Amilya

Stay Focused: 2012 Presidential Candidates

• Amilya /
• Opinion /
• 21 January, 2012 /
• 3 comments

The choices we make at this point in the political race are more important than any other factor we have encountered previously.  We need to zero-in on the ultimate goal we are trying to achieve. If that ultimate goal is to create more jobs, then we need someone in office that will empower, not hinder, small business owners and entrepreneurs since that is where I believe the jobs will come from. Which means removing Obama from office, He has proven that he, not only doesn’t connect with small business owners, he has made some of the poorest consecutive business decisions I have ever witnessed. So, if that is the objective than we must align every single one of our decisions and actions to work with this goal in mind. The more we get sucked into the details, the more we lose sight of that goal, as well as our momentum for achieving it.

The Ideal 2012 Presidential Candidate

We need a new President to come into office, and grab a hold of the policy reigns that have gone out of control under Obama.  We need a new president to overturn or abolish many of the policies, implemented by Obama, that have nearly strangled the growth of America.  Just one example I’m referring to is Obamacare.  Obamacare is one of the most UNREAD and absolute worst laws passed in the darkness. As we are slowly coming to find out, this policy, which was supposed to be cost neutral, is now going to cost roughly a trillion dollars, further increasing our debt once again.  Obamacare has shown to more be more costly not just per month, but even further trying to administer it. There is so much wrong in Obamacare, I would have to write a book not a blog.   If we don’t elect a new president that will abolish this, America will turn into Greece in no time.  Remember, don’t think it can’t happen here; they didn’t believe they would be in the mess that they are in today either. This is often where Americans get off track with the “ can’t happen to us” mentality. We thought 911 couldn’t happen here either. These things can and will unless we all focus on the end game.

The focus, across the board, needs to be on the ultimate goal; none of us can handle another 4 years of policies, and rules and regulations that seem to be random, at will, and often not even read or understood by those defending them. The thought of “pass it and then we will understand what’s in it” doesn’t work for me or any business I am involved with, and it sure doesn’t work for me with our administration.

I am not, by any means, suggesting that anyone currently running is a homerun. They are not!  I have issues with each of the candidates, but guess what, that’s our choices. Do I like that I do not have another choice? No I do not!  However, I still have to step back and choose who will best service the needs of this country right now. That means I need to identify the top 3 things that are important to me and my business (employees & communities I live in). For me, it’s providing the tools and resources to get small business back into the communities. This is what provides the glue to hold & grow our communities. This allows the small businesses to build jobs, invest in the people within the communities, influence better home values, and bring back some certainty and security to Americans. Our tax systems, both business and personal, are far too complicated, and it doesn’t need to be.  Our tax system should not divide us as a country. Those who can afford skill and talent to find loopholes and those who are just trying to spend less time and money. It should be easy and clear to eliminate all these crazy loopholes. In order for people and small businesses to rebuild innovation, build new and expand business, we need access to capital. Again everyone, not a select few. The small community banks were a staple in the community that people relied on to help them better their lives and businesses. I agree that far too many took advantage of programs that allowed them to live beyond our means, and I don’t recommend that to anyone. But not allowing access keeps our communities stuck, and the land of limbo is the worst place to be. In order to begin achieving these goals, we need to stand behind the candidates that actually have a shot at winning.  Truth be told, as much as I like Ron Paul (not 100% but don’t like anyone 100%) Ron has no shot at winning the nomination. Further, even if he did, he doesn’t have what’s needed to beat Obama, who will be a FORCE in this next election. I relate to many in his base and am grateful for Ron Paul bringing forth great conversation on domestic issues regarding freedom of our rights and running government under the guide of the Constitution. However, his faults are on foreign policies and global issues, which have put him out of the race to most in the general public. Historically we know that dissatisfaction on those issues will have a greater influence as we get down to the wire. Yes Ron Paul has some of the %, but so much of this is math, so lets not get locked down in the details, or swayed by who we like (I like him). It’s about who can actually WIN, head-to-head, against Obama who, in my opinion, is the best orator, campaigner, fund raiser I have ever witnessed. If that’s what we needed in the country right now he would have my vote… but it’s not. We need small business jobs and a clear executable plan that allows us all to work together to rebuild our country. From top to bottom and everywhere in between, we all have work to do. We got in this mess together so we need to get out together.

Again, if the end game is of a higher purpose than who I like, who you like, since who we like doesn’t mount to a hill of beans if they can’t make it to the white house, then the ‘right-now’ is incredibly critical. This is why it’s in all of our best interest to stand behind and influence a candidate who does have a chance, and can win. The conversation and question has to move from ‘who do I like?’ to ‘who can go the distance?’

Further, ‘Will that person, once they get there, take the steps toward what the country needs NOW?’ Trust me, I already know (and so do you) that, whoever wins will not do everything we want. But, will they do the key things necessary to get people back to work, birth more innovation and business here?  Will they bring money back into this country instead of it sitting outside our borders? The premise of business, big or small, is to make money. If they didn’t make money, then no one would have a place to work, and all companies would be broke. So a business is going to do the math to make money. Keeping money out of the US is cheaper than bringing it home, pure and simple. We have a long list of things the USA needs, but we can’t tackle it all at once. Just like in life, if you try too do to many things at once you end up not doing any of them and getting nowhere. Ask yourself, “What candidate will get into office and start really doing whats needed to bring jobs back, empower people to innovate, build new business, grow existing business and pull the off shore money back into our marketplace?”

What Does the Future Hold For the U.S. Economy?

If Obama stays…

1. The transformation downward spiral that Obama sparked will pick up speed, and quickly.
2. Fiscal responsibility will continue to go out the window. When we lose that, we lose our foothold to do most of the things we need to rebuild the country. Just like we need good credit, capital, and leverage to do the things we want… so does a country.
3. The tax code will continue to stay complicated (worse I’m sure) and with unclosed loopholes that cost us far too much as a country. It becomes a key obstacle to getting us back on track.
4. Stop all the multi layer of agency upon agency, rules and regulations for about darn everything. It stops growth; it adds numerous layers of cost to almost every product and service.  We can’t afford high living cost when unemployment is high and average wages are low. We are a smart America; we don’t need to be so micro-managed to the point where we forget how to think, create, and innovate. BIG government wants to think for you. BIG government thinks it knows what’s best for you more than you know what’s best for yourself. Once BIG government gets too big, it takes decades to undo. Lets keep our choice in our hands, not theirs.  Didn’t you hate being told what to do growing up? I did and still do.

At the end of the day, I am a businesswoman who is blessed to live in this country and own a company. It also comes with huge responsibilities, all of which I signed up for. I am committed to my teams, my company, and my communities just as I am committed to my children, family, and friends. Together each of these groups come together to determine what we can do, to work together to have a life that we can feel good about, know we can provide for, and know we are part of something (family community and country) that we are proud of. Is it perfect? No, but I have found that nothing is perfect.

I consider myself an independent and have for a number of years. I realize we need voices from the left and voices from the right, but at the end of the day we need to be able to sit across from one another have a clear conversation and come to a compromise. I have always and still do love my neighbor and I don’t require my neighbor to be “like me” in order for me to like and accept them. I thrive on the differences among us and love to learn from others. That doesn’t mean I think I need to pay my neighbors’ bills for them. Just like I would not impose my views or values on them either. What I know is that when a neighbor needs help, I am the first one to go over and lend a hand and pitch in because I believe in the butterfly effect. We all win or we all fail!  But there is a difference between a leg and a handout and in my experience traveling all over this great country and working with businesses in the communities, people are not asking for a handout… just a leg up to rebuild their lives and learn from our mistakes. At the core I think we are the same. We love our families and children and want them to be safe. We want to either start and build a company or have a good job that we can feel good about and be a part of something that provides for our families and us. We want to embrace our country and want our country to embrace us back, not micro-manage our lives.

Right now, our choices and our voices are critical to the future of America. We need to stand up, speak out, and be heard.  From one girl, who is just trying to do the best I can, to another who is doing just the same.

Be sure to tune in to Fox Business beginning at 6pm ET with Neil Cavuto covering the entire South Carolina Primary from beginning to end. I’ll be making an appearance on the show! Follow me on Twitter for up to date news and headlines throughout the day!

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