Friday, March 7, 2008

Did you Just Get Robbed?

Do you have a 401K or pension that you feed but are not allowed to manage? Most pensions are this way, such a calpers. You feed in your savings for retirement, professional managers will make sure it is safe. Or not.

Check this out.

Why would the rating service do such a thing?

Check this out.

Money managers have a fiduciary responsibility to protect your investments. They are obliged to unload risky stuff, and buy good stuff. If a rating service says bad is good, and good is bad, your money manager can unload the one and buy the other, with no risk.

If the Arabs say to US Bankers "no more money until you get rid of the junk in your portfolios and load up on the good stuff" then the above would make sense as Wall Street loads up your pension with junk and takes out the good stuff for the bankers (ultimately the Arabs).

Who knows, just a guess. It's what I would do if I had Wall Street Power.

Even if you cannot manage your pension, you can see every trade made. Look now. Study what went out and what went in. Do any of the trades look like the securities in what is going on in the links above?


I Just Filed My Taxes

One fundamental in business is NEVER take unfair advantage of another party. It will not stand, your business will be on a shaky foundation...

Our tax system is unfair. It is so very clearly designed to benefit the rich and punish the poor and middle class. It will not last, but it will not necessarily get better. It is a shaky foundation our government stands on.

I am not a tax-resistor, and have no interest in fighting the IRS, even though I understand and agree with the arguments that it is unwarranted, unconstitutional, etc for the Feds to tax US citizens.

Jesus faced this problem. He was about to enter the Temple with Peter, when a tax collector wondered if Jesus would pay the tax. Of course Jesus was not obliged to pay the tax, but in order to not give offense, Jesus had Peter go catch a fish, in the mouth of which Peter would find the coins to pay the tax. I think the point being it is a miracle if any of us pays our taxes.

The left says we need to pay taxes to help the less fortunate, the right says we do to protect our country, as though any taxes collected does either, or as though the government is the best tool to achieve either goal.

Nonetheless, there is a logic to “we print the money and set up the system, you are thriving in the system, we want some back.” It is their system, pay your tax, don’t give offense. And really, in such a rotten system it is a miracle you get the wherewithal to pay your taxes, anyway, isn’t it?

I sold some gold in 2007, financing a project. Now, I buy gold because it is real money, and to protect my savings against the risk of fake money put out by the Federal Reserve Bank, the US Dollar. Buying gold is not taxable, (at least in Washington State) because you you are just exchanging money, it is not a retail sale (which is taxable here). As such it is very common for gold to be bought and sold in exchange for cash. Indeed, the margins are so tight gold dealers will not take credit cards in payment. Of course, as a cash transaction, such sales are easily hidden form the IRS. Why would the IRS care?

Here is where it gets weird: Oil has risen in the last 5 years or so 2.5 times in terms of the dollar, 1.5 times in terms of the euro, and has not risen at all in terms of gold. Gold protects the value of your savings. The government can print all the currency they want, diminishing the value of your savings. Buying gold preserves your savings against he damage done by the government to your savings.

Now, when I sold some gold last year, I had about doubled my money in terms of dollars, but maintained the buying power I had saved a few years earlier when I converted dollars into gold.

Nonetheless, the near doubling of the price of gold in terms of dollars is considered “capital gains” and thus is taxable. Isn’t that sweet? You can protect your savings, but in doing so you accrue tax liability.

I suspect a lot of people do not know this; or worse know it and keep the capital gains off the books. I disagree. It is best to comply and complain. If you do not comply, you have nothing to complain about, but you have legal liability. It is all downside. And, if someone does break the law and get caught, we who obey the law can file friend of the courts briefs defending the crook, telling the judge we comply ourselves but understand noncompliance, since the laws are unjust. Court actions are megaphones for complaining about injustice. Perhaps a jury would rightfully render a nullification verdict.

Yes, things are going badly as the Hamiltonian adventures begin to unravel. Being self-employed, I can make money in this mess. I can save in gold instead of dollars. I can short the market instead of believe in Wall Street. But I’d much rather make money in a free system, a beneficial system, which would allow others who are now blocked from participating by democrat and republican rules, to compete with me. It is not as interesting to make money in a corrupt system designed to benefit the likes of me. If we had free markets, I’d have more and better competitors.








UPS As Customsbroker

A Student asks:

I was wondering what you thoughts were on using UPS to function as a customs broker. I was pricing PO Boxes when I noted that they had such services available.

***

I recall when UPS was a regional parcel delivery company, which went national when Nixon slightly deregulated parcel delivery in USA. It was a huge change and benefit to business not to be forced into the US Post Office to ship a package across USA.

Fedex followed suit a few years later. With more deregulation in the 1980’s the emphasis switch to 3PL, or third party logistics. As the improvements in communications and transportation got better and cheaper, logistics as a competitive advantage became critical. Have cutomsbrokers and freight forwarders and the actual common carriers under one roof was a benefit to international business.

So UPS bought Fritz & Company customs brokers, Fedex bought The Tower Group brokers... and to make access even easier FEDEX bought Kinko’s to give a street level access to consumers shipping worldwide, and UPS followed suit by buying mailboxes etc.

I expect to see Fedex and Starbucks some day to joint venture in warehouse locations ... wait a minute... you just made me think of something... a business that is a warehouse to pack and ship for people... nothing new there... a coffee shop for people to meet... nothing new there... cubicle space to rent with central office equipment... nothing new there... but all in one place... that would be new... I just outlined the elements of a first-rate “business incubator” ... hmmm....

Anyway, to answer your question...

UPS is first rate... they charge a super-premium to make all the problems go away... but your job is to learn what your competitors do in the way of logistics and copy that... in every way you are the same as your competitors, except design.

And how come you are considering a PO Box...? Why add aggravation and cost? Why not simply work out of your home, and talk to your CPA about writing off part of your house, part of your phone, etc?



Thursday, March 6, 2008

Retail Up In Feb - But Wait...

Increase sales and go out of business... just about any company that fails see a sales increase just before th doors shut. of course, it is called liquidation. Another version is big sales and what did not sale, a few steps before liquidation.

An article tells us retailers got a bit of a reprieve in February. For the first time in I don't know how long, I made purchases at JCPenney and Sears in February. I occasionally walk malls to see what is going on, and observe certain departments to benchmark any changes. I got a couple of 100% cotton shirts at Sears for $6 each, normally $50. A sweater for $12 at Penney's, normally $80, the best they were selling in the fall. Those are pretty good prices, and in Feb you'd expect them to be pricing the last of their fall stock at clearance prices.

Problem was, this stuff was stacked to the ceilings. It wasn't the last, it looked like the first. The amount of inventory was overwhelming, meaning they didn't move it before Christmas as planned. And yes, they were enjoying a sales increase in February, because the stuff was going out the door below cost. And as I walked around, some menswear basics were sold out, like white tshirts, which suggests things are so bad they cannot replenish basics.

Their model of selling at a loss and making it up on the credit card interest rate is self-defeating during a recession. Be careful if you get orders from Macy's, Sears, JCPenney's, stick with small repeat orders, if at all... my guess is in this downturn some if not all of them will go under.



Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Anti-Intellectual Property Rights Law

Today in class yet another student mentioned he had sunk a fortune, well, $60K, into intellectual property rights for his product. My rule of thumb is if you have spent over nine months or $900 getting to the point you have enough orders in hand from customers to cover the suppliers' minimum, in a workable amount of time, profitably, then something is wrong. Email me and I'll point it out. the fellow lamented he had not taken my class first.

This begged the question, do people who have massive sunk costs in IPR become reticent about redesign of their product, redesign based on customer feedback? Enough redesign and you need a new patent... are people inclined to die with their investment, so to speak?

Along those lines, when the firs iPods came out, I caught wind of websites where you could buy iPods from the factory that made them for Apple. You could buy the software from the codewriters who wrote ipod software for Apple. You could put the two together at a lower cost than buying directly from Apple.

Too few people did so to make it a viable operation. Apple marketing, not IPR is what protects Apple. We do not need an IPR regime in USA.

Either of these two points might make good master's theses for an MBA candidate.





I Told You So.

It's not hard, try it: "what if that is not true?" This is an exercise you can try on your own, anytime. It will improve your ability to come up with ever more accurate products, meaning matching ever more closely customer demand.

You can do this right now, in a way that will in no way harm you. Of course, I am referring to the political season. Since Hillary is already President of USA (George who?), it will cost you nothing to voice this mantra:

"What if that is not true?"

Here are some current headlines on Drudgereport

Clinton Hints At Sharing Ticket With Obama...

What if that is not true?

Pelosi: Voters will decide nominee, not party leaders at the convention...

What if that is not true?

You can do this in other fields...

Gulf investors may not save CITIGROUP, Dubai executive says...

What if that is not true?

It is easy, anyone can do it. It's the question that challenges the status quo. You may find statements being made to you when you come up with a better idea. You say "Why don't they just....?" and they say, "It cannot be done that way." You must be ready to say...

What if that is not true?

"Ron Paul will not run on a third party ticket." What if that is not true? "You mean he lied?!" Calm down, he is a politician. Even my hero Thos. Jefferson was a scamster for the years he was president.

I hope Ron Paul does. He won't win, because Hillary will be (is) our next president. But his supporters are our customers. If he runs it will get easier to serve our customers in USA.


Gold Nears $1000, Silver Crosses $20

Folks,

We are told gold and silver are just another commodity. Then how come they are shooting up when other commodities are flat or trending down? When the rest of the market is dropping, why are they shooting up? Because gold and silver are not just commodities, they are money. For the last six months almost all news has said "buy now" regarding stocks. If you believed them, you've done poorly. If you knew them to be lying, then you'd act on it, double short all of the indexes, and now be up 30% since October 2007.

During the dot.com boom they were lying too, but you could make money going along, if you knew they were lying. I got in on Talkcity.com at 23 cents and got out at $13 plus. I also closed out all positions in Feb 2000 and avoided the bust.

My point is not to say I know what is going to happen, I don't. I don't give advice either. None of these moves was due to my cleverness. It has to do with being self-employed, which features two important benefits: you are on your own, your mistakes are your own, so you are more careful, and skeptical especially when you need be, you also are careful to get your facts straight: gold is money.

Second is you are tied into to countless other small business self employed, and if you are like me, the vast majority are smarter and more successful. They willingly share their views. If I've ever made any money whatsoever, it is solely due to their perspicacity.

Get your business going.


Tuesday, March 4, 2008

I Tolerate Dissent

Recently someone asked me how many people who read my book or take my class are successful? I said "100%." I assume people take my class or read my book, or both, to learn about small business international trade, and so I have a 100% success rate.

No, No they say, how many people are successful because they took your class? Well, then... I'll have to say zero. Nobody is successful because they took my class. At best, I save them time and money getting to the point, that is, a viable business. With or without my class these people would be successful.

Had a telephone conversation today with a fellow who is moving right along, building a business based on high-end guitar cases, fighting the idea musicians want inexpensive cases. His premise is simple, "musicians care about their instruments, and will pay a premium price for a premium case." He makes in one country and sells in three countries so far.

This fellow dissents from my instructions inasmuch as he insists on developing a brand. I remonstrated with him not to do it, be he insisted. In fact, he made me give him ideas on how to achieve his goals. "How to" is all in the book of course, the part on "ad allowances" and proof of tear sheets.

Anyway, here is a fellow doing well while disagreeing with me. I like that. Hegelian dialectic and all that. He said he will keep in touch, so we may hear more. Check out his site. http://www.monocase.com/ As you can see I've made no visible contribution to this fellow's success, he obviously has his own passion, and has found an area where he can make the world a little bit better: guitar cases. At best I've saved him some time and money.



Monday, March 3, 2008

The Microsoft Fallacy

Another fear is what I call the Microsoft fallacy: that street vendors in China are selling bootlegged copies of Microsoft Works for $5 a copy, thus Microsoft is denied a $400 sale. Of course this is absurd, since Chinese earning $100 a month are never going to pay $400 for a copy of Microsoft works. Microsoft is out nothing, because the Chinese paying $5 was never a customer anyway.

Nonetheless, it is claimed we lose $4.6 billion a year in lost software sales to China alone. USA taxpayers cough up prodigious amounts to combat this nonproblem that Microsoft faces. Moms are forced to go to work to pay taxes so the govt can afford to send govt jobholders overseas to deal with this.

We must understand that not everyone is a customer. People find factories using slave labor to make Tommy Hilfiger clothing. The factory has nothing to do with Tommy Hilfiger, has never had any contact with Tommy, has merely reverse engineered Tommy clothes. The clothing made there goes to people who would never otherwise buy Tommy Hilfiger. Tommy loses nothing, in fact gains.

Across from Hong Kong Marco Polo Hotel on Canton Road is the Official Rolex Dealer Store. Outside the store is where you buy fake Rolexes. The people outside the store would never be a customer for a real Rolex. When fake Rolexes are sold, Rolex gets free advertising.

People selling “our items” made in factories having nothing to do with us, selling to people who would never pay us anything anyway, is hardly a problem for us. Politicians devote their lives solving problems that do not exist; it is not for us to follow suit.

If you really want to stop piracy, then use business means not legal means. Legal means is “intellectual property rights.” Business means are a bit more mature in process.

Say Levi Strauss needs 100,000 pairs of bluejeans for the “legitimate” Taiwan market. They hire #1 Bluejean Factory in Taiwan to produce for Taiwan.

Presently, the legal response, #1 Bluejean Factory produces 100,000 pairs, and makes their profit, and is finished. At the same time, someone in the factory steals the specs and knocks off Levis in “Sandakan #8” selling them on the black market. #1 Bluejean Factory could care less about pirates, because they have made their money working to contract.

The business response is for Levis to hire #1 Bluejean Factory in Taiwan to produce 100,000 pairs for Taiwan for Levi’s market. Next Levi’s agrees to have #1 Bluejean Factory in Taiwan make as many more jeans as #1 Bluejean Factory in Taiwan can sell, at whatever price they want to make and sell the jeans at. And #1 Bluejean Factory in Taiwan agrees to pay Levi’s 8% (or whatever) on everything else #1 Bluejean Factory in Taiwan makes and sells. So Levi’s makes money on markets it never otherwise reached.

Now watch what else happens: since #1 Bluejean Factory in Taiwan makes money on every pair of jeans made and sold, #1 Bluejean Factory in Taiwan has an interest is shutting down unauthorized jeans coming out of Sandakan #8 factory. #1 Bluejean Factory will use local, Taiwanese methods to curb Sandakan #8 factory, at no cost to USA working moms.

The Chinese fellow selling pirated software for $5 is making money. At no cost to Microsoft. So the Chinese fellow knows how to make money selling microsoft products to people in China that Microsoft is unable to reach.

Apparently no one in Microsoft knows how to reach this market. The problem probably starts with Bill Gates, who recently said “capitalism works "only on behalf of those who can pay."

The meaning here is the only possible sceanrio is to pay $400 to Bill Gates. Never mind “capitalism” (the enemy’s terminology which I’ll let slide for now) can also means a poor person selling another poor person pirated software, benefitting both. Bill Gates became a billionaire in a system that is not free market (see the Consent Decree of 1994) and then has the temerity to announce the free market is flawed, and he will tell us how to fix it. Since the system Bill Gates profited from does not help the poor, the rest of the world must take instruction form Bill Gates. How about you just let poor people doing you no harm make money in a free market, instead of making USA taxpayers foot the bill it costs to destroy poor peoples initiative overseas?

And never mind Microsoft software, the Gates Family are ardent supporters of Washington State Inheritence tax, which destroys small businesses, in spite of the fact the Gates have a army of lawyers making sure Microsoft billions stays in the family, free of any inheritance tax.
.
A legal structure is necessary to commerce, and private is best, but in USA we go too far inasmuch we infantilise people educated for business. We teach business people in USA to convert all business problems to legal problems. We teach them to run weeping to judges for redress when the law really has nothing to offer, and anyway business skill is necessary and sufficient, for rich and poor.

USA is a prodigious exporter. Of highly subsidized items. Otherwise we are very poor businesspeople when we compete worldwide. Business skill in USA is atrophying. The only way to regain it is to exercise in free markets. Job # 1 is get rid of intellectual property rights in USA, and certainly do not resort to their use. Or maybe job #1 is get rid of the get rid of of the charitable foundation trust laws, which provides the addled rich government protection from the free markets.


Products, Patent and Competition

This from someone I am yet to meet...

Hello Mr. Spiers!

I just read your book "How Small Business Trades Worldwide" and I wanted to first thank you for such a great book and second ask some questions that hopefully you could answer or send me in the right direction to answer myself. Of the books I've read on import/export your angle and unique experience and understanding of trade really stand out. I specifically wanted to ask you a little more about your advice on avoiding patents.

In one example, I'm looking to have a new type of game controller manufactured for me (this would be one product of many, many products - certainly not my specialty in any sense). I would prefer to follow your advice and NOT get a patent and avoid the legal hassle, paperwork and wasted time. However, a business-major friend of mine has told me that another company could copy the idea and PATENT IT THEMSELVES. I'm not TOO worried about them copying it... but them patenting my own idea would really piss me off!

***I believe to patent in USA it must be new and yours, among other criteria. Once you sell something across a state line, it is no longer new. So unpatentable. Might check this.***

Also, I'm not certain how often we would redesign the product (the new concept itself is the big innovation, after that I don't see much in the way of improvement) -

***Two part answer: Check out "perturbility rate" google brings up nothing... but long ago I read an article about BART in SF Bay area, and why it did not perform as advertised. Engineer said too much new tech interacting... the lesson was "piecemeal out innovation in digestible chunks..." part two... of course YOU do not see much in the way of improvement, but your customers will... Jobs had no idea the iPod would morph into the iPhone...***

which your book implies would eventually get us shouldered out of the market by high volume competitors. What do you think?

***I think that big boys flow into the vacuum we create when we move on to newer more profitable ideas... We invest $5000, return ten thousand, this goes on over years ... later as we come up with alternatives and as we see a given item where we are, years into iterations, investing 5,000 and returning 9 thousand, we begin to phase that item out in favor of new items, based on customer feedback, wherein we invest 5 and return 10 again... our hapless supplier watches us lose interest in a product he makes, and we in turn are pleased to see them pull some residual value for themselves by selling to the big boys. Something like that...does that make sense? ***

I believe the future of my company lies in constantly developing many different types of novel products - and in that sense it's very similar to your concept of constantly innovating on the design of a single product. Our novel products might get copied elsewhere but we'd keep innovating by creating new ones.

***Well, I have merely stated what others taught me... what you just said is exactly what Steve Jobs does...and every other thriving small businessperson.***

I know nothing of the "hassle" of filing a patent. If it were easy (I don't even know if you have to pay to do it or not) then I'd do it just to keep people out of the market longer,

***Jeff Bezo's reason for patenting "one-click ordering" was to keep from getting sued by some pirate. it is a terrible cost which contributes to USA non-competitiveness and copntributes to the reason people prefer say Airbus to Boeing. Your customer satisfaction keeps people out of your market forever. It is necessary and sufficient.***

but if it's really time-consuming and/or expensive then I'd be more inclined to avoid the process.

***It does not work as advertised, so don't bother.***

Well, I'm sure you're busy and I don't mean to waste your time. I would really appreciate any information or advice you could give on the subject, even if it's only a link! Thanks so much!

**Never a waste of time to answer questions... I need to invent time in a can or something..need more...***



Trading From China

Folks,

Here is a fellow student facing challenges of trading FROM China...
****

About Registered Capital:
Registered capital is the money that you need to have in the bank in
order for the Chinese government to consider letting a company register
here (about 100,000 rmb). I completely agree with you and if I do not
have to worry about that at the moment, then I won’t bother.

***Don't ever put YOUR RMBY100,000 in any bank as a bond at any time. The Chinese are wonderful savers. When you have customers, then find a group of savers who will deposit their money for your bond and you pay double the bank interest rates to them. That will be cheaper than tying up your own money, and safer.***

I would
love to know more about how to identify customers from the exporting
end and work from there. I see what you mean about having buyers and
not mere dreams and expectations.


***Chapter eight in the book lays that out, and I would follow the principles as applying to you in China as an exporter to the USA...***


I have made a database of many different suppliers and businesses
across the U.S, and I am learning more about specific products. I feel
that if I have a competitive price and a good product, then I would
have no apprehension in contacting them all. I have been interested in
these products since I was young and think it is an exciting and noble
industry. I do have a passion to work in that sector.


***Very good... this database makes you valuable to the chinese, you gather market intelligence at a cost lower than they can do it, because you can also analyze it. Sell that to the Chinese. It has two values... 1. possible USA market, and 2. how USA competes in third country markets. Sell what you learn. Or make it valuable by keeping it discreet, and use the info to make money where they cannot because they do not know what you know.***


I see that I must have a customer base first before I continue any
plans to get my business going. What I want to know is how I can
convince buyers to buy from an unregistered trader? Would red flags go
up when I told them that I have no company and no experience? Does this
matter to a potential buyer? Should I use your example from class
(first call, give a price, specs and ask)? I mean similar to going into
the store and asking the owner if they would buy such and such a
product but instead do it with an importer? I have no experience in the
business. Is this a common occurrence in the trade business? If so,
then I will get started!

***I've never heard anyone ask or offer "registered trader" bona fides. I suspect there are few if any people with such documentation. I would say without it you are subject to more "fees" as you export a given item. The "registration” will have a communist party chop on it. I know when I travel on business with an invitation with the communist party chop, things are easier and smoother. Travelling without is still possible, and still fine, but it is different. I suspect this registration is the same thing.

Your “bona fides” are implicit and tested in the payment and shipment anyway, that is where the scrutiny gets close.***


Say, for example, the importer in USA says, “yes”. How do I then proceed
to export the product to him? Can I use the manufacturing company’s name forthe invoice? I feel like then the company would do the same thing as before mentioned. They would keep the invoice in their database and then contact the customer on their own. If I do not have a license,
then I must depend on the company to legally send the product in bulk.
How do I keep my added value from becoming only temporary?

***Work with a freight forwarder outfit like Expeditors International. You get the order, have Expeditors pick it up at the factory, take it to Expeditor's godown, where they label it and cut all the shipping documents. To the Chinese manufacturer it is just another domestic sale. They have no idea where it went, and the USA importer only knows it came from China. But I get back to, “know what your value is,” one that no one will go around.***


A businessman that I know well back home advised me that the supplier will probably have a way of tracking one's orders anyway so I need not worry do much about someone "going around me". I just establish the relationship and if I get snaked on the deal, then I just keep locating new buyers. I also re-read the chapter on exporting so I see your concerns on "making economic sense" with the deal.


***I answered you before I read that...yes...***

My inclinations are that the buyers can establish a trust and relationship
with me and know that I will source and find the product they need at a
good price. I do not feel obligated to use this particular Chinese
factory as my only source. I have already looked at other suppliers and see some items that are quite interesting.

***Yes, you want to be the go-to guy for this Chinese product, and for the Chinese the go-to guy for USA customers.***

That is why I have looked into registering a business. I want to be as
independent of the factories as possible. Like you said, I want to be a
customer and not become an expendable worker for some factory…

***Check that... how does a registration make you independent? Imagine this: You scrape up RMB100,000.... you land USA buyers... they pay $50,000 which you owe $45,000 to a factory. Your partner, you learn, has a gambling problem and paid the factory $500 to put newspapers in your shipment to USA, or somehow otherwise made a switch. Your partner has gambled the money away. The authorities have seized the RMB100,000 bond and are looking for you. You may escape to USA, but if you do, you'll face a civil suit here for shipping newspapers instead of the product ordered and paid for... have I scared you? Good. If you are going to depend on friends in China, make the friend a communist party member.***

Also, the industry is growing pretty fast and I am wondering if
it is too big for my britches. Do you think that it is a good idea to
get into this or do you think big industry will just swallow a beginner
like me up?

***Here is your best line of defense.... get trusted in a small thing. $5000 worth of applied technology power switches. Some thing specially designed, everyone wants and no one can get. Then work on frequency, not volume. I don't care if you have to do 5 shipments a week, splitting them up will be protection inasmuch no one shipment will draw mischief, and if any one shipment goes wrong, you can amortize the cost over all the others...***

Innovation: I have been thinking of unique items of my own that involve heating homes inexpensively. I have considered Korea where many folks use the under the floor piping to heat their apartments.

***Yes... I recall hearing about the korean floor piping back in the 70's when everyone was talking about global cooling.

A key thing to be wary of is if and when you ever feel anyone is doing you a favor. If so, then something is very wrong. You should be clear at all times your role and value. The "friend" thing worries me. If you are not providing a value, don't participate. If you are make sure each knows it. And accept no favors.

Take a super premium on a small thing people need and vcannot get, which likely means your designs. Small frequent shipments. Start with customers and without all of the rigamarole. You cna worry about the rest when you are big and know what you are doing...***


Hillary Update - Small Business

Drudgereport announces Hillary is being pressured to quit. The Governor of Ohio, a Clinton supporter says he may have trouble delivering Ohio to Hillary. Of course.

When Hillary is president, she’ll face many challenges, and by then she will have played a script that shows her a scrappy trench fighter, just the kind of Commander-in-Chief USA needs in the wars and challenges American faces, for our children, etc.

As I said before, I don’t usually make predictions, and I am not making one now: Hillary will be president. They have decided.

“They” are the ones that lied us into Iraq, award $4.6 billion dollar “translation services” contracts for Iraq (I’ll tell you what the Iraqis are saying for half that), accept that US$8 billion cash disappeared one day in Iraq, they are the ones who created the mortgage debacle, “they” are both dems and repubs.

I heard some Obama supporters claiming there would be massive protest if the rules are bent to give Hillary the presidency. Why? Nothing happened when it was given to George Bush. The democrats were given control to congress to end the war, their first act was to crack down on internet dissent. And then vote for a surge in Iraq, which has failed, too. If the point of the surge was to get enough ahead so we can leave, why are we not leaving? The reason is that the surge has failed. There is talk of the duration being 100 years, and there is no protest. There is strong evidence of treason in the state department and Henry Waxman is tying up hearings time and FBI agents to find out if Roger Clemens took supplements.

Small business is resistance. It challenges the status quo in a radical way. No one business makes a difference, but serving each other in small business obviates the need for what these scoundrels claim to provide. Hillary promises health care. As defined by government.

California is going bankrupt at various government levels. What the government defines as education and police protection is not what you and I would buy, and what the govt is selling is breaking the state financially.

The Texas and Ohio contests will be close. A tight race. Exciting television and talkradio. Much is riding on the results. That is why “they” have already decided the outcome. Too much is at stake to leave it to chance, or worse, the people.

After Hillary’s hard-fought campaign against great odds, you can rest assured she’ll be a great president. And have you noticed all of our greatest presidents were war presidents?

Not mine. Mine are Grover Cleveland, the last president to veto a congressional spending bill on the grounds it was unconstitutional. And of course, Jimmy Carter who deregulated beer production, which allowed a wonderful microbrew industry to flourish in USA.

A much larger war requires sacrifices, and will make personal concerns about the mortgage mess and empty pensions seem so selfish. On the other hand, Bill Clinton wandering around the White House for eight years with nothing to do will be priceless entertainment.