My Thoughts by Rick Stephens

My oldest son will be 40 in a couple of months, but I still consider him part of the younger generation. Still, we often have some very stimulating and spirited discussions regarding life and the circumstances we live in.

Although he will not admit it directly, my son leans toward the liberal side of thinking, while I am very much a conservative. Therefore, many of our discussions revolve around capitalism vs. entitlements.

Over the years I have come to believe that those who think with a liberal bias must see life through a gloomy set of eyes. For them the glass is always half empty. It seems that the younger generation (at least in this country) fails to understand the importance of free enterprise and how capitalism has been the foundation for what they now consider entitlements.

For instance, on one occasion we were discussing the new health care legislation. I pointed out that the government had no business mandating that I buy health insurance. My son countered with, “They require us to buy car insurance.” Of course, my response was that car insurance is not mandatory unless you want to drive a car on public roads. His response was that a car is a necessity to life and therefore car insurance becomes mandatory.

I just can not seem to explain in a convincing enough way, that a car is not a necessity. A car is simply a product of our choice. He argues that it is impractical to believe that a car is a choice considering the requirement to be so mobile in our society. But the reality is that we can make the choice, though it may not be a very pleasing or convenient choice, to live without a car. We could live on a farm, take a bus, call a cab, let friends drive us or, heaven forbid, walk.

Our most recent discussion revolved around the Internet. In his mind, the Internet has become so pervasive in our lives that it has become a necessity. Again, I believe it is a choice we make to enhance our lives, but far from a necessity.

When the FCC recently began regulating the Internet with its “Net Neutrality” rules, I completely rejected and disapproved of the move. According to my son, we need to prevent the ISP from becoming a conduit to the web just so they can “grab money from our pockets.” This is exactly the type of comment that makes me believe that our younger generation sees life through gloomy eyes. It seems they believe that big corporations exist only to steal or rob us of our hard earned money and prevent us from enjoying the luxuries that we have come to know as necessities.

I believe that The Unites States of America is the greatest and the most benevolent and generous country to have ever existed on this planet. We give more to the under privileged people in this world than any other country, not only as a nation, but as a people. We believe that the individual has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and as such we give so much, that our own people are now beginning to believe that this out pouring of compassion is somehow a necessity and something they are entitled to.

Let us remember that there are only 3 things in life that we need; Food, Shelter, and Clothing. Everything else is either a luxury or a choice. No one is entitled to a job. No one is entitled to a guaranteed retirement or even health care for that matter. But as a nation, our compassion for the welfare of our human brothers is so great, that we are willing to contribute a portion of our wealth to help those who are less fortunate.

But to all who feel entitled and believe that corporations are a bad thing, please understand that had it not been for capitalism you would not have the luxuries you now enjoy. It is because of big business that this country has become so well off and prosperous compared to any other nation. Yes, some have not benefited as much as others. But still, every person in this country has the opportunity do better by making the right choices, not through entitlements.

And if you are not as well off as I am, please remember that my money is not your money. I worked hard to earn what I have and yet I am willing to pay my fair share of taxes and to contribute to charitable causes to help you when you are down. But I fully expect that you will also work hard to achieve a better place in life, make the right choices, and stop expecting that you are entitled to my money.

When people stop expecting life to be handed to them on a silver platter, and instead begin to appreciate the generosity of those more fortunate then they, this country will begin to pull itself out of the debt we are in, be able to help all of those in need, and once again achieve the respect and stature that we know has been given to us only by the grace of God.

To Your Success,

Einstein was right – I am insane

Trying to learn Spanish – again

1st attempt: 3 years in Panama + 2 years Junior High
What I learned: uno, dos, tres . . .
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2nd attempt: 2 years high school
What I learned: Hola, como esta usted
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3rd attempt: Retail CD courses (3 of them)
What I learned: Buenos Dias, Como se llama
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4th attempt: Berlitz class
What I learned: Eschuchar y repetir
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5th attempt: 1 year in home Personal tutor
What I learned: Esto es muy cara
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Ongoing effort: 35+ years living in Texas + 4 trips to Mexico
What I have learned: Donde esta el bano
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Latest attempt: Rosetta Stone
What I have learned so far: Debo estar loco
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To Your Success,

Now that the Health Care bill is law, there have been many who claim that certain portions of the bill are unconstitutional. This belief has sparked many states, including Texas, to join a growing effort to challenge the constitutionality of this law in the US Supreme Court.

Specifically, the charges are, that the US Government does not have the constitutional power to require every citizen to purchase health insurance. Many believe that the Commerce clause of the Constitution does not reach this far, others believe it does.

If it turns out that the US Supreme Court upholds the Health Care bill as constitutional, and agrees that the Government has the power to require every one to purchase health insurance or face a fine, then that ruling opens up a significant opportunity for this country to lift itself from the bonds of poverty. The possibility exists that in the future every citizen of the US (and ultimately the world) could become independently wealthy.

Here is my plan to eliminate poverty from this great nation and the world:

The government, acting under the the expanded reach of the Commerce Clause, should pass a law requiring every parent to purchase a life insurance policy of at least $1,000,000 for each of their dependent children. The exception, of course, would be those who already have enough money to be able to put $1 million in a trust without the need to purchase a policy. If the parent is unable to afford such a policy, the government could supplement the cost of the policy from savings described later. Upon the death of the parent, the $1,000,000 would immediately pass into a trust fund for the beneficiary child, and begin drawing interest at a regulated rate of no less than 4%.

The beneficiary child would be able to draw only the interest from this trust, never touching the principal. Upon the death of the beneficiary child, the principal would automatically pass to the beneficiary’s dependent children to be added to the additional $1,000,000 policy the beneficiary child was required to purchase for his/her dependent child, increasing the amount from $1 million to $2 million. This pattern would continue from generation to generation.

This result of this plan would be tremendous. First, after only 1 generation, every child in America would immediately begin receiving a $40,000 per year for life cash benefit to supplement their regular income. Instantly, poverty will disappear.

As the next generation begins, the benefit amount would increase to $80,000 per year for life per child, followed by $120,000 per child the next generation, and so on indefinitely.

A side benefit of this program is that the unemployment rate would be dramatically reduced as more and more people become independently wealthy. With enough money, no one would have to work, and of course, when the income level increases and fewer people need to work for a living, the amount of unemployment benefits would begin to reduce, saving the government millions of dollars each month which could be applied to the growing deficit and to supplement those who are financially incapable of purchasing the policy on their own.

Further, the problem of Social Security going broke would also be eliminated. The government could pass a law gradually reducing the amount of benefits being paid out by Social Security based upon the income of the recipient, ultimately eliminating the need for Social Security all together. This savings could again be applied to the national debt, further reducing it. Ultimately the saving from unemployment and Social Security alone could eliminate the national debt within just a couple of generations, bringing this country back to a rock solid fiscal stability.

Also, because more and more people will now be receiving income, The government would begin to see an increased amount of money being collected from income taxes, allowing the government to freely implement additional national programs for the benefit and well being of this nation. And, of course, when a person passes on without having a beneficiary child to receive the inheritance, the entire sum would pass directly to the government and be used to further reduce the National Debt.

The world would be in awe of our status and I am sure that eventually the rest of the world will look upon this plan and begin implementing a similar one in their own country to reap the benefits we are seeing in the US.

And when the rest of the world begins to see how prosperous we have become, and starts implementing the plan themselves, eventually poverty around the globe will be eliminated for ever.

If nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for my ideas, I promise to donate the entire sum to be applied to the National Debt. If the world insists on recognizing me for my humanitarian efforts anyway, perhaps a simple, yet prominent statue could be erected in my honor. I wish only for the prosperity of all.

Wake up America!!

To Your Success,

The passage of the Health Care bill has ignited a nationwide rift between the liberal left and the conservative right, to say the least. Lets get this out right away, so there is no misunderstanding form where I speak. I consider myself a conservative, a Regan conservative to be more precise.

With that said, I believe we have a few things to consider with regard to the media attention, both positive and negative, that is surrounding this debate. Clearly there is great passion on both sides and unfortunately some have gone “Over the Top” in attempting to get their voice heard.

This country has been built on, and is grounded in, the concept of “Peaceful Dissent”. Each of us has a 1st amendment right to freedom of speech as part of our heritage and citizenship. But the operative word here is “Peaceful”.

Unfortunately, there are really 4 distinct groups in this country. Those who believe the Health Care Bill is bad for our country (The conservative right), those who believe it is good for our country (The liberal left), those who don’t believe anything about the bill or are undecided (The apathetic middle), and finally the crazy loons who think spitting, throwing bricks, threatening congressmen/women, and advocating violence is an acceptable way to voice one’s opinion (The criminally insane).

Notice that the crazy loons are, in my opinion, neither liberal, conservative, or apathetic, but in a group by themselves. We need to stop associating the actions of this group as being part of any of the other groups. True Americans in this country believe in the right to peacefully voice opinion and do not retaliate against those with different ideas and beliefs with criminal actions and violence. If you think violence is the only way to get your point across you are weak minded, uneducated, deranged, a citizen of another country, or all of the above.

I support the efforts of the “Tea Party”. Perhaps you don’t. If so, I believe you have that right as a citizen of this country. But the media seems to be focusing its attention on the loons who claim to be on the conservative right when in fact these idiots have no idea of what the conservative right really stands for. Although less attention is being given to the loons who claim to be a part of the liberal left, those idiots also have no idea of what the liberal left is all about. So lets position these violent dissenters in the group they really belong to, neither left, right, or neutral, but the criminally insane.

I think there are a couple of things we can do as a nation to get this country back on track. First, if you support the Health Care bill and want to voice your opinion in a big way, create a liberal movement similar to what the conservatives have done and “peacefully” demonstrate in a way that will rally the folks who support that position to action. No sincere and honest conservative will criticize you for doing that. In fact, they will openly support the opportunity to have constructive debate on any subject you support, including the Health Care bill. But the weapon we have available to us is not a brick, but a vote at the ballot box. And if you choose not to exercise your right to vote, you give up your right to complain (well not really, but you know what I mean).

And Secondly, lets get behind an amendment that will create term limits for Congressmen/women and Senators. It seems that making a career out of politics is causing many of our elected officials to be obligated to too may deals, lobby groups, campaign supporters, etc. resulting in their inability to clearly vote their heart, and most importantly for their constituents, for whom they represent. I’d like to go on explaining why I feel this is important, but this subject is really for a different blog.

We have reached an historic milestone this year. Good or bad, Health Care is now the law. If you want to keep it, get off your behind and vote when the time comes. If you want to get rid of it, get off your behind and vote when the time comes. Stop the nonsense and lets get on with the debate, respectfully and peacefully!!

To Your Success,

Okay, let’s agree that Toyota, the number 1 car maker in the world, made a few errors in the manufacture of their vehicles. But I think this is now getting a little out of hand. Every day the news is reporting a new story on the latest vehicles from Toyota that are being recalled. Now today, I guess the press has decided that Toyota has had enough brow beating, and its time to move on to Honda, the # 2 car maker.

I believe that this is a plot to destroy the strangle hold that the Japanese auto makers have on the American auto industry and to provide a boost to the American auto makers. And, I for one, think it is atrocious action by our media with, I believe, encouragement from our administration.

It wasn’t enough that GM, Ford, and Chrysler ignored the public for 30 years and continued to make inferior cars, but when the economy crashed, our Government decided that it would not be in the best interest of the country to let them fail. So our Government gave them huge amounts of our money to prop them up. But guess what, sales are still not acceptable. So what do we do now? I know, let’s destroy the reputation of the top 3 auto makers and see if the public will be wooed into returning to the American auto makers. Yeah, yeah that’s the ticket!!

Don’t believe me? Come on, have you seen any of this in the news:

• Ford is recalling 4.5 million vehicles for cruise control malfunctions which could cause a fire
• GM is recalling 950, 000 Chevy Cobalts for Power Steering problems which have caused 11 accidents including 1 death
• Another 857,000 vehicles for short circuits on a printed circuit board that could cause electrical failures
• And still another 277,000 vehicles for shift lever problems
• Cadillac is recalling 27,000 cars for fuel system problems
• Another 12,500 vehicles for failing to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety standards regarding crash protection
• Chevrolet is recalling 31,000 Corvettes for roofs that may fly off
• Chrysler is recalling 24,000 vehicles due to defects in the braking system
And this list goes on.

Let’s get off this road and get back to getting our economy back on track. Almost all of the vehicles sold in America by Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, are built right here in this country. So destroying these companies do nothing but contribute to more unemployment and trouble for our economy.

Let the American car industry pay for their failure to deliver on what the American public wanted. Let them struggle to regain the leadership role they once had. Let capitalism work. Let them once again compete to win.

The American people are not stupid. They will always put their dollars where the value is. That’s why capitalism works. When American car manufactures begin delivering value, they will rise again. Until then, enough with giving them my money and creating artificial demand for inferior products.

To Your Success,

Source: LemonAuto.com

He never sold a single record. He never performed in concert. He never made the headlines of Entertainment Tonight, and he was never placed in the public spotlight for questionable acts of morality. Yet he truly did bring the people of this world together. He broke the racial barriers like no man or woman has ever done before bringing all races, religions, and nationalities together. He caused people to listen and to respond simply by the words he spoke.

He was respected for his honesty, integrity, willingness to challenge the norm, for his compassion in times of difficulty, and for his pride in country when great achievements were accomplished.

He never moonwalked, but he did proudly walk on the moon with all of America on July 20, 1969. He never wore clothes with flashy military imagery, but he did wear the fatigues of Army green while reporting his findings of the Vietnam war effort. He was never called the “King” of anything, but “Uncle” Walter was a predominate news voice in America and will be remembered for his faithful reporting of such events as the Cuban Missile Crises, the Assignation of President Kennedy, the moon landing of Apollo 11, Watergate, and so much more.

We lost a true American icon this week. Walter Cronkite was like no other celebrity in my life time. There were times when I disagreed with him, there were times when I cried with him, there were times when I cheered with him. And when he spoke, I listened, as did all of America and the world.

I, for one, will miss the integrity, professionalism, honesty, compassion, and moral compass that Walter Cronkite brought to Journalism. His death was not surrounded in pomp and ceremony, national television did not preempt all other broadcast in favor of covering his funeral, and tickets were not sold on Ebay to attend the visitation, but his legacy will endure for many centuries to come. Good bye Walter.

And that’s the way it is, July 21, 2009.

To Your Success,

As we approach the 4th of July, our country’s Independence Day, I wanted to comment on a few things that have been on my mind lately. I am a veteran. I, along with millions of others who have proudly served this great country during its history, don’t wear that label on my sleeve or look for opportunities to stand up and be recognized.

Although we all appreciate the support and generous outpouring of gratitude that is springing up in this country, it should be said, that when I consider my own service, it pales in comparison to the thousands of others who have given more than I did. As the saying goes, “All gave some, but some gave all.”

I am a Vietnam era veteran. I was not drafted. I served because I love my country and I wanted to give something back for all it had given me. But when I wore my uniform, people jeered, threw things, cussed, and spit on me. No one asked me to stand up and be recognized or applauded me for my service. Nor did they console me when my buddies died.

My father served this country for almost 30 years. He fought in WW II, Korea, and Vietnam. He was also awarded the Bronze Star. Not once do I ever recall anyone at a public event asking him to stand up and be recognized for his service. He died before this new found patriotic movement began.

Please don’t misunderstand. I am appreciative of those who are encouraging patriotism in this country. But patriotism should not be a cyclical emotion. I will be the first to admit, that we have made some mistakes and I am sure we will make others in the future. But regardless of all that, I loved my country back when it was not popular to be a veteran, and today, nothing for me has changed. I will continue to support this country through thick or thin, and I would stand up and defend her still today if needed.

So, when I am asked to be recognized at events, parties, and other social gatherings, I proudly stand, not because I feel I did anything special, but because there are so many others, like my dad, who gave so much more, and were never asked to stand.

I am proud to be a veteran but I am even more proud to be an American.

God Bless the USA.

To Your Success,

We all have dreams. Dreams are the foundation to success. I tell people all the time that when they lose the vision of their dream, they have stepped onto the path of failure. I have a slogan that says,”Restore your vision and live your dream”. I would never tell someone to give up their dream, because dreams are what our future is made from.

Did I say “Never”? That’s something else I avoid saying, “Never.” So perhaps I should rephrase my comment to “I would rarely tell someone to give up their dream.” So now that we can accept that I might tell someone to give up their dream, what would be the “Rare” circumstance that would cause me to do that?

This is certainly not an easy concept to swallow, so let me clarify by saying, “There might be times when you should re-focus your vision so that you see your dream differently.” Let me explain. Suppose you have a dream to build your business into the next Microsoft. With a keyboard in front of you and a blank document open on your monitor, you begin to think about all the money you will have once this new piece of software hits the market. But what software? All you have is a blank document on your monitor. Without a vision of how you can offer your customers something significantly better than what is already available, your dream to become the next Microsoft is unachievable.

So perhaps for now, you should lose the dream of becoming the next Microsoft and re-focus your dream on developing something that will be a revolutionary benefit to the world. Do you think that when Bill Gates was talking about building an operating system for IBM, he was thinking “Wow, if I get this deal I will become the richest man in the world”? Probably not, but I suspect he thought this would be a significant opportunity to offer the world something they have never seen before, something that could revolutionize their lives for the good.

It’s impossible to cross an ocean without first thinking about how you will cross it. It is also impossible to build a Microsoft without first thinking of how you can benefit your customers. This brings me to my point. You won’t become the next Microsoft if you are not focused on your customer. So let me suggest that in some cases, maybe yours, you should lose the dream of becoming the next Microsoft and begin to dream about how you can bring value to your customers. When your customers receive value from your products or services, your company will grow. The more value you bring to your customers the bigger you will grow. Bring enough value to you customers and you could become the next Microsoft.

To Your Success,

I am adamant about the use of processes. I believe that everyone who is organized and interested in minimizing grief in their business as well as their personal life uses processes. For me, processes are an integral part of my life. I use them everywhere and often. Some people would say that I am too process oriented at times, and maybe I am. I, however, find that my life is simplified by processes and they allow me to spend my time thinking about the important things in my life instead of the routine.

I first realized the value of creating and following processes way back in my youth and have allowed them to be a part of my life ever since. When I was in the military, I found that while in basic training many of the recruits, as well as myself, were struggling to respond to verbal commands from the drill instructor. He would fire these orders out rapidly and with a vengeance. “Left Face. Column right.” When a recruit would turn left instead of right or right instead of left the drill sergeant would get right in his face and make him look and feel like a fool for not knowing right from left.

The problem is, that when you are under stress and responding to rapid fire orders it is very easy to make that type of mistake, turning the wrong way. So I realized that to keep from making that mistake, I had to create a process that would allow me to turn immediately in the correct direction without having to think about it. It had to be subtle and consistent. Here is what I did. While standing at attention I would slightly grip the seam of my right trousers. While marching I would grip my right index finger and thumb together as if I were gripping the seam of my trousers. (Because your arms move while marching, I could not keep a grip on my trousers, so I gripped my fingers to get the same feel.) I then told my brain that when ever I heard an order to turn right I would turn in the direction of my gripped fingers. It worked, and I never had to endure the drill sergeant yelling at me for turning the wrong direction again.

I don’t know why this worked, but it did. Your brain is an amazing thing and when given a process to follow, it will take over for you. This is why it is so important to have processes in your business as well. Your company must be able to run on autopilot for all of the routine situations. This will allow you to concentrate on the important things in your business, such as customer service, product development, marketing strategies, etc.

If you will establish processes for all of the routines in you business, amazing things will happen. So taking a lesson from my military basic training let me just say, “Get a Grip!”

To Your Success -

I’ve been watching my local basketball team, the Dallas Mavericks, struggling in their first round of the playoffs, hoping this is the year they take it all. I still have confidence that they can win, but an interesting thing occurred to me during last night’s game. I was talking out loud to the TV as I often do during ball games (I think it’s a guy thing) and many times I would shout something like “That looked like goal tending to me!”, or “That wasn’t Charging!”.

My wife patiently read her book as all of this was going on but finally she looked up from her book and said “How do you know all these rules?” It made me take a moment and think as to why some people know the rules better than others, not only in basketball, but in all sports. I examined my own knowledge level of sporting rules and quickly determined that even though I may watch all kinds of sports, baseball, football, golf, Hockey, etc., there are some sports in which I understand the rules better than in others.

I tried to think about why that was so, and eventually I came to the conclusion that the sports that I actually participated in as a youngster were the ones in which I had the most knowledge of the rules. I believe this is probably true with most people. If you have ever played baseball you probably understand what an infield fly rule is all about and why it exists. If you have never played golf you probably don’t completely understand when and where you can take a non penalized drop or how it is done.

I believe this is true in the business world as well. Those of us who have gone through the trials and tribulations of running a business have made enough mistakes that we are quite familiar with what will work and what will not work, the rules so to speak. Just because we might have an advanced business degree doesn’t mean that we know all of the rules. A degree by itself is probably similar to watching the sport but never playing it.

This brings me to the point of this article; never underestimate the value an experienced advisor can bring to the table. Many business people will fail simply because they did not know the rules they were playing under. Keep your business advisor close and consult with him/her frequently. Their EXPERIENCE will make a significant and positive impact on your success. You’ll soon be playing the game of business with a high level of knowledge. It is a lot more fun when you understand the rules.

The last thing you want is to hear the referee blowing his whistle, pointing at you, and slapping a penalty on you because you did not understand the “3 seconds in the paint” rule!

To Your Success -