Morning Minute 9/17/24
“Despise, Denigrate, Demonize, Destroy, & Deny!”
These 5 “D’s” have been the playbook of tyrants forever.
First they identify a person, group, movement, or organization as a threat to their power, wealth, or influence. They despise that person or group, because they perceive them to be an “Existential Threat.” In order to gain support for themselves from the public, they actively denigrate their opponent’s ideas, their leader, and his supporters.
Having gained public support for themselves, they demonize the ideas, the messages, the efforts, and finally the person or people they identify as “the enemy.” They destroy the person, their family, their business, their organization, and those who support them. Finally, with their enemy destroyed, they deny any part in this destruction.
In 1787, a group of patriots met to create a government where individual citizens could take control of their own lives, by restricting the power of government. They understood that tyrants would never allow citizens to control their own destiny. Tyrants preserved their power, wealth, and influence, by utilizing an oppressive government. Thus, these patriots designed a government with 3 separate branches. Each branch had the ability to restrict the tyranny of the other branches. This power sharing structure, and the submission of our leaders to regular elections, provides citizens the means to prevent the tyranny which so many other countries have suffered through.
John Adams wrote: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other”…Morality and virtue are the foundation of our republic and necessary for a society to be free.” Let’s compare these statements, with the actions of a group in the United States today.
The leaders of this group have identified a person, a group, a movement, and an organization as a threat. They despise them as an “Existential threat to our Democracy!” By “Democracy,” they mean a threat to their power, their wealth, and their influence. They denigrate these people, who only want the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution to create opportunities for themselves and others. These leaders call their enemies “deplorable, ignorant, and bitter!”
They demonize their leader, comparing him to Hitler. They claim that this leader will never leave office, that he will destroy our government, and cancel future elections to become a “Dictator for life.” They spew demonstrable lies about him as they seek to destroy his family, his reputation, and his businesses. Then, when unstable individuals, having been marinated in their hateful and despicable rhetoric, attempt to assassinate this leader, the people who created this situation, deny any responsibility for themselves.
It is time for all free citizens to reject the people who despise, denigrate, demonize, and destroy those whom they oppose, as they deny responsibility for their actions. We cannot close our borders, defend our nation, stop the crime we are experiencing, and help our citizens prosper, by keeping these same people in power. There is only one way forward for Americans. Reject their ideas, their party, and the destruction they have created, by voting all democrats out of office, now and in the future.
“Despise, Denigrate, Demonize, Destroy, & Deny!”
That is today’s Morning Minute!
Morning Minute 9/20/24:
“Maximize Your Success by Managing Your Relationships!”
Much of your organizational success will be determined by your relationships.
Positive, mutually beneficial success, will be enhanced by creating and nurturing relationships with suppliers, legal & accounting providers, and local groups. Plus, bankers, media outlets, and trade associations. Let’s examine these opportunities.
SUPPLIERS: The people who supply the materials you need for your organization or business are a terrific source of information. They will share data about other’s successes and failures, helping you learn what to expect based on their experiences. Suppliers can notify you of anticipated price increases and/or expected overages on what you buy. For instance, if lumber is expected to increase 25% within 90 days, a builder may buy enough for 2 houses, rather than waiting until they start a 2nd house.
LEGAL & ACCOUNTING: Your relationship with your legal provider and tax accountant provides you with timely, accurate information before you make decisions. Considering the legal and tax ramifications of your actions, can prevent unwanted exposure to lawsuits or tax liabilities. Good relationships with these professionals will save you money, allowing you to base your decisions on data rather than feelings. For instance, I changed our interview questions for new hires to ensure legal compliance.
LOCAL GROUPS: These local groups help you know what is occurring around you to either prevent negative results or take advantage of opportunities. Included are local festivals and events, changes in traffic patterns, new laws, regulations, etc. Having advance notice allows you to plan beforehand rather than adjust afterwards. For instance, upon finding out that a local school planned to sell candy to raise money, I put a coupon for a free sandwich on their label. There was no printing or advertising cost, only a free sandwich. Each coupon redeemed created an additional $22 in sales.
BANKERS: These folks are a great source of local and regional information. Plus, they can share new financial products allowing you to increase your profit by using them. For instance, using a sweep account, I was able to make $25K- $30K annually in additional net profit just by moving a percentage of funds, from my checking account to a sweep account, for 12 hours per day, and all day on Sundays.
MARKETING: Traditional media always prefer to sell their available inventory in advance. Use them to create a yearly ad plan, to help them sell in advance, while getting you the best rates per ad or promotion. Working with my marketing partner, we established a yearly promotional plan identifying where we anticipated the need for more exposure. Then we approached the media, sharing that we would commit to our schedule buys up front for the year, in return for the best political rates all year long. This win/win agreement saved us 25% each month and helped them fill their schedules.
TRADE ASSOCIATIONS: Utilizing trade associations such as the National Restaurant Association (NRA), or the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA) provided me with timely information about challenges and opportunities. Plus, the relationships gained in those groups, helped me find many of the people I needed to create our success.
“Maximize Your Success by Managing Your Relationships!”
That is today’s Morning Minute!
