This White House Tour brought to you by ...

During the Space Shuttle Program, I often wondered why NASA didn't sell ad space on the boosters and shuttle itself. Like NASCAR. It sure could have generated a lot of money.

I have no doubt, that given the chance Apple or Microsoft would have paid plenty to have their logo on the side of the Space Shuttle.

In these days of "Sequestration" the idea is worth revisiting. The White House has cancelled public tours due to cost cutting brought on my sequestration. Or so they claim.

Donald Trump, among others offered to pick up the tab and open the White House, owned by you and me to ...you and me. The White House said no.

So we ask, why?

The government also warns of delays in opening many of our national parks for the season. The key word being OUR national parks. So why not offer sponsorships? I bet any number of businesses would jump at the chance to sponsor Old Faithful at Yellowstone. Park Rangers could wear sponsor patches on their uniforms just like NASCAR drivers do.

The NFL and NASCAR have made sponsorship an art form. So why not the White House or Old Faithful?

"This tour of the White House is sponsored by Home Depot." Or, "This next eruption of Old Faithful is brought to you in part by Coca-Cola." (Because geysers and things go better with Coke!)

In business it's important to maximize revenue and reduce costs. Government doesn't operate that way. We lose. Over and over again.

That's why we can't tour our White House and might not be able to see Old Faithful this summer. All avoidable.

So what should it be? Sequestration or Sponsorships? I'll take the latter. Government needs to re-think the way it operates. So we again ask, why not sponsorships?

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

The Day Government Officially Went Nuts

Sometime in the future if someone asks you, "When did the Government of the United States officially go nuts?" you can tell them, "Why it was Tuesday, March 5, 2013!"

You might be asked why so here's some crib notes for you.

1. The DOW Jones Industrial Average closed at a record high, up 125.95 points to 14,253.77 at the end of New York trading at 2 p.m. MT, beating the previous record close of 14,164 achieved on Oct. 9, 2007. This even though the week before, even days before all the President's Men and all the President's Women and even the President himself warned of a nation doomed by sequestration.

Oops.

2. This notice was posted by the National Park Service. "Due to staffing reductions resulting from sequestration, we regret to inform you that White House Tours will be canceled effective Saturday, March 9, 2013, until further notice. Unfortunately, we will not be able to reschedule affected tours." 

Really? It's OUR house. Give us a dang map and we'll find ourselves around.

Oops.

3. The same day we were shut out of the White House, again OUR house, we gave our good buddies in Egypt $250 Million Dollars, handed over in person by Secretary of State John Kerry. Our money is being given to Egypt to meet the country's "Extreme Needs." Apparently Egypt's extreme needs are more important than our extreme needs. Which is taking things to extremes.

Oops.

So despite dire warnings of economic doom because of sequestration, the DOW soared to new heights. So despite that great economic news, they shut down the White House to us regular folks although I hear if you write a check for $500-thousand you can get a visit to the Oval. And so despite those previous mentioned cries of economic disaster and government running out of money, we somehow found enough cash lying around to give a nation of people who pretty much hate our guts, $250 Million Dollars.

And finally, the USAF has grounded their aerial demonstration team, the Thunderbirds. Reason given? Sequestration. Yet the F-35 "Join Strike Fighter"  program is 7 years behind schedule and 70% over budget. We've spent $400 Billion on a plane that has yet to be deployed. Businessweek calls the project a "Boondoggle."

Yep, our government officially went nuts on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. You heard it here first.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

Washington: You are Go for Sequestration

Sequestration. It's all over the news. Essentially the definition is, "If Congress cannot agree on ways to cut back the total (or does not pass a new, higher Budget Resolution), then an 'automatic' form of spending cutback takes place. This automatic spending cut is what is called sequestration."

In reality it's yet another example of what an economic mess we're in and government's total and absolute inability to do anything about it.

If both the Executive and Legislative Branches can't act like grownups it all kicks in March 1. 

A lot of folks are saying "The Sky is Falling!" Get real. If this whole thing was such a big deal the President wouldn't have gone golfing with Tiger and Congress wouldn't have gone home to shake hands and raise money for their next campaigns. This is all about politics. The folks with the "Bully Pulpit" are bullies themselves. And they're picking on us.

So let the spending cuts fall where they may. While I strongly disagree the sky will fall, if indeed it does maybe it's exactly the "Wake-up" call government needs to get serious about dealing with a $67.7 Trillion deficit.

A couple of guys who came up with a solution to this mess, and were promptly ignored by the very government who asked them to do it in the first place, are Al Simpson and Erskine Bowles.

Here's a basic outline of their original ideas:

• Replace the current tax bracket system of 10/15/25/28/33/35/39.6 with three brackets: 12%, 22%, and a maximum of 28%.
• Permanently repeal the AMT, the PEP phase-out of personal exemptions, and the PEASE limitation on overall itemized deductions.
• Eliminate all tax deductions; require taxpayers to take the standard deduction.
• Keep the earned income and child tax credits.
• Replace the mortgage interest deduction with a 12% non-refundable tax credit. Creditable mortgage balance would be capped at $500,000 (maximum credit $60,000); no credit for second residence.
• Replace the charitable contribution deduction with a 12% non-refundable tax credit, subject to a 2% of adjusted gross income floor.
• Treat state and local bond interest as taxable.
• Tax all capital gains and dividends at ordinary rates

In other words, if we're really serious about all this we'll need to do more than raise Warren Buffet's taxes.

 Never the type to give up Simpson and Bowles now recommend at the very least, trying this:

"Reform the Tax Code in a Progressive and Pro-Growth Manner. The current tax code is complicated, confusing, costly, anti-growth, anti-competitive, unfair, and riddled with well over $1 trillion of tax expenditures – which really are just spending by another name. Tax reform must reduce the size and number of tax expenditures to reduce the budget deficit and lower marginal tax rates for individuals and corporations. At the same time, tax reforms must maintain or improve the progressivity in the tax code and promote economic growth. Tax reform will make the tax code more efficient, effective, and globally competitive.:

The tax code is 70-thousand pages long, just one of the reasons Facebook is getting a $428 Million tax refund this year. How do you "Like" that?

Such foolishness, so avoidable, so very, very sad for all of us.

So maybe it's just as well Sequestration happens. As the Beatles sang, "Let it be."

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"