A business proposition

"I'd like to make you a business offer.

Seriously. This is a real offer. In fact, you really can't turn me down, as you'll come to understand in a moment…

Here's the deal. You're going to start a business or expand the one you've got now. It doesn't really matter what you do or what you're going to do. I'll partner with you no matter what business you're in – as long as it's legal.

But I can't give you any capital – you have to come up with that on your own. I won't give you any labor – that's definitely up to you. What I will do, however, is demand you follow all sorts of rules about what products and services you can offer, how much (and how often) you pay your employees, and where and when you're allowed to operate your business. That's my role in the affair – to tell you what to do.

Now in return for my rules, I'm going to take roughly half of whatever you make in the business each year. Half seems fair, doesn't it? I think so. Of course, that's half of your profits.

You're also going to have to pay me about 12% of whatever you decide to pay your employees because you've got to cover my expenses for promulgating all the rules about who you can employ, when, where, and how. Come on, you're my partner. It's only "fair."

Now… after you've put your hard-earned savings at risk to start this business, and after you've worked hard at it for a few decades (paying me my 50% or a bit more along the way each year), you might decide you'd like to cash out – to finally live the good life.

Whether or not this is "fair" – some people never can afford to retire – is a different argument. As your partner, I'm happy for you to sell whenever you'd like… because our agreement says if you sell, you have to pay me an additional 20% of whatever the capitalized value of the business is at that time.

I know… I know… you put up all the original capital. You took all the risks. You put in all the labor. That's all true. But I've done my part, too. I've collected 50% of the profits each year. And I've always come up with more rules for you to follow each year. Therefore, I deserve another, final 20% slice of the business.

Oh… and one more thing…

Even after you've sold the business and paid all my fees… I'd recommend buying lots of life insurance. You see, even after you've been retired for years, when you die, you'll have to pay me 50% of whatever your estate is worth.

After all, I've got lots of partners and not all of them are as successful as you and your family. We don't think it's "fair" for your kids to have such a big advantage. But if you buy enough life insurance, you can finance this expense for your children.

All in all, if you're a very successful entrepreneur… if you're one of the rare, lucky, and hard-working people who can create a new company, employ lots of people, and satisfy the public… you'll end up paying me more than 75% of your income over your life. Thanks so much.

I'm sure you'll think my offer is reasonable and happily partner with me… But it doesn't really matter how you feel about it because if you ever try to stiff me – or cheat me on any of my fees or rules – I might break down your door in the middle of the night, or threaten you and your family , seize all your goods and even throw you in jail.

That's the offer Amerika gives its entrepreneurs.
And the idiots in Washington wonder why there are no new jobs…"

This was taken from a friend of mine over on another website and I thought that I would share it as it makes sense.

Weakness in America

"Our Country won't go on forever, if we stay soft as we are now. There won't be any AMERICA because some foreign soldier will invade us and take our women and breed a hardier race!"
LT. GEN. LEWIS "CHESTY" PULLER, USMC

This quote was made my a military legend many years ago. Chesty puller was awarded 5 Navy Crosses for valor and there is not a doubt in any Marines mind today that he is one of the finest Marines to ever live. He made this quote almost as if he could see into the future to where America is at today. I don't forsee an foreign force invading per se but what I do see is America giving herself away to the rest of the world and making herself weak to appease the rest of the world and make them happy.

It sickens me to see the squalor and disgusting levels that our country has allowed herself to fall to. When HALF of the country pays taxes to support the other half, because they either do not, can not, or refuse not to work because it is EASIER to ride the system for everything that they can get out of it. Social Security was designed to be a supplement to what people had saved over thier lifetimes NOT an actual retirement account. 

America has become a country full of a lazy and selfish attitude towards everything that does not benefit one's self. What happened to the days when a man went out of his way to hold a door open for a lady, or the days where if a man attempted to hit or otherwise harm a lady, he was beaten and driven out of town as a lesson to any other person who would atempt such a thing?

Combat Mindset and Self Defense #7

This is my 7^th post on Combat Mindset and Self Defense.

I have received this question in many variations over the years that I have been carrying and it is, “why do you carry your pistol Condition 1? (Round in chamber, safety on).

My answer is simple, the fewer weapon manipulations that I have to conduct prior to firing the fewer chances of malfunctions, stoppages, and less time before lead is headed downrange. This invariably brings up the next question “Do you think it is as safe to carry a round in the chamber especially when your hammer is cocked?” My answer to this is a little more complex

If I carry my pistol Condition 3 (mag inserted, NO round in chamber, hammer down safety off the 1911’s safety does not engage unless the hammer is to the rear) then I am not ready to engage in a moments notice and I have to rack the slide to chamber a round which invites failure to feeds (FTF) and other malfunctions. Also if I am already hit before I draw my weapon I may not have the use of both hands to chamber a round which will then cause me to have to rack the weapon off of my belt or off the edge of a hard surface, all of which takes a lot more time to get my weapon ready.

All recently manufactured pistols have some sort of built in safety function in them and they are designed to be carried condition one with a round in the chamber. Many people do not feel comfortable carrying their weapon in this condition as they cannot feel safe knowing that there is a round in the chamber. To me this just means that they do not trust themselves usually due to lack of practice on their part. I have spent the last 5 going on 6 years carrying all my weapons in combat, Condition one and would never feel safe unless it is in this condition. Your primary safety is in between your ears and if you follow the 5 safety rules you will never have a problem.

The five safety rules are as follows.

1.      Treat every weapon as if it were loaded

2.      Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot

3.      Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until your are ready to fire

4.      Keep your weapon on safe until you intend to fire

5.      Know your target and what lies beyond it.

If you follow these 5 simple rules you will never have a negligent discharge or shoot someone that you do not want to. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE!! The only other type of discharge of your weapon other than a planned or negligent discharge is caused by the complete failure of the weapons safety system or in the case of automatic weapons a cook off where the round pre-ignites due to the residual heat of the barrel due to prolonged and sustained firing.

Combat Mindset and Self Defense #6

This is my 6^th post on Combat Mindset and Self Defense. In my previous posts I have primarily focused on firearms as that is primarily what I know. I live, work with and love firearms, and I practice as often as possible to maintain my proficiency with them.

Knives are a viable alternative for self defense and I maintain profanely with them as well, however for me they are a last resort before I have to fall back to strikes and kicks as in my opinion only a fool goes to a knife fight in the first place.

I do not practice disarmament techniques as I see them as a simple way to get myself killed by a more skilled or stronger opponent and with all knife and disarmament techniques that require you to be with in the lethal radius of the edged weapon that is being used against you. I do have one pistol disarmament technique that I practice regularly as it is simple, quick and effective for any one of any size, however I do not recommend it as in my opinion, for the reason anyone that has crossed the line of pointing a weapon at me or my wife has made a very poor life choice that, if I am given the chance, will hasten the end of said life by accurate gunfire.

Having a weapon for self defense does not make you effective. Practice makes permanent and if you do not practice with your weapon of choice you are simply carrying around the tool of your own death. Either your weapon will be used against you by your assailant(s) after they take it from you or you will attempt to use it and miss or have a malfunction that you do not know how to correct giving them the opportunity to kill you as easily as if you had no weapon in the first place.

As I have said in earlier posts you have to square away within yourself your natural propensity for violence and lethality and if you cannot find it within yourself to kill someone else even in self defense or in the defense of others that you love then DO NOT bother carrying a weapon as it will be simply taken from you and used on you or your loved ones after you fail to pull the trigger.  

It is incredibly vital that you realize the mess and smell caused by killing someone. It is not like the movies in which a person gets shot and they immediately drop or the hero gets shot 5 times and blown up and still walks away. Even if a person is shot in the heart they can still function for 15 seconds at least, that is 15 seconds where they can still kill you.

You need to settle within yourself that no matter the outcome of the fight, whether you live or die you WILL kill the person assaulting you or the ones you love. If you live in fear of losing your life then you will not be effective in defending yourself or your loved ones. The lyrics of a song that I heard on my first deployment to Iraq really hit home with me. “The wounded man shall say to his assailant, if I die you are forgiven, if I live I WILL KILL YOU!! Such is the rule of honor”. What I took from this is that no matter what happens to me I will kill or “stop” the threat to myself or my wife whether I die doing it for if I don’t that person will survive to do it again and again to other less prepared individuals (i.e. SHEEP).