Yesterday, The President of the United States took to
the microphone in the Rose Garden to compare the manifold failings and glitches
that accompanied the rollout of Obamacare to the glitches that Apple experienced
with the recent introduction of its new operating system.
“I don’t recall anybody saying that Apple should stop
selling iPhones or iPads and threatening to shut the company down if they didn’t.”
Thus, Barack Obama will go down in history as the President
who employed the most moronic analogy of all time.
Where to begin? Mr. President, I realize that it’s
important for you to appear hip and with it and all, and God knows there’s no
better way to connect with us than by referencing our gadgets, but if you knew
anything at all about business, you never would have brought up Apple, especially
in comparison to the Rube Goldberg contraption that is your signature legislative
accomplishment. Yes, when Apple introduces any new device glitches happen. But
Mr. President, there’s a line snaking out of every Apple retail store in
America for a good reason…they manufacture and sell exceedingly popular and insanely
profitable products. The reason nobody wants the company to stop selling
products and shut down is because people LOVE
their products! Your government, on the other hand, has a long and storied
history of glitches. The product you are selling is not universally adored, and
people are not willing or able to pay through the nose for it. Not only that
Mr. President, but the American people have countless real world examples of
what it’s like to deal with government run enterprises like the IRS, the DMV,
and the Post Office, and let me tell you, it ain’t pretty. The other reason you
shouldn’t have brought up Apple is this little business of money. See, although
you’re right that Apple products have been known to have glitches now and then,
if they had as many glitches as we’ve seen in Obamacare, they would pay a
huge price. They would lose market share, their share price would tank, and
those responsible for the glitches would quickly be canned. What price will
government pay for these Obamacare glitches? Whose head will roll if this
boondoggle blows up? You know as well as I do, nothing will happen. No matter
how awful this thing is, no one will pay a price for its failure except the
users of the product. That’s because government is immune from the disastrous results
of the policies that they foist on the rest of us. Oh, and one more thing. Last
time I checked, Apple turned an 8 billion
dollar profit in 2012 selling amazing products that people are willing to
buy. The glitch machine that is your government went in the hole for a trillion
dollars during that same year.
Lamest. Analogy. Ever.
Just an observation about yesterday’s Blog. My wife
pointed out a few things about it that deserve a comment or two. I should have
pointed out the fact that all non-essential
employees are not created equal. For example, if I had planned a vacation to
Yosemite with my family, the Park Rangers that run that place would be
extremely essential to me. This is a
fair point. I’m sure that many of the 800,000 furloughed workers do good and
valuable things. My larger point was that 40% of the Federal workforce is
deemed non-essential. That is a mind blowing percentage that you would never
find in a profitable private sector company. Considering the financial
condition of our country, that percentage is unfathomable. I envy none of the
800,000 furloughed workers, and if I were them I would be furious with everyone
on Capitol Hill still receiving a paycheck.
