Chrysler built an amazing ad shown during the Superbowl. First, the ad is well done and carries a powerful message. The imagery, the script and the actor; all perfect. Second, the ad is a marketer’s dream come true. I’m sure the ad itself has been shown and viewed more than a couple of multiples of the views it had during the Superbowl itself.
Brilliant.
But is it accurate?
Self reflection. An uncommon ability, to be sure.
I make my way in society by working hard. I contribute. I like to think that I go above and beyond. I give and I give back. Often.
I understand that even as I benefit from my hard work and sacrifice, I want people to step up and do the same. If you wanna enjoy the rewards of success, then by gawd, partake of the hardships of the work.
This is the story of the 53%.
And it is delicious irony that the Occupy is just now discovering it.
Posted in Economy, Idiots on Parade, Liberty, Politics: North Carolina
Tagged Occupy Raleigh
I’m very excited to see the economy continue to strengthen. I’m happy when folks spend money. I like seeing my local restaurants have waiting lines of an hour or more. I enjoy it when people feel optimistic.
However, Obama isn’t driving the recovery; he’s dampening it. Reagan trounced him and I’m not even normalizing for a smaller work force. Bush beat him by 40% or so, and again, the economy was smaller then.
Posted in Economy, Politics: National
Tagged Barack Obama, George Bush, Recession, Ronald Reagan
Recently Mitt Romney made a statement that many, on both sides, are using to against him. From the Blue, Romney is being attacked on that comment by having it taken out of context. The left is going to say that Romney said:
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said on Wednesday that he’s “not concerned about the very poor,”
When in fact he said:
“I’m in this race because I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it,” the Republican front-runner said Wednesday on CNN, following his victory in the Florida primary.
Be that as it may, it’s election politics and the tactic is used by both the Red and the Blue.
But is the statement true?
Posted in Economy, Government, Middle Class, Politics: National
Tagged Entitlement Programs, Mitt Romney, Poverty, Safety Nets
We’re in a place where we need to create jobs. We need to be able to take folks who are on the unemployment rolls and move them to the tax roles. And to do that, we have got to make hiring someone a better option than not hiring someone.
Employees provide productivity. They do this in the same way that machines and assembly lines do. In the exact same manner and means that a company owner will seek out the cheapest source of copper or lumber or wool, she will seek out the cheapest source of labor.
Posted in Economy, Elections 2010, Government
Tagged Indiana, Mitch Daniels, Right To Work, Unionista, Unions
With all the talk about corporate greed and abuse and the failings of capitalism, I think it’s important to point out that not everything done in the name of wealth accumulation is “good and great” to the capitalist. There still is the explicit expectation that law and order rule the day. That contracts are acknowledged. That there be enforcement of those contracts. That property rights exist. And again, that the protection of those rights is guaranteed by the state.
There are bad actors in capitalism.
Case-Shiller publishes a home price index on the last Tuesday of the month. The index measures the price of a three-month moving average and is published with a two month lag. In January, the report is showing the index for home prices in November 2011.
November saw a continuation of the softening of housing prices. In only 3 of 20 markets measured did the prices rise, fully 17 of 20 saw a decline. This continues a trend that started roughly in early summer 2010.
Occupy in general and Occupy Raleigh continues to struggle. The message has been lost, the momentum has been dramatically reduced. The reasonable folks making up the movement have left; we’re left with the rest.
Across the nation we hear of vandalism, rape, murder, trespassing and theft. The movement is dead.
And here in Raleigh, there are two examples:
Posted in Economy, Idiots on Parade, Liberty, Politics: National, Politics: North Carolina
Tagged Occupy Raleigh, OWS
How quickly 100 days come and then go. Occupy Raleigh has been downtown at our state’s capital since October 15th, 2011. They’ve been fighting what some might call a noble fight. The idea that the American Dream has been taken from us, or that t has been somehow diminished by a subset of people with incredible wealth. At some level, that rings true; and is noble.
However, from a classic leftist playbook, the Occupy crowd continued to diminish it’s credibility while showing the world it is still nothing more than a fringe group of malcontents:
Raleigh, N.C. — Two Occupy Raleigh protesters were arrested Sunday as the movement marked the 100th day since it began in October.
The group held a march around the State Capitol called “100 Reasons to Demonstrate.”
Two men were taken into custody after they refused to get out of Fayetteville Street, police said. Nicholas Alan Warren Johnson, 25, and John Christopher Pearson, 33, were both charged with impeding the flow of traffic.
March. Demonstrate. Say what needs to be said. But let the world go about its business for the sake of all that’s holy.
There is simply no reason to walk in traffic just to be an ass.
But they do. And they continue to get arrested. And they continue to lose the dialogue. And they continue to just not matter.
Posted in Economy, Idiots on Parade, Lobby/PAC, Politics: North Carolina
Tagged North Carolina, Occupy Raleigh