A Wealth Gap or a Crisis of Confidence?
Winston Churchill once wrote: “You don’t make the poor richer by making the rich poorer.” If he were sitting in the House chamber during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address, Churchill would have been flabbergasted by the contention that a “wealth gap” was the cause of the nation’s woes. It’s not a wealth gap that is slowing recovery – it’s a crisis of confidence in Obama’s ability to lead the nation. Some... Read More
A Cautionary Tale About Brain Drain
If you’re following the financial mess in Europe, the U.S. economy in comparison doesn’t look that bad. Yes, the United States is suffering through its worst economic malaise in more than a generation but our entrepreneurs, small business owners and inventors are giving us hope by slowly getting us back on our feet. That’s not the case in Europe, which is experiencing a domino effect as once financially viable countries are drowning in... Read More
Welcome to the Department of Global Commerce
Last week, President Barack Obama asked Congress for authority to close the Commerce Department and create a new export agency. Obama wants to put the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM), Overseas Private Investment Corp (OPIC), the Trade and Development Agency (TDA), the Small Business Administration (SBA) and parts of the Commerce Department under a new roof — something that has been... Read More
Five Hot Spots That Have Obama Running Scared
As we race toward the November election, you can be sure that President Barack Obama and his disciples will be ticking off his perceived accomplishments in his bid to win re-election. He will attempt to position himself as the tax-cutting, regulation-busting friend of small business. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If you listen closely, he will side-step the priorities he failed to accomplish in his three years in office, and won’t... Read More
My Prediction: US Will Return to Greatness Once Again in 2012
As this is the week of predictions, I have a prediction of my own. After nearly four years of crushed optimism, I predict that in 2012, America will get back on its feet by getting back to its roots. As a nation, we will rediscover our exceptionalism and stop making excuses for it, or worse, being ashamed by it. We have temporarily lost our way. We have turned our focus away from the heritage of our Democracy; a symbol of strength and fairness once... Read More
Top Job for US Must Be Re-selling American Exceptionalism
The Commerce Department recently released figures that from the start of the 2000s, U.S. multinational corporations added 1.5 million workers to their payrolls in Asia and another 477,500 workers in Latin America (not including Mexico). At the same time, some 864,000 U.S. jobs were cut. From 2000 to 2009, U.S. corporations increased employment in Canada by 1.0 million (up 6 percent); in the U.K. by 1.1 million (up 8 percent); in India by 453,000 (up... Read More
Our President Should Think Like a CEO
The Wall Street Journal recently convened its annual CEO Council. This year, some 100 CEOs gathered and concluded that the nation’s top five priorities are: • create a globally competitive tax system; • immigration policies should support innovation; • improve human capital; • upgrade our energy infrastructure; • invest in R&D. The question that must be asked is: Why doesn’t President Barack Obama and members of Congress come to... Read More
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
As I watch the general malaise gripping Washington, I find myself thinking about the lyrics of Tom Petty’s hit song: “The waiting is the hardest part.” I know I am not the only one waiting for something to happen to get this nation back on track. Our small businesses, entrepreneurs and 14 million unemployed feel an endless gnawing, the grinding of gears, as America performs like a broken clock. Time stands still. It has become all about... Read More
Obama, Congress Must Create Jobs, or Find New Work Themselves
As the so-called Super Committee failed to reach agreement on $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction, our politicians and their designated flame-throwers frothed in their “I told you so” antics, heaping blame on everyone besides themselves. The real failure, of course, was to demonstrate to the American people that Congress simply cannot work together and this country is totally devoid of leadership. In particular, it continues to reinforce the... Read More
There’s More to Asia Than China
Many Americans, including those in Congress, have a myopic view of the Asia-Pacific region. They only see China, but as the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Honolulu illustrated, we have 21 important trading partners with shores bordering the Pacific Ocean. To concentrate solely on China ignores the robust trading relationships the U.S. has with Asian nations. APEC, besides the United States, consists of Australia,... Read More
