TOM MORGAN’S MONEY TALK

Trump Will Bring Developer’s

Imagination To White House

Editor’s Note:  The column, Money Talk, by Tom Morgan of Franklin, the retired Oneonta investment counselor, is syndicated nationally.  Here is this week’s column.

A few thoughts about the election.

A big reason Trump outsmarted his opponents: He is a business guy. An entrepreneur. More – he is a developer.

This business guy looked at spending campaign money differently than his politician opponents did. A business guy asks, “If we spend this money, will we get a proper return? Show me how.”  A politician says, “Spend the money. We’ll squeeze more from our big donors.”

Result: Trump spent a fraction of what his opponents spent. And whipped them.

In office, politicians say “Spend more money. We’ll get it by borrowing more. Or we can raise taxes.”  Here’s hoping this business guy does not succumb to such thinking.  Here’s hoping he will come to Washington with the attitudes about spending he displayed in the campaign.

Bring together a mob of CEOs.  From companies in finance, investments, drugs, media, etc. First, you will see big differences. Steel and mining and oil guys will be much rougher characters than guys from banking, finance and pharmaceuticals. They will be more down-to-earth. Gruffer in language and manners.

Now observe the CEOs from truly entrepreneurial businesses.  Especially developers. They are more creative and usually more colorful than the others. They refuse to go along with popular thinking. Think Ted Turner and Richard Branson. Both famous for rude language, social awkwardness, original thinking.

Trump outfoxed his opponents because he thinks like a business guy.  They think like politicians. And because he thinks like the creative unpredictable developer he is. They are plodding, predictable politicians.

Developers have to see and envision things others do not or cannot. They look at derelict building and imagine renovations and new uses. They look at swamps and see shopping malls or housing developments.

Trump looked upon the American scene and saw dissatisfactions his opponents ignored. He saw opportunities his opponents missed. And when he pursued them he used imagination his opponents did not have.

I hope he will bring imaginative, creative thinking to Washington. Thinking that does not always call for throwing money at our problems.

I hope he will bring some of the disciplines of business to Washington. Only with such discipline do we have a hope of cutting some of the waste. He has promised to appoint business people to key positions. Their thinking could be refreshing.

I hope he will bring some understanding of small and mid-sized business to Washington. There has been sweet little of it the last twenty years.  Our tax and regulation idiocies are smothering this community.

By the way, a lot of commentators tell us Trump will have mucho problems learning to deal with politicians. I am sure he will. But they ignore the fact that politicians are going to have to learn to deal with him.

In the primaries and the general election they were not up to that challenge. He left them in the dust, scratching their heads.  In the process he guillotined the Bush dynasty. He collapsed the corrupt Clinton machine.

An aside: Mainstream media totally mis-read the situation. Because they are so biased toward the left. And because their people listen mostly to each other. They take little input from the Tulsas, Peorias, Jamestowns and Uticas of America.

Many conservative media were equally guilty.  They worked against Trump. Or gave him zero chance of winning. Because their contributors are mostly Washington beltway and Big Apple people. They are cut off from good thinking from the heartland.

Like the political guys, they listened mostly to each other. They were deaf to the voices Trump heard. They dine at too many restaurants named Orsini’s and not enough named McDonalds and Sam’s. To them, swamps are just swamps. And the hinterland is that wilderness fifty miles outside their cities.         The hinterland was speaking. In fact, it was making a racket. These birds were out to lunch. Guess where.

From Tom…as in Morgan.

Find Tom on Facebook. You can write to Tom at tomasinmorgan@yahoo.com.