Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

I have been watching the election, economy and the stock market. I am sorry to say that I was all but expecting the election results to be in favor of Obama. I sure hope it does not turn out that it is a four year test of endurance. The economy is already in question on stability and confidence we certainly do not need anymore reasons for questions. I lost a bit of hope when John McCain selected a running mate that very few had ever heard of. I felt his choice was centered on trying to gain the votes of Clinton's that were loosely based on gender rather than track record, political platform or country support. Sure many voters jumped on the ticket and offered their support but too many where not impressed and wavered on their support as became apparent in the election.

Now that Obama has won the election there is another item that might be of interest to consider as we move forward in the next four years. As I reflect back to my days in the Navy, I recall when Pres. Clinton was elected. It became apparent that the democrats did not support the military like the Republicans. A number of military bases were closed and jobs were lost. Not just military jobs but with all the base closures, a number of civilian support jobs were lost. Let's take a moment a consider our current situation. I hear how the unemployment rate is as high as it has been in a number of years and only expected to get worse. Well if the Democrats (Obama) follow suit then we will see an influx of military and civilian job seekers dumped into the already overloaded system. If it is hard to find a job now just wait until hundreds of thousands of individuals are dumped into the job market. The trickle down effect could look something like this...unemployment numbers increase which leads to an increase in demand on the welfare and unemployment payment monies which leads to an increase in taxes on a smaller number of workers which could impact the crime rate due to the unemployed turning to whatever means necessary to feed their families. Then the reasonably honest side of society has an increase in fear for safety and looks to purchase a gun. They are halted by the changes in gun laws by the newly appointed president and his democrat agenda in increasing the gun laws and making the lawful purchase of guns and ammunition difficult or impossible. This in turn increases the fear rate and causes the normally law abiding individuals to purchase guns illegally. This then causes society to demand more law officers. To increase the force requires an increase in taxes to pay for the greater need of government employees which is a start of bigger government...Democrats rule. What about the economy? Well with the companies getting smaller and the government getting bigger we need to figure out how to encourage the government to offer common stock so we can purchase shares on the largest growing entity in the US business marketplace. But why would you do that with so much debt on their books. Is there a good investment left in the stock market. If we are not careful we will be back investing in junk bonds and government run health care systems.

I hope you know most of this has been in jest but it sure gives you something to think about on the 'what-if' side or the ultimate extreme. Have fun and thanks for reading.

Facebook

Added myself to facebook finally. Traci has been suggesting for some time now. It has been interesting to see who is on there and I guess who is not. It will be nice to catch up on some old friends from the invites I have sent.

What is going on. The company keeps pluggin right along (UAF that is). Unfortunately, the Kash Kings venture has fallen through kind of in the last hour. With that in mind I will keep my eyes open to the next venture that comes along. The stock market situation has put a damper on the investor education and seminar business so my product development or speaking engagements are not necessarily in high demand. I am sure that I will have a chance to be back in front of a group talking about what I have a great passion for...trading.

The rest of the story...is still too come.

UAF Moving Forward

Many of you may know and some may not that the Wolesale framing and art company that I part-own has struggled with this recent economy. We have weathered the storm so far and plan to continue. And wouldn't you know it, as soon as we decide to scale back our operations to meet the demand of the retailers and photographers it seems the orders have been picking up. That is a good thing it just is tough on the timing issue.

You tell me. The plan is to seek a new business location that not only has the ability to house the wholesale side of what we do, but also have a retail store front. Well that is the plan right now along with making sure we pay off alloutstanding debts while we are without a rent payment due.

New Adventure

Many of you who know me, know I have been looking for something new to occupy my time during the day. I have been looking into a couple of possible ventures and have settled on two things in addition to the frame and art company. I will be flying to Chicago to go for some training with my Step-Dad (Duane) as I partner up with his company, Performance Adhesive. Second is more in-line with my passion of trading in the stock market and I will be taking on a share of Kash Kings. Kash Kings is an automated trading system that allows the subscribers to follow the exact trades that our team places as part of a lot trade once I or Buckley submit our trade to the pit. Eventually as things get going I will layer in the education side in the form of down loadable books, webinars, and maybe even annual events. It should be great fun and hopefully a huge success, on both fronts that is.

Road Trip

Long, long, long, crazy, exhausting and a bit fun road trip - Check.

Traci's parents moved to Utah this past weekend and Terry, Gabe and I flew out and helped finish the packing and then drove thier cars to Utah. The three of us switched cars frequently and took turns driving and such. Total trip was in the neighborhood of 2300 miles. First stop for the night was in Valoparaiso IN when we stayed the night at my dad's house. We arrived at 1:30 am and my dad and I stayed up talking until 4:30 am. The next day started with breakfast and repacking at 9:00 am and then off to St. Louis at 9:30 am. We stopped in St. Louis for the night game which started at 6 pm. Excellent way to take a break from driving. Unfortunately it rained the entire game and the Cards lost 14-1 to the Pirates. After the game we returned tot he road and drove to Kansas City. The next morning we planned for the long day of driving as we headed for Utah. I must say that it seems that Nebraska, via I-80, makes you feel as if you are on a hamster wheel or in the middle of a scene from Groundhog Day. From exit to exit it seems the scenery does not change for hundereds of miles. Finally we arrived at Terry's house at 12:30am. Long trip! Glad to have been able to do it and hope that the next 2300 miler is not for a while.

More TNA Drama

Out of left field comes a call from Ross Jardine. Ross is asking me to sign a contract termination document the terminates the purchase agreement with Larry Pino and the Dynetech team. Apparantly Mike thought if he had Ross call me that I would just roll over and take it again. Well I am not out to get anyone but I am a bit more cautious and looking out for me seeing that no one on that team seems to be. Mike has a track record now of screwing over people he has worked with in the past. It is funny how he talks bad about you to your face and to others and then will not even talk to you when he needs something. Perhaps he knows your memory is not that short and maybe just maybe you did learn something. The problem is that I learned to be a bit more skeptical about who I trust and what I trust they with.

I talked to a number of friends and co-workers and their advice is to ask for money to sign this document. I guess we will see just how bad they need me to sign it. I would not be surprised if they figure out a way to complete their transaction and work around me. Only time will tell.

Dayley Move

Traci's parents are currently in the process of moving to Utah. Rodney, Traci's Dad, will be looking for work here in Utah in the area of residential construction as a Project Manager/Superintendant. If anyone knows of openings that I could pass along I would certainly like to hear about them.

Linked In

Today I was introduced to a new way to stay connected in the professional arena; "Linked In". It appears so far that this is a great way to leverage who you know with the business you are in and the friends that you have in the many others industries out there. My Brother-in-law, Gabe, turned me on to this tonight and I think it has great potential. To check it out go to www.linkedin.com and see if this is something you might benefit from....and do not be afraid to recommend me!

NCAA Basketball

Well now that Indiana is out (what a surprise :) ) I must say I like the chances UNC to win it all as well as Michigan State or Marquette as the lower seed possibilities. I wouldn't be surprised if the winner between Wisconsin and Georgetown doesn't end up in the Final Four. Anyway, the tournament has taken a different slot in my life now. I am not sure if it is that I am busy, not playing ball as much or if the majority of those I converse with on a daily basis are just not as involved.

Speaking of basketball...the Provo city league team I play on (JUB Engineers) lost after a good run in the post seaason tournament where we closed the year out right around .500. Now it is on to Softball.

Movie Must See LIst

1. Lord of The Ring (Trilogy)
2. Caddy Shack
3. Stripes
4. Good Will Hunting
5. Anchorman
6. Napoleon Dynamite
7. I Am Legend
8. Hoosiers
9. Matrix
10. Star Wars (The Entire Series)

Corporate info

I have been made aware of the changes at my old company. Even though I am no longer there, I still feel deeply connected due to the time and effort I feel I put into the success of the company. Unfortunately, the most recent change is the dismissal of some of the managers that I recruited and saw grow into the positions they filled. It appears from the outside looking in that TNA is losing some of the luster that it once had. I am sure the company is still relatively successful but it appears to be at a huge cost.

TNA will miss Kevin and Nattalie.

I only wonder what company will be created with all the superstars that have departed from TNA...we have sales, operations, coaching, marketing, accounting. Good Luck to those that once worked for TNA.

Starting Out

I am starting into the world of Blogging to better communicate with friends and family throughout the states. If you have suggestions on what you would like to hear more about, hear less about or whatever...let me know.