Leadership is not management

Leadership is not hard.   It is not management, or something you learn in a book.  It is the ability to envision how things should be and inspire your self and others in achieving that vision.   Our current leadership including President Obama, congress and all three political parties are failing in this most fundamental aspect of governing. They provide no leadership.   They don't even understand what it is or recognize that it is missing.   Change you can believe in was cool for campaigning but leaves a definite sour taste in everyone's mouth, left, right or center.   How can you believe in something that can't even be described.   So let's be real specific.   Leadership starts with a vision and a belief in our ability to accomplish it. Instead of whining about how insurmountable the problems are, how about vision and positive expectations.

America is not doomed, but we are digging ourselves a large and growing hole.   The trick is to stop digging deeper and start filling it in and then rising above;  standing on newly created heights.

Here is my vision and a basic leadership message for any who will follow.

Let's start with putting the people back in charge of the government, rather than the government in charge of the people.   Somewhere around 1965, America lost its way, and introduced the notion of the welfare state, and an ever expanding government.   Big government little people.   America was founded on the principle of a free and independent people and a limited and subservient government.   Like an evil genie who has escaped from its bottle, we must regain control over our government.  Nothing radical is required.   We must simply freeze government spending at 2008 levels and grant not 1 singe penny of additional funding.   This will force the government to shrink and the economy and people's share of its goods and services to grow.  It will force the government to provide only the essential goods and services required of it.  It will erode largess and waste.

Now let's create a clear and distinct vision of America ten years down the road.  Let us paint with brilliant colors and stark contrast to what we hear today.   Our goal is not simply to compete, ...to try, ...to surrender our heritage, ...slowly, ...to those countries increasingly prevalent on the world stage.   Our goal is restore America as the greatest industrial and financial super power.  It is to restore the American dream for the world at large, and to welcome those who would live and work in freedom to our shores.  It is to empower a new "greatest generation". 

The key is to restore our manufacturing base and along with it,  the self sufficiency that accompanies a vibrant industrial revolution.   Within the next 5 years we will:

1) Create 50 million new jobs

2) 30 million of these new jobs will be in manufacturing

3) Increase the average wage of the middle class by 30 %

4) Achieve self reliance with respect to manufactured goods (70 % of goods sold in America bear the label "Made in the USA").

5) Achieve a balanced budget 

6) Enable those living in the shadows as illegal aliens to emerge, contribute and relish in what we will create together

Within the next 10 years

1) Achieve energy independence

2) Triple the number of new millionaires created each year

Impossible?  Hardly.

Here is the plan....

1) Aggressively drive the government contribution to cost of goods sold for items made in America to near zero

2) Start by eliminating all payroll taxes

3) Enable manufacturing by creating tax free manufacturing investment zones

4) Start with the rust belt states and then along our borders with Mexico and Canada

5) Gradually(over 18 months) phase in a federal sales tax to replace payroll tax revenues 

6) Drive government share of GDP below 15 percent

7) Implement my previously described illegal alien reform policies

Finance this effort by reallocating the stimulus and TARP funds.

GPC Passing through