GREENSBORO, NC -- Tonya Martin Cockman, CEO of Greensboro company ClearDefense LLC writes a guest blog post at the Triad Business Journal about what she calls, "the unsustainable trajectory" of our national debt. Cockman serves on the N.C. Steering Committee of the Campaign to Fix the Debt a committee of wealthy people who have theirs and have volunteered to tell the rest of us what we are going to have to forego to fix a problem that many of them had a hand in creating (to the extent that it is a problem, which is debatable).
Not surprisingly, Cockman advises that part of the remedy will be spending cuts and she specifically mentions "entitlement programs" (i.e., Social Security and Medicare). While Cockman avoids taking partisan sides by also calling for tax increases, there's one area that she side-steps: cuts to the Military.
In 2011, the last year for which data is available, Cockman's company received 11 defense contracts worth a total of $1.1 million. I don't know why it bothers me when people benefiting from government largess propose to tell other people to expect less from their government, but it does.
How in the pluperfect hell do such economically ignorant people get to be CEOs? In the alternative, why do we allow sociopaths to become CEOs?
ReplyDeleteBecause those are the only two explanations for Cockman's statements. Either she is unaware that:
-- the current economic crisis was caused by the collapse of the housing bubble, itself inflated with massive fraud from Wall Street to Main Street ...
-- the deficit is plunging as a percentage of GDP at its fastest rate since the end of World War II ...
-- top personal income tax rates are at their lowest level since the Korean War ...
-- you and I pay more on our first dollar of wage income above the standard deduction than she pays on the first dollar of her investment income ...
-- the U.S. is spending more on defense than the rest of the world combined ...
... or else she knows all that and just wants her taxes to be EVEN LOWER because she's got hers and [forget] the rest of us.
God bless America.
The answer to your first question is, her father. Which I don't begrudge. If my dad had set me up for business success, I wouldn't apologize for it or be ashamed of it.
ReplyDeleteBut, and this is the key, it's when people who've had the benefit of great advantage advocate for the diminution of the safety net for the less privileged that it becomes repugnant.
Thanks for commenting.
I wonder how the ladies of Greensboro's Jr League would feel about Ms Cockman's $165,000 in political contributions to the war hawks considering the Jr League bestowed upon her the 2011 Kathleen Price Bryan Award.
ReplyDeleteLooks real good for the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro as well. Kinda shines a different light on who Greensboro's "nice" people really are.
She's changing the world all right, one dead body at a time.
I've known Tonya for more than 15 years. Her father founded the company that she now runs. She expanded their markets to include the sports market and the military. Clear Defense makes a window laminate that is used on commercial buildings to prevent small bombs (and bullets, believe it or not) from penetrating a window. Their product is used by companies and retail stores. We used it on our windows in downtown Greensboro when I had a company in the building that is now Blu Martini.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Tonya is one of the hardest working business person I've ever met. I shot a video for Clear Defense at a military contractor client of theirs. Their laminate is used on the windows of vehicles … stand storms in the middle east scratch the window glass of these vehicles, making it impossible for the drivers to see where they are going. Clear Defense laminate covers the windows. When the laminate gets scratched, it can be removed and replaced … at a fraction of the cost of replacing a scratched window.
To attack Tonya (in a wholesale way) for advocating smaller government, or her opinion about entitlement programs, is off base, to say the least.
She is a great person and a huge asset to Greensboro, where she has been involved in charitable work for many, many years.
She's a friend of mine and I just wanted to provide some balance to this dialog regarding her.
Les Butchart
CineCoin / Highway 29 Motion Pictures
I think you need to reread the post, Les. I clearly did not "attack" your friend and certainly not in a "wholesale" way that you seem to have imagined.
ReplyDeleteI remain bothered, as was the sole point of my original post, by people who thrive off of government largess turning around after they get theirs and proposing cuts to areas of government that sustain the poor and the elderly That is the position of the committee on which she serves.
If I have any of the facts wrong or you'd like to offer a contrary opinion, I'd like to hear it, but defending Ms. Cockman from "attacks" that did not happen is pointless.
Roch, I have known Tonya for a lot longer than 15 years and I am very offended by your attacks and facts that you use.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, there's no silver spoon here, Tonya wasn't given anything, rather paid many times over her company, and took it to a position of prominence with hard work. She didn't "thrive" off government largess, rather provided a product and services that were needed and helped save lives.
In addition to building her company to prominence and a leader in it's field, she has worked tirelessly in the community and given much time and resources to Greensboro. She is highly respected and appreciated for her contributions to Greensboro. The award she received was well deserved. Just because she doesn't buy into the liberal ideology that government is the savior of humanity, does not mean she isn't sensitive to the needs of the poor and elderly, on the contrary.
There are many ideas that can be utilized that aren't government controlled. I can see very few if any government programs that are efficient and cost effective. Have you ever looked at the railroads pension program. These people do not pay social security and have a pension plan second to none. They cover their retired workers and spouses in a way that social security and medicare could only dream of. The days of liberal spending without trying to cover the deficit has to end, if this country is to remain strong and a world leader. I'm afraid right now with the damage done under this administration there will take years to regain the respect of the world, and regain a thriving place in the world economy.
It seems the liberal point of view is to allow the point of view of everyone unless it is is different from theirs. Somewhat of a double standard and not very democratic in my humble opinion. Attacks that didn't happen? I don't think so, nor would anyone else that knows this fine, hard working, and and caring woman. Ben Franklin once said and I paraphrase, it is better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt.
Now are you a man of your word and will you post this "contrary opinon"? Know your advisory before condemning them.
Steven L. Walker
Senior Citizen
Really didn't think you would post mine, at least you haven't so far.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting Steven. Your screed begins with a straw man, so I will not respond to the words you've tried to put in my mouth, however, with you being a senior citizen, I would be curious to hear your thoughts on the plans for Social Security offered by the committee on which Ms. Cockman sits. Do you approve of them?
ReplyDeleteSteven, comments on posts over 60 days old are moderated to control spam. I apologize for not publishing your comment within 90 minutes after I had already unplugged for the night.
ReplyDelete