BP Oil Spill

We have an amazing ability to make fun of anything.  So here is your laugh for the day at the expense of BP.  Happy Monday.

Advice for the President – Stop the Leak

I know it is presumptuous of me, but I have a little advice for our President.  I think it might be a bit of help for him, because, right now he is acting like a ship without a rudder.  He is just bouncing from one problem to another and, frankly, he is screwing up more than he is fixing.  If he likes the advice below, he is free to come back for more.  Ideas – I have.  Power – I don’t have.

Please consider my advice in three major categories:

1. Be a leader. Stop blaming others and take some reasoned action.  By that I don’t mean actions based on the reason – what is good for you politically.  Don’t take stupid actions like shutting down drilling on deepwater platforms.  All that does is give the impression you are doing something while it drives a few thousand more people out of work.

2.  Fix the economy.  It shouldn’t be that tough.  First you need to pressure Congress to stop spending money that it doesn’t have.  Just veto everything that they send to you that spends money we don’t have.  If nothing else, this will give business people the impression that you are starting to understand basic economics.  That would be a good thing because much of the case of jitters that has business in a blue funk is caused by the knowledge that Washington D. C. is clueless about the economy and how it works.  Next, you need tell Congress to start slowly to reform tax laws.  First they need to immediately allow businesses to expense the total cost (that’s 100%) of the purchase of any new capital equipment.  This will quickly do two things:  it will stimulate manufacture and purchase of capital equipment (the stuff businesses use to make money, like tools and trucks and buildings and manufacturing equipment); and it will give businesses (risktakers) a quicker payback on their investments.  In other words, it will stimulate investment in production capabilities.  Somebody has to build that equipment and someone needs to operate it.  That means jobs will be created.  There is a ton more you can do, but actually if Washington does less (fewer laws/regulations) that will be better.

3. Address the Problems, not the campaign platform. This blog has a series of posts on views I would like to see in candidates for election this Fall ( see blog posts titled 20-40, especially the first or introductory post of the series).  Each of the issues is a real issue, not just a campaign platform.  I get the feeling that you are still (have never stopped) campaigning.  What you need to do is really take on an issue, set some goals, do some planning, and then act.  Looking at issues just to find where there might be political leverage is not serving the people who elected you.

And by the way, I think you should help BP stop the leak. We could use all that oil and the fish and birds don’t want it.  Here’s a thought:  If the pipe is steel, send a hydraulic press down and pinch it off.  Steel is malleable and could easily be formed shut with a hydraulic press.  If it is not steel, you could just attach a valve.  Here’s how you do it:  If the pipe is a 12″ pipe, take down a 18″ pipe valve with an 18″ to 12″ bell reducer.  Open the valve completely.  Slip it over the pipe and weld it into place.  Then close the valve.

Like I said, Mr. President, if you need more advice, just give me a call.