they currently do not have.

Hopefully, come November Nancy Pelosi will learn some economic truths, like the cost of a coach airline ticket from Washington D.C. to San Francisco.

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The Tiger Tale ended at the Bay County, Florida Courthouse last week when Elin Woods got her divorce finalized. An African-American man has not been as uncomfortable in Panama City since Barack Obama pretended to vacation there the weekend before.

Tiger Woods' marriage effectively ended when he sped out of his driveway last November, hit a tree, and twenty bimbos fell out.

This event at the courthouse marked as official the end of Elin and Tiger Woods' marriage. She filed for divorce several months ago, citing irreconcilable cocktail hostesses.

Elin has worked through this divorce as all celebrities do: publicly, but all the while asking for privacy. As they all tell us, celebrity healing is a three-step process. First there is anger. Second there is grief. Third there is the People Magazine interview.

The natural instinct of everyone, especially women, is to feel sorry for and to rally around the woman in these situations.  I see that.  But before we get all Oprah (a woman who has never been married or had kids, but who is somehow considered an authority on both) about it, let's evaluate what we have here.

Elin is going to be in fine shape. She is certainly doing better than Tiger this year, since she is now the leading money winner on the 2010 PGA Tour.

She is rich, hot, famous, and what everyone in the liberal media loves: a victim. Now she is free to move to the normal next stage of her high-profile life, in which a pseudo-celebrity, gold-digging, freeloading guy marries her with great fanfare as she proclaims that "she has found true love." Then he uses his semi-celebrity status to cheat on her and take half her money.

Think about it; right now Elin is in a perfect position.  What do all celebrity ex-swimsuit models want more than anything? Fame, money and exotic kids. Madonna, Sandra Bullock and Angelina Jolie shouldn't be the only ones who can have the status symbol of one of those Benetton ad kids. The mixed-race baby is apparently the most desirable accessory for today's celebs. And Elin should be able to bank on her kids' talent, because you really never know what to expect from a kid from a sub-Saharan country. You cannot count on adopting Manute Bol.

Tiger is the most recent celebrity to find out that cheating is not a profitable business. In fact, it has not been profitable for a long time, perhaps since Bill Clinton. When he left office, we were running surpluses.

In fairness to Tiger, it is really difficult to stop sleeping with a different hot woman each week when you really don't want to. It is the real reason men want to become famous. Ironically, in this paparazzi, TMZ, cell-phone-picture, tell-all world we live in, being famous makes it more difficult to carry on like this.

If Elin did not get Tiger's money, Obama would have. Folks like Tiger are "profiled" by the current administration and, if they are found to be in possession of earned money, the administration reserves the right to pull them over and take it from them.

With all the stress relieved from being unburdened by that $100 million, Tiger seems to be playing better golf. I think what this age-old tale has taught us that we did not really already know (other than that men have dalliances and, by mathematical necessity, an equal number of women do, too) is that a stable personal life is important to one's success. A good marriage, depending on how you define it, was important to Tiger's success on the course.

Having played so poorly this year, Tiger might not make the Ryder Cup team for the first time in his career. He must now rely on the "captain's pick" decision of Corey Pavin to make the team. Perhaps Woods can call upon President Obama to settle the hotly-debated issue. The Ryder Cup is an international event where America battles Europe in head-to-head competition.  Since Obama is probably indifferent to the outcome, he could be the perfect impartial arbitrator.]]> http://www.ronaldhart.com/display_column.php?column_ID=424Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.ronaldhart.com/display_column.php?column_ID=424 August 24, 2010  

Last week, President Obama said he had "no regrets" about endorsing the building of a mosque near Ground Zero. This was between vacations and right before he started his trip around the country to raise money and campaign for Democratic members of Congress who are in electoral trouble, most of whom were not in electoral trouble until Obama started campaigning for them.

His statement of the obvious, that these Muslims have a right to build their mosque, has ignited a debate over this otherwise symbolic tweaking of our nation's nose by the Islamic community. We should have ignored it. Clearly, they have a "right" to build it.  But surely they are not so tone-deaf that they don't realize that building a monument to Islam two blocks from where innocent Americans were murdered in the name of Islam will deal a major setback to their purported cause of "interreligious understanding and tolerance."

The debate began to take shape after the right came out against the mosque. The left, in a conditioned response, took the opposite position. Liberals love to act "tolerant." It makes them feel good about themselves and gives them something to talk about at cocktail parties. However, this is not about the left being more tolerant, it is about it opposing everything the right supports. The right happens to be wrong on this one, which puts the Democrats in the unfamiliar position of being correct on an issue. No wonder they are so confused.

The reality is that the mosque will probably never be funded or built. The 15-story development will cost $100 million to build; so far, very little of that money has been raised.

Obama equivocated about his position while on a stunt vacation to Panama City Beach, Florida. If he really does not want the mosque built, he should do what he does best when he wants to stop something (you know, like he has done to every other sector of the economy): regulate it, tax it, demand the participation of union workers, and impose complicated and uncertain rules on it.  The project will grind to a halt.

The other choice (which I would help fund) is to meet symbolism with symbolism. Since imposing Sharia law on our society is one of the Islamists' goals, we should use what is left of our capitalist society to make that as difficult as possible.  I say we build a Jimmy Dean's Sausage store on one side of the site and a strip club on the other. Better yet, maybe Nick Vergos could open another Rendezvous restaurant down the street and serve his famous ribs.  The smell of pork being smoked would waft into the air for blocks.

We could also fund a movie theater that only shows Kevin Bacon movies across the street, and a sports bar that only shows Mia Hamm re-runs. You get the idea. Fight symbolism with capitalism.

Maybe Obama can put some shopping in the vicinity. How about a "Bed, Bath, Blame Bush and Beyond" franchise?

This mosque will, no doubt, be seen by some Muslims as a victory dance. Muslim societies are theocratic and have a history of conquering and imposing their religion/law upon the conquered. Muslim rulers often married the wives of their opponents in order to gain ties of kinship with their new subjects. Our country should be safe, since the notion of having to be married to Hillary Clinton or Janet Napolitano should deter Muslims from wanting to conquer us.

We have given them what they wanted: attention on this issue. We should, like Obama said, hold to our values. Politicians are going to demagogue the issue, as they are prone to do. It is fun to watch the lesser ones like Harry Reid squirm and flip-flop. Most troubling is Nancy Pelosi's idea of investigating those who are speaking out against the mosque. That bothers me more than anything in this saga.

Ironically, we invaded two countries to impose democracy and our way of life on others. It seems a mistake not to live up to those ideals here in America.

As Americans, we can show the world what we stand for and why we deserve to be emulated. This is an opportunity to do so.]]> http://www.ronaldhart.com/display_column.php?column_ID=423Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.ronaldhart.com/display_column.php?column_ID=423 August 17, 2010  

Ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich, the part-time Elvis impersonator and full-time buffoon, seems to have bought himself some time. The Chicago jury in his corruption trial is deadlocked on whether or not to convict him. Obviously a "jury of his peers," the same people who elected him Governor are well represented on the jury. They sound pretty smart; when the judge finally said they were a hung jury, the men responded, "Well, thank you, Judge."

Remember governor Blagojevich? He's the ex-Illinois governor who reminds me of a lookout for a seedy massage parlor. He has that static, jet-black helmet of hair that makes Donald Trump appear windswept. Blago can always get work as a model for one of those "before" pictures you see on the wall at Supercuts.

If the Feds have to let Blago go free, they should make his hair stand trial separately.

Let's review. When Obama got himself hired to intern as president, his Senate seat became available and Blago tried to sell it off. The seat had real value, since it was only slightly used by Obama to occasionally vote "present."  And, Cleopatra-like, he was usually carried into the Senate chamber on the shoulders of Big Labor.

In essence, what Blago did to fill Obama's vacated seat was to call up people and say, "Hey, would you like to be a Senator?  If so, how much is it worth to you?" Blago put the Senate seat on e-Bay - and Chicago-style politics on display to the nation.

Sadly, this shameful event did nothing to tarnish the image of Chicago politicians. Apparently most people, including some of the "hung" ones on the jury, pretty much expected this. Three former Illinois governors, two Democrats and one Republican, have gone to jail in the last 35 years.  A fourth went to trial but was acquitted of tax-evasion charges.

Throw in the fraud conviction of the late Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL), mix with some lightweight, petty operatives like Roland Burris (who replaced Obama) and pocket-thug Rahm Emanuel, and one has to question Obama's ethics given his proximity to all that corruption.

Obama was a big supporter of Blago for Governor. It defies logic that Obama, nursed by and a product of the Democratic machine, is somehow above it all. Once the machine is supporting them, members of the ruling political class operate above the law while unevenly applying that law to the rest of us lowly citizens - especially those who oppose the "chosen ones." The Democratic ruling class recruits promising neophytes like Obama who show a talent for being self-righteous and above it all. They know if they dutifully play along, they will be rewarded by becoming a cog in the machine.

Over time, they get the keys to Corruptopia long enough to make themselves rich one day. They presume that the voters are dumb and the media will protect them as long as they espouse liberal ideals. If the offensive lines of the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers had protected Brett Favre as well as the media protect corrupt Democrat politicians, he could have played another 30 years.

Obama has brought to Washington the Chicago style of using government to intimidate his opponents. The Obama administration threatened the AMA and the drug companies to force their support of ObamaCare. They offered jobs to candidates in exchange for not running against "favored" politicians. They brought a dubious lawsuit against Goldman Sachs just as they rammed their "financial reform" bill through Congress.  Seeing BP as vulnerable, they took control of the $20 billion shakedown fund from this private sector company. Most troubling is the manner in which this administration uses the U.S. Treasury as an open checkbook to pay back teachers and other unions for their support.

I put nothing past this administration. Watch what it does, not what it says. Like I always say, a statement by a politician is like a compliment from a hooker: it is meaningless, and in the end you get screwed.]]> http://www.ronaldhart.com/display_column.php?column_ID=422Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.ronaldhart.com/display_column.php?column_ID=422 August 10, 2010  

The day comes when all the kids are gone. We sent our youngest kid off to NYU, the middle one back to the U of M to see what they can do with him, and our oldest to medical school this week. At times like this parents worry about many things to do with their kids leaving the nest, including the roommate situation - not the kids', but their own.

During Elvis Week in Memphis we moved our oldest into her place for the next four years while she attends the University of Tennessee

School for the Health Sciences.  UT's main campus is located in Knoxville, but the dental school is in Memphis because I'm pretty sure there are not enough teeth in Knoxville to support it.

It will be good to have a doctor in the immediate family. She should come out in four years in time for socialized medicine.  Everything will be great, just as Obama promised. She might make as much as an SEIU government custodian in a Washington D.C. federal building but with longer hours, more stress and being sued all the time for the free health care she will be required to give those who will not pay for it. You know them as the key Obama demographic.

At least I can finally get some good medical advice from someone other than my drinking and golf buddy, Dr. Benny "Boom" Beaty. His only fancy book learning came from Washington and Lee University, which I think is a Civil War reenactment college. He became a doctor the old fashioned way- with spunk, courage, dexterity, and a whole lot of trial and error.

He recently shared with me his philosophy on health, which is not endorsed by the AMA. The only time the AMA endorses anything is when called to the White House and threatened.

"Doc" is not into all this healthy living stuff.  He does not view his body as "a temple," but more like an Elks Lodge. The heart has only so many heartbeats, he contended in a recent missive, and he feels they should not be wasted on the StairMaster.

His novel theory might be grounded in some logic. He says your heart only has so many beats, so do not waste them on jogging. Speeding up the heart does not make you live longer. It is like saying, "I am going to extend the life of my car by driving it 100 miles per hour each day." Want to live longer? Take a nap.

His view is that life should not be a slow, self-denying march to the grave with the notion that you should arrive there safely in a well-preserved body. To the contrary, he thinks you should skid in sideways with a cocktail in one hand and a cigar in the other, your body thoroughly spent, yelling, "Yahoo, what a fun ride that was!"

When I asked about swimming for exercise, he scoffed. "If swimming is so healthy, explain the whale or the manatee. Both are about extinct and look woefully out of shape."

Sitting in beach chairs sipping Margaritas on a recent trip, Dr. Boom Beaty suggested that I use an extra-long straw so as not to inadvertently do a sit up. The man is always thinking. And, judging by the size of the average American these days, folks are listening.

In his final bit of advice, he refers to medical facts obtained from a non-cited international study in Gross Generalizations, a supplement to his Gross Anatomy Illustrated monthly medical magazine.  It offers some conclusions on all those nutritional studies that compare Americans to the rest of the world:

Fact: Hispanics eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than we do.

Fact: Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than we do.

Fact: Germans drink a lot of beer and eat sausages and have fewer heart attacks than Americans.

Conclusion: drink and eat whatever you want. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

I am proud of all of my kids and happy that my daughter will take on the noble calling of being a physician. She always wanted to be a doctor and even dressed up as one as a child.  Her timing was good since under ObamaCare, kids who want to "play doctor" will have to wait four years to make an appointment to seek approval from a bureaucracy in D.C.-presumably chaired by Al Gore, Bill Clinton or John Edwards.]]>