Obama, Go Shopping!

Barack Obama during a recent debate berated President Bush for telling Americans, after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, "to go out and shop". I knew immediately why Bush said that, I know that a majority of "working people" understand why he said that. Shopping, instead of hiding in our homes thinking "we are all doomed" is one way a democratic economy WORKS! Obama does not know this simple fact, Obama does not know much about anything regarding American Pride, Sacrifice, Team Work, or the Mental Infrastructure of America.

Please read this short recent article entitled Lots of motorists neglecting car maintenance which appeared Friday, October 17, 2008. For me, this article, married with Obama's remarks of the past months finally struck a nerve and demanded a response from this small business owner.

For all small business owners of Car Care Facilities; Quick Lubes, Tire Centers, Car Washes, Muffler Shops, etc.. For all business's Everywhere ... What are you telling YOUR customers?

The article above stated:

• "We're doing a lot of brakes and preventive stuff you need to do. But major repairs, they're just not doing it"
• "has seen a major drop in drivers keeping up to speed on oil changes. "
• "People will come in four, five thousand miles and their oil will be really low. And they'll tell me I need to get it taken care of, but I've just been putting it off"

Come on folks, the article should have been named "Motorist Scrutinizing Major Auto Repairs", not MAINTENANCE. "We're doing a lot of brakes and preventive stuff .." is one quote pertaining to maintenance. Excuse me, he said people are continuing automotive maintenance "preventative stuff you need to do".

The quote about a "major drop in drivers keeping up to speed on oil changes" complimented with the "FACT" that "People will come in four, five thousand miles and their oil will be really low" makes no sense to those that know the Lube & Oil business. Most consumers have been coming in every 4 to 5 thousand miles for YEARS!

It's absolutely absurd, that in this, and articles around the country, if you get two pieces of paper and write the quotations on one page, and all non-quoted material on the other, you have two separate stories and the non-quoted page becomes the basis, or title, of the article (the attention grabber) most of the time!

So, independent care care owners or independent business people everywhere, what picture do you paint for your customers? Hopefully it is one of optimism, pride, and a relentless nature that failing is simply not an option. Hopefully, phrases like "business is down", "I am cutting back on the number of employees", "I am trying to survive" is never spoken to your customers, if they are, you just lost them to a more optimistic, strong, and prideful competitor.

Mr. and Mrs. Obama want "Camelot", no matter the costs. The Oliver Stones, Michael Moores, and many Celebrities believe America is doomed, but, they continue to believe in us by the fact they continue to release movies. Perhaps Hollywood and the Obamas should thank George Bush for his leadership in getting the American People to "Move On" and "Go Shopping" instead of berating him.