The Economy - Real Life, Real Time

*There's a brand spanking new house on my street that has lost over $10,000 in equity every single month for the last 10 months!

*The Dow is just barely above 7,000 points which is a critical support level of our economy. Once it goes down below that, then we will lose a significant number of investors who have reliably played a part in our economy.

*Banks STILL are not lending freely with the tax dollars we've provided them--whether it be home mortgages, business loans or auto loans. Previously banks would issue about 130% of the book value of a brand new car so long as you had a credit score above 680. Now you have to have a 750 credit score to get 105% of the book value for a brand new car! Wait a minute. I give you the money so that you can lend, and then you don't lend to those who gave you the money? Something is VERY wrong here.

*Cheese, produce, and grains have increased in price by as much as 400%. I used be able to buy an artichoke for less than a dollar each. Now it's nearly $4 each. A bag of wheat used to cost $8.99 for a 50 pound bag. Now it's as much as $45 for the same 50 pounds! The same goes for rice, cheese, milk, etc.

I don't know how "rich" Obama thinks the wealthy are, but he's ridiculous to think that the rich are going to be able to pull us out of the recession. Thinking that the government is the answer to this crisis is WORSE than "The Emperor's New Clothes" because the emperor is strutting around naked, trying to tell everyone that he's wearing new clothes, but he actually KNOWS that he's strutting around in his birthday suit!

There is discussion going on in Capital Hill right now that in order to "save" the elderly, they are going to take over the administration of retirement accounts. WHAT? You mean the same government who can't properly oversee the bankrupt Social Security accounts of our nation now want us to believe that they can handle our other retirement accounts? This is the same government which doesn't know the difference between a Promise and a Lie.

The government can't even count votes, can't pay their own taxes, overpays by BILLIONS of dollars for assets which they buy, can't "make" banks give loans even when they provide them with the money to do so, can't protect the freedom of our citizens — which is their number one responsibility — and can't even take the time to read what they are voting on, and yet we're supposed to believe that they are the sole solution for this economic meltdown? PUH-LEEZE!

If this keeps up we'll WISH we were living in a socialistic nation, only because it's the lesser evil to a monarchy!

I believe that there are still REAL Americans out there that are starting to recognize that they've been hoodwinked, who are not cowards as the Attorney General likes to call them. I think a Boston Tea Party is the least of our governments concerns.

The Government has forgotten their purpose – to SERVE the American people. Instead they are helping themselves to the fruits of the labors of the American people. They have forgotten that a FREE people are responsible for giving them any power in the first place, and that a FREE people have the rights to reclaim and reorganize that power.

People of America, exercise your rights and make those cell phones and e-mails, fax machines and overpriced stamps actually mean something. WRITE your legislatures, senators, congressmen, governors. Reclaim your freedoms! Our hard earned liberties which have cost the lives of thousands are being depleted more stringently and in more atrocious manners than any cause ever before!

Our lives, liberty and property depend on these freedoms. Our peace and happiness depend on these freedoms.

This crisis of our nation isn't just about "overcoming the economy". Warren Buffet was quoted today as saying that the American people “have overcome worse." No, they have NOT — to be completely forthright. They have NEVER been confronted with such a financial crisis COMBINED with a crisis of freedoms and rights! Their money AND their freedoms are being stripped away. This is a crisis that we have NEVER had to overcome previously. I PRAY that we have the strength to overcome it now.

To find out who your local legislatures, senators, congressmen, governors are to contact, please visit http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

Our Nations Unemployment Rate: The Manifestation of a Sleeping Giant

Statistically, small business owners provide the largest percentage of jobs in the U.S. — yes an even larger percentage of jobs than all of those bail-out “worthy” industries. In spite of all of the bail out monies that were supposed to loosen up the purse strings of banks in order to strengthen small businesses in extremely tough times, small businesses have become ignored and have nothing to show for any of the so-called efforts on their behalf. In fact, even without the economic crisis that is truly upon us, historically small businesses get very, very little considerations, tax breaks, or other incentives to operate their businesses. As a result, the economic drain our nation is experiencing is merely a manifestation of a long time attitude apathy towards what really makes this country healthy. Is it any wonder that the job loss in the last 12 months has been the worst it’s been since the World War II era? Over 250,000,000 jobs were lost in 2008 and that doesn’t take into account the millions of individuals who were forced from full-time employment to part-time, nor does it take into account the self-employed individuals who have had to hang up their dreams and stand in the unemployment line with millions of others. In my opinion, the economic crisis could have been averted long ago, and even the Wall Street and mortgage disaster impact lessened had national and state leaders paid more attention to the needs of small business owners.

When a CEO runs a company into the ground, it’s an innocuous entity. The CEO is merely losing his regular pay check and other corporate perks. But when a true small business is run into the ground, chances are high that the life savings of the business owner, customers they’ve become friends with, and long-time employees they’ve connected with personally suffer through the carnage of such an event. By the time the doors are finally shut on a small business, great sacrifices have already been for its survival. Great personal financial risks such as mortgaging personal homes to the hilt, stripping it of all available equity only to find the value dropping far below the lien amount months later, and cashing in retirement and savings accounts just to last as long as possible in hopes that a life preserver will come their way. And yet for all of this sweat, tears and sacrifice, small business owners can’t lay claim to appropriate health insurance tax deductions, can’t get access to the same affordable health care packages that large corporations enjoy, and are inundated with paper work requirements while their larger counterparts have enormous legal and accounting teams to deceive their shareholders.

When a small business owner sees fit to terminate an employee who steals from them or conducts themselves inappropriately, the state still requires them to pay unemployment benefits unless such an infraction is specifically outlined in some kind of written form that the employee has manifested the receipt of.

Large corporations have money and staff to handle these items. Many such monies derived by secret government contract negotiations, unfair labor practices, political connections, and international outsource savings. In contract, small business owners are beat up every which way they turn. They pay sales taxes when they purchase items to make their businesses run better, or make their jobs easier, and then they are assessed additional taxes by their cities on those same items merely because they possess them.

Long ignored is the fact that small businesses historically pay better average wages than big corporations, and discounted is the fact that employees are typically more satisfied working for a smaller business. There is absolutely nothing done to throw a rope for small businesses in spite of their obvious strength to the economy which has been historically present for over a century!

We’ve heard the saying “money talks.” The current economic crisis is not as a result of Wall Street collapsing, a residential mortgage scandal, or the ineptness of the Federal Reserve. It’s an inevitable manifestation of ignoring the goose the lays the golden eggs. I wonder how much worse things have to get before the REAL talking money gets listened to.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

What really happened to the U.S. Post Office?

Today’s headlines blame the economy on the fact that USPS is in the red over $2.8 billion. For the purposes of this blog, I’m going to lump the woes of DHL and Circuit City’s bankruptcy news in this today as well. After all, their challenges all have one thing in common…and it’s not the “bad economy.” It’s the inability for these entities to accept responsibility at an opportune time in which the economy can be blamed.

Now let’s get to the truth of the matter.

How about the fact that the USPS has lost a significant amount of trust with its consumers nowadays? High-count direct-mail marketers are strongly cautioned against sending out all of their mail on the same day due to historical instances in which the postal employee recipient will merely throw them away. As a result, not only do large-scale mail marketers have to separate their outgoing mail among several different post offices (which costs them more in the bulk mailing costs they pay) but they also have to be sure to plant “seed” addresses in their lists. In other words, have the items be mailed to individuals who they can trust and confirm that a mail piece was received.

What ever happened to “through rain, sleet, or snow?” Many business owners are reporting that the post office is refusing to deliver mail to any floor above the first level regardless of the presence of an elevator. Instead, regardless of what kind of sensitive documentation your business may receive, the USPS will hand over your mail to a business on the 1st floor and expect it to get to you. And thus wash their hands of any responsibility to do what they actually get paid to do…deliver mail to the addressee.

In this same situation, business owners are complaining that certified mail isn’t even being delivered to and signed for the intended recipient. It’s merely signed for by some mindless individual at the office that the post office determines will accept the mail for the entire building.

Have you ever noticed that smiling customer service is rare at a US Post office? Long lines all year round. Minimal supplies when they are available. Waiting in line only to be told that you didn’t need to wait in line or you have to do such and such and then get in line again. How does a post office run out of stamps on a regular business day? Isn’t that a big part of what they are supposed to do?

I don’t know about you, but over the last two years I’ve been receiving a significant increase in mail that’s not addressed to me. Not even close. And yet when I put it back in the mail box to be delivered to its appropriate addressee, my postal worker informs me that it will merely be returned to sender as undeliverable. Holy cow! The address is right on there only a couple blocks away!

And yet for all of these stellar benefits, we give frequent “raises” to the post office in the form of regularly increased postage costs.

Our office used DHL exclusively for some time, until we just got too fed up with packages not being delivered on time, being nickled and dimed with additional fees, and DHL not accepting any responsibility when a package was delivered incorrectly.

On the opposite side of this business, our Fed Ex delivery person once attempted to deliver a package to our office at Christmas time only to discover my husband and I had already left. So he drove over to our home and delivered it there! Fed Ex doesn’t deliver perfectly either. But when Fed Ex messes up on a delivery, an immediate credit is issued without having to wait on hold for 20 minutes to share the unpleasant tale.

Circuit City has been getting too big for it’s britches over the last two years as well. Winter shopping at this retailer proved to be confusing, frustrating, and altogether unpleasant—clearly reflective of their employee training program and management standards they have in place.

But hey. Let’s blame the demise of USPS, DHL, and Circuit City on the economy, shall we? That takes the blame and focus off of the real problems. That way no one has to accept accountability and learn from these horrendous mistakes. Too bad Enron didn’t close down in the midst of an economic crisis. No one would have gone to jail.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

Joe the Plumber

Joe the Plumber vs. Rick Sanchez—the talking head of CNN. And the winner is…Joe Wurzelbacher. On the other hand, at the risk of sounding like the amateur mass media, Rick Sanchez is this year’s entrepreneurial putz.

In his November 4th interview with the newly famous Joe the Plumber, Rick Sanchez appeared to be as knowledgeable of the abilities of entrepreneurs as the Mr. Clean knows hair care.

Mr. Sanchez’s mindless questions of Joe the Plumber demonstrated that he had clearly NOT done his research of this nation’s entrepreneurs. He joined the mass of misperception when he underestimated entrepreneurs all over the world as indicated by empty-headed questions to Joe Wurzelbacher. Sanchez’s ignorance was manifested on at least 3 separate lines of questioning.

1) “Why would you be so upset about people who clear more than $250,000 a year—having to pay taxes, when you’re nowhere near that category?”

One does not need to live in a leper colony to have sympathy for their plight. Wurzelbacher made it clear repeatedly that he objected to the principle of the wealthier paying more taxes simply because they had more of it. Like most entrepreneurs,

2) “…you are not in a situation where you’re going to be able to make that money any time soon.”

Who is this talking bobble head to dish out the socially acceptable level and speed of any person’s achievement or fulfillment in this life? (business owner or not)

The fact of the matter is, every entrepreneur is very near making $250,000. Many have succeeded in making multiple times that in one day. Some are content to choose to earn less, and some push themselves to earn more. There’s no mandate that it must take decades, years or months to earn this kind of income. No initials after your name are required. No special gene pool. It’s not a secret and it’s accessible to any literate human being in our nation. It requires applied knowledge, a restlessness with the status quo, and a combination of passion and commitment.

3) “You’re nowhere near being able to buy a business that clears more than $250,000 a year because that would take millions and millions of dollars, right?”

Another mistaken assumption. It does not take millions of dollars to clear $250,000. In fact, there are many well known business owners who have brought in significantly more than that for significantly less. Entrepreneurs of all kinds know how to create huge profit margins. Paul Hartunian, for example, paid $500 for the discarded wood of the Brooklyn Bridge walkway to be delivered to his home. He then cut the wood up in tiny little square pieces, wrote a killer press release, and made millions of dollars actually selling the Brooklyn Bridge to people all over the world. To this day he is STILL getting free press about this and subsequent feats of similar style.

Credible information marketers such as Dan Kennedy, Lee Milteer, Michael Cheney, Rich Shefren, Matt Bacak, Shawn Casey, Tellman Knudsen, Jeff Walker, Bill Glazer, Andrew Fox, and countless others regularly clear 7 figures within a matter of days in exchange for a weeks worth of writing and sharing their expertise—and do so repeatedly! Write, launch, reap, repeat.

Here’s the ultimate problem with Sanchez’s skewed vision of the world of capitalism. He’s forgotten about freedom combined with human potential. For every story of failure, there’s an enduring story of success in even greater proportions. In my opinion, there are equal amounts of ways to succeed as there are to stumble.

One of my clients recently earned over $500,000 on one transaction. Granted, he had to make his way through whole lot of “suspect clients” in the last 9 months to get access to the real deal, but he did so. And now that he’s accomplished this, no Rick Sanchez of the world can ever convince him that his ideas of success are impossible.

One significant success will breed a confident, unshakable entrepreneur.

My hope is that one day entrepreneurs will be viewed as the standard of success, genuine security, and credibility. In my opinion, they certainly deserve the respect, sincere assistance and accolades more than Wall Street, Big Corporate America, or the sacrosanct banking institutions do.

Here’s my challenge to all entrepreneurs—and a special invitation to Joe. Register as a Primary Member of 3M Mastermind—FREE. No strings attached. No charging your credit card later when you’ve forgotten all about it. Get real information so that you too can prove the mindless naysayers wrong about the strength and necessity of business owners. Simply go to www.3MMastermind.com

Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of every economy in the world.
They are the fire behind invention.
They are the seeds of security.

Because of this unconquerable belief, Monetary Intelligence has paid enormous sums of money, put in countless hours with an army of researchers—and most of all their heart and commitment—to give today’s entrepreneurs the helping hand up they need. We’ve investigated a mountain of the “success systems” of gurus, experts, doctors, etc from all over the world. We’ve spent the last year implementing their theories and creating some of our own as a result.

Whether you’re in business or hoping to be, MI has created a training division, 3M Mastermind, to deliver substance to today’s frazzled business owners in the form of monthly live webinars and so much more.

We’ll prove to you your abilities now, for your market today.

Come off of the observation deck and take the wheel! Get access to your original content, exclusive training system for FREE right now! Go to http://www.3mmastermind/ to begin your journey with a partner who truly cares, and is willing to prove it. We’ve already invested in you. Your future success awaits.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.