The Proper Role of Government

by The Honorable Ezra Taft Benson

Former Secretary of Agriculture [The Eisenhower Administration - ed.] Published in 1968

Men in the public spotlight constantly are asked to express an opinion on a myriad of government proposals and projects. “What do you think of TVA?” “What is your opinion of Medicare?” How do you feel about Urban Renewal?” The list is endless. All too often, answers to these questions seem to be based, not upon any solid principle, but upon the popularity of the specific government program in question. Seldom are men willing to oppose a popular program if they, themselves, wish to be popular – especially if they seek public office.

Government Should Be Based Upon Sound Principles

Such an approach to vital political questions of the day can only lead to publistions of the day can only lead to public confusion and legislative chaos. Decisions of this nature should be based upon and measured against certain basic principles regarding the proper role of government. If principles are correct, then they can be applied to any specific proposal with confidence.

“Are there not, in reality, underlying, universal principles with reference to which all issues must be resolved whether the society be simple or complex in its mechanical organization? It seems to me we could relieve ourselves of most of the bewilderment which so unsettles and distracts us by subjecting each situation to the simple test of right and wrong. Right and wrong as moral principles do not change. They are applicable and reliable determinants whether the situations with which we deal are simple or complicated. There is always a right and wrong to every question which requires our solution.” (Albert E. Bowen, Prophets, Principles and National Survival, P. 21-22)

Unlike the political opportunist, the true statesman values principle above popularity, and works to create popularity for those political principles which are wise and just.

The Correct Role Of Government

I should like to outline in clear, concise, and straight-forward terms the political principles to which I subscribe. These are the guidelines which determine, now and in the future, my attitudes and actions toward all domestic proposals and projectsals and projects of government. These are the principles which, in my opinion, proclaim the proper role of government in the domestic affairs of the nation.

“(I) believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society.”

“(I) believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life…”

“(I) believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, which protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.” (D&C 134: 1-2,5)

The Most Important Function Of Government

It is generally agreed that the most important single function of government is to secure the rights and freedoms of individual citizens. But, what are those right? And what is their source? Until these questions are answered there is little likelihood that we can correctly determine how government can best secure them. Thomas Paine, back in the days of the American Revolution, explained that:

“Rights are not gifts from one man to another, nor from one class of men to another… It is impossible t discover any origin of rights otherwise than in the origin of man; it consequently follows that rights appertain to man in right of his existence, and must therefore be equal to every man.” (P.P.N.S., p. 134)

The great Thomas Jefferson asked:

“Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath?” (Works 8:404; P.P.N.S., p.141)

Starting at the foundation of the pyramid, let us first consider the origin of those freedoms we have come to know are human rights. There are only two possible sources. Rights are either God-given as part of the Divine Plan, or they are granted by government as part of the political plan. Reason, necessity, tradition and religious convictions all lead me to accept the divine origin of these rights. If we accept the premise that human rights are granted by government, then we must be willing to accept the corolla must be willing to accept the corollary that they can be denied by government. I, for one, shall never accept that premise. As the French political economist, Frederick Bastiat, phrased it so succinctly, “Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place.” (The Law, p.6)

The Real Meaning Of The Separation Of Church And State

I support the doctrine of separation of church and state as traditionally interpreted to prohibit the establishment of an official national religion. But I am opposed to the doctrine of separation of church and state as currently interpreted to divorce government from any formal recognition of God. The current trend strikes a potentially fatal blow at the concept of the divine origin of our rights, and unlocks the door for an easy entry of future tyranny. If Americans should ever come to believe that their rights and freedoms are instituted among men by politicians and bureaucrats, then they will no longer carry the proud inheritance of their forefathers, but will grovel before their masters seeking favors and dispensations – a throwback to the Feudal System of the Dark Ages. We must ever keep in mind the inspired words of Thomas Jefferson, as found in the Declaration of Independence:

“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.” (P.P.N. S., p.519)

Since God created man with certain unalienable rights, and man, in turn, created government to help secure and safeguard those rights, it follows that man is superior to the creature which he created. Man is superior to government and should remain master over it, not the other way around. Even the non-believer can appreciate the logic of this relationship.

The Source Of Governmental Power

Leaving aside, for a moment, the question of the divine origin of rights, it is obvious that a government is nothing more or less than a relatively small group of citizens who have been hired, in a sense, by the rest of us to perform certain functions and discharge certain responsibilities which have been authorized. It stands to reason that the government itself has no innate power or privilege to do anything. Its only source of authority and power is from the people who have created it. This is made clear in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States, which reads: “WE THE PEOPLE… do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The important thing to keep in mind is that the people in mind is that the people who have created their government can give to that government only such powers as they, themselves, have in the first place. Obviously, they cannot give that which they do not possess. So, the question boils down to this. What powers properly belong to each and every person in the absence of and prior to the establishment of any organized governmental form? A hypothetical question? Yes, indeed! But, it is a question which is vital to an understanding of the principles which underlie the proper function of government.

Of course, as James Madison, sometimes called the Father of the Constitution, said, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” (The Federalist, No. 51)

Natural Rights

In a primitive state, there is no doubt that each man would be justified in using force, if necessary, to defend himself against physical harm, against theft of the fruits of his labor, and against enslavement of another. This principle was clearly explained by Bastiat:

“Each of us has a natural right – from God – to defend his person, his liberty, and his property. These are the three basic requirements of life, and the preservation of any one of them is completely dependent upon the preservation of the other two. For what are our faculties but the extension of our individuality? And what is propAnd what is property but and extension of our faculties?” (The Law, p.6)

Indeed, the early pioneers found that a great deal of their time and energy was being spent doing all three – defending themselves, their property and their liberty – in what properly was called the “Lawless West.” In order for man to prosper, he cannot afford to spend his time constantly guarding his family, his fields, and his property against attach and theft, so he joins together with his neighbors and hires a sheriff. At this precise moment, government is born. The individual citizens delegate to the sheriff their unquestionable right to protect themselves. The sheriff now does for them only what they had a right to do for themselves – nothing more. Quoting again from Bastiat:

“If every person has the right to defend – even by force – his person, his liberty, and his property, then it follows that a group of men have the right to organize and support a common force to protect these rights constantly. Thus the principle of collective right –its reason for existing, its lawfulness — is based on individual right.” (The Law, p. 6)

So far so good. But now we come to the moment of truth. Suppose pioneer “A” wants another horse for his wagon, He doesn’t have the money to buy one, but since pioneer “B” has an extra horse, he decides that he is entitled to share in his neighbor’s good fortune, Is he entitled to take his neitake his neighbor’s horse? Obviously not! If his neighbor wishes to give it or lend it, that is another question. But so long as pioneer “B” wishes to keep his property, pioneer “A” has no just claim to it.

If “A” has no proper power to take “B’s” property, can he delegate any such power to the sheriff? No. Even if everyone in the community desires that “B” give his extra horse to “A”, they have no right individually or collectively to force him to do it. They cannot delegate a power they themselves do not have. This important principle was clearly understood and explained by John Locke nearly 300 years ago:

“For nobody can transfer to another more power than he has in himself, and nobody has an absolute arbitrary power over himself, or over any other, to destroy his own life, or take away the life of property of another.” (Two Treatises of Civil Government, II, 135; P.P.N.S. p. 93)

The Proper Function Of Government

This means, then, that the proper function of government is limited only to those spheres of activity within which the individual citizen has the right to act. By deriving its just powers from the governed, government becomes primarily a mechanism for defense against bodily harm, theft and involuntary servitude. It cannot claim the power to redistribute the wealth or force reluctant citizens to perform acts of charity against their will. Government is created by man. No mted by man. No man possesses such power to delegate. The creature cannot exceed the creator.

In general terms, therefore, the proper role of government includes such defensive activities, as maintaining national military and local police forces for protection against loss of life, loss of property, and loss of liberty at the hands of either foreign despots or domestic criminals.

The Powers Of A Proper Government

It also includes those powers necessarily incidental to the protective functions such as:

(1) The maintenance of courts where those charged with crimes may be tried and where disputes between citizens may be impartially settled.

(2) The establishment of a monetary system and a standard of weights and measures so that courts may render money judgments, taxing authorities may levy taxes, and citizens may have a uniform standard to use in their business dealings.

My attitude toward government is succinctly expressed by the following provision taken from the Alabama Constitution:

“That the sole object and only legitimate end of government is to protect the citizen in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property, and when the government assumes other functions it is usurpation and oppression.” (Art. 1, Sec. 35)

An important test I use in passing judgment upon an act of government is this: If it were up to me as an individual to punish my neighbor for violl to punish my neighbor for violating a given law, would it offend my conscience to do so? Since my conscience will never permit me to physically punish my fellow man unless he has done something evil, or unless he has failed to do something which

I have a moral right to require of him to do, I will never knowingly authorize my agent, the government to do this on my behalf. I realize that when I give my consent to the adoption of a law, I specifically instruct the police – the government – to take either the life, liberty, or property of anyone who disobeys that law. Furthermore, I tell them that if anyone resists the enforcement of the law, they are to use any means necessary – yes, even putting the lawbreaker to death or putting him in jail – to overcome such resistance. These are extreme measures but unless laws are enforced, anarchy results. As John Locke explained many years ago:

“The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all the states of created beings, capable of laws, where there is no law there is no freedom. For liberty is to be free from restraint and violence from others, which cannot be where there is no law; and is not, as we are told, ‘a liberty for every man to do what he lists.’ For who could be free, when every other man’s humour might domineer over him? But a liberty to dispose and order freely as he lists his person, actions, possessions, and his whole property within erty within the allowance of those laws under which he is, and therein not to be subject to the arbitrary will of another, but freely follow his own.” (Two Treatises of Civil Government, II, 57: P>P>N>S., p.101)

I believe we Americans should use extreme care before lending our support to any proposed government program. We should fully recognize that government is no plaything. As George Washington warned, “Government is not reason, it is not eloquence – it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master!” (The Red Carpet, p.142) It is an instrument of force and unless our conscience is clear that we would not hesitate to put a man to death, put him in jail or forcibly deprive him of his property for failing to obey a given law, we should oppose it.

The Constitution Of The United States

Another standard I use in deterring what law is good and what is bad is the Constitution of the United States. I regard this inspired document as a solemn agreement between the citizens of this nation which every officer of government is under a sacred duty to obey. As Washington stated so clearly in his immortal Farewell Address:

“The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government. – But the constitution which at any time exists, until changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people is sacredly obligatory udly obligatory upon all. The very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish government presupposes the duty of every individual to obey the established government.” (P.P.N.S., p. 542)

I am especially mindful that the Constitution provides that the great bulk of the legitimate activities of government are to be carried out at the state or local level. This is the only way in which the principle of “self-government” can be made effective. As James Madison said before the adoption of the Constitution, ” (We) rest all our political experiments on the capacity of mankind for self-government.” (Federalist, No.39; P.P.N.S., p. 128) Thomas Jefferson made this interesting observation: “Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the forms of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question.” (Works 8:3; P.P.N.S., p. 128)

The Value Of Local Government

It is a firm principle that the smallest or lowest level that can possibly undertake the task is the one that should do so. First, the community or city. If the city cannot handle it, then the county. Next, the state; and only if no smaller unit can possible do the job should the federal government be considered. This is merely the application to the field of politics of that wise and time-tested principle of never asking a larger gr a larger group to do that which can be done by a smaller group. And so far as government is concerned the smaller the unit and the closer it is to the people, the easier it is to guide it, to keep it solvent and to keep our freedom. Thomas Jefferson understood this principle very well and explained it this way:

“The way to have good and safe government, is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to every one exactly the functions he is competent to. Let the national government be entrusted with the defense of the nation, and its foreign and federal relations; the State governments with the civil rights, law, police, and administration of what concerns the State generally; the counties with the local concerns of the counties, and each ward direct the interests within itself. It is by dividing and subdividing these republics from the great national one down through all its subordinations, until it ends in the administration of every man’s farm by himself; by placing under every one what his own eye may superintend, that all will be done for the best. What has destroyed liberty and the rights of man in every government which has ever existed under the sun? The generalizing and concentrating all cares and powers into one body.” (Works 6:543; P.P.N.S., p. 125)

It is well to remember that the states of this republic created the Federal Government. The Federal Government did not create the states.

Things The Government Should Not Do

A category of government activity which, today, not only requires the closest scrutiny, but which also poses a grave danger to our continued freedom, is the activity NOT within the proper sphere of government. No one has the authority to grant such powers, as welfare programs, schemes for re-distributing the wealth, and activities which coerce people into acting in accordance with a prescribed code of social planning. There is one simple test. Do I as an individual have a right to use force upon my neighbor to accomplish this goal? If I do have such a right, then I may delegate that power to my government to exercise on my behalf. If I do not have that right as an individual, then I cannot delegate it to government, and I cannot ask my government to perform the act for me.

To be sure, there are times when this principle of the proper role of government is most annoying and inconvenient. If I could only FORCE the ignorant to provided for themselves, or the selfish to be generous with their wealth! But if we permit government to manufacture its own authority out of thin air, and to create self-proclaimed powers not delegated to it by the people, then the creature exceeds the creator and becomes master. Beyond that point, where shall the line be drawn? Who is to say “this far, but no farther?” What clear PRINCIPLE will stay the hand of government from reaching farther and yet farther into our daily lives? We shouldn’t forget the wise words of President Grover Cleveland that “… though the people support the Government the Government should not support the people.” (P.P.N.S., p.345) We should also remember, as Frederic Bastiat reminded us, that “Nothing can enter the public treasury for the benefit of one citizen or one class unless other citizens and other classes have been forced to send it in.” (THE LAW, p. 30; P.P.N.S., p. 350)

The Dividing Line Between Proper And Improper Government

As Bastiat pointed out over a hundred years ago, once government steps over this clear line between the protective or negative role into the aggressive role of redistributing the wealth and providing so-called “benefits” for some of its citizens, it then becomes a means for what he accurately described as legalized plunder. It becomes a lever of unlimited power which is the sought-after prize of unscrupulous individuals and pressure groups, each seeking to control the machine to fatten his own pockets or to benefit its favorite charities – all with the other fellow’s money, of course. (THE LAW, 1850, reprinted by the Foundation for Economic Education, Irvington-On-Hudson, N.Y.)

The Nature Of Legal Plunder

Listen to Bastiat’s explanation of this “legal plunder.” “When a portion of wealth is tranferred from the person who owns it – without his consent and without compensation, and whether by force or by fraud – to anyone who does not own it, then I say that property is violated; that an act of plunder is committed!

“How is the legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime…” (THE LAW, p. 21, 26; P.P.N.S., p. 377)

As Bastiat observed, and as history has proven, each class or special interest group competes with the others to throw the lever of governmental power in their favor, or at least to immunize itself against the effects of a previous thrust. Labor gets a minimum wage, so agriculture seeks a price support. Consumers demand price controls, and industry gets protective tariffs. In the end, no one is much further ahead, and everyone sufffers the burdens of a gigantic bureaucracy and a loss of personal freedom. With each group out to get its share of the spoils, such governments historically have mushroomed into total welfare states. Once the process begins, once the principle of the protective function of government gives way to the aggressive or redistribute function, then forces are set in motion that drive the nation toward totalitarianism. “It is impossible,” Bastiat correctly observed, “to introduce into society… a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder.” (THE LAW, p. 12)

Governement Cannot Create Wealth

Students of history know that no governement in the history of mankind has ever created any wealth. People who work create wealth. James R. Evans, in his inspiring book, “The Glorious Quest” gives this simple illustration of legalized plunder:

“Assume, for example, that we were farmers, and that we received a letter from the government telling us that we were going to get a thousand dollars this year for plowed up acreage. But rather than the normal method of collection, we were to take this letter and collect $69.71 from Bill Brown, at such and such an address, and $82.47 from Henry Jones, $59.80 from a Bill Smith, and so on down the line; that these men would make up our farm subsidy. “Neither you nor I, nor would 99 percent of the farmers, walk up and ring a man’s doorbell, hold out a hand and say, ‘Give me what you’ve earned even though I have not.’ We simply wouldn’t do it because we would be facing directly the violation of a moral law, ‘Thou shalt not steal.’ In short, we would be held accountable for our actions.”

The free creative energy of this choice nation “created more than 50% of all the world’s products and possessions in the short span of 160 years. The only imperfection in the system is the imperfection in man himself.” The last paragraph in this remarkable Evans book – which I commend to all – reads:

“No historian of the future will ever be able to prove that the ideas of individual liberty practiced in the United States of America were a failure. He may be able to prove that we were not yet worthy of them. The choice is ours.” (Charles Hallberg and Co., 116 West Grand Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60610)

The Basic Error Of Marxism

According to Marxist doctrine, a human being is primarily an economic creature. In other words, his material well-being is all important; his privacy and his freedom are strictly secondary. The Soviet constitution reflects this philosophy in its emphasis on security: food, clothing, housing, medical care – the same things that might be considered in a jail. The basic concept is that the government has full responsibinsidered in a jail. The basic concept is that the government has full responsibility for the welfare of the people and , in order to discharge that responsibility, must assume control of all their activities. It is significant that in actuality the Russian people have few of the rights supposedly “guaranteed” to them in their constitution, while the American people have them in abundance even though they are not guaranteed. The reason, of course, is that material gain and economic security simply cannot be guaranteed by any government. They are the result and reward of hard work and industrious production. Unless the people bake one loaf of bread for each citizen, the government cannot guarantee that each will have one loaf to eat. Constitutions can be written, laws can be passed and imperial decrees can be issued, but unless the bread is produced, it can never be distributed.

The Real Cause Of American Prosperity

Why, then, do Americans bake more bread, manufacture more shoes and assemble more TV sets than Russians do? They do so precisely because our government does NOT guarantee these things. If it did, there would be so many accompanying taxes, controls, regulations and political manipulations that the productive genius that is America’s would soon be reduced to the floundering level of waste and inefficiency now found behind the Iron Curtain. As Henry David Thoreau explained:

“This government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way. IT does not educate. THE CHARACTER INHERENT IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAS DONE ALL THAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED; AND IT WOULD HAVE DONE SOMEWHAT MORE, IF THE GOVERNMMENT HAD NOT SOMETIMES GO IN ITS WAY. For government is an expedient by which men would fain succeed in letting one another alone; and, as has been said, when it is most expedient, the governed are most let alone by it.” (Quoted by Clarence B. Carson, THE AMERICAN TRADITION, p. 100; P.P.S.N., p.171)

In 1801 Thomas Jefferson, in his First Inaugural Address, said:

“With all these blessings, what more is necessary to make us a happy and prosperous people? Still one thing more, fellow citizens – a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it had earned.” (Works 8:3)

A Formula For Prosperity

The principle behind this American philosophy can be reduced to a rather simple formula:

Economic security for all is impossible without widespread abundance. Abundance is impossible without industrious and efficient production. Such production is impossible without energetic, willing and eager labor. This is not possible without incentive.

Of all forms of incentive – the freedom to attain a reward for one’s labors is the most sustaining for most people. Sometimes called THE PROFIT MOTIVE, it is simply the right to plan and to earn and to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

This profit motive DIMINISHES as government controls, regulations and taxes INCREASE to deny the fruits of success to those who produce. Therefore, any attempt THROUGH GOVERNMENTAL INTERVENTION to redistribute the material rewards of labor can only result in the eventual destruction of the productive base of society, without which real abundance and security for more than the ruling elite is quite impossible.

An Example Of The Consequences Of Disregarding These Principles

We have before us currently a sad example of what happens to a nation which ignores these principles. Former FBI agent, Dan Smoot, succinctly pointed this out on his broadcast number 649, dated January 29, 1968, as follows:

“England was killed by an idea: the idea that the weak, indolent and profligate must be supported by the strong, industrious, and frugal – to the degree that tax-consumers will have a living standard comparable to that of taxpayers; the idea that government exists for the purpose of plundering those who work to give the product of their labor to those who do not work. The economic and social cannibalism produced by this communist-socialist idea will destroy any society which adopts it and clings to it as a basic principle – ANY society.”

The Power Of True Liberty From Improper Governmental Interference

Nearly two hundred years ago, Adam Smith, the Englishman, who understood these principles very well, published his great book, THE WEALTH OF NATIONS, which contains this statement:

“The natural effort of every individual to better his own condition, when suffered to exert itself with freedom and security, is so powerful a principle, that it is alone, and without any assistance, not only capable of carrying on the society to wealth and prosperity, but of surmounting a hundred impertinent obstructions with which the folly of human laws too often encumbers its operations; though the effect of these obstructions is always more or less either to encroach upon its freedom, or to diminish its security.” (Vol. 2, Book 4, Chapt. 5, p. 126)

But What About The Needy?

On the surface this may sound heartless and insensitive to the needs of those less fortunate individuals who are found in any society, no matter how affluent. “What about the lame, the sick and the destitute? Is an often-voice question. Most other countries in the world have attempted to use the power of government to meet this need. Yet, in every case, the improvement has been marginal at best and has resulted in the long run creating more misery, more poverty, and certainly less freedom than when government first stepped in. As Henry Grady Weaver wrote, in his excellent book, THE MAINSPRING OF HUMAN PROGRESS:

“Most of the major ills of the world have been caused by well-meaning people who ignored the principle of individual freedom, except as applied to themselves, and who were obsessed with fanatical zeal to improve the lot of mankind-in-the-mass through some pet formula of their own….THE HARM DONE BE ORDINARY CRIMINALS, MURDERES, GANGSTERS, AND THIEVES IS NEGLIGIBLE IN COMPARISON WITH THE AGONY INFLICTED UPON HUMAN BEINGS BY THE PROFESSIONAL ‘DO-GOODERS’, who attempt to set themselves up as gods on earth and who would ruthlessly force their views on all others – with the abiding assurance that the end justifies the means.” (p. 40-1; P.P.N.S., p. 313)

The Better Way

By comparison, America traditionally has followed Jefferson’s advice of relying on individual action and charity. The result is that the United States has fewer cases of genuine hardship per capita than any other country in the entire world or throughout all history. Even during the depression of the 1930′s, Americans ate and lived better than most people in other countries do today.

What Is Wrong With A “Little” Socialism?

In reply to the argument that a little bit of socialism is good so long as it doesn’t go too far, it is tempting to say that, in like fashion, just a little bit of theft or a little bit of cancer is all right, too! History proves that the growth of the welfare state is difficult to check before it comes to its full flower of dictatorship. But let us hope that this time around, the trend can be reversed. If not then we will see the inevitability of complete socialism, probably within our lifetime.

Three Reasons American Need Not Fall For Socialist Deceptions

Three factors may make a difference. First, there is sufficient historical knowledge of the failures of socialism and of the past mistakes of previous civilizations. Secondly, there are modern means of rapid communications to transmit these lessons of history to a large literate population. And thirdly, there is a growing number of dedicated men and women who, at great personal sacrifice, are actively working to promote a wider appreciation of these concepted men and women who, at great personal sacrifice, are actively working to promote a wider appreciation of these concepts. The timely joining together of these three factors may make it entirely possible for us to reverse the trend.

How Can Present Socialistic Trends Be Reversed?

This brings up the next question: How is it possible to cut out the various welfare-state features of our government which have already fastened themselves like cancer cells onto the body politic? Isn’t drastic surgery already necessary, and can it be performed without endangering the patient? In answer, it is obvious that drastic measures ARE called for. No half-way or compromise actions will suffice. Like all surgery, it will not be without discomfort and perhaps even some scar tissue for a long time to come. But it must be done if the patient is to be saved, and it can be done without undue risk.

Obviously, not all welfare-state programs currently in force can be dropped simultaneously without causing tremendous economic and social upheaval. To try to do so would be like finding oneself at the controls of a hijacked airplane and attempting to return it by simply cutting off the engines in flight. It must be flown back, flown back, lowered in altitude, gradually reduced in speed and brought in for a smooth landing. Translated into practical terms, this means that the first step toward restoring the limited concept of government should be to freeze all welfare-state programs at their present level, making sure that no new ones are added. The next step would be to allow all present programs to run out their term with absolutely no renewal. The third step would involve the gradual phasing-out of those programs which are indefinite in their term. In my opinion, the bulk of the transition could be accomplished within a ten-year period and virtually completed within twenty years. Congress would serve as the initiator of this phase-out program, and the President would act as the executive in accordance with traditional constitutional procedures.

Summary Thus Far

As I summarize what I have attempted to cover, try to visualize the structural relationship between the six vital concepts that have made America the envy of the world. I have reference to the foundation of the Divine Origin of Rights; Limited Government; the pillars of economic Freedom and Personal Freedom, which result in Abundance; followed by Security and the Pursuit of Happiness.

America was built upon a firm foundation and created over many years from the bottom up. Other nations, impatient to acquire equal abundance, security and pursuit of happiness, rush headlong sh headlong into that final phase of construction without building adequate foundations or supporting pillars. Their efforts are futile. And, even in our country, there are those who think that, because we now have the good things in life, we can afford to dispense with the foundations which have made them possible. They want to remove any recognition of God from governmental institutions, They want to expand the scope and reach of government which will undermine and erode our economic and personal freedoms. The abundance which is ours, the carefree existence which we have come to accept as a matter of course, CAN BE TOPPLED BY THESE FOOLISH EXPERIMENTERS AND POWER SEEKERS. By the grace of God, and with His help, we shall fence them off from the foundations of our liberty, and then begin our task of repair and construction.

As a conclusion to this discussion, I present a declaration of principles which have recently been prepared by a few American patriots, and to which I wholeheartedly subscribe.

Fifteen Principles Which Make For Good And Proper Government

As an Independent American for constitutional government I declare that:

(1) I believe that no people can maintain freedom unless their political institutions are founded upon faith in God and belief in the existence of moral law.

(2) I believe that God has endowed men with certain unalienable rights as set forth in the Declaratioth in the Declaration of Independence and that no legislature and no majority, however great, may morally limit or destroy these; that the sole function of government is to protect life, liberty, and property and anything more than this is usurpation and oppression.

(3) I believe that the Constitution of the United States was prepared and adopted by men acting under inspiration from Almighty God; that it is a solemn compact between the peoples of the States of this nation which all officers of government are under duty to obey; that the eternal moral laws expressed therein must be adhered to or individual liberty will perish.

(4) I believe it a violation of the Constitution for government to deprive the individual of either life, liberty, or property except for these purposes:

(a) Punish crime and provide for the administration of justice;

(b) Protect the right and control of private property;

(c) Wage defensive war and provide for the nation’s defense;

(d) Compel each one who enjoys the protection of government to bear his fair share of the burden of performing the above functions.

(5) I hold that the Constitution denies government the power to take from the individual either his life, liberty, or property except in accordance with moral law; that the same moral law which governs the actions of men when acting alone is also applicable when they act in concert with others; that no citizen or group of citizens has any right to direct their agent, the government to perform any act which would be evil or offensive to the conscience if that citizen were performing the act himself outside the framework of government.

(6) I am hereby resolved that under no circumstances shall the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights be infringed. In particular I am opposed to any attempt on the part of the Federal Government to deny the people their right to bear arms, to worship and pray when and where they choose, or to own and control private property.

(7) I consider ourselves at war with international Communism which is committed to the destruction of our government, our right of property, and our freedom; that it is treason as defined by the Constitution to give aid and comfort to this implacable enemy.

(8) I am unalterable opposed to Socialism, either in whole or in part, and regard it as an unconstitutional usurpation of power and a denial of the right of private property for government to own or operate the means of producing and distributing goods and services in competition with private enterprise, or to regiment owners in the legitimate use of private property.

(9) I maintain that every person who enjoys the protection of his life, liberty, and property should bear his fair share of the cost of government in providing that protection; that the elementary priing that protection; that the elementary principles of justice set forth in the Constitution demand that all taxes imposed be uniform and that each person’s property or income be taxed at the same rate.

(10) I believe in honest money, the gold and silver coinage of the Constitution, and a circulation medium convertible into such money without loss. I regard it as a flagrant violation of the explicit provisions of the Constitution for the Federal Government to make it a criminal offense to use gold or silver coin as legal tender or to use irredeemable paper money.

(11) I believe that each State is sovereign in performing those functions reserved to it by the Constitution and it is destructive of our federal system and the right of self-government guaranteed under the Constitution for the Federal Government to regulate or control the States in performing their functions or to engage in performing such functions itself.

(12) I consider it a violation of the Constitution for the Federal Government to levy taxes for the support of state or local government; that no State or local government can accept funds from the Federal and remain independent in performing its functions, nor can the citizens exercise their rights of self-government under such conditions.

(13) I deem it a violation of the right of private property guaranteed under the Constitution for the Federal Government to forcibly deprive the citizens of this nation of their nation of their property through taxation or otherwise, and make a gift thereof to foreign governments or their citizens.

(14) I believe that no treaty or agreement with other countries should deprive our citizens of rights guaranteed them by the Constitution.

(15) I consider it a direct violation of the obligation imposed upon it by the Constitution for the Federal Government to dismantle or weaken our military establishment below that point required for the protection of the States against invasion, or to surrender or commit our men, arms, or money to the control of foreign ore world organizations of governments. These things I believe to be the proper role of government.

We have strayed far afield. We must return to basic concepts and principles – to eternal verities. There is no other way. The storm signals are up. They are clear and ominous.

As Americans – citizens of the greatest nation under Heaven – we face difficult days. Never since the days of the Civil War – 100 years ago – has this choice nation faced such a crisis.

In closing I wish to refer you to the words of the patriot Thomas Paine, whose writings helped so much to stir into a flaming spirit the smoldering embers of patriotism during the days of the American Revolution:

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis, shrink from the servisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; ’tis dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial and article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.” (THE POLITICAL WORKS OF THOMAS PAINE, p.55.)

I intend to keep fighting. My personal attitude is one of resolution – not resignation.

I have faith in the American people. I pray that we will never do anything that will jeopardize in any manner our priceless heritage. If we live and work so as to enjoy the approbation of a Divine Providence, we cannot fail. Without that help we cannot long endure.

All Right-Thinking Americans Should Now Take Their Stand

So I urge all Americans to put their courage to the test. Be firm in our conviction that our cause is just. Reaffirm our faith in all things for which true Americans have always stood.

I urge all Americans to arouse themselves and stay aroused. We must not make any further concessions to communism at home or abroad. We do not need to. We should oppose communism from our position of strength for we are not weak.

There is much work to be done. The time is short. Let us begin – in earnest – now and may God bless our efforts, I humbly pray.

The End

Back to Zion’s Best Home

The

Are Your Social Media Profiles Golden?

Optimizing Social Media Profiles

Social media comes in many flavors, shapes and forms. You have more then likely have heard much about social media and using it to give away food and beverages for free. It Seems everybody is willing to discount your food and beverages. I bet they would change their mind if it was their money that was paying for their inventory.

How do you use social media to build your business without discounting the entire menu, first step is to begin with your profiles.  But first lets define Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing is a collective group of web properties whose content is primarily published by users, not direct employees of the web site.

The Purpose of Social media Marketing is to focus on branding, branding is about standing out in front and is about creating a dialogue creating two way discussions.

The Advantages of Social Media is:
1.    Free
2.    Unlimited Potential
3.    Large Audiences
4.    Potential Quick Success

TYPES OF SOCIAL MEDIA
1.    Social Bookmarking
2.    Crowd-sourced Content
3.    Blogs
4.    Blog Communities
5.    Micro media
6.    Social Networks
7.    Live Audio
8.    Customer Service Networks
9.    Video Aggregation
10.    Document Site

Setting Up Your Profile

Your Social Media profile is the most important thing you will do to create social media marketing campaigns.
Profiles build trust, Share information, promote your business and has some additional advantages including

Anchor text links
Your Own Hosted Pages
Control Your Content

Setting Up Your Social Media Profiles Correctly

1 Add anchor text links within the content to your website home page and additional page

2. use of the social media account web address is it your personally or your domain name as the name in the account address

3. The Content you create you have control of

4. Link Your Profile to As many other profiles you can

5.    Use a Photo You want to use for a long time this photo will be associated with your brand and you

Optimize Your Link Profiles

In Order to avoid getting ding for repetitive and duplicate content you must write unique profiles for each social media profile you build. The links also have to be rotated and cannot be exact from one profile to another. The real advantage is the ability to use more then a hand ful of keywords linking to your site and forces you to use additional keywords in your keyword string you are targeting.

Remember repetition in content from site to site is a red flag for Google to look for spam, by having unique content and links from profile to profile Google will believe that you are following their guidelines and terms of service for other webmasters and prevents the Google Spam teams from being attracted to your sites.

Additional Profile Link Strategies

Profiles are also a great way and tool to link to your articles, blog posts, guest posts, and Press Releases out on the internet this strategy also strengthens your overall links or what is called “link juice” to your site

Cross Promote to your Other Social Media Sites cross promote at every opportunity you get this builds incredible trust and credibility on line.

Time To Get Social

After your infrastructure is set up it is time to get social and join groups, find friends, and invite people to follow you. This is not something you have to spend 24 hours a day doing but do you must but you must track your fans and interact with them build your business relationships!

Our next step is then to learn how to be a “power user” with the targeted tools you are wanting to brand and market your self on

Make sure your google and follow Muhammad Saleem a definite social media expert Now go and build your social media infrastructure to maximize your marketing efforts.

Have a Tired Old Brand?

Restaurant Brand

Tired Old Brand? Need Polishing?

Creating your brand is creating your identity for your business. Who are you are in the marketplace? A new restaurant website can effectively achieve this in seconds

Restaurant Branding

First and foremost you need to know what you are promising to your customers. To do this you need to Create your brand and message.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.

Therefore it makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition,but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.

The objectives that a good brand will achieve include:

• Delivers – Your Restaurant Message
• Confirms – Your Credibility & Value
• Connects – Your Guests Emotionally
• Motivates – Your Guests To Visit
• Solidifies – Your Customers Loyalty Future Visits

Restaurant Marketing Strategies

To succeed in restaurant branding you must understand the needs and wants of your customers and prospects. You do this by integrating your restaurant brand strategies through your company at every point of public contact.

Your brand resides within the hearts and minds of guests and community. It is the total of their experiences and

Restaurant Marketing and Branding

perceptions, some of which you can influence, and some you cannot.

A strong brand is invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by day. It’s important to spend time investing in

1. Research
2. Define
3. Plan

After all your brand is the source of a promise to your consumer. It’s a foundational piece in your marketing communication and one you do not want to be without.

Restaurant Website

Restaurant Business Planning

Restaurant Training

Restaurant Advertising

Restaurant Menu Design

Restaurant Marketing

Marketing Tip Using POP (Point of Purchase) Marketing Materials to help promote additional services like Catering, Birthday Clubs, and of course seasonal Promotions and products. This is a tried and true low cost effective marketing technique used by all chain restaurants.

Cost Plus Credit Card Processing

For a typical credit card transaction, a number of participants play key roles in the process (meaning they take a cut of the fees you pay as the restaurant owner)

Those players include:

• the customer,
• the merchant,
• the payment gateway,
• the acquiring bank’s processor,
• the credit card interchange,
• the customer’s credit card issuer, and
• the merchant’s acquiring bank.

Average Ticket (Average Sale):
The average dollar amount of a merchant’s typical sale. The average ticket amount is calculated by dividing the total sales volume by the total number of sales for the specified time period.

Card Not Present:
A transaction where the card is not present at the time of the transaction (such as mail order or telephone order). Credit card data is manually entered into the terminal, as opposed to swiping a card’s magnetic stripe through the terminal.

Cardholder:
Any person who holds a payment card account (bankcard or otherwise). Person that uses a credit card to purchase goods and services.

Chargeback:
A credit card transaction that is billed back to the merchant after the sale has been settled. Chargebacks are initiated by the card issuer on behalf of the cardholder. Typical cardholder disputes involve product delivery failure or product/service dissatisfaction. Cardholders are urged to try to obtain satisfaction from the merchant before disputing the bill with the credit card issuer.

Discount Rate:
The percentage of sales amounts that the bankcard acquirer or T&E card issuer charges the merchant for the settlement of the transactions.

Independent Sales Organization (ISO):
An ISO is an Independent Sales Organization that represents a Bank or  Bank/Processor alliance. The ISO has an agreement to sell the services of the Bank or Bank/Processor alliance, and is allowed to mark up the Fees and sign up merchants.

-These entities are classic Middle Men, as they are typically not performing the services sold. They typically match the banking services they sell with Front End solutions for accepting transactions in order to offer merchants a working system.

-Their Front End Systems can be anything from Verifone or Hypercom POS Terminals to PC based Dial-Out Credit Card Processing Software, to Shopping Carts paired with a Secure Payment Gateway. (In all cases, the Front End solution must be compatible with the Processor in order to function.)

Interchange Fee:
A fee paid by an acquirer to an issuer for transactions entered into interchange. The interchange fee is a percentage applied, according to Visa/MasterCard regulations, to the dollar value of each transaction. There are multiple categories of interchange, and Visa and MasterCard each have their own criteria for their own categories. A transaction must meet the specified criteria for a category in order for that category’s rate to be applied. Each transaction is evaluated individually, so various interchange rates may apply within one batch of merchant transactions.

Non-Qualified Transaction Fees (NON-Qual):
Bankcard sales transactions that do not meet set Visa/MasterCard criteria for that particular merchant and are processed at a higher interchange rate. An example of this is a merchant that is retail (card present) that processes a card-not-present transaction (or manually enters card data rather than swiping the magnetic stripe through the terminal). The merchant will pay the difference between what they should have paid on retail and what they actually qualified for (card not present). This difference is called non-qualified interchange fees.

Secure Payment Gateway:
Secure Payment Gateway companies help other Processors conduct secure business on the internet using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.

-They provide a system that passes credit card data, authorization requests, and authorization responses over the internet using encryption technology.

-The transaction information is sent by the Payment Gateway secure server via leased line to the credit card network where the validity of the card is checked and the availability of funds on that account is verified. An authorization code is returned via leased line to the Payment Gateway; the authorization is encrypted by the Payment Gateway and transmitted in encrypted form to the web server of the merchant, which triggers fulfillment of the order.

-Rather than try and create their own Secure Web System, many Banks and Bank/Processor alliances will use a Secure Payment Gateway Provider to perform this task for them.

Settlement:
The process of sending a merchant’s batch to the network for processing and payment. For non-bankcards, the issuer pays the merchant directly (less applicable fees) and then bills the cardholder. For bankcards, the acquirer pays the merchant (less applicable fees) with funds from Visa/MasterCard. The bankcard issuer then bills the cardholder for the amount of the sale. Also see Capture.

Value Added Reseller (VAR):
Third-party vendor that enhances or modifies existing hardware or software, adding value to the services provided by the processor or acquirer.

 

Understand Credit Card Fees or get a Root Canal?

Choosing an Credit Card Services Company

Credit Card Fees my favorite confusing topic almost as much fun as understanding the FDA’s school lunch nutritional standards, I think I would rather have a root canal, at least it would be over in a few hours and only a nominal fee.

5 Step Buyer Guide to Choosing an Honest Credit Card Services

1. Understand all fees:

2. Compare

3. Ask how

4. Review All Agreements

5.Pricing and all Fees

1. Understand All Fees This is important because the last thing you want is for a company to bill you later with fees you never even knew you owed This should all be in the application forms!

2. Compare companies, based on the fees they charge as well as their record of accomplishment in dealing with businesses similar to yours. Evaluate companies rates as well as various terms and rules that may apply to your account.

Look for companies and sales reps that specialize in businesses like yours, not only in category, but also in sales volume. I want a rep like my Food Rep I call they call me back I have a question they can answer it in my terms that I understand

3. Ask How Long it Will Take You to Receive YOUR Money Depending on the processing bank, will determin the time it takes to transfer funds into your account. Many credit card service processing companies may vary however  the industry standard is two business days. of course take into consideration a Friday Night Batch on Saturday morning

Tip

American Express has their own unique pricing and terms to deliver funds from 2 days to as long as 30 days. (The We Cost you The Most Structure)

4. Review the Agreement and insure that you understand all the terms and conditions. Some companies sign contracts that are not to their benefit because they didn’t ask questions about terms they didn’t understand.

This mistake can cost you lots of money. Have your lawyer look over everything before you sign on the dotted line if you are uncertain.

5. Price should be just one of the factors you use when deciding which provider to use. You also should consider the other features of a given merchant account provider. How long has your Sales  Rep been in with his current company and in the business? Does he understand the restaurant industry.

More Tips Choosing a Credit Card Services Company

Customer service also is an important part of choosing credit card  services since you will be contacting them frequently, especially in the beginning.

Tip

You are paying for the rewards, cash back, miles and any other additional benefit that the card holder has signed up for

Moreover, any problems you run into with your credit card processing may need to be dealt with quickly; otherwise, you may risk losing sales. The last thing you want is to lose money as a result of terminal software issues and or point of sale issues.

Become familiar with the company you are dealing with and get names and specific contact numbers as often as possible.

Make sure your company provides 24-7 contact & support numbers  in terms of customer service as well as the accessibility of the company’s representatives.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

Christmas Season, Christmas Tree, Christmas Gifts,

It IS Christmas Time

Christmas is American!

Restaurant Proz has a no apology use of the phrase  Christmas. Christmas is as American as Baseball, Apple Pie, Chevy, Ford (They weren’t bailed out) Our Great Nation was founded on Christian Principles, see below, notice it does not say Nature’s Budda, or Allah or whatever…

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

hen 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

What Is Christmas According To Wikipedia

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The date of commemoration is not known to be Jesus’ actual birthday, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either a historical Roman festival or the winter solstice. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.

Although traditionally a Christian holiday, Christmas is widely celebrated by many non-Christians, and some of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, and garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, Father Christmas (known as Santa Claus in North America, Australia and Ireland) is a popular mythological figure in many countries, associated with the bringing of gifts for children.

Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

Its the Most Wonderful Time of The Year!

Restaurant Christmas

The Christmas Tree is decorated, with care, The chimney is cleaned out, the kids are excited and drawing Pictures of Santa Claus, Christmas Presents, Snowmen and Reindeer. My wife is hustling about making everything perfect, and we get to go shopping purchasing only from stores that have not caved to the countries minority whiners, and chief complainers, the ACLU members.

Restaurant Chain, Owners, Managers and Employees have a sense of responsibility to you and your country, enough is enough, Its Christmas Time and if your guests have the desire to be offended and want to be offended because you say have a Merry Christmas.

Let them that is their right as is your to wish them a Merry Christmas. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year, we all ( most of us at lease) seem to be a little nicer, act a bit more kinder and remember why Christ came to begin with. Enjoy your Christmas, and if anybody has a problem with it, Just smile, wave, and chuckle at the incredible frigid stupidity that they are displaying, remember to thank God That they are not a part of your family.

Ciao

From Our Families to Yours during this Christmas Holiday Season!

Need Butts In Seats?

Keep Your Restaurant Marketing in the Neighborhood

Most of us have heard that  80% of your business lives and or works in within your 3 mile radius of your restaurant. If we you threw out the paid advertising and focused on the Neighborhood, Grass Roots, Guerrilla Marketing,  your effectiveness, ROI, and your restaurant sales will increase.

The core of your overall marketing strategy (plan) must center around your restaurants neighborhood. Tempting as it may be to hand money over to your newspaper, local magazines, radio and even cable ad rep touting the latest deal for promotion to massively spread your name to thousands for just pennies, per day, resist the temptation until you have a solid Guerrilla Marketing Plan.

Restaurant Branding

Who are You? Who is your Customers Do you have a brand? do you know who your customers are? Hell do you know why they come to your restaurant?  A simple old school tactics for doing market research is to find poll your employees and find out where they are coming from. Sound silly, well it ain’t. It is easy all you need is a

1. Corkboard / Maybe an easel
   

   Do You Know Who You Are?

2. A map (of your neighborhood)
3. Pins
4. A wee bit of Training

Now just collect data, sounds easy, well it is, incorporate some pre-shift meetings, conversations with each and every , host staff, have the wait staff communicate the desire at the table, voila, market research.

Collect Restaurant Marketing Data

Make collecting data fun, Use the time to graciously welcome your guests as they arrive and when the are leaving.  Welcome your guests back! (step number 10 in the ten steps of service) have fun, collect names, build relationships, learn names, “The Cheers Factor”.

Now What?… A Hospitality Marketing Plan

Analyse then set up a grass roots campaign (More on this to Follow) do,  find other businesses in the area that you can “Coop”, Joint Venture, Ready, Fire Aim… ok maybe not lets create a restaurant marketing plan.

Community Organizing (Not Really)

When I first began managing, I learned a new term  MBWA (Managing By Walking Around) my mentor, the regional VP,  did this better then anybody I know. The restaurant industry has adopted this term to communicate a style of restaurant management, this can also be a very effective tool in your restaurant marketing campaign.

True MBWA marketing starts with your neighboring businesses, remember joint ventures.  A great way to find those other businesses to joint venture with is to first begin building a relationship with the owners and employees, the ideas will happen naturally.

Ciao

It's Beer Thirty

Restaurant Nutritional Labeling and a Sugar Tax …in The Health Care Bill?

Buried in a health care bill to pay for the “Deficit Neutral” bill our incompetent leadership from Washington has buried . The National Restaurant Association appears to be sitting on their hands doing nothing. The NRA this year has excelled at Incompetent Restaurant Leadership,  actually, negligent management!

Yes, I do feel the NRA has been deficient in its representation  of restaurant owners and emplyees. The NRA expects it fees but for what?  are they organizing the industry, the chains, the mom and pops? Is The NRA educating companies, owners, managers, employees, YOU on the current issues and how they will affect your business? To take a a

The NRA Needs to Put Politicians on a Diet

“Change of Diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure he no longer desires impure food”

James Allen in his book “As A Man Thinketh” States

Lacking Leadership and Direction

Instead of changing our selves we expect a bail out from the Federal Government. We want to throw  blame on McDonalds, and the Fast Food Restaurants for serving fattening food. Are we stupid? Have Americans become that irresponsible? You need a new management system

“Leadership is doing things for the right reasons, Management is doing things right”

Peter Drucker

If you are overweight from improperly managing you, you are an example for your world,  suing McDonalds shows a lack of personal responsibility, from you and anybody else involved. If  you are blaming Mc Donalds because of these issues;

* Maybe your genetic pre-disposed issues (medical condition)
* Maybe your lack of managed caloric intake
* Maybe Your health!
* Maybe Your Lack of Knowledge!
* Maybe Your Lifestyle!
* Maybe Your Workouts or lack of?

What kind of leader are you?

Washington Needs a Spending Diet

The Politicians in Washington need to go on a spending diet the NRA says on their “About Us” page

Where Are You NRA?

…“restaurants need a powerful voice before Congress and federal regulatory agencies because public policy affects every facet of the $566 billion restaurant business…”

The NRA says that they got your back in Washington, to track and influence pro business  legislation.  But whereare they? Nobody is looking out for you. You have paid your dues every year the benefits are on the site. The NRA said they are here to fight for your interest because you do not have time, you are running your restaurant.

Below is from the NRA’s About us page

What We Do

We Represent Restaurants

“Restaurants need a powerful voice before Congress and federal regulatory agencies because public policy affects every facet of the $566 billion restaurant business. The National Restaurant Association promotes a pro-restaurant agenda on critical restaurant issues like health care reform, immigration reform and food safety. Through the NRA-PAC and Save American Free Enterprise Fund, we work to help elect pro-restaurant candidates and battle anti-restaurant initiatives.”

What  Does The National Restaurant Association Do?

Is the National Restaurant Association Standing at the top of the stairs yelling stay out of our business? I don’ t

Communicate With The NRA

think so. Instead the NRA is to worried about attendance at the coveted National Restaurant Show?

These Are misplaced priorities. The attack on your lively hood from Washington is and should be alarming, just as you call for all hands on deck for that Friday night rush the NRA has failed you in putting “Aces in their Places” on the health care takeover. The incredible onslaught of anti business legislation proposed this is year is unprecedented the “Progressive Democrats” are accelerating the destruction of the US economy by redistributing  America’s wealth.

Take Action

All Hands on Deck Call and Demand Information and action from your local and National Restaurant Association

Ciao

Its Beer Thirty Leadership

“A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justices which regulates his life.”

“As a Man Thinketh”   by; James Allen

Life is a Race

There is a book from Mac Andersen (the Founder of Successories) Successories – 10% Off All Orders Over $99 Mac found and heard the story one day and was so inspired he found the author and created a motivational book.

This particular book explains the with exactness the  problems that we seem to be experiencing in America.  We seem to have lost our tenacity,  stick-to-itive-ness, (I just made that up)  We no longer believe in being responsible for our failures, I way hear to much blame.

If you feel that the Federal Government is your personal ATM then you may need an attitude adjustment. Read this Book entitled “The Race” By Dee Groberg

Personal Responsibility

In this inspirational  book Mr Groberg tells a story of a young boy and a race, the temptation to quit and the motivation he finds to keep going. The Race offers a profound, moving message that can help each of us run the “race of life.”

It is a small book only 64 pages easy to read over and over. I read it at least once a month to my son as I am putting him to bed. He usually falls asleep, thank goodness, I cannot keep up with him, and the message helps to remind me of my role as a father.

This book is about choices, responsibility, being an American, The Colonists did not quit, the 56 signers of the

Actions Show Leadership

Declaration of Independence, were thought “crazy” for declaring war from Britain and their tyrannical rule. Could they have whined and complained, were there defeats? yes, but they pulled up their bootstraps (or whatever they had to wear) and pulled off the biggest of all upsets.

Be the underdog, get up, shut up, Lead by example Buy and read “The Race”

Successories – 10% Off All Orders Over $99

Jobs Here. Jobs Now. Jobs First

Restaurant Work

This is proven, time and time again, America is full of the most ingenious people on earth, flat out plain and simple. We are Independent!

I sent an e-mail to The NRA (National Restaurant Association) Asking where is the nations restaurant association in regards to this issue? I have not seen updates where are you with hundreds of thousands of associations dollars? Where are your press releases why are you not actively organizing large chains, manufacturers, everybody to fight these job and industry killing bills?

Michelle

I am a Restaurant consultant in addition to a small business and internet marketing coach. I am concerned that I have not been able to find much, if any information that is up to date concerning the takeover of health care by the federal government. I am also not aware of the NRA’s efforts to stop this job killing, industry crippling legislation by the leftist elite in Washington. Their objective is to mandate, control and socialize small business. This is a government control issue, the belief that is legal to plunder the wealth of hardworking citizens the haves for the benefit of the have nots!

These three bills;

1. Health Takeover
   

   Where Are You NRA?

2. Cap and Tax
3. Card Check

I call a “Triple Whammy” this will not only cripple the US economy but destroy the restaurant industry as we know it.

The crippling effects will begin with farmers and producers, increase costs and limit the supply products and of transportation.

The resulting effect on the economy is less money (period) spent on goods and services resulting in reduced manufacturing and production. What does this equate to? The NRA is out of a job! You will have less members, with less money for your fees. The devastating impact on independent restaurant operators and increased paperwork ( aka, Tax Payer Dollars for Clunkers)

I feel the NRA must move all available resources (cash) at stopping these bills and future job killers, to educate the general public, employees, restaurant owners about the job killing effects of these bills individually and collectively. I am struggling to find the NRA pulling together industry leaders to crush this take over of America. !

Where are you! now is not the time to play patsy with nicely drafted letters on what you believe. I do not believe currently that the NRA is really looking out for the 12 million jobs you claim to represent.

Prove Me Wrong, Please! Show me what you are doing!!

As of posting I am still waiting for a response, So where are your fees going?  You would not hire an employee and not know what their job description is? Would You? What is your expectation of the Restaurant Association? Are they following through? Do they promote job and industry growth? Below are key ways to infuse more money into the economy and CREATE RESTAURANT JOBS

Below are the 4 key tax cuts and then 12 steps to prosperity from the Jobs Here Jobs Now program at www.americansolutions.com

Tax Cuts Increase Restaurant Work and Sales

The big government spending programs have failed to produce jobs and economic growth. They have never worked and never will.

More of the same government spending programs will also fail.The American people require an alternative that will succeed.
With the Federal Reserve’s recent report that we are nearing a 10% unemployment rate ( 10.2% as of this writing), enacting new policies to help create new private sector jobs should be the first priority of government today.

I urge you to read the reprint of the 1968 article from former secretary of agriculture

(The Proper Role of the Federal Government)

However, instead of focusing on jobs in restaurant creation, Congress is taking steps to impose new job‐killing draconian health, energy taxes, and union card check legislation which will crush main job creators in America—small business. Yea you Mr and Mrs restaurant owner!

Thank You

4 Key Tax Cuts

The following four tax cuts will help create jobs in your restaurant and fundamentally shift power from politicians to small business, from lobbyists to restaurant owners, and from bureaucrats to investors. The Proper Role Of Government is to create jobs first, protect American interest, (protectionist? Yes!) before we spend any more on government programs. These measures put the control, capital, and power in the hands of the people! Not in the hands of the Politicians

1. Immediate Payroll Tax Relief.

Whereas many people do not pay the income tax but do pay for every employee, and dramatically free up available cash for every small business employer to hire and invest. Among other sources, this would be paid for with all the unexpended TARP money, along with $300 to $400 billion of the unspent “stimulus” spending authorized in February.

The Incompetent Obamanomics

2. Reduce the Corporate Tax Rate. Combining state and federal taxes, America has the highest corporate tax system in the world. Matching the Irish corporate tax rate of 12.5%, combined
with zero capital gains, will make America the most desirable economy in the world to invest in.
3. Abolish Taxes on Capital Gains. Matching the Chinese capital gains rate of zero is relatively inexpensive in the current economy because people are going to have smaller gains. In the
1970’s, this is the rate that Alan Greenspan testified was best for economic growth.
4. Abolish the Death Tax. Inheritance is the most powerful accumulator of capital and eliminating the death tax has been consistently supported by over 75% of the American people.

Below are the best twelve in order from American Solutions

1. Payroll Tax Stimulus.  With a temporary new tax credit to offset 50% of the payroll tax, every small business would have more money, and all Americans would take home more of what they earn.
2. Real Middle-Income Tax Relief. Reduce the marginal tax rate of 25% down to 15%, in effect establishing a flat-rate tax of 15% for close to 9 out of 10 American workers.
3. Reduce the Business Tax Rate.  Match Ireland’s rate of 12.5% to keep more jobs in America.
4. Homeowner’s Assistance. Provide tax credit incentives to responsible home buyers so they can keep their homes.
5. Control Spending So We Can Move to a Balanced Budget.  This begins with eliminating Congressional earmarks and wasteful pork-barrel spending.
6. No State Aid Without Protection From Fraud.  Require state governments to adopt anti-fraud and anti-theft policies before giving them more money.
7. More American Energy Now. Explore for more American oil and gas and invest in affordable energy for the future, including clean coal, ethanol, nuclear power and renewable fuels.
8. Abolish Taxes on Capital Gains. Match China, Singapore and many other competitors. More investment in America means more jobs in America.
9. Protect the Rights of American Workers. We must protect a worker’s right to decide by secret ballot whether to join a union, and the worker’s right to freely negotiate. Forced unionism will kill jobs in America at a time when we can’t afford to lose them.
10. Replace Sarbanes-Oxley.  This failed law is crippling entrepreneurial startups.  Replace it with affordable rules that help create jobs, not destroy them.
11. Abolish the Death Tax. Americans should work for their families, not for Washington.
12. Invest in Energy and Transportation Infrastructure. This includes a new, expanded electric power grid and a 21st century air traffic control system that will reduce delays in air travel and save passengers, employees and airlines billions of dollars per year.

It is time to create jobs in your Restaurant, restaurant work is the basis of this economy, $567 billion in sales give or take a few billion 12 million jobs, over a million establishments We got fat and sat on our hands for the last ten years growth was great lets hope this