We Hauled the Wings, Engines, Tires, etc

[bramafear]

It still is "The Economy, Stupid!" Who's on 1st?

Who's on 2nd? Do we have a batter that can hit the ball?

We Hauled the Wings, Engines, Tires, etc. of what you guys flew during the 90's, but no more

TRISM, INC.,$450M, 3000+ employee leader in the specialized transportation industry. Trism serviced the over dimensional (flatbed) and secured (nuclear, hazmat, & munitions) markets both in the private sector and US government to all points of North America and Mexico. Trism’s core customers were: DOD, DOE, NASA, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Harris Corp, GE, Siemens-Westinghouse, TVA, ABB Power, John Deere, Caterpillar, Hitachi, JI Case, Home Depot…

http://members.ispwest.com/bramafear/trism/TB.htm

During Desert Storm, DOD actually airlifted our trucks & trailers & their cargo intact for rapid deployment. I bet you could not imagine the daily rental fee on all that equipment for 3-6 months, eh? Let's see, truck & trailer mostly likely purchase cost around $180k.

Anyway, I am so glad that I found this hanger board and that I have actually found again, for once, intelligent lifeforms on this planet.

I was especially moved by Kathy S.'s posting of her letter to GWB, and how the thread progressed and regressed with over a hundred positings. I believe that there are excellent and wise opinions on both sides of this issue: soft & hard issues.

After reading all the posts in that thread, I was inspired to take up Timebuilder's challenge: Give me Solutions.

First, I would like to lay down a foundation for expressing my solutions by providing an introduction about myself:

Lou, ( Lou Dobbs )

I can't thank you enough for lately putting an end to the massive denial of this country and the powers to be. Exporting America, among other things, have been fermenting for some time since 1999.

I lost a $450M enterprise on December 2001 with clients like DOD, DOE, NASA, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Harris Corp, GE, Siemens-Westinghouse, TVA, ABB Power, John Deere, Caterpillar, Hitachi, JI Case, Home Depot… BEFORE anybody witnessed the writing on the wall. I once was an executive with that company.

I spent the better half of 2002 waiting for the call... and it came, the call to move the data center elsewhere as an contractor. During July through September, I had to enter and conduct my duties in a $6.7M corporate HQ's tomb where people simply vanished without taking their aspirin and other personal effects.

I made it financially to Christmas 2002, but not much further. I had to sit & hunker down in my $200k garage and watch the world go by in TOTAL denial for the next 6 months before I found something to do in summer 2003 elsewhere, again.

Elsewhere is finished and I am back home for the holidays watching you at 6pm in Atlanta for the rest of the saga. This nightmare is just too long for my taste.

Anyway, yesterday on December 9th, you had an economist on your show. Yep, like the Clinton mantra, "It's the Economy, Stupid!", we are back at it again. And this time the mantra should be, "It's the Credit Gap, Stupid!".

I am firmly convinced that these recessions are caused by none other than the lack of access to capital. If that is the case, we need to address the problem, not the symptom. Since credit has been offered to the mainstream during the mid 1900's, our economy has grown by leaps and bounds and vice-versa during recessions -- the ultimate pyramid scheme.

I believe we can eliminate this contraction with a very simple idea --- and feel the effect immediately.

On to the Next Post

 

[bramafear]

First, We must Buy Back America

Economic Silver Bullet

I believe I have discovered an Economic Silver Bullet. We actually discussed this solution during the demise of our $450M company while desperately seeking out our options through SWAT analysis discovery initiatives. It is very doable; however, payroll tax laws would have to be altered.

Here's the bait:

After completing a corporate variable profitability study encompassing 2000+ over the road drivers, we discovered that our company side contributions to FICA,Medicare, & Medicaid were $500+K per month. Quarterly estimates would be around $1.5M; take 1/3-1/2 of that figure and you have a lot of debt relief and investment capital -- on both sides.

Example:

John Doe's salary is $80k and John has secured and unsecured debts of $40k. John wants to shed his debt and joins the company's debt relief program. Both parties agree on an 1 year plan: John receives a 50% reduction in salary and the company commits to eliminate the entire $40k of debt. Exactly 1/2 of John's bi-weekly payroll funds will be deducted to an general debt relief account for the sum of $1538.50 before all other deductions. The rest of John's payroll funds will be available for further Federal, State, & other deductions.

The moral of the story? Everybody WINS!

John is less likely to switch jobs. The debt Monkey is off his back; therefore, John's positive outlook on life improves as well as his contributions to the economy. The debtors get there investment back; thus, reducing bankruptcy write-offs expectations. The company has the ability to reinvest the tax savings back into the company in restricted ways: reduce their own debt, make capital expenditures, or hire more employees. Plus, John is still a productive tax revenue resource.

Today's reality story? Everybody LOSES!

John's company loses traction in their marketshare and suffers massive layoffs trying to save the company; because of John's salary he is on the 1st layoff list. John files for unemployment with the DOL and receives the maximum claim support of $249 after taxes per week. John has $5000 in savings and currently supports a monthly budget of $3500 ( mortgage, car, insurance, utilities, etc.).

How long to you figure John can hold out? Oh, to add insult to injury.... because John is a white collar worker he turns to the executive search firms and finds out that nobody is available to assist him. On to the Job Boards of the masses -- John feels good that he is being productive, but soon finds out there is very little human contact, employment offers, and maybe a few nice 'dear John' letters from the very few remaining professional HR departments.

Meanwhile, John has been documenting his progress in case the DOL might call him in for review someday. That day never comes.... he forgot they hinted about the disconnect when he initially filed his claim: "If you make $60k or above, you are not required or notified to attend special seminars, coaching, & placement assistance."

John continues on charging everything he can to make ends meet and applying for 'do whatever jobs' in-between --- he just has to ride out the recession, right? Recessions don't usually last more that 6 months or at worse, a year. Unfortunately, John's attempt at downsizing himself and applying for jobs 1/2, 1/3, & 1/4th of his salary doesn't pan out. Employers smirk and give him their standard line: "You are overqualified. Sorry." All this time, it is clear to point out that John has not been an asset to the economy, but a liability.

The day comes when John has reached the point of utter frustration and failure. You know after all this time searching for a job, John has to be a loser not to land anything, so his neighbors and friends think. John flips through the yellow pages for a bankruptcy lawyer and ponders for a while before he can dial the number; the underlining guilt association. The call is made and the appointment is set, but afterwards John finds himself in a dilemma: should I step forward with this process or end it all right here and now?

Use your imagination to finish the story....

The road of further cost cutting does not produce growth in an economy. We have to have renewed leadership to take us on the growth and recovery path and I am afraid another four years of this path is suicide.

On to the Next Post

 

[bramafear]

The ESB vs The Man w/Golden Gun

Lou,

Compare this idea for OUR benefit against today's Shareholder's benefit: Export American Jobs, it the most cost effective idea we have come up with to date, 0% Fica, 0% Medicare & Medicaid, & 0% Insurance deductions -- plus 1-10% of salary outlays.

-- These are the words to the promise:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."


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

Next,

Mr. Greenspan tells Congress that soaring budget deficits from out-of-control entitlement programs could lead to a "very delbilitating" rise in interest rates and threaten the economy in coming years... to cut future Social Security benefits.

I am only a 41 year old unemployed ex-executive. Am I suppose to eat this too?

I think not...

I do have several Strategic Plans to Move On very quickly and Buy back America from the Financial World & Wall Street.

On to the Next Post

 

[bramafear]

CNN Cont.. Waving Flag 4 Us Poor Folks

Wolf,

I am so glad that CNN has taken up the 'battle axe' and is swinging it against our current Economic Crisis for the people. I have been watching Lou's progress on this issue and I am finally glad that Lou's segments are being quoted on the House floor -- it's about time.

I thought your segment on Jan 29 with Dear Abby was excellent! Just as President Clinton said that day to the press and Democratic folks, "You need to put a face to this issue". Once again, he is absolutely right when it comes to domestic policies. For 110 million voices and opinions to be distilled into the No. 1 issue from a well respected source of advice, was simply amazing. I hope her insight and conviction on this issue will make it stick on top of somebody's agenda in Washington.

Before 2002, I was accustomed to paying $50k plus for Federal & State, Fica, Medicare deductions; annually. Since then, I haven't been able to find much value for my yearly contributions. It must benefit somebody else instead, and that is becoming a problem for us middle class folks. Furthermore, I don't even think we are an element of anybody's statistics -- especially those of us upper 5 figure and 6 figure unemployed, highly skilled folks that the "system" has cut the cord on. If you are not on unemployment insurance anymore, how can they know your status? They don't want to know in my opinion, it reduces the size and volume of the statistical reports.

Here's what really galls me --- when I was officially laid off on the day that George Harrison died, I trotted off to my local DOL center to make my claim for unemployment insurance. During group orientation on the 'ins & outs' of unemployment compensation, they separated us into (2) groups: those that they could help get a job and those that they were not equipped to assist and it kinda went like this: those of you that make $60k or over don't have to attend our required programs like the others. All you have to do is submit your weekly status to our online website. Good Luck and Good Bye.

I would have to say that we are at a crossroads right now, and somebody will have to make the tough decisions to get us out of this mess and get us back on track. The 'root cause' finger is currently pointed at Globalization and rightly so. Since the USA is the largest basket for consumers in the world, we should have the upper hand you would think. Or maybe the 'needs of the few out weigh the needs of the many?' Interesting concept.

When searching for the lost Holy Grail one only has to ask this simple question: "Who does it serve?". If a case can be presented that confirms Globalization is actually good for us --- then lets have that debate out in the open on the floor. Otherwise, we need to change our strategy and course to recover and build on what we have lost and put a barricade over the opening of that lurid, dangerous mine that leads to nowhere.

I am sorry, as an American, I do not desire my country to be turned into a 3rd World country for anybody's gain. And most 3rd World countries are defined by the simple fact that they have little or no middle class income populations in their economies. Is this the path we want for ourselves and our children and their children's children?

In closing I would have to say that this being my 4th recession, that I have never witnessed the utter and complete failure of our country's pillars of support to illustrate the lack there of. And one of the critical pillars is the media. When government of the people, for the people stray, the burden falls on our abundance of free press to get the message out to that entity and enable them to focus on our issues and get them back on track.

I am sorry, once again to say, that the only media I see waving the flag for us lost souls in America is CNN, thanks to Lou Dobbs, Wolf Blitzer, and the many fine producers working for us and CNN.

Regards,
M

PS: Just few suggestions to anybody that might be listening,

Unemployment Disability from Social Security - Wasn't the charter of Social Security Administration intended to provide 'Social Security' to the American people during times of adversity? If so, then for those of us that have paid in to the system generously without 401k's or have exhausted such plans, should we not be eligible for disability due to the current economic adverse conditions and provide the means to add fuel to this economy? Top Economic advisors think so.

Make the Phone Ring with Career Professionals - In the words of 'supply and demand': when demand is high you can afford to wait for the phone to ring, but once it doesn't ring anymore, you need to pick up the phone and make some calls to your customer base and rally them to your supply. For the high skilled, high income professionals, headhunters are their life-line to their next career move. Since the fall of the stock market and such, these headhunters went bankrupt or adapted to low producing ventures. Networking is KING in today's job market -- without it you are drifting around like a satellite in outer space, much like the adventures of the old TV show, Lost in Space.

Therefore, I would recommend that the DOL hire these headhunters as consultants, set goals, and measure the effectiveness of the program and produce results. The current scheme of the Lottery or Bingo style job market game is not very productive in the short-term period we have. We need results and we need it now. How are we gonna pay the deficit down and provide Social Security with the funds to service the ever looming baby boom massive retirement on the horizon making ZERO to 1/3 to 1/2 of our normal income? This does not compute. Make a list of those unemployed middle to upper income workers, descending by years out of work, and then one by one aggressively market them and place them wherever they may land.

Shutdown the Iraq Program - we simply can't afford it right now. With or without face it really doesn't matter because at home in America, we are unemployed, transitioning empty faces in a crowd, slowly our life forms are becoming ghosts that can only haunt the living -- we have very little else to do, or offer, or contribute.


But, then again, who am I to make such recommendations without a prestigious MBA or PhD from Harvard or Yale?

 

[bart]

I would love that program. It would allow me to live tax free off of credit card debt. I could make my car, grocery and all other payments with my credit cards, and the interest and principle payments would be absolutely tax free.

I think you are on to something here.

Imagine, as long as you spent every penny you made, no personal income tax. Only people who saved money up and above IRA contributions would pay taxes. There may be some drawbacks to this idea, but I sure can't see them.

 

[bramafear]

They Already do this for certain things.

Bart,

I have seen recently perks given to execs for sign up bonus that includes a company loan for home purchase which is forgiven at the end of the year -- tax free; therefore, the program I am suggesting is legal -- all the company has to do is "forgive the note".

Just imagine the "buying power" of a debtless person with excellent credit. Winnebego anybody? Why not?

R,
Bram

 

[Timebuilder]

Well.

I have to say, I found the concept intriguing. You are not the first to come up with such an idea. Let me explain why it will not be implemented.

This country is really run by two groups: insurance companies and lawyers. They have great power, and they will not give it up. The Trial Lawyers, the most active group, want the status quo that retains their power and wealth, so they support the party that created the victim mentality. In order to retain the staus quo and keep pork barrel spending moving along, congress must retain the ability to tax heavily so that income can be redistributed to special interest groups that vote heavily. Your plan reduces the taxable income of those who have failed to manage their money wisely by 50%. This would make social security and medicare immediately insolvent, and thrust us into a deep recession, decimating our country to a near Mexican level.

The problem you describe is a difference in the relative cost of labor. We will not solve that problem by eliminating consumer debt, because the interest payments from consumer debt fuel loans to home purchasers and businesses, and pay dividends to investors in banking stocks.

The andtidote, as I see it, is to live and spend wisely, get as much education as you can while in grades K-12, and prepare well to compete with other students for seats in college classrooms. Then, as competitive business people, do the things well that are difficult to export, and work hard to make American exports and products the most valuable products in every foreign market. If that means the elimination of many special interest laws and regulations that make America a relatively hostile country for employment, then that will have to be considered, too. Remember, much of this is the result of our attempts to make the workplace fairer and cleaner, and the big beneficiaries are the lawyers who represent the employees in these costly actions.

So, I'm glad that you PM'd me to point out your thread, and that you responded to the "challenge" that I fully expected no one to take up.

As the expression goes, this is an "arena of ideas." Let's have some more.

 

[bramafear]

Thank You, Timebuilder 4 that Crumb

Timebuilder quote:

You are not the first to come up with such an idea. Let me explain why it will not be implemented.

Could you please offer me an example of this?

Timebuilder quote:

Your plan reduces the taxable income of those who have failed to manage their money wisely by 50%. This would make social security and medicare immediately insolvent, and thrust us into a deep recession, decimating our country to a near Mexican level.

Your are absolutely, positively correct --- someone ring the bell, please!

Therefore, if my math skills are correct (500k/7.5%) and assuming that Fica & Med poop all adds up to 7.5% of payroll, then my company's runway pilot's payroll was somewhere around $6.7M per month for 2000 drivers. I will admit that does seem a bit low in my opinion based on our monthly revenues of $22M, but close enough for this example.

Anyway, let's ramp up this equation with a little aviation fuel ... shall we say 20,000 drivers? I believe that what Jay now has on his table is $5M in travelers checks. Now that's a lot money, huh?

Now, watch what happens when the Man with the Golden Gun shows up:

today's Shareholder's benefit: Export American Jobs, it is the most cost effective idea we have come up with to date, 0% Fica, 0% Medicare & Medicaid, & 0% Insurance deductions -- plus 1-10% of salary outlays.

Now, Wall Street raves all about the productivity increases and record level corporate profits not seen for quite a while. ....what changed?

Not to mention within the next 5 years the Baby Boomers will be retiring in droves which will add more fuel to fire. Coming around full circle here back to your quote:

This would make social security and medicare immediately insolvent, and thrust us into a deep recession, decimating our country to a near Mexican level.

Does this not look like a locomotive from hell, probaly scripted into the next Stephen King movie?

Please pardon me a minute.... I am applying paddles to my chest .... this will just take a minute and I will be fine....

Timebuilder quote:

of those who have failed to manage their money wisely

Do what? Without idiots that like to buy, buy, buy -- we would have an economy the size of your backyard pool. If everybody only shopped at Dollar Tree & Big Lots and never ate out, and put all of those savings in to Ms Piggy Bank, were would our economy be? Inflated or deflated? How many poor people actually fly during their vacation? Do poor people even have vacations? Hummmmm... I too must be poor in that case.

CREDIT is KING! in our economy. I have never witnessed the most ridiculous car finance deals in my life. Now, they are at the end of their rope: 0% down & $3,000 cash back.

And then there are those anonying mortgate telemarketing calls and DiTech Funding commericals for Mortgage financing options. Yeah, just like Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now jabbering with Sheen while he's in the cage sharing a cigarette: "He really likes you. He's got plans for you."

Take that second mortgage to pay off your unsecured debt, ghee sounds good, feels good, but ... when the rug disappears beneath you at 35k feet (laid off), it's a long freefall.

At that moment I would suggest to start humming the Beatles tune: The Fool on the Hill

Those financial boys just had you rolling around like Ned Beaty in Deliverance and wound up taking your innocence and your HOME away! Always remember this in the credit world that there are (2) types of credit: secured & unsecured. Never payoff unsecured debts with an asset you plan on using for a while.

Whoops!

http://www.gonemovies.com/WWW/MyWebFilms/Oorlog/Apocalypse9.htm

 

[Timebuilder]

Could you please offer me an example of this?

No. I have had so many discussions of economic ideas that they all blurr together.

The original plan, If I am recalling correctly, allowed for the payoff of credit by the company for a reduced salary.

First, the IRS would consider this as compensation, and would want to tax it. No tax, falling revenues, as the largest taxpayers (you know who they are, right?) would also do this.

Credit may be king, but WISE credit is the right idea. Here, you would have everyone who could do so running up a big debt, and then having the company pay it off tax free.

Trust me, this won't happen.

 

[bramafear]

Sounds like a Wienner to Me

Timebuilder Quote:

Credit may be king, but WISE credit is the right idea. Here, you would have everyone who could do so running up a big debt, and then having the company pay it off tax free.

That's exactly the idea! However, I do agree with you, there should be moderation controls in place. Such as you can't rollover without somekind of waiting period. Company wins, employee wins, economy wins, GOV ROI? -- now that's questionable. They need to learn to optimize and be fuel efficient like the private sector.... ha ha ha aha ha.

The object of the game in my opinion is to return balance to our capitalistic model: Manufacturing on top of pyramid, goods & services to the left, and the jokers (financial markets) to right. Somehow, someway, the jokers got on top right now.

Home plate is the compounded exchange between ourselves in our communities. For example: the state of Tennessee runs on the sales tax model for tax revenue; therefore, when people don't spend, they lose. But has absolutely no effect on their A/P disbursements.

From what I am hearing, China & Japan are bank rolling us. Now, ain't that just special.

 

[Timebuilder]

And we have a lot of money there, too.

Kind of gives us some common ground, eh?

 

[bart]

From what I am hearing, China & Japan are bank rolling us.

Yeah, and everyone was predicting the ruin of the USA as Japan was trading autos and VCRs for T-Bills in the late 80s. We hit a recession in the early 90s and recovered, Japan never did.

So, if they want to send their cash here for a promise to pay, that is fine with me.

 

[bramafear]

A 'lil brochure

For anybody that is curious, here are a couple pages from our brochure. Notice picture taken with WTC in the background. I bet you it was a real bitch to position those trucks through New Jersey for this photo shoot

When once where stupid enough to drive a "9 axle" trailer & truck by the Governor's Mansion on the way to Buckhead, here in Atlanta.

http://members.ispwest.com/bramafear/trism/TB.htm

Enjoy!
Bram

I found a "9 axle" pic just to accent your imagination...

http://www.trailer.net/mts/products/heavyhaul/9axle.htm

We used to do this stuff down in Houston, too....

http://www.sheedycrane.com/pic9.htm

Nice Tonka toys

 

[bramafear]

Hey, Not bad for a Pavement Pilot, eh?

Hey, who says we were NOT an Equal Opportunity Employer

http://www.adviewonline.com/Hightow...ml/pubcvrpkgs/trismpubcvr/trismwitpubcvr.html

Anyway, back to bidniz ...

Let's play the shell game... let's see, we have 4 coconut shells on the table: USA, Japan, India, & China. Only under one of these shells will you find the $$$$$$.

Okay, keep your eyes on the money [ shuffle, shuffle ]

Yesterday, where is it? .... USA

You're good! Correct you are Sir!

[ Shuffle ]

Today, where is it? ..... USA

Nobody can fool you Sir! Remember keep you eyes on the money....

[ Shuffle ]

Tomorrow, where is it? .... USA

Sorry Sir, Nothing there..... you must have missed the switch, Sir.

 

[Timebuilder]

I bet you it was a real bitch to position those trucks through New Jersey for this photo shoot

That's just the container depot on the jersey side. You pass the back side of it on the NJTP not far from EWR.

 

[bramafear]

I just had an Epiphany!

This country is really run by two groups: insurance companies and lawyers. They have great power, and they will not give it up.

My Quote
Export American Jobs, it is the most cost effective idea we have come up with to date, 0% Fica, 0% Medicare & Medicaid, & 0% Insurance deductions

Look towards are sharp rise in health & dental insurance on the horizon, if we are both correct on this issue.