Press Conference After Debate Was an Expected Nothing

Listening to the White House press conference, which was broadcast from Air Force One in an audio only format was frustrating to say the least, but not unpredictable. I mean, of course White House officials are going to defend their guy. But at the same time, after the terrible debate performance last night and the scathing commentary from even CNN and so many other Democrats, many of whom all but said they were no longer supporting Joe Biden's candidacy, you would think they would be more inclined to do some hard knocks damage control and quell what has become a majority fear.

Instead, what they did was dismiss the night's performance and deflect. How can that be a working strategy? When the American people, especially members of the media who generally have your back, are now asking critical questions about the president, you answer them directly, openly, and honestly.

"What did the American people see last night at that debate?" one reporter asked. 

"We saw Donald Trump tell lie after lie to the American people and speak about his radical agenda for America."

That wasn't the question.

I will admit that they did at least acknowledge that even the president himself was aware it was not a good performance. "But you can't judge the president based on one performance," they said. Only the reality is that the debate was the performance that most voters, especially independents, would actually watch. For all intents and purposes, it needed to be the performance of his life, and to dismiss the performance as just an anomaly speaks volumes about the reality of Biden's ability to lead.

Not only was the debate the performance most voters would see, but many people also watched the media reactions as well. These visuals, more than anything, are going to be the things most permanently etched in their minds.

As the old saying goes, once you see certain things, you can't simply unsee them.

The entire press conference focused on Trump, which is not unusual, nor unexpected. But doesn't that also send a message? You just had an awful night on the debate stage that millions and millions of voters saw, and rather than focus on the performance and do your best to try and explain it, you simply point to the other guy?

But Trump. Did you see what Trump did? Did you hear what he said? Trump, Trump, Trump.

What it actually says to the American people is that you have no explanation, and so in its stead you simply point fingers away from the real question. Perhaps hoping that's enough for someone to give Biden a pass and think, "Yeah. You're right. Trump was really bad, wasn't he?"

To me it just does more to hurt Biden. First of all, in order to solve problems, you have to see them. You have to acknowledge they are there in order to be able to fix them. If the president's performance cannot even be accepted, what does that say about your ability to recognize other issues? 

Especially when the one you are being asked about was glaringly obvious.

I don't know why I was hoping for a better set of answers from the White House. I mean, when have we ever gotten anything straightforward from them? It's all pass the buck, deflect, point fingers, and look the other way.

I do think the American people get it, though. That's probably the silver lining. They don't need to answer the questions, actually. We already know what they are. We just wanted to know what you'd say. You said nothing, and that, above all else, provided the real answer.

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© 2024 Jim Bauer

Even CNN Can't Spin Joe Biden Anymore; Joe Biden Can't Be President

The question now becomes, after what can only be classified as a complete disaster of a debate performance by incumbent President, and presumptive nominee Joe Biden, where do we go from here? Because if one thing was made clear, or should have been made clear, Joe Biden is not fit to be the President of the United States.

Even CNN was not able to do their usual spin-take on things. And while that may not be the end all to be all, it at least begs the question—if Joe Biden has lost even his closest support, how can he possibly win the election?

For even his staunchest admirers, it's not about a party winning anymore, nor should it be. It's a question of the future State of the Union. Whether or not CNN wants to admit the truth about Joe Biden's failures governing the country, and of course they won't, they can draw no other conclusion than that he's incapable of leading us forward now. And of course, if Joe Biden were to somehow win, few people, even in his camp, are sure Biden can finish out a second term, leaving us with Kamala Harris—who is less liked than even Biden is.

To use CNN's own words, that Democrats are in a deep state of panic after the debate performance by Joe Biden, is a massive understatement in my opinion. As it stands right now, they have effectively lost the election. Joe Biden simply cannot be president, even if it means losing to Donald J. Trump.

"Joe Biden simply has to go," was not the kind of commentary anyone in the White House wanted to hear from Democrats sitting on a panel at CNN, who all but fall over themselves slobbering over "their guy." When your greatest love affair turns their back on you and wants you to pack your bags and leave, that's a devastating moment you simply can't come back from.

Sure, they could choose someone else. But who? And isn't it too late for that? I mean, think about it. How could the Democrats still expect to be rewarded after making a very poor choice in 2020 with Biden, and after the fact, touting unpopular policies that have greatly impacted American's lives and financial well-being, denying time and time again any cognitive decline, and still allowing the show to go on in 2024 in what they have been very clear to emphasize is "one of the most important election choices in our history."

It seems like if that were true, the Democrats would have made different choices and not tried so hard to hide the truth from the American people about the reality of a diminished president who, by many accounts, isn't even believed to be the decision maker.

How many times did Karine Jean-Pierre stand at the podium and declare, "The president you see from time to time is not the president we see in the Oval Office every single day doing the work of the American People."

Even Bill Maher once joked, "You should tape that so we can see it too." And he's no supporter of Donald Trump. Democrats have had questions along with conservatives for a long time, although Democrats were more willing to take the benefit of the doubt.

Meanwhile, the border and inflation remain hot button issues, and regardless of where blame wants to be directed, the fact is that both of these issues happened under Joe Biden's watch. Claim it or pass the blame, it doesn't matter. It's his border and his inflation, and he hasn't done much, if anything, to fix those issues.

Even if you bring in someone like Gavin Newsome, what will he offer that is different than what Biden has? Sure, Democrats may rally around him. But his ideas align with Biden's, and if Biden's approval ratings are in the tank, what sense does it make to continue forward with someone who will simply carry on the with the same failed policies that Americans, on both sides, are clearly not happy with?

They could pull the 25th Amendment and install Kamala Harris immediately as president and hand her the nomination. But she's less popular than Biden is. 

But isn't this also a massive stain on the media? What does it say to the American people, even in the media's analysis, about their ability to give to the People straight? It took this, a debate, for eyes to open and realizations to occur to them that what was feared all along, that the president has been in mental decline for a very long time, is true?

And then there was a poignant statement made by John King on CNN that was quite telling as well, when he said he now wonders how much more involved Kamala Harris may be in the White House, suggesting, although quietly, that Joe Biden has not actually been the president for some time.

That alone should terrify voters. If we don't even know who exactly is running the country, where does that leave us?

The Democrats have a huge mess on their hands. Who knows what their next move will be, or even at this point what it can be. It seems clear, at least by media accounts, that Joe Biden's campaign is over. No one wants him to be president. They still don't want Donald Trump. But it can't be Joe Biden.

And again, how will voters reconcile the multiple poor decisions the Democrats have made, all but destroying the chance to maintain the democracy they've scared the American people into believing is under siege—how could you play so carelessly with our freedoms like this? Any "installed" candidate will be against just as deep scrutiny. How can it be trusted that this isn't as bad a decision as the one before it?

At the end of the day the result is, of course, still up to the voters. It's up to the American people to decide. But for all intents and purposes, things just got way more interesting. Of course, it may be days or weeks before we know more according to how the polls go, and what the narratives will be, especially on the liberal media side, and from the White House itself. 

But I think to say Biden's out of the race, either officially or unofficially, is not even remotely a stretch to say it.

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© 2024 Jim Bauer

WHO'S Running Scared?

Really, the Democrats and liberal media are clutching at straws, laughing off comments by Speaker Mike Johnson and even some from Donald Trump himself that Biden might be amped up on certain "enhancers" for the upcoming debate.

The reality is, for anyone truly paying attention, whenever Biden is sent out front and center into something "important" that more Americans might see, he's a different guy than we typically otherwise see in any other setting.

He's energetic, is the best used term. 

On MSNBC's Morning Joe, they were trying very hard to point out that Trump appears to be scared out of his wits by Joe Biden, which is laughable at best, and quite frankly, ridiculous. I have seen enough of Trump's rallies to be able to walk away fully confident that Trump isn't afraid of anything.

In fact, I think it's the exact opposite. It's the Biden camp who is scared out of their wits. They keep trying to tout their "record," but of course, the problem is no one is buying it except die-hard Trump haters and Biden supporters.

On the economy alone, Trump trounces Biden badly in voter confidence polls. It's not even close. Voters from both sides of the aisle have been very clear. Trump is better equipped to handle the economy. And let's not forget that the border crisis is not an issue that's gone away either, nor has the debilitating effects of inflation.

Which brings me to another interesting tidbit. A recent letter signed by 16 Nobel Prize Winning economists who are trying to sell us on the idea that Biden's economic policies are superior to Trump's, and that Trump's policies will only fuel more inflation.

Wait a minute. What? It was Biden's policies, first of all, that caused inflation. We can point to at least two very specific things, as I did in an article I wrote for HubPages, The Biden Inflation Catalyst, that of course does not prove it. But gives real strong hints.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see where inflation kicked off, and it wasn't during Trump's term in office.

Look, if you really want to go there, if you only take into account all the rules the Biden administration has set for the debates, you can clearly see who afraid of something. The Democrats want very badly for this to be a carefully planned and frankly, orchestrated event that they can control from start to finish because they know Biden's a problem often times in front of a camera.

And you can bet there will be a handful of staffers somewhere behind the scenes, with a four second or so delay, ready to smash the mute button if Biden starts to say anything he shouldn't, and do a quick camera change. With no audience present, and full media control over what Americans get to see, things can also be uniquely edited on the fly. And you can bet they damn sure will be.

It's a smoke and mirrors debate that, regardless of what anyone says, is being controlled entirely by the DNC and the Biden camp.

It is entirely plausible to suggest, as well, that all of these preparations Biden is doing right now at Camp David is part of the script—we all know that Biden already knows what the questions are that the moderators will ask. Of course he does. Even to hold a press conference he has to be given pre-drawn lists of reporters to call on complete with pictures.

If the Biden camp were not the ones very afraid, they wouldn't need to put all this effort in to get themselves ready for a debate. They have told us for almost four years they have all the answers. Shouldn't the answers, then, just come naturally?

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The Consumer Shift to Casual Dining Makes Sense

To me, it's just common sense that many consumers appear to be trending towards more casual dining options and ditching fast food. A trend that has many facets to it, I think. Beyond the ballooning prices at fast food places, fast food was also trending to be something it's not.

A dining experience.

Granted, that's been something fast food has been doing for quite some time now. But now it just makes less sense as a business strategy. Fast food is supposed to be, well...fast. But now when you order it takes more time to get your food.

It used to be that you'd place your order and walk away from the counter with a tray. Now you tend to get an order slip, or in the case of some fast food restaurants, you get a placard to be served at your table. It's also way more common to be directed out of the drive through lanes to a parking spot to wait for something.

Sorry folks, but that's not what fast food was ever supposed to be. 

Of course, they say they are aiming for better quality. If your order is made to order it will be hotter and fresher. But I have to tell you, for me, that's rarely true. I find the quality of the made to order food no better than how it was before. In fact, the faster food was actually better.

Let's face it. The chains did it to save money too. Ideally, if you miscalculate the burger drop on the grill, you might wind up throwing away more food. 

What people are doing now is weighing the differences. If the food costs as much as a sit down restaurant, and at the same time they'll wait about the same time for their food, why bother with fast food? 

My wife and I have marveled at the exorbitant prices of fast food lately. Not that we eat it that often. But there are periods when we tend to eat more of it—such as when we are coming back from camping trips or have more things going on during the summer that leave fewer dinner or lunch options.

We recently went to A&W and bought a double bacon cheeseburger, some hand-tossed chicken fingers and an order of fried cheese curds. That cost us around $32. On another trip, with just two Quarter Pounders and two large orders of fries, that ran about $24. And when we went to Hardees, we dropped about $28 on some onion rings, a chicken sandwich and a mushroom and Swiss burger.

We did not order drinks with any of these meals.

From purely an economic standpoint, we could have gone to Applebee's or Chili's or some other place and spent about the same amount, and probably would have spent about the same amount of time with presumably tastier menu options. 

And that's what consumers are doing. They are considering, "If I have to wait about the same time for my order and even if maybe I drop another $10, it's worth it."

The fact is that fast food was always the cheaper option. In fact, it was usually much cheaper. Quicker and cheaper. Those factors no longer exist. So therefore, consumers are shifting because they want a bigger bang for their buck, and fast food simply isn't offering that anymore.

Imagine the cost to a family of four making a simple, quick trip to McDonald's. That might cost over $100 easily. Why not go to a sit down restaurant instead? 

At the same time, I don't blame the fast food chains for some of the price increases. They are dealing with inflation just like everyone else is. On top of that, there's been a long and strong push to raise wages for employees, and as the old saying goes, money doesn't grow on trees. It has to come from somewhere, and where it is coming from are consumer's pockets.

What will be critical now for fast food chains is to become very creative in their approach. The consumer shift may be something that is long lasting, and if fast food wants their customers back, they are going to really have to dig in hard on what they can do to get them back.

One thing, in the short term, I think they will need to do, is going back to at least being fast food. Before, they were never really in direct competition with casual dining. But now they are. If they want to succeed, they need to separate themselves again and not only offer good food fast, but in an economical way.

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© 2024 Jim Bauer

Trump Brilliantly Plays the Media

When you think about it, how Trump plays the press time and time again is actually quite brilliant. I mean, think about it. How much press does Trump actually enjoy? Tons. And the funny part is, the media thinks the mostly negative press is seen as negative by the people who see the news coverage.

Granted. Some do. But I think the vast majority of people see through the news that's presented. In other words, you can't take the presentation all that serious.

Whatever you want to call it. MAGA humor. A Trumpism. Even a gaffe. Every time Trump has a rally or does a speech, he throws in specific things that he is fully aware the media will immediately bite at and run off with.

"I don't care about you. I just want your vote," Trump says with a smile, followed by a chuckle. He's not really saying that. He knows that will be the soundbite, though. He knows that's what will get played over and over again while a circle of pundits and commentators poke at it and try to dissect it, omit the context, and make it seem like Trump was making an off-color statement.

Most viewers see the joke, and then what's left is them scratching their heads at the media coverage. "Am I supposed to take this as serious news? That Trump actually said he didn't care about his voters? That doesn't make sense. Why would he say that?"

The thing is Trump words these things in ways that don't make sense quite on purpose. It's masterful, really. Because even out of context and cleverly clipped, the comment is so out there that no one can take it seriously.

It makes the media look like fools. And it makes viewers angry that they are being taken as fools. It also makes it obvious that the media can't be taken seriously.

That last part might be the most important part. Because that's the part that makes the viewer go off on his own to see what Trump actually said. But more importantly, what he meant. And once they do that, that's when the gig is up. 

Some people can't fathom how Trump continues to get bigger and stronger despite every effort to knock him down. The thing is, he gets more visibility because of the media's portrayals. People want to know more and then they go and listen to the full context of what was covered, or even the full speech—often times mesmerized and wildeyedlely (is that even a word?) waiting for some juicy tidbit to confirm Trump's just a crazed idiot who is power hungry.

What they find is a sensible guy saying mostly sensible things, who loves his country and sees America as a good place filled with good people who deserve strong leadership working hard for their interests.

As hard as the media is trying to make enemies for Trump, they are pointing them right into his corner to actually hear his words and his message—and of course they like the message because it's a good one. 

"I don't need your vote. I have enough already," Trump says, and once again the media pounces. "This guy's crazy. Did you hear what he said?"

Yeah. We did. We knew he was joking. We know you can't be serious when you tell us he was serious. 

Trump gains support not only through what he does. He gains it because the media almost forces people to take a closer look at the man and the campaign. And they can't clip what the viewer sees on their own, out of their own interest. They also cannot shape opinions because when the viewer gets the whole story, it will be the only basis for what they ultimately decide.

The funniest part of the joke, though, is when the media and the left take the joke seriously. It is, perhaps, the greatest punchline of all, and Trump is getting the last laugh.

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© 2024 Jim Bauer

You Won't Win an Election by Insulting the Voter's Intelligence

I have to ask, "How is insulting voter's intelligence a winning campaign strategy?" Because that seems to be entire strategy of the Democrat party and the media. Well, sham trials and a weaponized justice system notwithstanding, of course.

Now they are running with the latest Trump comment. Trump says he doesn't care about his voters in scorching heat rally.

Give me a break. Really? Look, there is video on this. Trump did say that. But one look at the video and anyone with even half a brain immediately makes out that he was speaking tongue in cheek. Not only was it a joke. He was clearly mocking the media.

As he was speaking to the crowd the wind blew and he praised the breeze. He said, in an after all sort of way, "I don't want anyone going anywhere. I don't care about you. I just want your vote." Which is as direct a jab against the media narrative that he is a narcissist dictator in the making as one can make.

He smiled and chuckled. The crowd laughed. The crowd got the joke. There is no, "Oh, there he goes again, gotcha," moment. But of course the media thinks it is. Biden thinks it is too, as I am sure his comment will make it into a Biden campaign ad somewhere.

A deep and ominous voice will boom on the screen, "Would you vote for a convicted felon who doesn't care about you?"

It's coming. Just wait for it.

Like almost everything the left is doing, I think this backfires on them just as bad as everything else they've tried has. And I think what they (the Democrats) are doing is simply wearing the voters out. People are getting tired of all of this Trump bashing and hatred. Because the reality is that the country is on fire, and no one is bringing water. They're just trying to point out the arsonist.

And by the way, we all know the real arsonist is the accuser.

It's just dumb. It's dumb to suggest Trump did anything but tell a joke and mock the media. He even said, "The press is going to take that and say I said a horrible thing." Because that's what they always do. The left and media think we're stupid. They think we will fall for anything they tell us.

Granted. Some might. Some will. Because there are die-hard haters out there so deep in their TDS they walk around like zombies. Instead of chanting, "Brains," as they wander aimlessly about, they chant, "Trump."

Trump did say he didn't care about his voters. But even if that's what he said, that's not what he said, and the context is everything. The smile and the chuckle is everything. It's the defining moment. It was when the joke was made clear as a bell.

I don't think the voters are stupid. Not the majority anyway. So, I say, let them run with this nonsense. Let them keep shooting themselves in the foot. Let them keep taking eggs to the face from their own inside throwers.

It's only going to more solidly seal Trump's win in November.

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© 2024 Jim Bauer

Jeremy DeWitte Has an Easy Problem to Solve

Call Jeremy DeWitte a sort of Internet sensation, a wannabe, a loser, or just an absolute tool. Most people nowadays know who he is. But if you've never heard of him, just type his name into the YouTube search field and a ton of videos will pop up that will more than fill you in on his long, long story.

It's worth it, by the way. Jeremy DeWitte offers up a very entertaining rabbit hole to fall down. You're going to want to throw in a bag of popcorn for this one.

The short version is that he runs a funeral procession escort service in Florida under the name, Metro State. That's a business that is, for all intents and purposes, legit. What's gotten him into trouble is how he operates it, and more importantly, what he feels he can do because of it.

He thinks he's a cop. 

Or well, he thinks he has way more authority than he actually does. He's a man caught up in a world of delusion. 

The way I see it, he's a man who just really wants to believe he's something he's not and found an interesting loophole of sorts to kind of get to at least play the role. He's just a slight step above the infamous mall cop—or maybe Barney Fife on steroids.

With the only exception being that Barney Fife, although a fictional character of course, was actually a cop. Only one no one could really take all that seriously.

Apparently, he tried to become a cop early on. But it just didn't happen. You'll have to follow the story. I only write opinion here. But he tried. Of course, he's not cut out for the job, and I think watching Jeremy DeWitte in action, it's a Godsend that he never actually was given a real badge, and God forbid, a gun and any level of real authority.

You see, the job of a funeral procession escort service like Metro State is to simply direct the procession through traffic obstacles like traffic lights and ensure a safe passage to the cemetery. In the case of Metro State, they use mostly motorcycles to run ahead of the procession at intersections and stop any traffic until the procession is through it.

If anyone else would have started a company like Metro State, they may have decided to do it in a similar unique way.

Put flashing lights on the bike and put the escorts into a unique uniform.

But when it comes to DeWitte's company he goes a step further. It's not that his officers, as he calls them, look like cops in performing their duties the way he does. But Jeremy DeWitte certainly has the entire garb. In his mind he's the chief of his own police and the company gives him an opportunity to play dress up.

He's been arrested multiple times for impersonating a police officer. And it's not just because of the get up. He's been caught by his own body cameras going way too far in his role. "I'm a state agent," he typically shouts when questioned by civilians as to whether or not he's law enforcement.

Dr. Phil did an interesting exposé on him as well which is worth watching if you get the chance.

In Chicago he even tried to claim he was an officer when he ran into some trouble after tossing metal chairs at a tow truck driver who was called to tow his rental car from a place he was staying. So, his insistent claims he's not trying to play cop is laughable at best.

The bottom line for me is this. Sure, owning a business like his, even I can admit, could be fun. You could make it somewhat unique and make it cop-like without actually trying to be a cop. It could be a simple gimmick or schtick to set your business apart from others.

Where he runs into trouble is that the motorcycles he uses, as well as the cars, so resemble police bikes and cars they could easily be mistaken. Even if his flashing lights are purple and amber instead of red and blue. 

But his uniforms do actually look very much like police uniforms. He wears a badge. He has a utility belt equipped with handcuffs and a pepper ball gun painted black to look like an actual stock, police issue firearm. He even wears a bullet proof vest.

The question is, why would you need a pepper ball gun or handcuffs to escort a funeral procession through traffic? Let alone the bullet proof vest? Unless you're escorting the funerals of gang members or something, you're probably not going to encounter anyone dangerous.

But Jeremy DeWitte insists he's not playing cop. He's just running a business. And the cops are just out to get him. But the reason the cops are "out to get him" is because of how he looks and what he does when he is wearing the uniform.

He's got a very easy problem to solve and save himself from all the trouble and legal issues causing his business to literally fall apart. The fact that he doesn't get this tells the whole real story. 

Lose the badge. You don't need it. You also don't need the pepper ball gun or the handcuffs. You certainly don't need the bullet proof vest. And you don't need to go out of your way to make yourself look like a cop.

Period. Done. End of story. And the end of the pursuits. 

If the business' primary function is to provide a service to escort funeral processions, you can do that easily without all the extra appearance of being something other than a simple funeral procession escort service.

If the problem is that the police are concerned you are acting like, or looking like the police, then stop doing that. Just escort the funeral procession and get on with what you are supposed to be doing. As many times as he's been arrested, you'd think he'd get it. The fact that he doesn't, to me, just confirms what he's being accused of.

Part of it is that he's just not all that mature a guy. Even if he is in his 40s, he acts more like a 5-year-old who can't get his way. He's, like I said before, an interesting character. Even his own mother has sort of written him off. He's stuck in a lifelong world of make-believe. He doesn't want to give that up. The purpose of his business is not to make money. It's to get to dress up and play the one part he has always wanted to play.

While his problem is a very easy one to solve, in some ways I am glad he hasn't solved it yet. Because if nothing else, his antics make for hours of solid entertainment. Eventually he may be in prison and then his story ends. 

In the meantime, the only ones legitimately making money from his operation are the ones telling his story. Ironically, he's become a bit of a reality show entirely based on fantasy. The difference, in his case, is that no one has to write the script. 

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© 2024 Jim Bauer 

Harsh Words for the 99%

I know it seems like a harsh thing to say but it also happens to be the truth a lot of the time. When it comes to money, most of the time people's financial troubles come from making excuses. Because the reality is that even though money, to some people, seems scarce—it is actually rather quite abundant.

I don't write these things to preach. I write about money and ways to achieve wealth to help people have a different perspective about money.

The thing is, there's always someone to blame if you don't have enough. It's the greedy rich exploiting people. It's the evil employers holding back wages. It's a rigged system. The reality is that it's none of these things.

At least when it comes to living in the United States. Like I said, and I mean it, money is plentiful. It's not to say it's easy, but that's the point. It's not supposed to be. People who achieve wealth largely don't do it by accident.

It takes know-how. It takes hard work. It takes commitment. It takes understanding how money works. It takes understanding what it really is that holds you back. It's being truthful to yourself rather than finding others and situations to blame.

"But you are going to talk about the stock market, and we all know it's rigged and pretty much gambling," you'll probably say.

Wrong. It's not rigged and it's not gambling at all.

In fact, what it is for a lot of people is a terrible and unfortunate missed opportunity. I can't tell you how many times I hear an employee say, "The company's just cheap and cheating me." Especially if it happens to be a publicly traded company I have to ask, "Are you an owner?"

In other words, if you see profits and the business thriving, and people making money from it, why not own it? Why not buy the stock and share in a piece of the action?

In a nutshell, why wait for the company to pay you more? Why not give yourself a raise? Why not be among the shareholders who benefit from your hard labors? It's not like you are barred from being an owner. You might think you are because you maybe feel you don't make enough.

"It's enough just to pay the bills, let alone buy shares." But the reality is, especially when a dividend is offered, that not buying shares is shooting yourself in the foot. You are literally leaving valuable money on the table.

Because one of the keys to building wealth is not from working alone. It's from owning things. It should be common sense. How did the rich guy get rich? He owned the business you work for. If you can also own it, why aren't you doing it? If the company is sharing its profits with shareholders, why aren't you a shareholder?

There are three things you need to have in order to finally get ahead and be less reliant on others for your financial wellbeing. 

You need vision.

You need to understand that your financial stability is not the responsibility nor the obligation of anyone else but you. Your employer needs to fill a position and they pay what they pay. You accepted the job at the pay offered, and that's that. You need to view your situation as an opportunity and have the vision to believe that wealth is achievable even when all the odds seem stacked against you, because other people do it all the time.

You need goals.

Nothing is ever achieved without a plan and a well thought out one. Realize what's possible and then try to figure out how you can achieve what's possible. More importantly, set realistic goals. Wealth is not about luck. It can be in rare situations. But most of the time it's not about luck at all. It's about vision and having a plan and staying committed to it against all odds.

You need courage.

No one achieved wealth without risk. It's just part of the game. You have to be willing to make certain short-term sacrifices in order to achieve long term gains. You have to be willing to put money on the table to gain from it. You have to trust not in the system, but in your judgement. You have to have faith in yourself. Never, ever sell yourself short. Never, ever give in or give up. Never, ever settle. Have an I can attitude. And never, ever look at someone else's success as having held you back from your own.

The world is full of opportunities. Seize every single one of them and never tell yourself you aren't supposed to be part of it.

Because that's the other part of wealth creation many people fail to understand. It's not about them. It's about you. If you don't know something, learn something. If you don't understand something, seek out people and things that can help you to understand things better. Most importantly, look up to successful rich people rather than look down on them.

Concentrate your time and energy on appreciating that rich people represent what is possible if you mimic what they do.

And as I said early on in this post, don't make excuses. Read, learn and execute. Do it early. Don't wait. Because time is money and the more time you waste not doing it, the harder it will be to reach your goals. 

Make money your friend. Not your enemy. Make the rich and the businesses they own your opportunity.

Okay. There's one other thing here. And it may sound controversial. But I am going to tell you it is some of the best advice I ever got in my own personal financial pursuits. Do not listen to your poor friends. Because it's dumb to listen to poor people talk to you about money. They obviously don't know what they are talking about.

They are the ones telling you the rich are just greedy, evil people out to get you. They are the ones telling you the system is unfair and rigged. They are the ones telling you that the stock market is rigged and gambling. They are the ones telling you that you are being exploited. They are the ones saying you can't get ahead. 

They are the ones fortifying the excuse.

Look, say what you want about the 1%. But if you are listening to the 99%? It's the reason you aren't in the 1%. It's also the reason you don't stand a chance to become the 5%, 10% or even the 50%.

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© 2024 Jim Bauer

They're Crappy Jobs, But Someone Has to Do Them

The push has been on of course, for some time, to hike the minimum wage, and in many states, they've done exactly that. The most recent one in California, where the state's minimum wage was raised to $20 an hour, has made quite a lot of news— for a variety of reasons, and not all of it good.

Most states will have their minimum wages set at around $15 an hour, with my own state, Illinois, being at that rate by next year.

Honestly, I come from a couple of sides on this idea. As most things tend to be, it's a more complex issue than most people realize. It's easy for me to blanketly say, "I am opposed," and generally I am. Because it is a complex issue.

There's more to consider than just the quality of life for the employees who are impacted by lower wages. Because there's one underlying thought here. Does a higher wage actually have a positive effect on the quality of life for the employees?

I contend that it doesn't, because more often than not, financial woes are the result of personal choices and lack of financial education than it is the result of how much one makes. In order to improve the quality of life for these people, you have to first change the habits that are the root of their problems. 

But of course, no one is going to do that. It's much easier to just hand someone a few more bucks and wash your hands of any future dirt.

The biggest consideration is where the money comes from. Because money doesn't grow on trees and it has to come from somewhere, and unfortunately, the pockets of the businesses aren't as deep as many people tend to think they are.

It's mostly going to come from consumers. Or, in some cases, it's going to come from businesses pulling back on their labor. Either they will find more ways to automate and reduce staffing, or they'll close locations altogether to make up the difference.

At the same time, I do fully recognize that the difference between the wages earned, and basic needs being met have to come from somewhere as well.

Taxpayers will have to pony up on that one.

It used to be that jobs like retail and fast food were secondary jobs or entry level jobs, or just simply jobs that older people used to supplement their retirements. They were never intended to be careers. I think they probably still shouldn't be.

That being said, there is some truth to the idea that these jobs now make up a large number of all jobs, and so it becomes a question of whether or not we should consider these occupations similarly to other ones. 

Between Walmart, McDonald's, Burger King, and Target, they employ around 2.6 million people combined, in the United States. But consider that in the entire restaurant industry in the U.S., 12.5 million people hold these kinds of jobs. 9.8 million people work in retail.

The labor participation rate as of April of 2024 was roughly 62.7%, meaning that fast food and retail jobs account for around 11% of the total workforce.

But there are many other types of jobs such as secretarial work, certain manufacturing jobs and receptionists and call center workers who are also paid close to, or slightly higher than, these state minimum wages. So, the actual number of employees in this wage range are actually representative of a much higher percentage of the total participating workforce.

A full-time worker at these wages will earn somewhere around $31,200 a year, which is $28,028 below the average per worker income of $59,228. Median household income is roughly $78,238, meaning a household with two workers in fast food or retail would pull in roughly $62,400 or $15,800 less than other average households per year.

Raising the minimum wage even higher than $15 could help to at least close the gaps. But again, at what cost? Right now the average cost of living in the U.S. is just under $70,000 a year. It can be presumed that higher wages would lead to higher costs, and thus, closing the gap would be a moot point because the cost of living would raise proportionate to the cost of the higher wages.

So, what do you do? Frankly it becomes sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don't kind of a situation.

I think the emphasis should be on financial education so that any working American is afforded not just an opportunity to earn a wage, or even a livable one, but can actually grow financially. Because it goes back to a saying I cite often, that it doesn't matter as much how much you make as it matters what you do with what you make.

While I am not for arbitrarily raising wages, I do take into consideration that just because these jobs require very little in terms of actual skills, they are still jobs we need to be able to fill. We have to have these workers if we want our lattes and doughnuts and Whoppers—or if we want to have more than two or three lanes open at checkouts.

Someone has to do these jobs, and perhaps working in them should not be a sort of punishment.

But going back around full circle, we also cannot expect the money to simply materialize out of thin air. We have to consider the actual balance sheets of the businesses impacted by paying the higher wages. If they can't function, or go under, no one benefits. Not the workers, and certainly not the consumers who want to be able to patronize these businesses.

When we consider wages, we have to be cognitive of all of the impacts of it. On workers. On consumers. On the businesses. And on the taxpayers. Because when we raise wages, it impacts everyone.

Everyone deserves a good quality of life if they are putting in the work. But you can't take from Peter to pay Paul in order to do it. You can't just pick a number off the top of your head and say, "Okay, we'll pay that." And you also cannot assume that the wage is the only problem to solve.

Because again, it's complicated.

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© 2024 Jim Bauer

It's Not Price Gouging, It's Survival

The Democrats are trying to sell the idea that businesses are price gouging their customers. Of course, we all know that's not true. But it's a nice and easy way to pass on the debilitating effects of inflation and put the blame somewhere other than on their policies which are at the root of what's causing it.

The rising cost of labor, which the Democrats have long been pushing for, are not without their own contribution to the higher costs we are facing everywhere. It's not the only reason for the inflation, of course. But it doesn't help.

Fast food operators, for example, in California are being slaughtered by the $20 minimum wage.

The reality is that price gouging can't occur. That's not to say it never happens or even that it can't happen. It simply has limits. So, the reality is that it isn't happening, and that is evidenced by fast food businesses in particular having to do all sorts of things to ramp up business since customers are not eating at their restaurants as much due to the higher cost to do it.

In other words, you can't just charge whatever you want and expect customers to automatically pay it. If that were the case, the fast-food chains wouldn't be seeing their sales suffer.

As a general rule, the markets dictate what things cost, outside of external factors of course. Inflation, for example. But generally speaking, a business can only charge for its goods and services what the market is willing to bear.

It wasn't that long ago when a family of four was out and about on a weekend and stopping by for a quick bite at McDonald's was a reasonable proposition. Now that quick stop might cost upwards of $100. So, it's much more of a consideration than it was before, and many people are simply saying no.

It's just not worth it.

As a result, instead of gouging customers, fast food chains are revisiting value menu concepts. But those come at a cost. Even though when these value menus first arrived on scene, they were very profitable business drivers, that's not the case now.

The difference is we didn't have inflation and people had more disposable cash. People were more willing to upgrade their orders and buy higher margin menu items on top of their $1 McChicken sandwich, for example, that helped to defray some of the costs of offering cheaper menu items to customers.

Almost all of the fast-food chains are rolling out some type of value offering. McDonald's offers a $5 value meal, Burger King is rolling out a $3 offering and Wendy's has an offering of their own as well. 

It hurts the business, as most franchisees will say. These items are being sold at cost and sometimes at a loss, and so the hope is that customers will do the same as before when considering value items and add higher margin items to their order.

But again, with inflation, they may not be as willing to do it.

The bottom line is that businesses are dealing with the impact of the rising costs of doing business just like everyone else is dealing with the higher cost of living on everything else. There's no gouging going on here. Because again, the market is not willing to bear any cost. Businesses are at the whim of their customers, not the other way around. And in many ways, while it is painful at least in the short term, in order to keep customers walking through their doors, they are willing to lose a little money in the process.

The last thing these restaurants want is for customers to opt for staying home for lunch rather than considering what was before a fairly economical prepared one.

When my wife and I could opt for a quick bite out when we were running some errands and it only cost around $10, it was rarely a second thought. But when that same trip costs $30, you think twice about it. "Is it worth it?" Most people are saying no. Not when I can go home and make a sandwich and maybe even toss a few chips on my plate for under $2.

Businesses are out to make a profit. It's the whole point of being in business of course. And in order to do that, you need customers, and you won't get them at any cost. The villains are not the operators. They are victims just like the rest of us of the impact of higher wage demands and inflation—and they are running out of workarounds that work.

If price gouging was a thing, businesses would not be having to consider loss leaders to keep customers coming in.

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© 2024 Jim Bauer

Trump's "Guilt" Only Makes Us Stronger

You might say, "But you're a Trump supporter and that is the reason you are dismissing Trump's guilty verdict in the hush money trial." My answer to that is, that cannot be farther from the truth. I am dismissing Trump's guilty verdict because it was a sham trial for political purposes, and I know how and why it went down the way it did.

Something like this should never have been prosecuted in the first place, and if it were not Trump, it would not have been. On top of that, nearly every single person in charge of this had a clear agenda, and I think possibly even a clear mandate.

This was a case brought with intent and complete with explicit instructions.

The problem for the Democrats is that even if they booked a win, there will be no victory for them. For one thing, almost immediately following the verdict Trump's website crashed as it was flooded with donors wanting to contribute to his campaign.

He scored millions in new contributions.

The Democrats were hoping that a conviction would sway voters to their side—even if they knew they couldn't shake the die-hard MAGA crowd. What they are missing, of course, is that Americans are simply not as stupid as they think they are. People are paying attention, and the more we go down this path of witch hunting, the more people are digging into what's really going on and what's behind it.

The more people want to know the truth.

What it also does is cause people to see Trump more. They go out and seek more because they want to know if all this negative press is actually true. "He didn't really say that did he," they wonder? What they find when they see the real Donald Trump is not the man the media has told them he is, or the Democrat party has said for that matter.

If I thought for even a second that there was anything to these accusations and now his conviction, I'd step back. I really would. Because I can't stress it enough, I am an American first, and while I do call myself a Republican, it does not trump (pardon the pun) my commitment to what's in the best interests of the country.

The bottom line is that all that has happened since Trump came down the escalator at Trump Tower has given me great pause to question everything. From the GOP's attempts to deny Trump's nomination to two sham impeachments to claims of an insurrection and now all of the charges and indictments—there are forces at work that have to be questioned.

We have a ton of bad players in our government, and Trump's not one of them. He is the target of them, and for one reason. He wants to restore America and return the power of the government to The People.

What the Democrats get out of this is something to put down in the history books and nothing more. It will not sway voters to their side. In fact, it may lose more support for Biden. Trump will not go to jail. And when Trump wins in November, and I think he will without a doubt win, the Democrats are going to have quite a lot of egg on their faces. 

But there's one other thing to consider here. The one thing I said to my Democrat friends gleeful of the witch hunt and now the verdict is to be careful what you wish for. All bets are now off, and your side should fire up the shredders, because The People are coming for you next.

They have changed the rules. They've put light on things. They've made it okay to prosecute in places where perhaps it was taboo to do before. And let's face it. The Democrats have far more skeletons in their closets than Republicans do. 

One thing you never want to do if you want to win is to make your enemies into martyrs. The Democrats have missed that memo, and this may go down as one of the biggest backfires ever in history. 

There may even be movies made, one day. 

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© 2024 Jim Bauer