This Business about Feinstein and the CIA and NSA

September 4, 1957.  Do you remember what happened on that day?

November 19, 1959.  How about on that day?

As you can tell, about two years passed between the two dates.   That is how long it took the Ford Motor Company to introduce its new car – the Edsel and put an end to it.

A little over two years.

Here are two more dates for your consideration:

April 23, 1985.

July 11, 1985.

Can you guess?  Do you know?

Not even three full months between the two dates.

Those dates are the introduction of New Coke and the end of New Coke.

So what do these two business failures and their respective introduction dates and ending dates have to do with Senator Feinstein and the CIA and NSA?

We use them to illustrate both the timing and finality of market decisions versus government decisions.    We particularly wish to emphasize that one word – finality.  When the markets, the open market, the free market, call it what you will sends a message it happens quickly but most important it is decisive.  There is no wishy washy rhetoric, explanation, discussions, excuse making and, most importantly, there is no continuation of bad decisions, bad plans, bad personnel, bad products, bad services.  The market produces finality.

We all know that the CIA and NSA are way off the reservation.  Unless you work there.  Or you run them.  Or you are too terrified to make a change, a real change.  Too political.  Too worried that if you cut back or eliminate and something happens someone will point the finger of responsibility toward you.

There are too many bad bureaucracies now in America – these two are at the top of the heap but they are simply more visible right now.  They need change or flat out termination.

Feinstein claims to have realized it in the last few days which means she simply has not been doing her job – literally asleep on the job.  The market, such as it is in this case, has spoken years ago about these two outfits.  But they continue, they expand, they prevaricate, they violate the law, shred the constitution, become a power above all else.  The market, the people would do just fine without them at least with a much smarter, more focused, more technological spy outfit.  We would do just fine without any NSA.  The NSA and CIA are jokes – led by jokesters.

Feinstein just woke up to it this last week.  If you wish to believe her carefully worded observations.

Solutions:  term limits possibly.  But who knows?  There is a bench full of Feinstein’s waiting for their chance to join the go-along, get-along cabal that is now our federal government.  Government is not a business.  It’s now a club.  A high school club.  So far removed from the people; the market and rational decision making as to be a great accumulation of bad ideas and plans and people and products and services.  This club operates outside the law with no limits and no priorities.  If they can do it; they do it.

The last leader of this country who at least recognized this situation was five star general and president Dwight D. Eisenhower.  That was almost 60 years ago.