July 4, 1776 and July 4, 2009

It’s hard not to think about The Declaration of Independence this time of year. What an incredibly brave thing it was for the men who signed it. They risked their fortunes and their lives doing so. Telling “Old King George” to essentially stick it was a risky proposition.

With all that’s going on, and sadly not going on in Washington these days, I offer you the text of the original document from the National Archives to read then think about. Pay attention to what these men were saying and the point they were trying to make about freedom and representative government; a government that truly serves the best interests of the people and doesn’t interfere with their lives or businesses. A “Less is more” approach.

Happy birthday America, may you continue on for centuries to come.

-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.

In Congress, July 4, 1776.
A Declaration
By the REPRESENTATIVES of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
In GENERAL CONGRESS assembled.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When, in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. -- Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock Trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

All the news that’s fit to Twitter.

Iran’s government is doing all it can to keep the outside world from finding out what’s happening inside Iran. Reporters have been arrested, kicked out and certainly not let back in.

Yet news is getting out. How?

Twitter. The whole world is watching via dispatches of 140 characters or less.

It’s easy to make fun of Twitter. For many, it’s posting something like “Just picked up a latte then picking up dry cleaning.” Z-z-z-z-z-z.

To their credit, more and more news organizations are incorporating Twitter into their operations.

To the credit of computer savvy citizens of Iran, we’re learning first-hand about the incredible courage and bravery it takes to stand up to an authoritarian regime like that of Iran.

This isn’t about technology trumping tyranny but the people with the courage to use that technology.

The Twitter heard ‘round the world.

-John

John W. Scherer

John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.

You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.

Is social media making us less social?

We’ve been reading and hearing a lot about social media these days. One of my favorite cartoon strips, Zits, has had more than a few themes dealing with Jeremy texting his mom and dad instead of talking to them. Even when he’s in the same room.

With Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter and the myriad of Web 2.0 web sites available, it looks like it might be too much of a good thing.

I just read results by the Annenberg Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California. They’ve been studying time we spend with our families, and the numbers aren’t good. According to results released last week, Annenberg says 28 percent of Americans surveyed are spending more time away from their families. That’s up from 11 percent in 2006.

It’s no surprise the same study shows teens spending more time than ever online.

Not that many years ago television was blamed for cutting into family time. But at least families can watch television together. Not so much surfing the Net unless you're texting or Twittering across the kitchen table.

In a way today’s technology, from PDA’s to social sites, allows parents to keep tabs on their kids more than ever.

But nothing beats face time. One-on-one conversation. “How was your day?” comes across much better in person, rather than texting.

Like everything else, it’s all about balance. We’re in our 22^nd year of business here at Video Professor, teaching people how computing saves time for more important things.

So enjoy the technology. Twitter away, but make a point of carving out regular family time where you can be in a real room instead of a chat room, where you can reach out and hug a loved one rather than text them.

It’s all about balance. Keep family in the mix.

-John

John W. Scherer

John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.

You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.

New era for entrepreneurs?

I blogged earlier about the uncertain future facing a lot of graduates this year; jobs are tight.

Listening to an interview recently between Colin Cowherd of ESPN® and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban about entrepreneurship got me thinking back to my first days in business.

Cuban thinks we may have a new era of entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship isn’t exclusive to the United States, but we’re as good at it, if not better, than anyone else. Every time the economy has gone down, Cuban says, entrepreneurs have built it back up bigger than ever.

I agree.

The Merriam-Webster® dictionary describes an entrepreneur as “One who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.” I’ll get back to a keyword in that description in a moment.

Cuban made the point that new graduates choosing to start their own businesses better get used to continuing to live like college students! He believes there is some young person out there who will come up with the next big thing. People believe that if Bill Gates and Michael Dell (or even the Video Professor) could do it, they can to.

Despite the ads you see about “being your own boss,” showing pictures of people lounging around swimming pools enjoying the good life, starting a business from nothing is hard work. There is no time to spend around swimming pools, and after long days, get used to sleepless nights. A lot of them.

Okay, back to the description of entrepreneurship. Look at the word “Risk.” There are no guarantees of success. The huge majority of start-up businesses fail in the first year.

We here at Video Professor are in our 22^nd year of business. I wouldn’t change one bit of the experience. Were there tough times? Absolutely, but great times as well.

I started out as a contractor when I moved to Colorado. Then, I began manufacturing PC-clone computers. Customers came back to us asking for an alternative to complicated operating manuals. There weren’t any. So we created our own. The solution to a problem became my business.

What I did learn is that if you keep on showing up, surround yourself with talented and dedicated people and, oh yes, put any thoughts of hanging around the swimming pool out of your head, you can succeed. Just about every day other people will tell you to give it up, that you can’t go on. Don’t listen to them. Listen to yourself.

So, for you kids with diplomas and resumes in hand, but the hiring doors shut, take stock of yourself. What are you good at? Is there a service you can provide to others that is unique, special and affordable? Are you willing to start from your kitchen table or your parents’ kitchen table? Are you willing to eat a lot of peanut butter knowing the steak might come later?

If so, go for it. This is a good time to become an entrepreneur. I look forward to “trying YOUR product.”

John

John W. Scherer

John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.

You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.

June 6, 1944 and June 6, 2009

This past Saturday we marked the 65^th anniversary of the Allied landings on Normandy. Yanks, Brits, Canadians, Free French and many other nations landed on those beaches—securing a beachhead that led to the demise of the Third Reich. Many never made it off the beach alive, or if they did, were horribly injured.

These brave soldiers, sailors and airmen fought tyranny, believing that freedom was far superior. History has proven them right over and over again.

The tanks, jeeps, etc. they used were manufactured by companies like General Motors® and Chrysler®. Detroit automakers, like so many other businesses, retooled for the war effort.

When the war ended, many of those who survived went back to work in those plants, building the cars that had become legendary, and the envy of the world.

I wonder how those few survivors still left would think about the current circumstances with GM® and Chrysler. GM government-owned, Chrysler managed by an Italian company. Those circumstances dictated by the government.

I wonder how these members of the “Greatest Generation” who came back and believed in paying cash for cars and houses and living well within their means while they built America would feel about our impending $10 trillion deficit.

I wonder how this generation who defined self-sufficiency would feel about paying the bills of those who spent foolishly, made bad decisions and got deep in debt, thinking that life was a free ride.

I wonder.

John

John W. Scherer

John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.

You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.

Pomp and Circumstance: 2009 Edition

Based on the number of decorations and balloons, etc. I’ve seen in neighborhood front yards, a lot of kids are graduating either from high school or college.

 

Congratulations to the Class of 2009!

 

Chances are good that you’ve been told about the challenging economic times ahead and the uncertain job market, etc. You’re not the first.

 

My parents lived through the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Compared to that, what we’re experiencing today is a mere blip.

 

I graduated from high school in 1965 and from college in 1971. The 1960’s were the most turbulent time in our history since the American Civil War. President Kennedy was assassinated, as was his brother, Senator Robert Kennedy. Civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also fell victim to the sniper’s bullet.

 

The Vietnam War was tearing the country apart.

 

Yet, the generations of those times survived and thrived. It’s what Americans do best.

 

No doubt you’re getting all sorts of advice. I’m going to chime in with some as well based on my own experience running businesses ever since I got out of college.

 

The world doesn’t owe you a living.

Despite what you’ve been reading, the government doesn’t owe you a living and won’t pay your bills. It doesn’t have the money. Now that you have a degree, it’s time to start your new life. My sense is that your generation will be a truly entrepreneurial one. Maybe you’ll be the ones to figure out how to make money with social networking sites!

 

Beware of marble floors.

When you show up for a job interview, unless you’re applying at a museum, be wary of marble floors and fancy paintings in the lobby. It means that the business is spending money on things that don’t build the business. Not a good sign.

 

Save for a rainy day.

I just read about a former news anchor that had been making $250,000 a year when he lost his job due to the downturn in the broadcasting business. Six months later he was borrowing money to make car payments. Don’t let rainy days, Mondays and layoffs get you down.

 

Beginning with your first paycheck, start your “Rainy Day Fund.” I guarantee you that it will rain sometime during your life. Very likely more than once!

 

Companies today that will survive tomorrow, like Dell®, Google® and Yahoo! ®, all have plenty of cash reserves, in the tens of billions of dollars. It’s raining, and that cash makes a great umbrella. They don’t need bailouts, nor do they want them. They understand the free enterprise system is a tough one, but since 1776 it’s the system that has worked best.

 

It works in baseball; it will work for you.

Don’t worry about hitting homeruns when you start your career. Concentrate on singles and doubles and watch out for strikeouts and errors. Focus on the basics and the homeruns will come soon enough.

 

So good luck to the Class of 2009. I wish you every success. We’re going to need you to help pay the bills that the government is running up today. (So will your kids, by the way.)

 

-John

John W. Scherer

John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.

You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.

Aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz: Part 2.

It took me a couple days to catch my breath after spending about 30 hours aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, a floating city with a punch.

 

As I blogged last week, the tail hook landing was something else. One second you’re flying, and the next second you’re stopped. But the entire crew at NAS, San Diego prepared us for the experience.

(An F/A-18 Hornet prepares to grab the 3-Wire.-Photo by John W. Scherer)

 

As soon as we landed, flight operations continued with fighter jets landing and taking off within a few feet of us.

 

We were quickly ushered inside for a briefing. When you’re on an aircraft carrier there are a lot of do’s, and especially a lot of don’ts. Aircraft carriers are warships, and they are dangerous places to work regardless of what your job is on the ship. Operations continue 24 hours a day and crewmembers work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week with no days off.

 

Our first stop was the bridge, which is a great place to observe flight operations. The captain of the Nimitz, Michael A. Manazir, showed us around. Seeing how the crew's focus was on the bridge (and everywhere onboard) was incredible.

(John W. Scherer with Captain Michael A. Manazir)

(The discipline, organization and pride are evident.-Photo by John W. Scherer)

 

The world situation being what it is, we were on an official wartime footing while at sea. No room for mistakes. And they don’t make any aboard the Nimitz. Many of the crew are just kids in their late teens or early 20’s. We don’t pay them nearly enough for the sacrifices they make to keep us safe and free. Their families make huge sacrifices, too. Imagine having a loved one gone for six months at a time.

 

With over 1,100 feet of length, a flight deck 4.5 acres in size and a crew of some 5-thousand men and women, everything about the Nimitz impresses. The enemy never sleeps, and neither does the United States Navy. The Nimitz represents the best of the best. I was just so proud to meet the officers and enlisted crewmembers.

(Some of the folks who work the toughest job in the world: keeping us free.)

(Prepping an A-6 Intruder for flight.-Photo by John W. Scherer)

 

If you love peace and quiet, an aircraft carrier isn’t the place to be. It’s noisy all the time, everywhere you go. It’s not just the jets, but the powerful catapults that launch the planes, the arrester gear that stops the planes plus the noise of machinery, the crew and the sounds of a warship at sea.

 

As big as the ship is, space is at a premium both on the flight deck and below deck. Privacy is also at a premium. Yet, thousands of crewmembers, men and women, find a way to make it work. The key is training and discipline. After a 12-hour day, most of us would just like to hit the pillow. Not aboard the Nimitz. Crewmembers are working on getting degrees, advancing their skill sets, taking care of laundry and of course grabbing some chow. Talk about appetites!

(John W. Scherer presents the Nimitz with a complete Video Professor learning library.)

 

Ultimately it’s the flight operations that absolutely stun you. Planes landing and taking off just a few feet from where you’re standing takes your breath away. Another thing you never do on an aircraft carrier is let your mind wander.

(Open 24/7, the ship never sleeps.-Photo by John W. Scherer)

(The “Island”-Photo by John W. Scherer)

(The fighter behind John will go from zero to 160 knots in just seconds.)

(The “Cat,” a.k.a. world’s biggest slingshot!)

 

The bottom line is that I can’t think of a better career for a young man or woman than our military. It’s not for everyone because you can’t just be “anyone” and make it aboard a ship like the Nimitz. The skills, the discipline and the focus on excellence are of the highest level. There are no unimportant jobs. Pilots; the crew both above and below the flight deck; the specialists who work on the bridge, prep the planes for flight, manage the weapons systems, choreograph the ballet of dozens of planes taking off and landing at the same time; the engineers who manage the nuclear propulsion systems and even the cooks all play a key role in keeping the ship, shipshape.

 

I just don’t have the words to describe the pride I have in them, the feeling in my heart knowing they take the battle to the enemy, the knowledge that they volunteered to do it and above all how they work with a level of pride and excellence that is far too rare these days.

 

There are simply none better anywhere. Their work gets far too little attention or appreciation. The last thing you want to do is mess with them. They’ll hit back and hit back hard. It’s their job, and they’re committed to it 24/7, 365 days a year.

(John W. Scherer makes a new friend aboard the Nimitz.)

(The Nimitz packs a punch.-Photo by John W. Scherer)

(Don’t mess with the Navy, because this is what you get in return.)

 

My time aboard the Nimitz, getting to know the fine men and women who defend this nation aboard one of the most powerful warships in the world, is a memory I’ll keep forever.

 

I’m free to write this, free to come to work and run my business, not to fear someone coming to take me away in the middle of the night because of all the members of our military.

 

They volunteered for the job and make incredible sacrifices, and I hope this blog will make you think about them, even for just a few moments and appreciate what they do for us.

 

My trip was an absolutely incredible experience for a land-bound CEO who learned more than a few things and is better for it.

 

Thank you Captain Manazir and your entire crew; I salute you all.

 

-John

John W. Scherer

John is CEO and Founder of Video Professor, Inc.

You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com

Aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz: Part 1.

A few years back I shared a story with you about my day spent aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain. I’m a member of the United States Navy’s Leaders to Sea program.

Leaders to Sea allows business, government and community leaders to get a first-hand look at how the wonderful men and women of the United States Navy do their jobs when at sea. It’s a great learning experience for all involved. During a standard six-month deployment, crewmembers work 12-hour days, seven days a week. No days off. Watching how their commanders keep them motivated is a great lesson for any CEO.

Note to taxpayers: I pay all my expenses from travel to food.

I was fortunate enough to get a second opportunity at sea, this time aboard one of the largest military ships in the world, the CV-68 aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.

My day started at Naval Air Station, San Diego where I received a briefing about the ship, and of course all that’s involved when a civilian flies out to land on an aircraft carrier! Our transportation was aboard a Grumman C-2 Greyhound, a military twin engine turboprop for carrier onboard delivery, also referred to as COD. It ferries crewmembers, equipment, mail and any other necessities to and from ships like the Nimitz.

For those of you who’ve traveled on an airliner, you make a nice level approach, a gentle landing and you slow down gently until you taxi up to your gate. A carrier landing is completely different.

As we approached the Nimitz, it felt like we were just a few feet over the ocean. Because we were! We circled in a holding pattern on the starboard (right) side of the Nimitz until we were cleared to land. Then came a left turn for our downwind approach to the ship. Looking out the window, you see what a magnificent ship the Nimitz is.

At this point the aircrew is flying at an airspeed just fast enough to keep us in the air. The crew constantly adjusts the angle of the C-2 to compensate for the pitching of the deck, winds, etc.

Then, BAM! We hit the deck and stop. I mean STOP! As the tail hook catches one of five arresting wires on the ship, the pilot immediately goes to full throttle in case we miss the wire and have to take off and try again. Our crew gets it right the first time.

We quickly taxied into the very limited space available on the 4.5 acre flight deck, the crew folding the wings of the C-2 to take up less space, which is at a premium on the flight deck and below decks.

As we were escorted off the plane and inside the ship, a variety of planes were either taking off or landing within a few feet of us.

Exciting? You bet. What was especially impressive was the professionalism of the crewmembers as they choreographed all this. They’re mostly just kids in their late teens and early 20’s.

It’s truly an organizational wonder.

Aircraft carriers like the Nimitz and others in the fleet are the fastest and best way for this nation to deploy air power to protect America.

The ships are literally cities at sea. On a full deployment, over 5-thousand crewmembers call the ship home. In next week’s blog I’ll try and give you a sense of what life is like aboard the USS Nimitz.

My first impression so far is simply, WOW!

-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.

It’s 2009, not 1809 folks.

As I write this, the state of Minnesota has one senator. The other 49 states have two each.

 

At issue is the highly contested race between former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democratic Challenger Al Franken. (Yes, the one from Saturday Night Live.) Franken won, but his margin of victory was so slim that an automatic recount kicked in, and the Democratic process got kicked out.

 

With Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switching from Republican to Democrat, a Franken win would give the Democrats a 60 vote supermajority in the Senate, which means the Republicans couldn’t hold up legislation through filibuster.

 

This is either good news or bad news depending on your party affiliation. What’s sad is that the election was held last November, 2008. Now it’s May, 2009. Since then there have been recounts, recounts of recounts and more court battles than I can count.

 

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is now talking about taking this to the United States Supreme Court should the Minnesota Supreme Court decide against Coleman. That would mean the people of Minnesota would be underrepresented for a full election cycle.

 

Shameful, and not what the people who founded this country had in mind back in 1776.

 

The people of Minnesota deserve better. So does the nation. It’s amazing in this digital age that so many states haven’t figured out something as simple as counting votes. Years after the debacle in Florida, lessons still haven’t been learned.

 

People elect their representatives to government, not lawyers and courts.

 

Millions of dollars have been spent, political bad will grows each day and the last thing anyone involved in all this cares about is what’s best for the country. Not the least of which being fair and equal representation.

 

Each state is supposed to have two senators. That includes Minnesota.

 

There has to be a better way. There must be a better way, and the folks in charge better find it—and soon.

 

-John

John W. Scherer

John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.

You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.

It’s not the first 100 days, but the last 100 days that matter most.

I did an interview this week with CNN Money. They asked me to grade President Obama’s first 100 days in office. Here’s a link to the article, which was published this past Wednesday.

You’ve likely seen or read dozens of stories about the administration’s “First 100 Days.”

 

The president has the best approval rating at this point than any president in the last 20 years. The only presidents in recent history with higher ratings were Kennedy and Eisenhower. Those were different times. This nation started becoming politically divided in the late 60’s. Today it’s as divided as it’s ever been. Deeply divided.

 

All this aside, I really don’t care as much about how the president is doing the first 100 days of his administration as I do about how he is during the last 100 days of his first term. That will dictate if he’ll get a second term.

 

Before going further, let me say outright that I want the president to succeed. If he does, so do we. If he fails, we fail with him, and failure is not an option. So, let’s see where we’re at the first 100 days.

 

Spending trillions of dollars we don’t have might work. It hasn’t in the past, but you never know.

 

GM® and Chrysler® going bankrupt, laying off tens of thousand of workers and dumping classic brands might work out. Billions in bailouts haven’t worked, that we know for sure. Detroit isn’t selling cars. Detroit needs to sell cars to survive. Everything else is just a soggy Band-Aid.

 

Maybe making the 93 percent of people who pay their mortgages on time also pick up the tab for the seven percent that don’t might work.

 

Maybe Iran, Cuba and Venezuela might become our BFFs.

 

Ambitious plans for high speed rail are compared with the building of the interstate highway system supposedly started in the 1950’s. Expensive then and even more expensive now. What is not reported is that the interstate highway system plan originated in 1921 and won’t be completed until this year when a section of the original plan is completed in Pennsylvania, 88 years later. That’s a lot of 100 days.

 

Massive solar projects in places like the Mojave Desert are already running into opposition because of the damage to the ecosystem that would result. The same folks demanding alternative energy are now heading to court to fight it.

 

Some banks claim to be profitable. Many of them are the ones that got TARP Money. It’s hard not to make a profit when you get free money. Why aren’t those banks lending money to responsible people to buy homes? If they won’t lend us money, when will they give the money back that we lent them? Maybe all this will work, but I doubt it.

 

Should the government become majority shareholders in banks and automobile companies? That appears to be the plan. Maybe it will work.

 

The president wants a healthcare plan on his desk by August, before the summer recess. It’s as ambitious an overhaul of anything in this country ever undertaken. Maybe Congress can get something done in the next few months. They haven’t gotten anything else done, maybe they can this time.

 

Then there’s Afghanistan and Pakistan.

 

Measuring the success of the first 100 days of a presidency is about as relevant as when a team scores on the first drive of a football game. It’s the score at the end of the game that counts.

As I said in the CNN Money article, I'd much rather see him focused on what gets people back to work. Imagine he said the following to a stadium full of people: "I have many things I can work on. Should I get us health insurance or should I get people back to work? Should I close Gitmo or should I get the economy going?"  What do you think they would say?

The president’s agenda is impressive and expensive. Ratings are high. I wish him well.

 

Let’s revisit it all in about 1,300 days.

 

-John

John W. Scherer

John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.

You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.

---

So Much for Plan “B”

Another day over and another day closer to once mighty General Motors® declaring bankruptcy. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, along with billions of our bailout dollars, can't seem to put GM® together again.

 

In 1953, at the peak of its dominance, GM president, Charles Wilson, declared before Congress that “what was good for the country was good for GM”. By contrast it’s not a stretch to say what’s bad for GM is bad for the country.

 

Uh-oh.

 

Bankruptcy could come as soon as June 1. Maybe earlier. Maybe tomorrow.

 

So what you say? In a GM bankruptcy everyone feels the economic pinch. A federal agency, the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, will take over responsibility for the pension money.  $16.5 Billion. Retired employees could end up with far less than what they’re owed. Perhaps pennies on the dollar.

 

Denver auto dealer, John Medved, told me that the average life expectancy was around 75 when those agreements were struck years ago. It’s well beyond that age now. Those retired autoworkers are living longer, and we’ll be paying even longer.

 

A bankruptcy doesn’t last a few weeks. It’s anything but neat and tidy. It doesn’t create jobs. It’s quite the opposite.

 

Dealers, to their credit, are trying everything they can to survive. The government is offering to guarantee your warranty. Wow.

 

Have you bought a new car yet? Didn’t think so.

 

Plan “B”, aka bailouts, isn’t working.

 

My idea still stands. A $10,000 tax credit when you buy a new car. Car dealers need to sell cars. This sort of incentive will get people back to showrooms. Buy today, claim that $10,000 tax credit when you file next year. John Medved told me straight out that it will work. He’s listening. The government isn’t.

 

Meanwhile, GM, in business for 101 years, is heading toward bankruptcy.

 

This helps the economy how? It’s a question I keep asking the government. So far, they have no answer; their hands remain firmly over their ears.

 

It’s not too late. This doesn’t have to happen.

 

John

John W. Scherer

John Scherer is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.

You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.

It's too late for this year; let’s focus on 2010.

Another tax day has come and gone. Regardless of whether you paid in, or got a refund, ask yourself this question:

 

“How would my taxes have been different if I received a $10,000 tax credit for buying a new American car?”

 

Then, call or e-mail your elected representatives and ask them why, despite the billions of dollars sent to Detroit, companies like GM are seriously considering bankruptcy. Why are we junking more cars than buying new ones? Why are car sales half of what they were just two years ago?

 

For my regular readers, you know the tax incentive plan is something I continue to believe in. I also realize that change, especially when it comes to the government, moves at a glacial pace. It’s like jogging through peanut butter.

 

The plan is simple: Buy a new American-built car and receive a $10,000 tax credit when you file your taxes next year.

 

You, as a taxpayer, would finally get a break, people would start buying cars, jobs would be created and the domestic automobile industry would get back to being a thriving business rather than a welfare case.

 

The idea, as I said, is SLOWLY catching on. I was honored to be a keynote speaker at this year’s Colorado Auto Summit where it was agreed that my plan would get customers buying again.

 

You can watch excerpts by clicking here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.

 

The Detroit Free Press, The Denver Business Journal, CNN Money, KUSA-TV, KCNC-TV, KMGH-TV, FOX 31, WB2 in Denver, KPHO-TV in Phoenix and WJBK-TV in Detroit have all done stories about my idea.

 

More importantly, no one has come up with an argument for why it won’t work.

 

More and more people are listening. Look for me on more media outlets and Op-Eds in the future. Sadly, just one entity isn’t listening: our government.

 

You’re expected to pay for the solution, but not benefit from it. That is simply not fair.

 

Join me in this fight for what’s right.

 

-John

John W. Scherer

John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.

You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.

Jay Cutler: Lessons learned and not learned.

Jay Cutler is now a Chicago Bear.

So, how does this pass the “So what?” test beyond wins and losses and the whole “football thing.”

The answer is pretty simple. Yes, football is a game. But it’s also big business.

Broncos’ owner Pat Bowlen, is the guy who signs the checks. It’s an easy system. You always listen to the guy who signs the checks.

New coach, Josh McDaniels, does. When Pat Bowlen calls him, McDaniels answers. In return, he gets a paycheck. Bowlen is also smart enough to listen to his coach.

Mr. Bowlen made several calls to Jay Cutler. Cutler ignored them. If Cutler had returned the calls, Bowlen would have listened to him as well.

It’s called communication. But it takes two to communicate.

You can’t run an organization when the employee ignores the employer. When discipline breaks down, the organization fails. Always.

Pat Bowlen is the successful owner of one of football’s most respected franchises. Jay Cutler remains petulant to the point that he felt he didn’t need to respect the organization that paid him a multi-million dollar salary, and despite a 17-20 record as a starter, was still willing to believe in him.

The boss called. The employee didn’t answer.

Pat Bowlen needed to make a point. He did. Good for him.

-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.

Government is wasting its most precious resource. Ideas.

I had the privilege to be the keynote speaker last week at the 2009 Auto Summit, which kicks off the annual Denver Auto Show. They asked to speak about my idea for a $10,000 tax credit for all buyers of cars manufactured by GM, Ford and Chrysler.

Joining me on stage was Mr. John Medved, President and CEO of Medved Autoplex, a long established chain of car dealerships here in Colorado. Medved is the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association Dealer of the Year and simply put; one great guy.

The timing could not have been more opportune. About an hour prior to our presentation, President Obama announced his plans for both GM and Chrysler, essentially keeping them on a very tight leash.

President Obama officially announced the termination of GM CEO Rick Wagoner plus giving GM 60 days; and Chrysler 30 days to come up with restructuring plans before anymore bailout money would be made available to either company. The President also announced that Chrysler must merge with Fiat.

When did they add CEO to the POTUS job description?

The President didn’t mention about asking Detroit what government could do to actually help them sell cars. He did say the government would “back-up” warranties if you buy a car. Bet that will get you to a showroom.

Not.

President Obama is getting all his advice from people who know nothing about business or the American Automobile industry. After spending quality time talking on stage with John Medved, it struck me just what government is missing out on when it listens to bureaucrats instead of people like John Medved.

John’s dad worked on an assembly line back in Michigan for 37 years. John himself started out working the line before coming west to start his car business. His background is pure blue collar. He built up his business with grit, determination and plain old hard work. He’s an incredible businessman, who despite all the challenges facing the industry somehow is keeping the doors of his business open.

He agrees with me that the solution to getting the car business and our economy going again is sales. People aren’t buying because there is no incentive for them to buy. No sales mean no business.

Sales on the other hand mean business. It means creating more jobs. It means getting the economic blood flowing again.

John shared some staggering numbers. The industry is selling about half the cars it did compared to just two years ago. America is actually junking more cars than buying them!

I’ve blogged numerous times, and opined in numerous Op-Ed’s that the issue isn’t quality. Detroit makes great cars. Consumers simply need an incentive to buy. John Medved agrees. Give people a good reason to buy, and they’ll do just that.

John’s been to Washington. He’s a smart man. His ideas however, are falling on deaf ears. He’s just one of hundreds of “Main Street CEO’s” government isn’t listening to. I’m going to Washington next month to give it a try. Wish me luck.

I know, you see the photo-ops of business leaders supposedly meeting with government leaders. It’s all just “grip and grins,” But it’s the bureaucrats who call the shots. Not the people who live and breathe free enterprise. Or what’s left of it.

Until government realizes the tremendous resource it has in people like John Medved, we’re going to be stuck in neutral for a long time.

Washington. Listen. Please.

-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO and Founder of Video Professor, Inc.You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com

Annual Employment Review

Employee Name: Federal Government
Date of Hire: July 4, 1776
Review Date: March 27, 2009
Next Review: November 2010


It’s important for employers and employees to communicate and to measure performance. This annual review is designed to provide positive re-enforcement and to identify key areas for improvement.

We will be reviewing your performance in the following areas:

Quality of Work
Integrity
Teamwork
Problem Solving Skills
Attention to Detail

Each area will be evaluated on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being excellent and 5 being unsatisfactory. When appropriate, we will include comments detailing the reasons for the particular score.

Quality of Work
Overall Rating: 5/ Unsatisfactory
It should be noted that after your initial hire in 1776, your work was the envy of the world. You maintained an excellent quality of work for over 200 years. The past several decades or so have brought about a significant decline, which is of growing concern to us.

Budget management is of key concern. Accounting reports you are consistently over-budget and that your deficits continue to grow. Revenue projections are over-inflated and do not achieve promised projections

You appear to be more focused on drawing attention to yourself, rather than problem solving. Political hearings on everything from the budget process to steroids in baseball, while worthy topics, have achieved no measurable results.

Integrity
Overall Rating: 5/ Unsatisfactory
This area has been especially disappointing to us. Several employees within your departments have been convicted of various crimes, including graft, corruption, and misuse of budget funds. Several recent hires in the budget departments were made, despite the fact that these employees did not pay their taxes, which could account for some of the revenue shortfalls you have incurred.

One recent promise made on your part last fall, to cut earmarks, was totally ignored with the recent signing (behind closed doors) of a legislative package that included over 8,000 earmarked projects. One example was the $200,000 study to find out why pigs stink.

You promise one thing then do something completely different.

Teamwork
Overall Rating: 5/ Unsatisfactory
Speaking again of your initial years of employment, while there were two distinct divisions (Republicans and Democrats), you always managed to put the best interests of your employers first, and set political differences aside for the overall good.

Frankly, in recent years, you have behaved more like spoiled children used to getting their way. No one appears to be working with a positive team spirit. The result is a dysfunctional organization. This is of growing concern to us and an area we will be paying close attention to as we prepare for your 2010 review.


Problem Solving Skills
Overall Rating: 5/ Unsatisfactory
Problem solving skills is another area of serious concern. Key issues facing the organization remain the economy, employment, the flow of credit to responsible borrowers and financially viable incentives for investment and growth.

Your solutions seem to take the proverbial “back-asswards” approach. You are investing funds in failing institutions and processes. We have several examples, but for the purpose of brevity, we’ll just mention AIG and housing.

AIG has been issued $180 billion, which has resulted in an 80 percent stake of ownership on our part. Yet, as majority stakeholders, you have put no control systems in place to account for and protect our investment. The recent decision by AIG to pay out $165 million in bonuses for failure is a perfect example. Several key managers within the government organization have expressed outrage, but in this case, the horse has already left the barn. No sense in closing the gate now.

As for housing, people were lent huge amounts of money for homes they could not afford to pay back. This was based on ill-advised rule processes and lax oversight. Your solution is to make the 93 percent of your shareholders, who are responsible and pay their bills on time, pay for your mistakes. A far more acceptable approach would be to free up credit for those who have proven track records of managing their bills and personal budgets.

Attention to Detail
Overall Rating: 5/ Unsatisfactory
Your most recent budget calls for approximately $3 trillion to be spent ($10 trillion over the next three years) with a promise of cutting the existing budget deficit in half during the same time period.

This is what’s called “fuzzy math” and unsustainable in execution.

Another example is that there is no accounting for $350 billion in TARP funds issued last fall. We don’t know where the money went and what it was spent on, other than a few lavish corporate retreats.

Summary
Overall Rating: 5/ Unsatisfactory

Based on past performance during the previously mentioned 200 years of employment, we have decided that there remains hope that you can turn this situation around in a positive manner. As a result, we expect the following action items to be instituted prior to your November 2010 review.

Accountability: You will respond to constituent comments and inquiries in a prompt and timely manner, not with pre-packaged generic e-mails. This will require extra hours on your part and certainly more work, but we feel this can be a positive move on your part to maintain employment. You will also read all bills before voting on any of them. Your direction will come from your constituents as to how to vote, not lobbyists and party hacks.

Budgeting: Moving forward, expenditures must not exceed revenue. This will require no small amount of fiscal discipline. But, the balance sheets must be just that, balanced. We will give you through the next scheduled review to develop a plan to adjust expenses, and also project realistic revenue numbers.

Teamwork: All of you must begin to work together. As an example, use this as a guideline before making any decisions: “Is this good for the citizens of this nation, the people who ultimately pay the bills? Do we reward success or continue to reward failure instead?”

Integrity: Please stop lying to us. Just tell the truth. Honesty is a good policy and served you well after your initial hire in 1776. We know it can move forward.

We will be closely monitoring the above action items through this next review period and will make our decisions as to your continued employment in November of 2010.

We hope that you have found this to be positive input, with constructive and workable solutions to ensure your continued employment. We have good ideas to help you succeed. But, you have to listen.

Supervisor Name:
John W. Scherer, on behalf of the American taxpayer.
John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com.