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US Census Questionnaires Begin To Arrive

March 16th, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | 2 Comments | Filed in News

The decennial census is about to get underway as the first batch of questionnaires began to arrive in mailboxes across the country on Monday. This constitutionally mandated population count is being conducted for just the 23rd time, dating back to 1790 when the first count was held.

Census Return

2010 US CensusAmericans have until mid-April to complete and return their ten question postage paid forms to the US Census Bureau. The census helps the federal government tabulate the number of Americans, ensuring that Congress is fairly reapportioned every ten years. In other words, the census is an important piece of the representative democracy puzzle.

“When you receive your 2010 Census, please fill it out and mail it back,” Census Bureau Director Robert M. Groves said. “It’s one of the shortest forms in our lifetime with just 10 questions very much like the questions James Madison and Thomas Jefferson helped craft on the very first Census.”

Accurate Count

Getting an accurate count is impossible while getting close to that number is. Nevertheless, Americans can help out by returning their forms as soon as possible, helping the government avoid the expense of sending out a federal worker to ensure the form has been completed. Failure to complete the form or supplying wrong information are criminal acts, in some cases leading to fines and/or imprisonment. No other federal agency has access to the data, thus your privacy is ensured.

The census mailing package includes a cover letter, the 2010 Census form and a postage-paid return envelope. According to the census bureau the 10 questions are basic and should take about 10 minutes to complete. The 2010 Census asks the following questions:

1. The number of people living in the residence
2. Any additional people that might be living there as of April 1, 2010
3. Whether the residence is owned or rented
4. Telephone number (in case the Census Bureau has follow-up questions)
5. Name
6. Sex
7. Age and date of birth
8. Whether of Hispanic origin
9. Race
10.Whether that person sometimes lives somewhere else

Additional Languages

For the first time some 13 million bilingual English/Spanish forms will be sent out to households whose primary language is Spanish. In addition, forms are available in other languages upon request: English, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Vietnamese and Russian. Language assistance guides are available in 59 languages with special assistance offered for the hearing impaired and the blind.

Adv.– If you are considering selling your business in 2010, you need to determine its value first, which is based largely on what someone is willing to pay for it. If you are interested in buying a business, please check out NACBB’s current business listings to find one for you.


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Ford Success Underscores Power of Private Enterprise

March 8th, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | 3 Comments | Filed in News

Make no mistake about it: the Ford Motor Company has been showing some very impressive results lately. Last year the automaker posted a $2.7 billion profit, a stunningly large amount considering what a stinker 2009 was saleswise. Ford figured out how to make money by selling far fewer vehicles, effectively casting to the side long held industry thinking that volume is what drives profits.

Outselling GM

Ford boss Alan Mulally stands in front of the all new Ford Taurus.

In February, Ford did the unthinkable: they sold 471 more cars in the US for the month than GM, the first time that happened since 1998 when a crippling strike shut down much of GM’s production. GM has been the annual US sales leader consistently since 1931 and although one month certainly doesn’t make for a year, Ford has served notice that they intend to build on their momentum.

Ford’s success is in stark contrast to the fortunes of its crosstown rivals. Last year, both General Motors and Chrysler were ushered through federal bankruptcy court and given billions of dollars of aid and loans to shore up their enterprises. GM’s bail out was particularly large with American and Canadian taxpayers contributing more than $50 billion to keep the company afloat. Since then GM has been concentrating on shedding brands and trying to salvage their operation.

Chrysler’s situation is much more desperate, an automaker who would have gone out of business had Italy’s Fiat not stepped in. Without investing a penny Fiat gained a 20 percent stake in Chrysler with the promise of additional shares once new Fiat derived models hit the market. Chrysler had no new models for the 2010 model year while GM had a few. Ford, on the other hand, has been overhauling its line ups by updating or releasing new models.

Toyota Woes

Granted, some of Ford’s most recent fortunes likely came as a result of Toyota’s misfortunes. Once considered a rock solid operation Toyota has been dogged by recalls and a rash of bad public relations moves which have caused once loyal customers to look at competing brands. Over the past few years Ford has made it known that its quality is on par with Toyota and Honda, with Consumer Reports supporting that notion.

How did Ford get to where it is today? Credit Alan Mulally the former head of Boeing Corp. with fixing Ford. Mulally shepherded Boeing through tough times enabling the aircraft manufacturer to fight back against Airbus, the European jet consortium. Upon leaving Boeing in 2006, Mulally was named President and CEO of the Ford Motor Company. One of his first moves was to mortgage nearly all of Ford’s assets, a move which netted the cash strapped automaker nearly $24 billion and the time it needed to introduce new products to the market.

Ford Refocused

Over the succeeding years Mulally refocused Ford, selling off three of its premium brands–Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover–while working to revive Lincoln and bolster Ford. Volvo is in the process of being sold while Mercury will likely be fixed in the coming years. The automaker’s “One Ford” approach is its most significant change, as the automaker introduces models which will be sold globally instead of mostly regionally as had been the previous expensive practice.

Ford was turned down for a federal government loan in late 2008, likely the best thing that has happened to the automaker since Mulally took over.

GM Scrutinized

Every GM move is constantly being called into question with the company announcing just last week that it would re-institute the franchises of 661 dealers whose contracts had previously been terminated. Congressional pressure forced GM to reconsider, a distraction Ford doesn’t have, allowing the Blue Oval to make decisions without worrying about what someone in Washington or Ottawa thinks.

Of course, that comes without government intervention, a glaring difference between Ford and GM, pitting a privately run enterprise against a government backed entity.

Adv. — Are you considering buying a car this year? If so, you may do best by finding your own auto loan before you shop for a car. Please visit SayLending.com to explore your auto financing options.

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company


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Facebook Slow To Consider Going Public

March 5th, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | 2 Comments | Filed in News

Facebook continues to grow at a meteoric pace with some 400 million people registered with the world’s most popular social networking site. But what Facebook isn’t rushing to do is undertake its eventual transition from a private to a public company. Its 25-year-old chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, remains steadfast in his stance that a slow approach is in his company’s best interests.

Going Public

FacebookIn the Mar. 4, 2010 issue of “The Wall Street Journal,” Zuckerberg was reported to say, “we’re going to go public eventually, because that’s the contract that we have with our investors and our employees. We are definitely in no rush.”

When Facebook goes public it could spark a revival in the IPO market for Silicon Valley firms. That market has been relatively quiet over the past few years as a stiff economic downturn and lack of available product has tempered the market.

Facebook Valuation

Still, when Facebook does go public its ultimate valuation could shake the market. As recently as January, Facebook’s estimated valuation was pegged at $14 billion though some have speculated its ultimate worth as being far greater than that amount.

Zuckerberg noted that Facebook doesn’t need the capitalization an IPO would bring at least not yet. The company routinely plans and reviews various new offerings and extensions of its service, but it isn’t in the position to have to choose to do anything because of shareholder pressure.

Zuckerberg seems happy with the delaying the inevitable, perhaps realizing that when change does come it will forever alter his influence with a company he started in a Harvard dorm in 2004.

Virus Laden?

With its unheard of growth, Facebook users have faced numerous problems particularly when it comes to viruses, worms, trojans and other nasty surprises. Applications accessed through Facebook itself are usually safe, but users often mistakenly look around the internet for downloads learning later on that their computers have been infected, sometimes infecting other Facebook users in the process.

In an article appearing on the instructional eHow.com website, computer pro JE Meyer offered tips on “How To Kill A Facebook Bot,” outlining steps every computer user who frequents Facebook should take. That approach includes downloading and using a three product cocktail: Malwarebytes, SuperAntiSpyware, and Avast to knock viruses, worms, trojans, key loggers and other pests from their systems.

Problems or not, Facebook is changing the way that we communicate. Lots of people have given up their blogs and no longer use email, preferring to conduct most of their online activity via Facebook. In effect, Facebook is their computer access, bypassing mostly everything else including Google Search.


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Can the US Postal Service Bring Forth Effective Change?

March 3rd, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | 2 Comments | Filed in News

Money losing government enterprise
paints bleak future for itself

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is a perennial money loser despite raising rates annually and attempting to get its costs under control. Tasked with delivering mail to every address in the nation, the USPS is a bloated government bureaucracy finding itself unable to compete in an age where digital technology and private enterprise have figured out ways of doing what it does faster, cheaper and smarter.

USPSEarlier this week Postmaster General John E. Potter presented a ten-year plan for the USPS to stave off a projected $238 billion short fall over that time. His plan includes aggressive cost cutting including taking as many as 50 possible actions to help the USPS turn a profit. But before the postal service can institute change it must receive permission from its eleven member board of governors, nine of whom are appointed by the president of the United States. The USPS receives its authority from the US Constitution, but has been financially independent since the early 1980s.

“The crisis we’re facing gives us an historic opportunity to make changes that will lay the foundation for a leaner, more market responsive Postal Service that can thrive far into the future,” Potter said, stressing that there is no one single answer or quick fix to the crisis.

Over the next ten years, the USPS sees a further 37 percent drop in first class mail service, its bread and butter business. But even if their internal trimming continues apace, the postal service estimates that it will still come up short by at least $115 billion. Therefore, the Postmaster General has suggested that several deeper cuts take place including:

  • Adjust delivery days. Currently, mail is delivered Monday through Saturday at residences, Monday through Friday to most businesses. Some critics have proposed eliminating either Saturday or Monday delivery.
  • Restructure benefits. Health care and pension benefits for USPS employees are among the most generous in the nation. Changing these benefits to line up with the rest of the industry will bring about significant savings.
  • Modernize access. Instead of relying on brick and mortar post office buildings, the USPS might utilize grocery stores, retail centers and other high trafficked areas to reach their customers.
  • Flexible workforce. With tens of thousands of employees set to retire over the coming decade, the USPS may be able to scale back itself back while also cross training employees to take on other tasks.
  • New products. Though not outlined in the plan, the postal service could introduce new products consistent with its business.

Potter said that the business plan is a path to the future, one where the USPS plays an important role in the American economy, while remaining an integral part of every American community and delivering the greatest value of any corresponding post service in the world.

“If given the flexibility to respond to an evolving marketplace, the Postal service will continue to be an integral part of the fabric of American life,” Potter said.

Source: U.S. Postal Service


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