Steve Hoffacker's Sales Quips

The American people are being misled, and we appear to accept it.

The President is freezing spending, and we think that's a good idea. It's a horrible idea and a trick.

If a department had a budget of $1 billion (a very small department) for 2010 (the fiscal year we're in the middle of now) and it wants a 2011 budget of $1.2, freezing it merely keeps it at the $1 billion level. It doesn't reduce it to "0."

It sounds like when you are freezing spending or freezing the budget that you are stopping it - putting it on ice. This is just government-speak for the status quo. It means that you get no budget increase - or decrease.

Another little trick the President has is that when budgets are frozen that they are inaccessible from attack, reduction, or elimination by Congress for 3 years. This is another backdoor way of circumventing the Constitutional authority of Congress.

Congress needs to deny every non-defense spending that it can - especially every single earmark. In another year or so, they won't even be able to do this because the entire budget will be frozen as a way of taking away more of their power.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

In his first year in office, President Obama gave 411 speeches - on health care, cap and trade, global warming, employment, the stimulus, cash for clunkers, and other such issues and programs. When did he have time to govern?

As a public speaker and teacher, I know that preparation, travel, delivering the material, and winding down from an event can consume several hours. That said, at a pace of over one speech a day, how was there much time left for anything else? No wonder he delayed his important Afgan troop decision for months - he was simply too busy campaigning and running around the country to focus on security.

Now, he wants to investigate the BCS in college football. As much as I dislike the BCS and have laid out plans for a playoff system, the President, the Congress, and the Justice Department definitely are out-of-bounds on this one. Fifteen yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.

In the first place, they have no standing.

In the second place, they have no standing but are trying to say it may viloate antitrust laws. Funny since the athletic directors and the coaches at major schools affected support the BCS.

In the third place, there is a contract in place between the schools, the BCS, and the networks through 2015. Normally, this would be enough, but we know how the President feels about breaking contracts - just ask the GM and Chrysler bond holders and franchisees.

The President's number one priority is keeping us safe. He is willing to do everything but this, including making up things to do that he has no business being concerned about as President.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

The President doesn't understand small business. He's never been in business. He doesn't get it. Therefore, his attempts to help small business are not that sound. This is after he has attacked small business repeatedly with threats of new taxes.

It's only now, that he needs to focus on job creation, that small businesses seem to matter.

How does his plan create jobs?

The President has proposed a $5,000 tax credit per employee for all people hired by an existing business. Presumably these are new hires and not recalled workers.

If small businesses (including brokerages), in general, are having a tough time of just staying afloat, how do they create the additional demand and find the additional capital to hire and train more workers? Remember this is only a credit - it offsets money after it is already spent. Can't spend the money? No credit. Oh, that's where we started.

And if you want to start a business - which seems like a viable option for some people laid off by other businesses - and you want to hire people to help - again with limited financial resources - you only get half that of an exisitng company, or $2,500 per person as a credit.

Are start-up jobs really only worth half of an additional position at an existing company? Seems like new, start-up jobs would be even more valuable - not less.

This looks like more of a gesture than anything of actual substance. Now, if the government wanted to become a customer and begin placing some orders with small businesses around the country, that might work.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

The President just announced a spending freeze - and likely will talk more about it tonight. It is a trick. Do not be fooled into thinking that this is anything good - far from it.

The budgets were run up last year - double digits over the already high 2008 numbers. Then many (but not all) were frozen. Careful. This does not mean that there is no increase. It means that they remain at the the 22 or 35 or whatever percent they increased in 2009 over 2008 levels. Freeze. Not hardly. More like stonewalled - especially since the "frozen" budgets cannot be restricted, and spending can't be cut for three years.

The President has found a way to make an end run around the Congress and the Constitution.

More manipulation with our money - and no seat at the table.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

With the recent developments in Afghanistan and the fact that there will be no runoff elections, Karzai retains the Presidency of his country - as if this was ever in doubt.

President Obama remains unflappable in his desire to take his time on deciding on more troops, however. His Press Secretary Gibbs announced that the canceled election would have no effect on Obama's decision and that it would be announced "in the coming weeks."

Aside from this just being disasterous to troop morale and public support of the war - not to mention the prosecution of the war and potential impact on the outcome, the President seems more concerned with political issues in that country.

He vowed to help the Afghan government clean up corruption. Don't we have need of that here? Shouldn't charity begin at home?

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2009. All Rights Reserved.

President Obama has been wrestling with the war in Afghanistan - his war - for months. It won't go away. Over two months ago he received an assessment that he had requested from his top commander, General McChrystal. He didn't embrace it, it didn't enact it, he didn't dismiss it. He didn't do anything except procrastinate.

Then he convened his security advisors. On Friday he met with the Joint Chiefs.

All of this feet-dragging and posturing was to buy him time until after the Afghanistan runoff elections. Oh, but wait. They have been called off. That's right. The opposition pulled out because of the idea of too much corruption and fraud in the election process, and Karzai then canceled the election.

So now we are right back to where we were in August except that Obama has no more excuses.

The President has vowed to stay in Afghanistan but doesn't like talking about victory. This country has lived through one Vietnam.

Make the decision already. You can't please everyone.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2009. All Rights Reserved.

President Obama has had more than enough time to make a decision about prosecuting the war in Afghanistan. In fact, I think he has made a decision to wind it down, but he just can't come out and say it yet.

First, he needed a report from McChrystal that he got in August. Then he needed time to read it.

Then, Gibbs said that the President would need several weeks before announcing his decision.

Then, there is the little, convenieint issue of the Karsai election. Karsai has agreed to a "runoff" type election. And the results are going to be different this time?

Nevertheless, the President said that he didn't want to make any commitments until he knew which government he was going to be working with - like it's going to change with this new election.

And what is the President doing calling Karsai and congratulating him on having a new election? It's not really our concern - only the outcome. What if Karsai should lose?  There's no chance of that, but not a real strategic move by the President.

Now, Gates says make the decision already. We need more troops. Of course, Gates is assuming that the President will commit more troops. I'm not so sure. If that's what he was willing to do, seems like he would already have done it.

Now, his generals are pressuring him.

Still have to wait on that election though. Then I wonder what we won't like about that election that will push off the announcemnet of the decision even further?

Meanwhile, our men and women are fighting and dying there.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Finally, one unnecessary member of government - a so-called csar - is leaving the federal payroll. Van Jones is resigning, but only because he cites "opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me."

Whatever it takes to get a radical, anti-American off the public payroll. It doesn't say when the resignation is effective, but hopefully we have paid him his last taxpayer dollar.

He may still have a very influential role in the Obama White House - it just won't be official.

Since Obama was unwilling to fire him, Congress should have insisted on his exit before now. Oh that's right, Congress hasn't asserted itself into the unconstitutional creation and hiring of csars.

Capitalism has gained a small victory.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2009. All Rights Reserved.