Are you a white guy or maybe you know a white guy who owns a business or company that bids on government business and keeps losing out on work to minority and/or women-owned businesses because they get preference on certain contracts?
Yes, we all know how ridiculous these programs are – where a wealthy kid from let’s say, Singapore, comes to America to get his MBA on daddy’s dime. He then gets a gig at Company X who agrees to sponsor his H-1 Visa so he can get a Green Card.
Packing his Green Card and on his way to citizenship, he ventures out on his own and opens up Singapore Sling, the latest in military weaponry – laser-directional stealth slingshots, and your direct competition.
Now with citizenship paperwork in hand, our newly-minted American is bidding on government contracts, and since he is now a certified MBE, the acronym for a minority-owned business, his operation now gets bidding preference over your true-blue American company on certain set-aside contracts.
Let’s review and get this straight: He comes from a country where he is of the majority, not disadvantaged or poor, but comes to the land of milk and honey and low-and-behold, he’s now a disadvantaged minority! All he has to do is make sure all his family money is off-shore in his family’s name and he’s set.
What to do now, Mr. Non-Person-Of-Color? Guess what…you, too, can own one of these Minority-Owned companies, Mr. White Man!
Teach her the ropes so she understands the business model, print up some cards saying she is the President and CEO, give her 51% of the stock, and you are now in a winning position. Your slingshots are now getting even more of a preference over Singapore Sling’s because your wife is not only a minority; she’s a woman, too! The only thing that would make it better was if she happened to be disabled. Hmmm!
Yes, folks, this is how absurd our government’s programs are – a rich SOB from another country can come here for school and just because he happens to be the correct shade on the color bar, he is now a disadvantaged minority – even though he never experienced discrimination, never heard of Rosa Parks and only is familiar with Martin Luther King because of the holiday.
China once is again showing why patents and copyrights are meaningless, and why companies who hold such intellectual property cannot trust the Chinese government. A Google look-alike site called Goojjle has launched in China, yes, China allows a fake Google.
Goojjle a Chinese Google Look Alike
Google has had a well-publicized spat with the Chinese government regarding its alleged hacking of gmail accounts, and threatened to leave the country. This bodes well for Baidu, the Chinese-run search engine, and the rip-off artists who take others’ ideas and copy them for their own profit, without risk of backlash from the lawless Chinese government.
A similar site in a country with enforceable laws would have been taken down almost immediately, with cease and desist letters sent within minutes of Google’s legal department becoming aware of the site.
It is pretty clear that China’s government is no friend of the United States legal system, and has no interest in enforcing laws within its borders so long as it can benefit monetarily. Our government seems to turn the blind eye when it comes to foreign relations with China, not wanting to upset them for fear of something, of which I am not certain.
While I am a huge proponent of using their limitless labor pool which helps us monetize the Chinese market from sales of McDonalds, Coke and eBay, any company that decides to use this labor to build a patented product should do so at their own risk.
There is some real irony here as Chinese search engine, Baidu, is suing Register.com, it’s U.S. based web hosting company for allowing hackers to penetrate their servers and take down their site.
The hackers re-directed Baidu traffic to a page that read, “This site has been hacked by Iranian Cyber Army.” These are the same folks who have allegedly hijacked several other well-known sites in the last few months.
A company headquartered in a country with little litigation and nominal copyright protection, that is also believed to be behind many high-profile cyber attacks themselves, can sue an American company for negligence. That is funny, but not in the ha-ha fashion.
I realize this is our system, a system that offers outsiders all the protections of citizens, but that same system can also be our downfall when we offer these rights to those who can abuse them for the benefit of their government. Certainly if the tables were turned, a US-based company would have little or no recourse suing a Chinese company on Chinese soil, just ask Bill Gates and Microsoft.
Why are some really smart and intelligent people Democrats? It’s a really good question to ponder, and most of these Democrats cannot really tell you why, other than “because.”
I had lunch with a friend recently who is a registered Democrat, and a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, arguably the finest public university in the United States. This person graduated with a degree in Economics, and a grade point average north of 3.5. If we add up the thousands of hours of studying in high school to keep an A-average that is required to gain admittance to Berkeley, unless you are a star athlete or an “under-represented” minority, and the additional thousands of hours to achieve the high class-standing, it is staggering. The level of sheer commitment and dedication is not only admirable it is commendable.
In review: UC Berkeley graduate who studied for thousands of hours over an eight-year period to find a great job, earn a healthy salary, drive a nice car and live in a clean, safe neighborhood is a Democrat. Q: Why? A: Because.
When asked if he felt that it would be correct to have some of his wealth re-distributed to level the playing field of life, there was a prolonged silence.
He asked for clarification, so I said, “I’m sure you know some people from high school that decided to hang out instead of study like you did, who made some dumb life choices and are now janitors, un(der)-employed or out on parole, right?”
He said, “Yeah, so, we all do…what’s the point?”
“Well, they made a choice to hang out on the corner, not study or skip going to class, while you were busting your ass to get in to Berkeley, right”
He said, “Yeah, so…the point?”
“Well, your president, the guy you voted for would like you to help them out, and not just with a hand, but a hand out…and not just once or twice, but basically forever,” I said.
“Essentially, what I am asking is this: Do you believe you should be rewarded for all your hard work, or should you be penalized for succeeding?”
“Rewarded, of course,” he said. “Why the hell should I be penalized for doing the right thing?” he asked.
My point exactly!
Why can’t more democrats and self-professed Obama lovers read between the lines and see reality? Tax investments, money that was already taxed the first time? Over tax and target the very people who start the companies that hire our citizens? This defies all logic!
Should I, he, you, or anyone who does the right thing have to support others until the day they die simply because they are too lazy to look for a job or study for a class? I am not speaking of down-on-their-luck, disabled, handicapped, mentally or physically challenged folks here, but rather those who made bad choices and make no effort to remedy the situation. Government assistance, unemployment benefits and food stamps all have a place in our society to help people and families get back on their feet, not to become a way of life.
In San Francisco, for example, the Community College, City College of San Francisco has campuses all over town which are accessible by bus. They hold day classes, night classes, weekend classes…classes during the summer, spring and fall, and even winter session. If you cannot afford the tuition there are waivers and grants; if you need child care that is also offered at no cost. Pretty sweet deal.
The People’s Republic of Berkeley
Berkeley is a unique place, where freedom of speech means that your speech better be in alignment with their opinions, or you will be shot down (figuratively), assaulted (physically) and censored. I can understand how peer pressure can turn influential 17 year-old freshmen into Kool-Aid drinking liberals, the same way a particular dictator spread goose-stepping throughout a region.
Yes, Berkeley is a place where wearing a “Proud to be a Republican” t-shirt may lead to a physical assault by those who believe in freedom of speech…Welcome to The People’s Republic of Berkeley.
Let’s expand to China…let’s invest in China…China is the fastest growing economy…China this and China that. The Chinese government has been savvy enough to control the better portion of their 1.3 billion citizens and silence the ones who have gotten in the way.
Supposedly if you are on Chinese soil and search Google for “Tiananmen Square” you will not receive any results that mention a student revolt, death, demonstrations, worldwide outrage – nothing like that. This link to the Huffington Post illustrates the point succinctly – China censors Google. Of course, Google allows this to happen, but that is not the point of this article.
Tiananmen Square Student Tank Protest
Chinese ability to muzzle their citizens is masterful, bordering on amazing. Yahoo has a microblogging site called Meme, that is now available in Chinese, but the world’s largest audience of Chinese speakers and readers cannot access this site because the Chinese government has blocked access on the mainland. Yes, Yahoo’s Meme in Chinese is not available in China.
Facebook, Twitter and many other blogging and social networks have been blocked at times or are currently blocked to Chinese Internet users. Some members of the government believe that increased online access can lead to social instability and unrest and have requested that websites “monitor” content.
If faced with these restrictions in the USA, there would be a revolt of citizenry, as we are accustomed to and granted certain freedoms, whereas the Chinese are just now able to own personal property, wear (fake) Nike shoes and watch (bootlegged) Hollywood movies. My question is, are we as Americans better off with China becoming more open and democratic or with their government running the show?
Sometimes we wake up and read the newspaper headlines and truly wonder if we are still living in America. I drive down the street in Cupertino and all I see is Chinese writing on company signs, or read the headlines that Congress is leaning toward some form of amnesty for illegal aliens.
Volvo was the car that was safe, boring and something that your friend’s parents drove. That was when safe meant dull, boring and I hope nobody sees me in this car.
Then they started to get a bit sporty when they paid top-dollar to have their new Volvo C70 coupe featured in the Val Kilmer movie, The Saint. Sales weren’t great, as they were competing against the Nissan Z, the Toyota Supra and Mazda RX, but they did have the cool-factor.
Volvo C70 in The Saint with Val Kilmer
The SUV craze hit and Volvo was there once again – not as a market leader but a company with a presence and a company that still pushed their safety records. Volvo was moderately cool, less dull and just as safe as our parents’ Volvo.
Owned by Ford, Volvo has been a money-loser and Ford has been seeking a buyer, and since neither General Motors or Chrysler are in the market for another under-performing car line, it was clear that either an overseas buyer would have to step up, or the brand would cease to exist similar to Saturn’s demise earlier this year. Volvo’s price tag is in the $2 billion range.
I have no issue with Chinese-made goods, in fact I am sure I am wearing something made in China at this very moment, I have a computer monitor made in China, and use cookware made in China on most nights. I don’t place my family in any of these Chinese-made items and travel at 65 mph down the highway, that’s the difference.
Let’s be real here, China has no semblance of laws when it comes to copyright laws – they are the global leaders in counterfeit goods, they have little or no litigation, and they have very little quality control. I am not China-bashing here, just pointing out reality: Chinese goods are generally cheaper than other goods for a reason – cheap unchecked labor and no laws governing consumer protection.
I would buy a Korean-made car before I buy a Chinese-made car, and I won’t buy a Korean car. Socks, televisions, staplers, telephones, basic electronics, fine. A Volvo from China? Sorry, Charlie.
Whenever there is a loss of jobs, particularly in the manufacturing sector, the cries begin from union leaders and pro-union politicians that we need to protect “our” jobs. What they really mean is we Americans need to keep the status-quo, not deal with the progress of technology, the global economy, and reality.
Cars are made by robots and machines with an assist from humans, automated attendants help callers navigate through phone systems at companies large and small, but there are still jobs here at home – just maybe not the same job your grandfather held decades ago. It is called progress.
Because of the perceived loss of jobs, the word “import” has negative connotations in some areas, but we have to realize it is a balance and that American-made exports are nothing to sneeze at.
Exporting American Intellectual Property
Hollywood movies are played around the world to audiences in hundreds of countries, and Justin Timberlake doesn’t just sell CDs and iTunes downloads in Ohio. Yes, many software development and tennis shoe manufacturing jobs are now in Sri Lanka and Vietnam, but Boeing still builds jets in Washington, not in Bulgaria. In fact, Boeing’s revenue in 2008 included $23.8 billion from outside the United States.
Workers become more specialized as technology advances, and this is the reason why horses are no longer used to plow fields, and why toll takers on bridges are being replaced with electronic devices such as FasTrak which sticks to your windshield and is read by a scanning device.
One sector shrinks and another expands – always has and always will.
I noticed yesterday that someone stole the registration tags off the license plates of one of our cars. The car is 8 years old and had stickers dating back to the early 2000’s with the latest being 2010.
I went to open the trunk of the car and looked down to see someone has scraped off the stack of stickers to get the latest. These stickers are nearly impossible to get off quickly when there is just one on a plate, but after they pile up over the years, I would imagine a screw driver or butter knife could be used to pry them off.
Outside of the inconvenience of having to report the theft to cover my own butt in case I get pulled over, I need to report the theft to the DMV, and oh how the Department of Motor Vehicles is a joy to deal with. I am hoping to avoid waiting in line and see if the process can be handled with a phone call.
Let’s jump ahead and think about who would steal a registration tag? Two types of people fall into this category:
1) Someone who for whatever reason cannot afford to register their car and to avoid being pulled over for expired tags, steals a legitimate set and places it on their own car.
2) An illegal alien, illegal immigrant, a criminal alien, an undocumented person – I am covering all grounds here to categorize a border jumper who drives a car without holding a driver’s license, possessing insurance and knowledge of basic traffic laws. Since this person cannot legally own or drive a car, they cannot register a car they may have purchased so they steal a legitimate registration tag to place on their plates so they don’t draw attention.
I spoke with a police officer I ran into at the Starbucks parking lot near my home, and he told me that they do not track registration tags – meaning that even if this person is caught, next to nothing can happen to them.
David Robertson is the show’s host, and I am not sure if we are discussing my point of view on immigration or he will nail me on my gun control stance. Either way it should be an interesting segment!
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MBE MWBE Minority And Women Owned Business Scams
Monday, March 8th, 2010Are you a white guy or maybe you know a white guy who owns a business or company that bids on government business and keeps losing out on work to minority and/or women-owned businesses because they get preference on certain contracts?
Yes, we all know how ridiculous these programs are – where a wealthy kid from let’s say, Singapore, comes to America to get his MBA on daddy’s dime. He then gets a gig at Company X who agrees to sponsor his H-1 Visa so he can get a Green Card.
Packing his Green Card and on his way to citizenship, he ventures out on his own and opens up Singapore Sling, the latest in military weaponry – laser-directional stealth slingshots, and your direct competition.
Now with citizenship paperwork in hand, our newly-minted American is bidding on government contracts, and since he is now a certified MBE, the acronym for a minority-owned business, his operation now gets bidding preference over your true-blue American company on certain set-aside contracts.
Let’s review and get this straight: He comes from a country where he is of the majority, not disadvantaged or poor, but comes to the land of milk and honey and low-and-behold, he’s now a disadvantaged minority! All he has to do is make sure all his family money is off-shore in his family’s name and he’s set.
What to do now, Mr. Non-Person-Of-Color? Guess what…you, too, can own one of these Minority-Owned companies, Mr. White Man!
I am assuming you are single and straight.
Go to a mail-order-bride website and choose a girl from a country where the people are yellow, brown or black hued and get hitched. Of course not all brown people, Africans or Asians are considered minorities, so choose wisely.
Next, jump through the ICE hoops and bring her home. Soon thereafter she will get her Green Card and a few years after that she can be a full-fledged US Citizen, although in New York and some other states, she doesn’t even need to be a citizen for MWBE certification.
New York MWBE Program Certifies Non-Citizens
Teach her the ropes so she understands the business model, print up some cards saying she is the President and CEO, give her 51% of the stock, and you are now in a winning position. Your slingshots are now getting even more of a preference over Singapore Sling’s because your wife is not only a minority; she’s a woman, too! The only thing that would make it better was if she happened to be disabled. Hmmm!
Yes, folks, this is how absurd our government’s programs are – a rich SOB from another country can come here for school and just because he happens to be the correct shade on the color bar, he is now a disadvantaged minority – even though he never experienced discrimination, never heard of Rosa Parks and only is familiar with Martin Luther King because of the holiday.
Pathetic.
Tags: disadvantaged minority, green card, h-1 visa, mbe, minority owned business, mwbe, nylovesmwbe.ny.gov, person of color, resident alien, set aside contracts, women owned business
Posted in Business, Community, Political Satire, Politics, Race and Ethnicity | No Comments »