Home Depot Founder on Obama Admin . . .

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Home Depot Founder on Obama Admin . . . "They don't have a clue"

In a scathing criticism of the Obama administration, Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus told CNBC Friday that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner should have a reality-TV show about small business to illustrate how out of touch Democrats’ policies are with the private sector.

“My solution is that you take a guy like Timothy Geithner and put him in a new reality show. It’s called ‘Timothy Geithner Does Small Business’, something like [the porn movie] ‘Debbie Does Dallas’, and it ends up the same way,” said Marcus. ”Basically, what they’re doing to small business is very similar in this case [to what ‘Debbie’ did to Dallas.]”

To play out his story, Marcus said Geithner would have to deal with the state, federal and local regulations that he contends stymie business, and then the public official may understand the challenges that small business people face.

Hyperbole aside, Marcus said the administration’s poor performance warrants the Democrats being voted out of office. He did not, however, call for Geithner to resign.

BERNIE MARCUS:
"I think they don't have a clue. They don't have a clue who the small businessman is...

I'm a small businessman at heart. I spent my life in the stores.
CAVUTO:
So, what does the small businessman want. Republicans say just cut the taxes, that will do it.
BERNIE MARCUS:
No, I think cutting taxes is right. Keeping the Bush tax cuts is right, it's proper...

Think about it. The President is surrounded by Geithner, all college professors. They all come from academia. Is he surrounded by a business guy like myself? Is there anybody that you know of in that administration that could speak to business people? He has nobody. Nobody.

And let's remember one other thing. The last two years of the Bush administration were controlled by a Democratic congress. Let's look at how the money was spent. And let's look at how we got into this unbelievable, terrific, terrible, terrible debt that we are now facing...

My hope is by that time we'll have a new congress. Let's hope that we cut them all [taxes], cut them all. And I hope Republicans don't back off on it. They should take a stand and say we need tax cuts...



http://blogs.ajc.com/business-beat/...n-cnbc-interview/?cxntfid=blogs_business_beat

 

vodkazvictim

Why save the world, when you can rule it?
Caption: "Obama surrounded himself with college professors." Where is hte problem with this?

Can we really trust what this guy from big business says? Surely he desires to stick the knife into small business?
 
Isn't that wonderful.:clap:

He's the CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation with 2 or 3 thousands stores in all 50 states (and probably Guam too)...it's nice to know he's a "small" businessman 'at heart' though.:bowdown:

So the specifics of his bluster as far as I can tell is...Obama nor any of this team know ANYTHING about econ nor (small) business because they plan to let expire a nearly decade long tax "cut" financed by the deficit?

A tax "cut" that most certainly was responsible for keeping us out of the worst recession since the depression.:rolleyes::1orglaugh
 
Caption: "Obama surrounded himself with college professors." Where is hte problem with this?

Can we really trust what this guy from big business says? Surely he desires to stick the knife into small business?

1. Most of his people are elitists.

2. The guy is/was a small business guy. That's how/why he's become a success:

The co-founder of Home Depot, Bernie Marcus was born in 1929 in Newark, New Jersey, to Russian immigrants. Unable to afford medical school, he worked for his father making cabinets while attending Rutgers University for his pharmacist's degree. While working as a pharmacist after college, he found himself more interested in the business aspects of the drugstore than the practice of pharmacy itself -- and after a variety of retail jobs, his cabinet-making work helped him find a position with the Handy Dan chain of home improvement stores.

In 1978, both Marcus and Arthur Blank, a Handy Dan regional manager with fifteen years of employment, were fired after a disagreement with upper management. Throwing their lots together, they met with a New York banker and opened their own home improvement store, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Ron Brill and Pat Farrah, they opened the first Home Depot in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1978, and incorporated some of the ideas that had made Price Club and Costco so prosperous, especially in the economic decline of that decade.

http://founderbios.com/bernie-marcus.php

Congratulations to anyone who comes from the bottom and rises to the top. Stop hatin'!
 
1. Most of his people are elitists.

2. The guy is/was a small business guy. That's how/why he's become a success:



http://founderbios.com/bernie-marcus.php

That's nice...really it is.:angels:

One question though, what was the tax rate during the time he was foraging his way to small business success?

I'll wager a dollar it was higher than it is now and higher than it will be if the top rate is allowed to expire.

Better hurry, the value of the dollar is trending downward with every $300 B extra we add to the debt.:o
 
While I actually agree with his assessments and the Geitner idea is wonderful, does he really believe things will be any different if "they" are voted out of office?
 
Caption: "Obama surrounded himself with college professors." Where is hte problem with this?

The problem lies in lack of practical experience and real world knowledge. Academia has, no doubt, produced some great minds. But for my money I look at this analogy: If I were choosing a heart surgeon, I would choose the one the finished 3rd or 4th in his/her class but has 10 years experience over one that finished at the top of his/her class and has yet to perform a surgery.

So in this case, these academics have undoubtedly got a wealth of educational and theoretical experience, but nothing can compare to actual real world knowledge and practical experience that can't be learned in any classroom.
 

georges

Moderator
Staff member
The problem lies in lack of practical experience and real world knowledge. Academia has, no doubt, produced some great minds. But for my money I look at this analogy: If I were choosing a heart surgeon, I would choose the one the finished 3rd or 4th in his/her class but has 10 years experience over one that finished at the top of his/her class and has yet to perform a surgery.

So in this case, these academics have undoubtedly got a wealth of educational and theoretical experience, but nothing can compare to actual real world knowledge and practical experience that can't be learned in any classroom.

absolutely true :hatsoff:
 
The problem lies in lack of practical experience and real world knowledge. Academia has, no doubt, produced some great minds. But for my money I look at this analogy: If I were choosing a heart surgeon, I would choose the one the finished 3rd or 4th in his/her class but has 10 years experience over one that finished at the top of his/her class and has yet to perform a surgery.

So in this case, these academics have undoubtedly got a wealth of educational and theoretical experience, but nothing can compare to actual real world knowledge and practical experience that can't be learned in any classroom.

absolutely true :hatsoff:

:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm: Does it actually take a wall full of fucking sheepskins or 45 years in a business or some corporate yokel to determine whether or not the US should continue financing a tax cut with the deficit???

Either you believe it's worthwhile or not. Sheeesh!! We've had the policy in place for nearly a decade.

Is it/has it been worth the additional debt or not? Is it worth the additional debt to continue the policy or not??? Simple as that.

It does matter who's running the show or what their background is. It doesn't take a fucking Phi Beta Kappa or some corporate yokel to figure that out.

The calculus is simple.
 
:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm: Does it actually take a wall full of fucking sheepskins or 45 years in a business or some corporate yokel to determine whether or not the US should continue financing a tax cut with the deficit???

Either you believe it's worthwhile or not. Sheeesh!! We've had the policy in place for nearly a decade.

Is it/has it been worth the additional debt or not? Is it worth the additional debt or not??? Simple as that.

It does matter who's running the show. It doesn't take a fucking Phi Beta Kappa or corporate yokel to figure that out.

That calculus is simple.

I wasn't making a comment about the tax cuts. I was saying that practical experience trumps book learnin' in nearly every scenario.
 
I wasn't making a comment about the tax cuts. I was saying that practical experience trumps book learnin' in nearly every scenario.

I tend to agree with it..but in the case of this thread and HD's CEO's comments and his reference to their background on this issue it moot.

It doesn't matter what their background is on a simple calculus like this.
 

vodkazvictim

Why save the world, when you can rule it?
The problem lies in lack of practical experience and real world knowledge. Academia has, no doubt, produced some great minds. But for my money I look at this analogy: If I were choosing a heart surgeon, I would choose the one the finished 3rd or 4th in his/her class but has 10 years experience over one that finished at the top of his/her class and has yet to perform a surgery.

So in this case, these academics have undoubtedly got a wealth of educational and theoretical experience, but nothing can compare to actual real world knowledge and practical experience that can't be learned in any classroom.

You have a point, I can't deny.
I'm just concerned that if nobody keeps an eye on him he'll make things easy for his corporation, which will make it weak to foreign competition, but make it harder for small businesses to compete, start up and grow.
 
I think it's sad that in the year 2010, when people want to be funny/ironic and reference a porn title, they still seem to go for that same title, "Debbie Does Dallas" (or sometimes "Deep Throat").
How far has porn really come, when the mainstream still uses a 1970's reference?
 
I tend to agree with it..but in the case of this thread and HD's CEO's comments and his reference to their background on this issue it moot.

It doesn't matter what their background is on a simple calculus like this.

It's not moot whatsoever. If you read carefully, you would have noticed that he talked not just about tax cuts, but of all the ridiculous state, federal, and local regulations that stymie business.

I think his idea is a very good one. It would be great to see one of these bureaucrats trying to work within the incredible maze of roadblocks they put in the way of people who are trying to make a living for themselves and their employees.

That fact that you think it is just a "simple calculus" shows that you have about the same amount of expertise and experience as Barrack Hussein Obama and his cronies.
 

StanScratch

My Penis Is Dancing!
Pssst. Ask someone from the inside of the company and see how smoothly run of a ship it is. Do you really think you should be taking political advice from a guy whose idea of a successful business model is understaffing stores with minimal-wage earning associates who don't know the difference between a pig tail and a wax ring?
 
absolutely true :hatsoff:

I see you don't have no problem with mudslinging against Obama yet you say I'm close to crossing the line, priceless!
 
It's not moot whatsoever. If you read carefully, you would have noticed that he talked not just about tax cuts, but of all the ridiculous state, federal, and local regulations that stymie business.

I think his idea is a very good one. It would be great to see one of these bureaucrats trying to work within the incredible maze of roadblocks they put in the way of people who are trying to make a living for themselves and their employees.

That fact that you think it is just a "simple calculus" shows that you have about the same amount of expertise and experience as Barrack Hussein Obama and his cronies.

Uh boy. Do you really want to get me started?? What I know is this...there is no model for who knows best. It just depends on the policy.

However, blindly saying business and industry people know best is pretty silly when business owners routinely run themselves out of business and industry leaders routinely wreck their industries.

We are in the midst of one of the worse economic crunches in our history not because Obama's team of "academics" forged some think tank policy. It's because among other reasons industry leaders sought to take advantage of risky policies for short term gains.

We just watch and epic economic meltdown which ran our country up on the rocks...Yet we're suppose to listen to some CEO yokel...(probably motivated by politics) tell us the problem is regulation and Obama's "academics" are going to make it worse???:cool:
 
Uh boy. Do you really want to get me started?? What I know is this...there is no model for who knows best. It just depends on the policy.

However, blindly saying business and industry people know best is pretty silly when business owners routinely run themselves out of business and industry leaders routinely wreck their industries.

We are in the midst of one of the worse economic crunches in our history not because Obama's team of "academics" forged some think tank policy. It's because among other reasons industry leaders sought to take advantage of risky policies for short term gains.

We just watch and epic economic meltdown which ran our country up on the rocks...Yet we're suppose to listen to some CEO yokel...(probably motivated by politics) tell us the problem is regulation and Obama's "academics" are going to make it worse???:cool:

You know as well as I do that the "economic meltdown" was caused by many factors. Do you really think having a group of academics micromanaging every move of the business sector is going to speed up the recovery?

The old saying, "those who can't "do", teach" would apply in this situation. If even one of BHO's buddies had ever actually gone out and accomplished something in the business world, the group may have a lot more credibility.
 
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