I have copied this article and take no credit for it. I hope that you read it and then share it with those that you love. Learn to do things differently. Be a Maker and not a taker.  Become your own boss, create wealth for yourself, gain time and financial freedom, start your own business, and help get America Back.  We were at one time a community of the Butcher, the Baker, and the Candlestick maker. We were a self sufficient Country….now we rely on other nations for our goods.

We’ve Become a Nation of Takers, Not Makers

More Americans work for the government than in manufacturing, farming, fishing, forestry, mining and utilities combined.

·  By STEPHEN MOORE

If you want to understand better why so many states—from New York to Wisconsin to California—are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, consider this depressing statistic: Today in America there are nearly twice as many people working for the government (22.5 million) than in all of manufacturing (11.5 million). This is an almost exact reversal of the situation in 1960, when there were 15 million workers in manufacturing and 8.7 million collecting a paycheck from the government.

It gets worse. More Americans work for the government than work in construction, farming, fishing, forestry, manufacturing, mining and utilities combined. We have moved decisively from a nation of makers to a nation of takers. Nearly half of the $2.2 trillion cost of state and local governments is the $1 trillion-a-year tab for pay and benefits of state and local employees. Is it any wonder that so many states and cities cannot pay their bills?

Every state in America today except for two— Indiana and Wisconsin—has more government workers on the payroll than people manufacturing industrial goods. Consider California, which has the highest budget deficit in the history of the states. The not-so Golden State now has an incredible 2.4 million government employees—twice as many as people at work in manufacturing. New Jersey has just under two-and-a-half as many government employees as manufacturers. Florida’s ratio is more than 3 to 1. So is New York’s.

Even Michigan, at one time the auto capital of the world, and Pennsylvania, once the steel capital, have more government bureaucrats than people making things. The leaders in government hiring are Wyoming and New Mexico, which have hired more than six government workers for every manufacturing worker.

Now it is certainly true that many states have not typically been home to traditional manufacturing operations. Iowa and Nebraska are farm states, for example. But in those states, there are at least five times more government workers than farmers. West Virginia is the mining capital of the world, yet it has at least three times more government workers than miners. New York is the financial capital of the world—at least for now. That sector employs roughly 670,000 New Yorkers. That’s less than half of the state’s 1.48 million government employees.

Don’t expect a reversal of this trend anytime soon. Surveys of college graduates are finding that more and more of our top minds want to work for the government. Why? Because in recent years only government agencies have been hiring, and because the offer of near lifetime security is highly valued in these times of economic turbulence. When 23-year-olds aren’t willing to take career risks, we have a real problem on our hands. Sadly, we could end up with a generation of Americans who want to work at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The employment trends described here are explained in part by hugely beneficial productivity improvements in such traditional industries as farming, manufacturing, financial services and telecommunications. These produce far more output per worker than in the past. The typical farmer, for example, is today at least three times more productive than in 1950.

Where are the productivity gains in government? Consider a core function of state and local governments: schools. Over the period 1970-2005, school spending per pupil, adjusted for inflation, doubled, while standardized achievement test scores were flat. Over roughly that same time period, public-school employment doubled per student, according to a study by researchers at the University of Washington. That is what economists call negative productivity.

But education is an industry where we measure performance backwards: We gauge school performance not by outputs, but by inputs. If quality falls, we say we didn’t pay teachers enough or we need smaller class sizes or newer schools. If education had undergone the same productivity revolution that manufacturing has, we would have half as many educators, smaller school budgets, and higher graduation rates and test scores.

The same is true of almost all other government services. Mass transit spends more and more every year and yet a much smaller share of Americans use trains and buses today than in past decades. One way that private companies spur productivity is by firing underperforming employees and rewarding excellence. In government employment, tenure for teachers and near lifetime employment for other civil servants shields workers from this basic system of reward and punishment. It is a system that breeds mediocrity, which is what we’ve gotten.

Most reasonable steps to restrain public-sector employment costs are smothered by the unions. Study after study has shown that states and cities could shave 20% to 40% off the cost of many services—fire fighting, public transportation, garbage collection, administrative functions, even prison operations—through competitive contracting to private providers. But unions have blocked many of those efforts. Public employees maintain that they are underpaid relative to equally qualified private-sector workers, yet they are deathly afraid of competitive bidding for government services.

President Obama says we have to retool our economy to “win the future.” The only way to do that is to grow the economy that makes things, not the sector that takes things.

Mr. Moore is senior economics writer for The Wall Street Journal editorial page.

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Wealth Masters International…Click Here

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The law of Attraction

Life isn’t fair – When I got out of High school – I didn’t have a burning desire to go to college. I didn’t have any money to go to college. And my parents didn’t really care what I did as long as I got out of the house and on my own. Their focus wasn’t on me going to college.

At that time the Vietnam “police action” was going on and the draft was the way that America was supplying soldiers. I wasn’t opposed to serving my country; I just didn’t want to die for my country. A Patrick Henry I wasn’t. My stand was not “Give me liberty or Give me death”.

Anyway, I tried to hedge my bet by enlisting for a skill other than that of an infantryman on front line duty, or I guess in Vietnam a jungle fighter. Anyway, I chose a MOS of a wheel and track mechanic. WOW, that was brilliant…what moves men and equipment in combat. DuH!! So what I thought I was smart enough to avoid I received.

I guess they call that the law of attraction or something like that. What occupies our minds – our thoughts – is the direction that we tend to go towards. What we think is what we are – where we go – our direction in life. It is complex and complicated.

So you ask, why would someone want to be poor? They don’t want to be poor, they want to rich; they want all the toys, the big home, the fancy cars, ECT. But throughout their lives they have been told things like; “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer” and they end up believing that. Fear sets in and their thoughts turn to “I hope I don’t lose my job, get sick, have an accident”, whatever. The fear of losing fills their minds, and guesses what? What they think about is what is attracted to them.

People, we need positive thinking. But just thinking will not get you what you want. You need to change the way you think and what you think about. You need a call to action, positive action will bring you result. Positive thinking will only fade away and you will not have what you said that you really wanted.

So take action. Start today. Do something positive. Create a dream and then do something so that you can follow and achieve that dream.

So what are you going to do?  I can show you some ways to better your “LOT” in “LIFE”. But you will have to take massive and decisive ACTION!

CLICK THE BUTTON FOR MORE INFO…

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Feast or Famine….What will you Have?          

I know that we have been tricked – fooled by our school system and our culture. We have been taught that to be successful we must get a “good” education, get a “good” job and retire after 40 + years of servitude to some thank less employer. That might have worked before, but not today.

For example, take my step mother. Both her and my Dad worked for the Department of Water and Power in Los Angeles. My Dad has passed on – but my step mom still receives her and my Dad’s retirement. She gets a great income every month and “all”; I mean “all” of her medical is paid. She even gets a rebate check to cover her medicare deduction from Social Security.

She has been collecting retirement for the past 26 years. She gets a cost of living increase every year. She did good…she has a decent retirement.

Now me, that is a different story, I am a Vietnam Veteran. I have worked numerous jobs throughout the years. My last job I had for over 24 years. Out of the blue and with no warning I was fired. BAM! Life kicks you where the sun doesn’t shine. No retirement, no health insurance, in fact, for the lousiest insurance it cost me over $900.00 a month. I pay for everything until I meet the $6,000.00 deductable. Sweet, Huh?

You see, we have been ripped off by big corporations and our government.  Back in 1974, companies started, or should I say stopped offering defined benefits plans like my step mom enjoys. They started offering defined contributions plans – better known as 401K’s, IRA’s, and Keogh Plans.

Our problem is that if we survive for very long after we retire, our defined contribution plan, or saving plan can dry up. If it is not funded with enough we will have less and less to survive on. I have heard it more than once that 95% of Americans are at age 65 are either dead or dead broke.

I don’t know about you, but the past has not been kind to the stock market or to me and my 401k or IRA. It gobbled up about 60% of what I had, and it doesn’t look like it will give it back. And I don’t see any bailouts coming my way. So my future does not look all that “rosie”

So what am I going to do? Why I am going to pick myself up, dust off the hurt, learn how to market and then educate myself financially. I am going into business for myself and I am going to chase and capture my “Dreams”. I am on a mission to help myself and all that want to follow.

In fact, that is what I am doing now. I thank my boss for firing me. I have found the perfect opportunity and have learned how to take care of myself and my finances. I have enlightened myself about many things. I have figured out who I am and what I want out of life and what I want to do with the time that I have left. I will not settle for anything less.

I now have time for myself and my family. I am not worried about my future because I have learned that if I help enough people get what they want, I will have more than I could ever want. I feast every day and love everything and everybody that I meet. I have abundance beyond my dreams.\

For more information on Financial Freedom!

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Do you fully understand the characteristics of money? I have 2 short stories for you….

Ron Blue, an author and financial planner from Atlanta, was approached by an 80 year old retired pastor, who wanted his counsel, because he was admitting his wife to a full-time nursing care facility. He wanted Ron’s help in making sure his finances were in order.

Ron sat down and asked the man some questions and discovered that he had been a pastor his entire working life, serving in mostly remote country churches.

In his entire career, he had never earned more than $8,000 per year. With the high cost of nursing care, Ron was concerned. He then asked about the man’s debts and assets.

What he heard will never be forgotten . . .

The man said he had no debts, because he never wanted to miss paying his bills, and for assets, he listed the following: In his wife’s name there was $250,000 in cash, CD’s and money market funds.

In his name, there was $350,000 in cash and cash investments, and in addition to the $600,000, when he had retired 20 years earlier, he had purchased some stock that was now worth $1,001,063.

Ron simply said, “You do not need my help … I need yours!”

This man knew how to achieve true financial freedom.

So the question is, how did this happen?

When so many people who make a lot of money and have considerable earning potential are deeply in debt and in financial trouble … how could this “poor country preacher” be so financially secure?

Obviously, the amount of income had little to do with financial freedom!

The “Successful “ Dentist Who Didn’t Understand the Characteristics of Money

The story of the successful dentist is one where the dentist made a lot of money and spent lavishly on those things that would cause others to view him as successful … cars, homes, vacations, clothes, etc.

He made everyone think he had achieved financial freedom.

However, the debt he had accumulated got so overwhelming that when he crashed they put him on a debt repayment plan that would take him past his 100th birthday to pay back.

The point being the contrast between reality and the perception people had of what success and financial freedom looked like.

One of the Key Characteristics of Money…
The “Law of Guaranteed Wealth”

Following the law of guaranteed wealth can help you achieve financial freedom.

The law of guaranteed wealth states:

If someone consistently and for a long period of time always spends less than they make, then they will be building savings every year which will continue to grow and will result in wealth.

The definition of wealth is accumulating assets and growing your ownership (in a purely financial perspective).

Ok, now that’s fine and dandy for you younger folks out there that still have time to implement the same strategy that my father tried to teach me, and that was to set aside at least 10% of your income to savings or the right investments.

But what do us baby boomers do if we are finding out that we have been like the ostriches and have been hiding from the fact that 95% of us will be dead or dead broke at age 65.

Well, it’s time to wake up and smell the  roses, we need to take massive action and do something positive. When you are 65, will you be on the golf course or on vacation, or will you be at the front door of a Wal-Mart store greeting people?

For a timely solution….

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1. Financial Freedom

Financial Freedom - where do you want to go

Hi, Steven R Dison here….You know,  for millions of people out there, financial freedom is not an option,  the rat race is a stark reality. Long commutes to work, fighting traffic, or using public transportation, working and making someone else the lion’s share of the income.

What with Bailouts, Job losses, the recession, and everything else, it is really a tough time for a lot of people. Not really a time for financial freedom.

But when times are tough like this it is historically the best time for entrepreneurs, and for great opportunities to take form and develop, and for people to make great changes in their lives. To find financial freedom!

Financial Freedom - Not with job skills

Many skills….No Financial Freedom !

I had a job where I wore many hats – I pretty much thought that I was indispensable – I have a CDL, I am a certified crane operator, I hold a coast guard 100 ton masters license with a towing endorsement.

Many good skills, and they paid me well,  and I could probably find another job….but that job kept me away from my family for long periods of time,  I had that job for over 24 years. I started out as a commercial diver and taught myself all the other trades along the way.  But it did not give me financial freedom!

Looking for financial freedom

Always looking for Financial Freedom !

Anyway, I have had my eye out for many years as to what could I do differently, and how was I going to be able to retire with what little money I had saved, and with the great amount of money lost last year with the stock market dump.

I had tried a few programs but not with any luck. Mostly because I would get called away on a job and I would drop all that I had started and then never pick it up when I would return. I would jokingly state to others that I wish they would fire me so that I could make some real money.  To gain financial freedom!

No job - No Financial Freedom

No Job….No Financial Freedom !

Well, I got my wish as I was laid off last June…D Day actually. The good thing about that event was that it forced me to look inside myself and determine what I wanted to do with my life and how was I going to accomplish financial freedom.

I knew that I had not been happy being away so much from my family, and never knowing what I would be doing next  week, next month, or next year. I couldn’t plan any vacations because I would never know what job I would be on.

How to achieve Financial Freedom

How to obtain Financial Freedom !

So I decided to become an entrepreneur and work for myself. To build my future in ways that I would never be able to in my previous occupation. If I continued to do what I had been doing , I would end up like the other 95 % of people who at age 65 are either dead or dead broke. That ,I decided ,was not going to be my options. I wanted financial freedom.

So, I have chosen to follow a system that works, recreate it, and then constantly improve on it. I have found a company that can teach you to market anything, to anyone , anywhere in the world. They teach you to leverage things like twitter, facebook, my space, the internet in general.

Once  you grasp the concept of how powerful social media and the internet is, you will see the opportunity and jump in with both feet. If you just want to just get your foot wet and just test the water, look for some get rich quick scheme , hand them  your money and then give up saying that you knew that it wouldn’t work. No financial freedom there.

A Financial Freedom Vacation

How will you get Financial Freedom !

However, if you are looking for change, and I don’t mean the changes we have been getting lately, and you are teachable and have a real WHY, and a burning desire and passion for success and financial freedom, then listen up!

There are 1.5 billion people using the internet today, many looking for information, many looking to change their lives, break through this recession and help America become financially strong and stable once again. To gain financial freedom.

Tools for Financial Freedom

Tools to Financial Freedom !

What we have is basically an incubator for entrepreneurs – we have everything to teach you how to create YOU, your Brand, your name, to be a leader that others can follow.  You will learn how to market this and any other business, and thus in turn you will be able to develop other leaders who can do the same.

You just need to copy what  the Leaders do, perfect it , and then pass it on. If  you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want.  You will then be on your way to financial freedom! We have the razors edge to separate the good from the great. I’ll see you on the other side!!

Follow Me to Financial Freedom

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