Could George Washington Be Elected President in 2012?

With an angry, dispirited electorate looking to undermine the candidates of both parties even George Washington would have a hard time getting elected. I recently read some biographical information about George Washington and wondered how he would have fared in our current contentious congress and negative media coverage. He had several advantages: a lack of a 24-hour news cycle, no talk shows, a small group of eligible voters, and a reputation earned as the general of the Continental Army that defeated the British and set the stage for America’s independence. There’s a reason he is considered “The Father of our Country” and the “American Moses.” Much of it had to do with his size and presence, charisma, courage, character, and temperament. But even back then pundits sniped that... Read More

Maybe Governors Should Run the Country

If you want proof that the federal government has lost its way on fiscal leadership, then look no further than the spending cuts being made by individual states. The message is clear that if states want to be fiscally sound they no longer can look to the federal government for help. Long before anyone in the Obama administration recognizes the folly of out-of-control spending, state governors are taking the lead and making the painful cuts that the federal government should have been making instead of racking up this year a whopping $1.4 trillion deficit. Perhaps most telling is that state legislators recognize that levying more taxes will not fix the economy. While the Obama administration is poised to raise taxes on small businesses (where 75% of new jobs are created) they are contributing... Read More

Looking at Strike Three

If President Obama was trying to revive his approval ratings with his foreign tour and dance demonstrations, he’s heading in the wrong direction. First, he struck out in South Korea on getting a badly needed Free Trade Agreement ratified. Now he’s struck out again in the G-20 Summit where he was unable to convince world leaders to approve US currency policy changes and to put pressure on China to stop manipulating their currency. While there are no guarantees in international negotiations, the President’s inability to build consensus with foreign leaders can be traced to his administration’s disengagement on trade policies. Worse, world leaders have rejected America’s fiscal policies. Like most of us, the world leaders are skeptical that the Federal Reserve System’s creation... Read More

Living the LBJ Legacy

Several weeks ago I had suggested  President Obama thought that he was patterning himself after Lincoln.  But after doing some more thinking, I realized that the President’s channeling of former presidents does not stop with Lincoln. Now he thinks he’s LBJ. Not since LBJ in 1965 has any president attempted to pass so much of its agenda in one Congress.  LBJ called his plan The Great Society, during which major spending programs addressed education, health care (Medicaid and Medicare) , urban problems, and transportation.   Every social program under the sun got money thrown at it, as if that was the answer.   And the result was out of control spending and a greatly weakened presidency. Now President Obama is racking up unprecedented deficits by trying to initiative in a matter of... Read More

America in Wonderland

There is a new film rendition of “Alice in Wonderland” at theaters and it got me thinking how appropriate it was that “Alice in Wonderland” which was written by Lewis Carroll as a satire on English government and society, should be playing now.  As I see it there are quite a few parallels between Carroll’s book and America today. First, it is not Alice that fell down the rabbit hole; it is the American people. We woke up after an election and found ourselves in a weird Wonderland. It is a place where up is down and down is up. Where play money is being used like real money.  Where jobs disappear and cannot be found.  Where all the people who like their health insurance are at risk of losing their coverage.  Where citizens that simply wish to exercise their democratic... Read More

Faulty Allies & Forgotten Friends: Realpolitik

Remember when President Obama first took office and then proceeded immediately on his “International apology to the World” tour?  Instead of making friends, it showed America as a weakened partner.  And the damage has been done. We have put all of our support behind President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan as the country’s future, despite widespread corruption. We have spent billions of our treasure and thousands of American lives, only to have Karzai threaten to join the very enemy that we are fighting on his behalf. Then we pick a fight with Israel – the only democracy in the Mideast and a staunch ally that may play a role in stopping Iran’s nuclear program.  It’s folly. We try to make friends with our enemies and ignore our real friends. The New York Times recently... Read More

Sandbagging the Tea Baggers

When loyal Americans gathered in 1776 to demand a government that was responsive to the citizenry, they were called Patriots. Today, when loyal Americans gather to demand that their government be responsive to their wishes, they are called “crazies” or worse. The Tea Party movement has galvanized millions of Americans but it has also galvanized a small but powerful group of government and media representatives that demonize average citizens who just want their government to listen to their desires and stop interfering in their lives. On The Neal Asbury Show, I recently had as a guest Andrew Langer, President of the Institute for Liberty, an advocacy organization dedicated to “fighting the petty tyrannies of government and protecting America’s right to be free.” Langer’s group... Read More

Let’s Run America Like A Business

A recurring theme on The Neal Asbury Show is that my guests point to the obvious lack of business prowess among our leaders in Washington.  Can we really expect leaders who have never had to make payroll or pay for healthcare benefits to pass laws about these very policies?  Should we expect leaders who have never been involved in the manufacturing or export of products and services to appreciate the value of Free Trade Agreements?  Most importantly, if you have never been accountable for managing the P&L of a company operating within a responsible budget that allows an organization to remain economically viable, how can one understand the dangers of the suffocating deficits that are now so commonplace in our government? A recent guest on my show posed this: “Is there a Board of Directors... Read More

Tough Enough

Are you tough enough? As an American Entrepreneur and small business owner I have asked this question of myself countless times over the past twenty-five years. I still do. I equate this toughness with the concept of “conscientious equity”. “Conscientious” because it is right. “Equity” because we all have ownership in doing the right thing. Yet, through some selfless mentoring by people who practiced conscientious equity by tapping into their mental toughness the hard way – in the trenches of trade — they imparted to me the humility and humanity that has kept me plowing ahead at life’s most difficult crossroads. When it would have been easier to give up rather than face the challenges that beset all entrepreneurs, I recalled the life lessons that still guide me today.... Read More

A Call to Action

One of the overriding principles of a Democracy is the power of its citizenry to change the course of their country when they believe that it is heading in the wrong direction. That time has come for America. Amer icans can no longer s i t idly by as a few individual s take the country down a road that is diminishing its global and domestic leadership even as the average American is increasingly feeling powerless to change course. It is time for all Americans to become engaged in America’s future! Now there is a power ful outlet for you to let your voice heard. The Neal Asbury Show empowers every citizen by giving them an outlet to share their ideas and shape the course of a nation! It’s called: TAKE ACTION! TAKE ACTION! is a groundbreaking concept. It allows you to get involved by tapping... Read More