• HERE IS THE FUTURE OF U.S. MANUFACTURING JOBS — TESLA’s new plant — http://www.youtube.com/embed/8_lfxPI5ObM?rel=0
  • FOR EFFECTIVE FAMILY PLANNING – wealth protection, tax minimization, business transition, and avoiding family chaos at death – seniors must be willing to discuss finances with adult children or other family members. A U.S. Trust study found that, among affluent Americans, only half disclose their wealth and two-thirds of heirs are in the dark on parents’ wishes, mostly because seniors are threatened of “sacrificing freedom to change their minds later… children attempting to take over too early… that disposition plans may lead to acrimony among kids… or simply that family meetings are likely to become emotional,” so procrastination is easiest. “Mistakes are the usual bridge between inexperience and wisdom.” DCG has decades of expertise in this type of consulting; with business management and mediation skills, Dennis has effectively guided dozens of (always to some degree) dysfunctional families through a process of understanding & implementing programs for wills & Trusts, life & care insurance, protecting investments, business succession & transition, legacy objectives, guardianship, death arrangements and often conflicting fears & expectations. [ADVISOR PERSPECTIVES.COM – Aug 20,13]
  • LIBERALISM & CRONYISM HAVE LED TO A LEVEL OF FAMILY WELFARE which, in many states, now even surpasses the British. The Federal government currently funds 126 separate ‘anti-poverty’ programs (at cost approaching $700 billion/yr) with most state, county & municipal agencies operating additional programs. “Combined benefits from multiple overlapping programs can now easily add to the point where welfare simply pays better than work.” Annual family benefits from food stamps, housing & cash assistance, free commodities, Medicaid and the like exceed $49,000 in Hawaii; in 38 states + D.C., welfare is more generous than average starting salary for a secretary; in one of every six states, $35,000 average yearly payouts net families “way more than a $20-an-hour job… without the sacrifices that jobs require – commuting hassle, possi- bility for injury, time away from family, schooling, hobbies and sleep.” Big surprise that, according to a recent Cato Foundation study, “fewer than 42% of recipients participate in broadly defined ‘work activities’ or ‘job training’… simply responding rationally to the incentive systems our public-policy makers have established for them.” [NATIONAL REVIEW.com – Aug 21, 13]
  • INCREASING ABSENCE OF QUIET-TIME “is responsible for the death of ‘reflection’… thanks to ubiquitous and intrusive electronic gadgets, visual & audio advertising everywhere, and ego-driven social manners… Letting one’s mind wander and reflecting on both one’s internal thoughts & feelings and the external world leads to great ideas… but being almost constantly connected – and agitated when not connected – means losing those moments when disparate ideas come together, when pleasant memories lead to inspiration, or when pondering a problem leads to innovation. Accessing and using too much information all the time stifles reflection and all of its benefits.” [THE FUTURIST – Sep/Oct 13]
  • IT’S ILLEGAL TO ADD VITAMINS TO CANDY OR SNACK FOOD, under the FDA ‘Jelly Bean Rule’ which surmises that “if people are given the option of fortified snacks, they’ll substitute for health food… Bureaucrats are worried that some people might elect to eat high-protein Oreos with vitamin-C-enriched M&Ms instead of a tuna sandwich and an orange. So their solution is to outlaw fortified snacks for everyone. People are smart enough to choose their president, but can’t choose to eat Ben & Jerry’s with extra protein.” [THE FOOD LAWYERS NWSLTR – Sep 3, 13] BUT ADDITIVES IN SODA WHICH MAKES KIDS VIOLENT IS OK. A recent Columbia University study with parents of 5-year-old kids in twenty cities found that (1) “those who drank the most soda (from one to four cans daily) were twice as likely to get into fights & destroy each others’ property; and (2) were more likely to exhibit anti-social behavior, and/or have trouble with focusing,” as those kids who didn’t consume soda. Researchers think the drinks’ effect “could stem from the sugar, caffeine or food coloring drinks contain.” [THE WEEK – Sep 6, 13] Big government always knows best. For brilliant parental guidance in a funny format based on a recent and recognizable lecture from federal leadership, check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EZQvSCGaJI
  • THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
    According to Yahoo, the five most common search terms for 18 to 35 year olds are: “How to twerk” (a booty dance move); “how to boil an egg”; “what is molly” (a slang term for pure form of Ecstacy); “what is hummis”; and “what is a synonym.”