Corporate Life in Atlanta GA 2-28-25

In 1983, the US was using only 68.8% of its manufacturing capacity, which was lower than in any other postwar recession. 

Our moved to Atlanta allowed my wife to enter Dental Hygiene School and allowed me to join the Electronics Boom. 

Hayes Microcomputer Atlanta GA

I joined Hayes, the leading PC Modem company in March 1983 and began to develop their Compensation Plan. I needed a salary survey for Engineers and selected the American Electronics Association Survey. There were no wage surveys for Electronics Assemblers, Insertion Machine Operators or Assemblers. I contacted the Atlanta SHRM group and the were not interested in sponsoring any surveys. I met with some local Atlanta Personnel Managers and we agreed that we needed a survey for the 40 electronics companies in Atlanta.

I founded the Metro Atlanta High Tech Personnel Association in 1983. I wrote the MAHTPA wage and salary Survey and distributed it. I received the surveys and calculated averages and sent it to the MAHTPA members. We elected a President and Officers held monthly meetings.

I worked with the Manufacturing and Materials Managers to fine-tune the Compensation System and they lobbied to make me the Manager of Human Resources. Dennis Hayes fired the guy who brought me on and I took the job.

The Communication Workers of America Union CWA, began card signing as we were finalizing our Compensation System. I recommended a 25 cent across the-board increase and that stopped the union. I established the rates of pay and that averaged an additional 25 cents per hour.

In 1983, I was appointed to serve on Gwinnett Tech’s Council of Advisors. I also designed a Wage & Salary Survey for the Gwinnett  County HR Association sponsored by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

I inherited a staff that included Supervisors for Employment and Nursing plus 2 Personnel Assistants. I canceled our Health Insurance Plan and replaced it with an Employer-Managed Medical Trust to save 30% of costs. The Supervisor of Nursing hired Nurse Case Managers to work with the employees. The Supervisor of Employment hired Recruiters to fill salaried positions. I promoted one of my Personnel Assistants to be Supervisor of Personnel for Manufacturing and handle recruiting of manufacturing personnel.

I used Temp Services to screen and test Personnel Assistants and added a Supervisor for the corporate group.

By the end of 1983, Hayes was able to add 50 to 80 employees per month and keep up with demand. Hayes was named to the “Fast 500” list of emerging companies.

In 1984 I was sponsored to complete a Fellowship in Strategic Studies Dennis Hayes had already completed. It was “on-line” through the internet. Our books would arrive at our homes each month. We met at Western Behavioral Sciences WBSI in La Jolla CA for a week each year. 

In 1984, I joined Dennis Hayes for a week in Singapore to find a staff to handle Asian Sales. We hired the staff from Mattel that was closing. I spent time with them and Dennis handled the incorporation. I learned Ex-Patriot Compensation and wrote the Employment Contracts.

In 1984, I attended Comdex in Las Vegas with my recruiters. Hayes was the leading seller of PC Modems in the US and had athe biggest booth.

In 1985, I participated in the acquisition of Soft Com, a San Francisco based Electronics company.

In 1985, I established an Employee Stock Option Plan ESOP for Hayes giving Hayes Employees access to owning Hayes Non-Voting Stock.

By 1985, we had increased headcount from 100 to 1000 employees and moved revenue from $35 million to $200 million. Intel was slow to deliver chips to increase the baud rate for modems and increase PC memory. I recommended that we slow down our headcount growth.

In 1986, the Executive Staff was split. Our VP Operations, Controller, International Director and I lobbied to cut expenses. We saw a need to invest in working capital.

In 1986, the Engineering Director, Sales Director and Dennis Hayes wanted to $30,000 ads on the Golfing Channel.  I told the staff members who wanted to save the money that we needed to leave quietly. Out VP Operations would remain and the Controller, International Director and I decided to leave.

I began a quiet job search in Atlanta and learned that Electromagnetic Sciences, EMS needed to expand to keep up with the Reagan Military build-up. Their VP Personnel was retiring and had been a life-long friend of Dr Pippin, the founder. They were looking for a replacement to be Personnel Manager reporting to their VP for Administration. I was anxious to see a functioning engineering team. I applied for and got the job.

Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc. closed its operations in 1999. 

Electromagnetic Sciences Atlanta

I accepted the Personnel Manager job in March 1986. EMS headcount was 350 and revenue was $35 million. They were expecting to increase their Design and Production of Military Communications Satellites and Weapon Systems. EMS produced electronics for Rockwell Missile Systems and were subcontractors for other Defense Contractors. They were building the DISCS Beam Forming Network for Deep Space Military Communications Satellites and building circuit boards for Rockwell Missile Systems Hellfire Electronics. They had Engineering Groups working with Space and Military Weapons Developers.

EMS had a Microwave Waveguide Development Subsidiary in Torrance CA.

EMS also had a commercial electronics Subsidiary, LXE that designed and built a Bar Code reading computer system to install in warehouses and ports. They were expected to grow as well. 

I had a Personnel Staff of 6 employees. I invited 2 to leave and replaced them with 2 experienced Sr. Personnel Reps who handled recruiting and out-placement, The Sr Reps and my Compensation Analyst also handled employee relations. I dealt directly with Managers and Supervisors on problems.

EMS had already established a Medical Trust and had added a 401K Plan. I was Trustee for these Plans. I added a Dental Plan after I reduced the worker’s compensation costs.

In 1987, Dr. Pippin, founder and CEO of EMS assigned me to replace him on the American Electronics Association Board in Atlanta. I served as Human Resources Chair.

In December 1992, I traveled to Germany to establish a Sales Office for LXE and interview candidates for Sales.

In May 1993, I replaced the EMS Pension Plan with an Age-Weighted Profit Sharing Plan.

I wrote all Job Descriptions to comply with government regulations. I wrote the Policy Manual and posted it on-line.

We enjoyed seeing all of our military systems displayed during the 1990 Gulf War.

By 1993 EMS headcount was over 1000 and revenue was over $200 million.

I was impressed by the hard-working Engineering talent I had witnessed at EMS. They epitomized a technology-advancing high performing team. Humor was the hallmark of EMS and I had accomplished more than I expected, but the US Defense Industry was about to shrink. The AEA Board members wanted me to open a consulting practice at age 50.

In June 1993, I participated in the selection of my replacement and quit EMS to open my own Consulting Practice.

EMS Technologies, Inc. was an Atlanta-based company with approximately $290 million in annual sales revenue before its 2011 purchase by Honeywell. 

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Corporate Life in Salina Kansas 2-27-25

In 1975, manufacturing and agriculture accounted for 65% of the US GDP. 

Schwan Foods Salina Ks

My experience at Schwan Foods provided me with more automation experience and led me to focus on an employee development model that worked. I reported to Al Schwan, the brother of Marvin Schwan the founder. This was a private company. Al had been the Chief Industrial Engineer at John Deere and joined his brother to establish the frozen food manufacturing facility. Schwan Foods began as Schwan Sales Enterprises and began in Marshall Mn with an Ice Cream Plant next to the Family Restaurant. Marvin began delivering the popular Ice Cream to farm wives and added other frozen foods to deliver. I joined Schwan’s as Personnel Manager for the Pizza Plant in Salina Ks, the Tortilla Bakery in Hutchinson Ks and the Sandwich Plant West Union Iowa 

Schwan’s annual revenue was $150M in 1975 and would increase to $650M by 1979. Schwan Foods eventually bought a lot of frozen food companies and reached revenues of $50 billion with 50,000 employees in 50 countries. The sold them off to pay the inheritance tax bill when Marvin Schwan died. Schwan Foods closed in November 2024.

I interviewed for the job at Schwan’s with Loren Loucks Personnel Director, Marvin Schwan, Al Schwan in Salina in 1975 during Marvin’s annual meeting with all Supervisors. Marvin talked about the importance of a good family life. He was very interested in employee development.

I moved to Salina in March 1975 and spent time with their Engineering Consultant who was responsible for automating sauce, cheese and topping applications equipment. He had identified a rubber band filling shaker table as the model for a cheese applicator, but needed to design a sauce applicator and meat and topping application devices.

My family was scheduled to move to Salina in June 1975 and I had 3 months to work days and nights and travel. Part of my orientation allowed me to work on the lines at the plants and meet all of the employees.

My staff numbered 30 employees and included Recruiting, Training, Payroll, Reception, Security, Purchasing, Accounting and the Plant Nurse. The wheat, cheese, meat and toppings Purchasing Rep reported to the Plant Manager.

In 1975, I was offered a promotion to Personnel Director for Schwans’ and relocate to Marshall Mn to swap jobs with Loren Loucks, who didn’t want to move. I turned it down and we hired another guy who lived in Minnesota.

Al Schwan assigned me to succeed him in handling “Community Relations”. With 1400 employees, we were the largest employer in Salina. We already ran a 4 hour shift for High School Students who had a B average.

In 1976, I founded the Salina Area Personnel Association as an ASPA Chapter and designed a Wage and Salary Survey for 40 local member companies.

 I ran “how are we doing” ads on the radio to report our automation progress.  I founded the Salina Area Personnel Association as an ASPA Chapter. I designed a wage survey we supplied to the Chamber of Commerce and to participating companies. I was on the Board of the United Way and recruited their Director who was recommended by my old boss at United Way in St. Louis. Tony’s entered a float the Bi-Centennial parade in 1976 and won 1^st Place. We also ran a Pizza Stand at the Bi-Centennial Festival and the annual River Festivals that followed.

One of the first things I did was to meet with the Data Processing Manager at the Headquarters in Marshall Mn. I wrote the HRIS System and got a compatible “slave computer” for the Salina location so we could modem to the Headquarters Computer and print checks in Salina. I hired a Data Processing Manager for Salina to run the slave computer. We could then run the paychecks locally. When we went to direct deposit, we used the local computer to place orders for food production.

I worked with Mel Schwan, Al’s son, who was an Electronics Engineering student and Pete Sias, a brilliant electrician to build a custom PC to monitor our Ammonia Refrigeration system with “rate of rise” sensors. We saved $100 000 per year on our Plant Insurance Policy. I replaced time clocks with Rusco Cards to automate payroll. I ran Security with 1 Officer inside, monitoring the cameras, screens and sensors and 1 Officer in a car 24/7.

We moved the company picnic to the Land behind the Plant and brought in carnival rides.

Loren Loucks had found Associated Personnel Technicians APT Test in Wichita KS. It was a 4-hour test that was a perfect base-line test to begin a serious, employee development program. We used the APT to select employees for promotions and to begin their individual development program. The APT included timed and untimed reading comprehension, math, simple physics and the MMPI. It compared scores with the APT database of scores from successful managers.

The employees wanted a Test used to help select Supervisors. They were participating in lame, generic employee development sessions prior to using the APT as a base-line test. The employees loved it, because it put them in charge of their development.

I developed a 9-factor job evaluation plan to evaluate jobs. I developed a numerically scored Performance Appraisal Form the employees loved. We continued to have “Line Meetings” and had employees review policy changes before they were adopted. I developed an employee questionnaire that included comments on what problems existed in each part of the plant. This resulted in us developing our own bakery ovens that better controlled moisture and humidity to end out-of-round crusts and solved all Packaging rejects.

When we moved to full automation in 1979, all promotions were filled by current employees. Our Maintenance Teams had trained line workers to become Automated Machine Operators. Others became “Materials Movers”. Others took office jobs. The Salina Workforce was extremely capable. These were Farm Kids who got straight As and did their chores.  Most were high school grads, but their APT Test Scores were similar to College Grads.

I had accomplished more than I had planned and I was ready to move on. I got a call from Salina-based Rickle Manufacturing in 1979. I lived next door to their previous Controller and he complained about the UAW. I agreed to meet with Rickle to consider becoming their Corporate Personnel Manager and took the job.    

Rickle Manufacturing Salina KS

I joined Rickle Manufacturing in 1979. I didn’t share that I was there to decertify the UAW.

Rickle Manufacturing had designed and developed a 3-wheel Fertilizer and Pesticide Applicator and sold these to large farmers and custom applicators. Each model could hold a dry box and a spray tank. The 3-wheel design made them more stable. They also had a sludge applicator. Ed Rickle designed the 3-wheel applicator with large Terra Tires for low compaction and high stability. Ed had inherited Rickle Grain Company. Rickle Manufacturing was a subsidiary of Rickle Grain. The management staff of Rickle Manufacturing was impressive.

My experience with Rickle was excellent and enjoyable. I recruited Engineers to strengthen their Engineering team and recruited Sales Reps. I hung out with their Controller and Manufacturing Manager.

Manufacturing included a steel structure for each unit and pre manufactured cabs, an Allison Engine and Transmission. We employed Metal Fabrication Operators, Welders, Assemblers and Painters.

The management team included a VP General Manager, Manufacturing Manager, Controller, Engineering Manager, Sales Manager and Personnel Manager. Interest rates were about to rise and the Agriculture markets were down. We had 100 employees. Kansas is a “Right to Work” State and 50 of our employees were dues-paying Union Members. Decertification required a petition to decertify initiated by the workforce.

In 1979, I was tapped to serve as ASPA Director for Kansas by the American Society for Personnel Administration.

In 1980, I was asked to write the Business Column for Kansas Business News.

Contract Negotiations were scheduled for 1982 and I asked the Manufacturing Manager and his Superintendent to serve on the Bargaining Committee. He also suggested that I add my Personnel Rep to join the Bargaining Committee.

Our Manufacturing Manager was anxious to know what I thought of the union situation. I told him that the UAW needed to go. He was delighted and wanted to know my plan.

The UAW had run rough-shod in the plant. The prior Personnel Manager had allowed the UAW to hold negotiations in the company conference room. Shop Stewards were allowed to conduct Union Business on working time.

In my first meeting with the the UAW President and Business Agent I told them that we would need the conference room for Sales and Engineering meetings and could not hold negotiations there. I also told them that they would need to instruct Shop Stewards to hear grievances during breaks and not on working time.

I told the Manufacturing Manager and his Superintendent to alert the Foremen to ignore the Shop Stewards and enforce my new rules. 

The result was the filing of 100 nuisance grievances I would be given and would ignore. The UAW wanted to return to horse-trading and I insisted that we follow the Contract. I would refer all grievances to arbitration and knew all would be dismissed. This would result in more time and expense for the UAW President. His UAW Local 710 covered 4 states and included dozens of small companies.

I found out what companies had Local 710 and contacted them. Each one added another company to my list. Before long I sent them a list that I had compiled called the “Local 710 Club”. The Personnel Manager a Hesse Truck Manufacturing in Kansas City called me. I suggested that we schedule meetings with the Local 710 President. The guy at Hesse loved it and asked if he could be the coordinator. I said yes. Our negotiations drug out as the UAW didn’t find the time to begin wage negotiations. The dues-paying members at Rickel became irritated with their UAW President.

The Salina Journal newspaper published a lengthy article announcing the opening of a new Ag Equipment Company opening in Salina. The article included the pay rates for Metal Fabricators, Welders, Assemblers and Painters. All rates were higher than our rates at Rickel.

I pre-notified the UAW that I was immediately raising our wage rates to match the new company. I posted the new rates on the bulletin board.

One of the dues-paying Shop Stewards hand-carried the Decertification Petition through the plant. They all signed it and the Shop Steward filed it with the NLRB.  The Notice of Decertification was sent to the UAW 70 President and he filed a Disclaimer, accepting the Decertification. At that point we were union-free.

We knew that the Japanese were about to launch their Ag Equipment into the US markets and that our sales would slump. I suggested that we contact a Broker to call Ag Chem, our closest competitor to see if they would like to acquire Rickel. They did. This would give Ag Chem ownership of the patents for our equipment and they could add our 3-wheel  product line to their current 4-wheel product lines for Applicators. The fact that Rickel was “union-free” sealed the deal.

I met with the President of Ag Chem when he visited Rickel in Salina. I told him that our Manufacturing Manager was the one to keep as their Plant Manager and that the rest of us were highly competent and ready to move on.

I was offered a Consulting Contract to install the Personnel Function for the Saline County Government and signed on to a Consulting Contract as I exited Rickel.

I got a call from a Personnel Manager I had gotten to know when he was in Salina. He wanted me to join him at Hayes Microcomputer Products in Atlanta GA.  He said that Hayes needed everything. They were a 100 electronics employee company and expected to grow rapidly to provide Modems for PCs. One of my neighbors was a Dentist who was an avid Hayes Modem customer and he tole me that Hayes was “first class”.

Marlene was ready to earn a degree in Dental Hygiene and Atlanta had a Dental Hygiene School. The kids had enjoyed Kansas and our camping and boating from ages 2 to 10. In 1983, they ranged in ages 10 to 18 and were ready for a bigger town.

Marlene and I were invited to visit Hayes in February 1983. We met with Dennis Hayes for dinner. The next day I met with the staff at Hayes and Marlene was shown houses. Marlene loved Atlanta. I got the offer to serve as an internal consultant and project manager to prepare for rapid growth. I got the offer and took the job with plans to join Hayes in March 1983 after I completed my consulting contract with Saline County.

Marlene would sell the boat and the horse and get the house ready to sell. She and the kids would move to Atlanta in July 1983.

We found our house in Dunwoody in June 1983. It was near Norcross where Hayes was located and close to the Dental Hygiene School.

In 1983, I resigned as ASPA Director for Kansas and Business Columnist for Kansas Business News. I also got a call from the St. Charles County Council of Homeowners Associations. I wrote the bi-laws and included a “termination clause” to consider after county economic development was complete. I got a call from the current President and after that call I agreed. Marlene and I resigned as Engaged Encounter Leaders for Western Kansas and transferred to Engaged Encounter in Atlanta. I had become a “folk hero” in Kansas and gave my farewell address to the Lions Club. I told them that I went to Kansas to experience a low Ag economy and was going to Atlanta Georgia to experience the Electronics Industry shakeout. I had been the Lions Club Board Reporter. I had promised to make things up like a professional reporter. I recommended that they appoint a new reporter who also had an incurable Stage 4 Addiction to Humor.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Corporate Life in St Louis Mo 2-26-25

Despite 4-6% inflation, the economy was never better. In 1965, manufacturing accounted for 53% of the US economy. This made the US a manufacturing powerhouse for over half a century. However, the percentage of the US economy that is manufacturing has since declined. As of 2023, manufacturing contributes about 10.2% of the US GDP.  

United Way St. Louis

In January 1965, I took my first corporate job as Division Director of the St. Charlea County Division. I had an office in downtown St. Louis and an office in St. Charles I used during the Fall campaign. The United Way Board Members included the CEOs of the largest companies in St. Louis. The St. Charles County Board included the CEOs of the largest companies in St. Charles.  I also helped the Small Firms Division Director for St. Louis.

United Way had a small staff and a big IBM computer. We got a “reverse directory” from the phone company and loaded it on our computer to create our prospect lists. Companies helped us fill out our Campaign Volunteers by assigning “Loaned Executives” to work with large companies in the campaign. Business owners volunteered to fill out the campaign organization chart and served on the campaign boards. It allowed contributors to pledge the amount they give annually and have it deducted from their paychecks. The goal in 1965 was $10 million and administrative expenses were below 5%. Agencies were well managed by Boards and were funded by United Way.

St. Charles was the fastest growing county in the US during 1965 and 1966 and the volunteer force was at record highs. St. Charles County had its own Agencies. The St. Charles Agency Board Chairman was also on the Metro St. Louis Board. The St Charles Campaign Chairman was also on the Metro St. Louis Board. We wanted to keep our St. Charles Division happy so they wouldn’t break away from the Metro group.

My first St. Charles Chairman was Doug Boschert. The St. Lous Board loved Doug Boschert. In 1965, the St. Charles Division raised 110% of goal. Doug Boschert went on to be the Presiding Judge of St. Charles County and later served in the Missouri State Senate. I founded the St. Charles County Council of Homeowners Associations in 1968 to establish a back-channel to Doug Boschert when he was the Presiding Judge. The Council had 300 subdivisions and 68,000 homes. It allowed homeowners to weigh in to support homeowners property rights and public service commission participation. Doug would call me and ask me to call Subdivision Presidents to get their take on zoning issues and call him back. The zoning board had no idea how Doug knew everything. I held monthly meeting in St. Charles for member homeowners to report problems and get solutions.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/stltoday/name/douglas-boschert-obituary?id=3066349

My second St. Charles Chairman was Roland Pundmann. Again the St. Charles Division raised 110% of goal. After that Roland had trouble finding a new Chairman for the next Campaign. I asked him if they would like to fold the St. Charles campaign into the Metro campaign structure. He said yes. That would make the St. Charles Residential Campaign part of the St. Louis Metro Residential Campaign. Small Firms would do the same. The St. Charles Agencies could remain intact if they wanted to.  

https://www.baue.com/obituaries/edward-j-pundmann-jr

I told my boss at United Way to contact Roland and work out a plan to consolidate. I sensed that the St. Charles leadership was intimidated by the success of the last two campaigns and were focused on continuing the expansion of the St. Charles County economy.

I also told my boss that I had accepted a Personnel Job at Kearney National. I had applied to a local employment agency to find me a Personnel Job. They referred me to Kearney and I got the job.

I got to eliminate my job at United Way and secure the Personnel Job I had trained for. My day-job work routine had averaged 50 to 60 hour weeks and I maintained that pace throughout my 28 year corporate career. Later, during my 24 year Consulting Practice the average increased to 70 to 80 hours per week because I officed at home and traveled to Client sites as needed. I operated as a Sole Proprietor and paid double Social Security Taxes. I had no employees.

Kearney National St. Louis

I joined Kearney in January 1967 as a Personnel Generalist. I learned the Kearney products, history and manufacturing and engineering operations and wrote Job Descriptions.  I recruited and Interviewed office and engineering candidates, wrote the monthly company newspaper, conducted Safety Training, learned Labor Law from the BLS Reports, learned Compensation from wage surveys, joined the ASPA Chapter, the St Louis Industrial Relations Club and secured benefits surveys. I won first prize for the best company newspaper in 1967.

I reported to the Personnel Manager, who handled the Teamsters Union in the St. Louis Plant and visited the Fayetteville Arkansas Plant.

Kearney manufactured products used by US Electric Power Companies, including connectors and high-line tools.

The Teamsters Union Contract allowed all manufacturing employees to be selected by the Teamster Hiring Hall. They had a Mafia Bookie working at their Shipping and Receiving Dock who took bets from the Truckers. St. Louis was not a “Right to Work” State.

Our St. Louis plant also served as the Headquarters for Dison Kissner, our parent company and the Headquarters For Kearney National Inc. I was tapped to serve as the Financial Analyst in a 3 person team that included the VP of Finance for Dison Kissner and the Chief Financial Officer of Kearney National. I analyzed benefits and costs for all Dison Kissner holdings and  produced the reports. When they told me they were looking to acquire a company in Atlanta GA that made the same of products, I suggested that we sell the St. Louis Plant to get rid of the Teamsters. They agreed.

When the announcement came out for the Plant Closing, I told them I would not be taking the transfer to Atlanta. The Kearney Advertising Manager had friends at the Monsanto Headquarters in St. Louis and he referred me to his contact at Monsanto. I interviewed and got the job.

Monsanto HQ St. Louis

I joined the Monsanto Textile Division Staff as a Compensation Analyst in June 1967. Monsanto was considered the best company in St. Louis. The Textile Division Personnel Staff included Economic Evaluations, Employee Development and Compensation. My job was to represent the Division Compensation to Monsanto Corporate Compensation. I reviewed all Division Personnel job changes, survey data, plans and proposals to the Corporate Compensation Director. The Textile Division had over 12,000 employees.

The Textile Division included a nylon plant with 6000 employees in Pensacola FL and a nylon plant with 3000 employees in Greenwood SC and an acrilan plant in Fayetteville AL plus Sales Offices across the US and a Nylon Plant in Germany.  

My experience at Monsanto was exceptional. Monsanto had adopted Art Miller’s System for Identifying Motivated Abilities, SIMA. Their VP Personnel was Bob Berra, the founder of the American Society for Personnel Adimistration, ASPA. Their Personnel Systems were fully automated. They were successful in maintaining non-union status and annually defeated the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union organizing attempts.

Monsanto added the Textile Division to its holdings in the 1950s when they bought Chemstrand and brought the Textile Division Staff from New York to its St. Louis Headquarters in 1967. 

https://frankhardymademyphotographstwo.com/2013/03/20/chemistrand-plant-in-pensacola-florida-1950s/

I took on the task of completing their post-acquisition jobs by converting their original 9 factor job evaluation plan to the Monsanto system. 

I had traveled to the Plants and the Sales office in New York and participated in meeting with their senior personnel staffs at meetings held at the St. Louis Headquarters. At one of these meetings in 1970, I learned that there was a water treatment issue at the Alabama Plant. The cost to upgrade the system was $125,000. I told the group that it would cost more to delay the upgrade and they agreed. The EPA was on a crusade to clean up water pollution.

Monsanto had been a major supplier of raw chemicals and was slowly developing capabilities down-stream to produce end-use products. They had introduced Astroturf as a nylon-based floor covering product. But they were still vulnerable to wide variations in demand due to economic downturns. This was anticipated in 1970. I was offered a promotion to the New York Sales Office.

New York was a mess and the cost of living was too high. I turned it down to remain in St. Louis and took a lay-off package.

I felt drawn to keep the unions out of the Universities.

Washington University St. Louis

My experience at Washington University in St. Louis from 1971 to 1975 was enlightening. I had turned down a promotion to New York at Monsanto that included a 30% increase. I was ready to prevent unionization at Washington U. I answered an ad for a Personnel Job at Washington U Medical School to establish the Personnel Function at the Medical School Campus the Medical School Faculty served as Chiefs of Service at Barnes, Children’s and Jewish Hospitals. My grandfather had graduated form Barnes Medical School in 1905 and was appointed as Professor of Internal Medicine. He taught at Barnes while completed his surgical residency. I was revisiting my grandfather’s past.

The Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri was established in 1891. It was formed by merging the St. Louis Medical College and the Missouri Medical College, the first two medical schools west of the Mississippi River. 

Barnes Medical College was founded in 1892 in St. Louis, Missouri. The school was named after Robert A. Barnes, a wealthy banker and merchant who left money to build a hospital in the city. 

As an avowed Manufacturing Careerist, I excused myself from my career to spend some time with this Private University.

When I applied for the job at the Washington U Medical School Campus, I was interviewed by their Business Manager and referred to Dr Bill Danforth, the Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs. The Danforth family founded Ralston Purina. Both Bill and John Danforth began with Theology Degrees. John chose a career as a Lawyer and was serving in the US Senate. Bill chose a career in Medical Research and was about to become the next Chancellor at Washington U. I didn’t mention the union threat in my interviews. I took the job and started work in January 1971.

The Medical Faculty was devoted to advancing medical science. They were smart and fun to work with. I was assigned to work with a small team tasked with writing the Affirmative Action Plan required to comply with HEW rules for Federal Contractors. I was also handed a brilliant plan to claim Affirmative Action by becoming a co-investigator on a grant proposal to NIH to build a cage washing facility for the Animal Lab to increase productivity and offering AALAS Certification Training to 90 black animal caretakers to be conducted by the AALAS Technicians at Ralston Purina. The grant application was approved and we got $10 million. I hired a Recruiter to help recruit Research Technicians. I was elected Education Chairman of AALAS and had to deliver a paper at their convention.

It didn’t take long before I got a Notice for Election from the NLRB. The newly formed Service Employee Union was petitioning for election. I acknowledged receipt and requested their LM-2 Report that included the SEUs Financial Statement. I received this along with a copy of one of their Contracts. I alerted Dr Danforth who called a meeting. I explained that the SEU Contract paid less than our current Housekeeping Employees were making. The meeting included the Executive Vice Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor General Council, the CEO if the Law Firm and the new Vice Chancellor for the Medical Campus, who asked me what the Housekeeping Employees should do. I told them that they should not join the union and should do this annually. All for the Lawyers laughed. Dr. Danforth gave me permission to meet with the Housekeeping Employees.

In my first meeting, I tried to put the group at ease. I told them that I knew they were divided, but should relax and allow the process to proceed peacefully. I explained the methods used to determine competitive pay and the minimum wage and tax laws.

In my second meeting, I talked about why employee groups might seek union representation including “not being respected by their supervisors.  An employee in the back row said “You got that right”. I said “Thank You”. After that meeting I called a meeting with the Supervisor and Manager.  I told the supervisor that the union had arrived because he was not respectful of his Housekeeping Staff.  I told them that Doctors were paranoid about bacteria in the hospitals and would yell at the Manager, who in-turn would yell at the Supervisor. I told them that these Hospital Housekeepers were doing all they could to keep bacteria levels low and had an average of 10 years of Service.

In my third meeting with the Housekeepers, they were all smiles. The Supervisor met with them and apologized. They thought I was magic.

The 2 Union Organizers were Teamsters from Chicago and they looked too Mafia-like for them.  I told them I wanted them to meet with the Business Manager who would also be on the University Bargaining Committee. They had a ball with him.

I won the election with a 80% to 20% vote.

A few weeks later I heard that the Director of Personnel on the Main Campus had resigned. Dr. Danforth had assumed the Chancellorship and sent his Affirmative Action Manager to offer me the Director of Personnel job. I told him that I would prefer that Mary Weiss, the Asst Director of Personnel with 24 years of Service and who knew the Faculty and University policies be given the job. I would prefer to take an Assistant Director spot and keep my automation projects. I would handle Union Negotiations, Regulatory Compliance and Compensation. Mary would handle the Budget and supervision of Main Campus Employment and Benefits.

In 1972, I completed the Systems Analysis based on the Monsanto Personnel System. This included employee records that included everything from their current salaries or wages, that included name, hire date, title, department, annual pay and codes for race, sex, education, etc. required for Government Reports and to allow the automation of 9,000 Annual Appointment Letters.

In 1973, we loaded the system to test and I visited each department and wrote the job descriptions for support staffs based on skill level. I matched each job level with wage and salary surveys from the College and University Personnel Association CUPA and the local surveys from the St. Louis ASPA Chapter. I wrote the Compensation Manual.

In 1973, Nixon imposed a 5.5% limit on wage increases. I pulled a CCH copy of the law from the Law Library and met with the Vice Chancellor and General Council. I was in negotiations with the Main Campus Unions in 1973. I was able to announce the 5.5% increase to all University Employees ahead of the Union Negotiations. The Main Campus Union requested that negotiations for wages be moved to Arbitration. I offered 5.5% the first year and 2% for the 2^nd and 3^rd years and the Arbitrators approved it.

This caused the Main Campus Union employees to decertify the Union.

Mary was scheduled to retire in 1974 and I was winding up the Automation Project and established a HRIS System. I completed my visits to each Main Campus Academic Office and finished all non-academic staff job descriptions based on levels of skill. I added a local wage survey to the College and University survey to set salary ranges and completed the Compensation Manual.

I recommended that Gloria White, the current Affirmative Action Manager be appointed to the Director of Personnel job to replace Mary Weiss.  Gloria had just completed her Law Degree at night school and had 10+ years of service.

I accepted an offer from Schwan Foods in 1975 to move from St. Louis to the Pizza Plant in Salina Kansas to automate the operation.

Washington University Revenue was $1.5 billion in 2023.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Lived Family History 2-25-25

It’s important to share our lived family history in the context of our economic history. This gives our family a roadmap to what lays ahead. Generations are vulnerable to predictable political and economic disasters and pandemics. We can serve as “first-hand witnesses” to economic eras we have experienced. From my birth in 1943, I remember my childhood, school years and working years and what I was told by my parents, grandparents and great grandparents about their lived history back to the 1860s. This gave me a reference to how they lived through wars, epidemics, natural and economic disasters. 

We are living now at a time that politically resembles the Civil War and again the Democrats are the “Rebel Confederates” and the Republicans are the “Union”. We have been experiencing our own Bolshevik Revolution. The Democrats are the Marxists and the Republicans are the Anti-Communist resistance. Democrats want government to grow and control the population with the empty promise of welfare. Republicans want government to shrink and allow the Free Market to grow to allow us citizens to control their own destinies. The US Constitution was designed to allow citizens to control the Free Market Economy in the US.

My working years from 1957 to 2017. This 60 year period included my school years working as a musician from 1957 to 1965. It included my early married years from 1965 to 1975 when I started my Corporate Career and continued to play music. In 1975, I retired from being a musician to continue my chosen career in Personnel.

Inflation was high in the 1960s and averaged 4 to 6%. Inflation peaked at 18% in the late 1970s. We were able to buy a home in 1966 for $16,000 in 1966 with a 4% mortgage in St. Charles Mo and sold it for $36,000. We bought our second home for $55,000 with a 6% mortgage in Salina Ks and sold it for $85,000. We bought our current home for $137,000 in 1983 with a 13% mortgage in Dunwoody Ga. We refinanced at 10% and then with a 7% 15-year mortgage. We paid if off in 2000. We maintained each house ourselves and updated what we could ourselves. We hired contractors as needed to upgrade our Dunwoody home for the past 40 years.

My wife was Dental Assistant when we married in 1964 and was a stay-at-home mom from 1965 to 1975. She finished Dental Hygiene School in 1986 and went to work as a Dental Hygienist and worked until 2017.

We began receiving Social Security at age 66 in 2009 and both continued to work until 2017 when we both retired at age 74.

I share this to encourage renters to become home owners and recommend that all continue to work past age 66.

We believe that despite inflation we were blessed to live at a time when the US economy was strong enough to thrive. Our Parents and Grand Parents lived through the Great Depression in the 1930s and World War II in the 1940s. Our great grandparents lived through the Civil War, the water-born diseases and bacteria related deaths from 1860 to the 1940s.

We believe that for our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to survive and prosper, we need our private sector economy to thrive to again to provide the jobs they need to move forward. We also need to stop and reverse the US National Debt from $36.5 trillion back to $5 trillion. 

Growing up

My grandparents were wealthy. Grandpa Leahy was an Investor who owned large chunks of St. Louis based Chemical companies. We called him “Daddy Warbucks”. The Leahy family had 9 kids. My Mom was one of 12 kids. Her Dad was an MD who was homeschooled on the family farm and went to work at age 11 to earn money to pay a tutor to prepare him to enter Medical School at age 16. He graduated first in his class at age 19 and they made him Professor of Internal Medicine. He completed his surgical residency at age 21 and he continued to teach and opened his General Practice.

My childhood from my birth in St. Louis in 1943 included moves to Hallettsville Texas in 1945, Providence Rhode Island in 1947, Memphis Tennessee in 1948, Queens New York in 1950 and back to St. Louis in 1951. My dad owned 13 filling stations and served as the Night Superintendent of the St’ Louis Weapons Assembly Plant from 1941 to 1945.

His brother John was he Director of Research and Development at Texas A&M in College Station Texas and introduced him to Volkart Brothers, a Swiss cotton Trading company. Their Board interviewed my Dad and wanted to hire him. My Uncle John wanted my Dad to enter his program for a Masters in Cotton Research Technology to prepare to join Volkart. That prompted us to sell our home in St. Louis and move to Hallettsville Texas. My Dad graduated in 1947 and began to establish Cotton Research Labs in the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkart_Brothers

We had rented a small ranch in Hallettsville Texas that included a house and a barn. We bought a horse for my brother to ride to school. We had a cat to catch the mice in the barn. My 3^rd birthday party was covered in the local newspaper. My brother and I would listen to hillbilly music on the 1000 watt radio. We sang along and harmonized. We visited the Alamo and toured through Texas on the weekends.

Because we moved annually for my Dad’s job, we rented. We visited family in St. Louis every year. From 1945 to 1950, my dad established 2 Labs and was promoted to VP R&D headquartered in New York. In 1952, my Dad was promoted to Managing Director at Volkart Brothers in Brussels Belgium. My Mom moved us back to St. Louis. They divorced. My Dad sent $500 per month for child support. My Mom took a job to run Accounting for a Jewelry Store Chain. We lived in the family apartment and I became the became the maintenance man at age 8.

We spend a lot of time with my Mom’s family and attended Sunday family dinners.

My Uncle Billy taught me to play the piano by ear at age 4. I found a bugle at my Mom’s family home and became the Boy Scout Troop’s Bugler. I joined the Grade School Band at age 10 and bought a Trumpet. I learned to play Guitar. I won a Music Scholarship to CBC Military HS and started a Rock Band at age 14. At age 18, I joined a Blues Band and worked 6 nights per week to pay my own college tuition at St. Louis U.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Early Musician Career 2-25-25

I worked as a Musician for 18 years from age 14 in 1957 to age 32 in 1975. 

Musical talent was in the family. My Grandma had been an opera singer. Her oldest boys had a Jazz Band in the 1920s. My uncle Billy played piano by ear and he taught me how to play by ear when I was age 4. Christmas at Grandma’s included dinner at Noon, Midnight Mass, dinner at 1am and singing around the piano until 4am. I loved singing harmony.

I found a bugle at Grandma’s house when I was age 8. I learned to play all the bugle calls I heard on TV movies. I became the Scout Troop Bugler. When I was age 10, my grade school started a Band. I bought a Trumpet and joined the Band. When I was age 11, I joined the Boy Scout Marching Band to play Trumpet. I was selected as 1^st chair for this 300 member band. When I was age 12 we bought a guitar and I learned to play it. When I was 13 I won a Trumpet Scholarship to CBC Military HS. I inherited the musical talent and it was my favorite recreational activity. I was too easy.

In the Summer of 1957, before I entered High School, I spent Saturdays at CBC with my Freshman Class Band Members to practice marching and play trumpet in the CBC marching band. I met my classmates and their friends and decided to form a Rock Band. We played our first band job in September 1957. I had a rehearsal at my home and cut the band in half to include the drummer, sax player and 2 guitar players. I was the singer.

We were able to charge $60 for 3-hour band jobs and each made $15 at $5per hour.  I put the Sax Player and the other Guitar Player in charge of bookings and concentrated on the music. I preferred Chuck Berry songs and we became a popular Blues Group.

I led The “Continentals” Rock Band from 1957 to 1961. We averaged 3 nights per week playing at Teen Towns, Country Clubs and Parties.  We wore black pants, black sox, black shoes, white shirts with black continental ties and white sport coats. My uncle Francis picked the name and the wardrobe and booked our first job at R-9 Teen Town. Our drummer was a year older and drove us to band jobs until we turned 16 and got our own cars.

I made up my own lyrics. I sang the Girl with Emphysema”, wrote a song called “Zelda” and sang Hava Nagila, Have two Nagilas, Have three Nagilas, they’re pretty small” at Bar Mitzvas.

The Continentals had a good run from 1957 to 1961, but college choices brought it to a close. Two of my Band Members had planned to go out-of-town for college and I was planning to commute to St. Louis University from home. We played our last band job in September 1961.

I remember sitting at my desk in September 1961 and I prayed: “Lord, I don’t want to start another Rock Band, I just want to join somebody else’s Dirty 2-Horn Blues Band.”  At that moment the phone rang and it was a drummer from a Dirty Two-horn Blues Band who wanted me to join them as a Bass Player. I looked up and said: “Thank you Lord”.

Prayers are seldom answered immediately, but this gift would be “life changing”. The drummer’s sisters told me that I “had to meet Marlene”, who later became my wife.

The Band was called the Mojos and we played at Little Milton’s club at Artesian Park in Herculanium Mo. on Fridays and Sundays and Teen Towns on Saturdays and Wednesdays in neighboring cities north of St. Louis County. The drummer lived in Mehlville in St. Louis County and the other band members lived in Potosi Mo. He drove me to the first band practice in Potosi. Their Bass Player loaned me his Bass and Amp. I quickly bought a Gibson EBO electric Bass and amp.

In 1962, the Mojos became the “house band” at the “Livingroom” night club on Gaslight Square in St. Louis to work 6 nights per week. The Potosi Sax players quit because they couldn’t take the commute from Potosi. The Mojos leader was Jimmy Hoff, the best guitar player I ever heard and he moved to St. Louis County. The club owners brought in their own Sax player and Drummer and kept Jimmy and I. They added Bonnie Lynn Farrell, who later became Bonnie Bramlett as our singer.

https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tTP1TcwNU9PNzBg9OJPys_Ly0xVSCpKzM1JLSkBAHPNCPk&q=bonnie+bramlett&oq=bonnie+bramlett&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDAgBEC4YQxiABBiKBTIPCAAQABhDGOMCGIAEGIoFMgwIARAuGEMYgAQYigUyCggCEC4Y1AIYgAQyCggDEC4Y1AIYgAQyCggEEC4Y1AIYgAQyCggFEC4Y1AIYgAQyCggGEC4Y1AIYgAQyBwgHEAAYgAQyBwgIEC4YgAQyBwgJEC4YgATSAQkxNDg1NWowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

In 1963, Chuck Berry showed up at the Livingroom and sat in with us for a few nights.

I was set to graduate from St. Louis U in January 1965 and was making $5,000 per year as a musician. I married Marlene in August 1964 and we lived with my Mom to save money to buy a house. I quit the Livingroom house band in January 1965 and there were no Personnel Jobs for newbies. We were expecting our first child in 1965 and I turned down my Airforce Commission. I was a “Kennedy Father” and was exempt from the Vietnam War draft. I accepted a job at United Way.

My career as a musician allowed me to pay 100% of my $1000 per year college expenses.

I joined United Way as Division Director of St. Charles County and continued to play music in Marty Bonin’s blues band. I also joined a Jazz Trio.

I continued to work as a musician from 1965 to 1975 to allow my wife Marlene to be a “stay-at-home Mom. I played Bass in Jazz Trios and Blues Bands from 1965 to 1971.

In 1971 I got a call from the drummer inviting me to play Bass in Gale Bell’s jazz trio called “The Three of Us”. Gale Bell was the best jazz player in St. Louis. We played jazz and I sang at various clubs around St. Louis.

In 1972, we were booked at Schneithorst Restaurant on Lindburgh on weekends for a year. We added 2 girl singers and sang 5 part jazz vocals.  We changed our name to “The Three of Us plus 2” and became a “Show Group”.

In 1973, we were booked at their other location at Arthur’s on Grand Avenue for a year. Our fan club included the local TV and Radio Station staffs and the St. Louis Symphany Orchestra who would file in to Arthurs at 10pm after their concerts.  Each location held 200 guests. Our third fan club was the couples who would come to dine, dance and listen.

We were routinely recorded live by the Radio guys. I got a reel to reel copy of one of these live recordings and copied it to cassettes and later to CDs. I listen to these recordings often and marvel that our 5 part vocals were perfect and effortless. We could have made a career performing and recording, but we all had day jobs and careers we liked.

I ended my 18 year music career in 1975, when we moved from St. Louis to Salina Ks. I continue to be grateful to have evolved from Rock to Blues to Jazz.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Ending the Wars 2-24-25

The war between Gaza and Israel is in its final months.  Hamas now holds the last 60 hostages. Gaza citizens continue to support Hamas. A 2-state solution that preserves Palestine is unlikely. Nobody wants Gaza citizens. Jordan will receive Gaza children for medical treatment. Hamas will be decimated. 

The war between Ukraine and Russia continues. Ukraine is open to Trump’s proposal that the US is willing to help expand Ukraine’s economy by establishing the mining of rare earth minerals in Ukraine that they will export to the US. The US doesn’t want these minerals to be controlled by Russia and sold to China.

The war between Republicans and Democrats continues. Democrats are hysterical and are protesting and filing lawsuits against the Trump Agenda. Trump is patiently waiting for these lawsuits to reach the Supreme Court and be dismissed. If House Republicans are able to pass the one Big Bill, the Senate will vote to approve it. If the House fails to pass the Big Bill, the Senate has already approved 2 Bills they are holding in reserve. Republicans would prefer to include Tax Rate Extension as Permanent and New Tax Reduction in the first Big Bill.

Republicans support Defunding all private Non-Profit 501C NGOs except Churches. Republicans support Defunding all cities, counties and States who cling to their “Sanctuary Status”.

Democrats have declared war on DOGE.

The DOGE Clock reports $51.74B in savings as of 2-22-25.

https://dogegov.com/dogeclock

DOGE declared war on fraud, waste and abuse.

DOGE reports $55B in Social Security fraud. US Treasury records of 20,000 “taxpayers” who are over 110 years old.

DOGE found $80B in fraud, waste and abuse in USAID Grants.

DOGE expects at least $1 trillion in fraud, waste and abuse will be found.

DOGE will work with Agency Heads to upgrade their computers and install AI to avoid further fraud, waste and abuse.

The War over working from home ends on Monday, February 24 when Federal Employees are expected to report to their offices.

75,000 Federal Employees are taking the buyout deal.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

This Blog 2-24-25

I am currently writing about the Trump Agenda and its progress on all fronts and will continue to follow it. I expect to see Tax Decreases and Increased Oil and Natural Gas Production to increase supply and lower prices. I expect to see lower federal government spending will lower federal interest costs below $1 trillion/yr. I expect to see Federal Agencies upgrade their computer systems and data bases to increase accuracy and productivity. I expect to see the Illegal migrants returned to their countries. I expect to see an increase in the US Worker Participation Rate as hiring is focused on US Citizens. We should see signs of this progress by July 2025. 

I covered the COVID-19 Pandemic from 2019 to 2023 to capture daily cases, deaths and %deaths because the data from the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic was insufficient. I covered the GDP and Economic Data for all countries in 2024 to track failures and successes.

I cover history, economics, government and personal development. My goal is to make dead brain tissue live again.

I believe that we are responsible for ourselves and we each have unique skills and interests we need to identify and pursue. Our DNA is unique to each of us and gives us clues to God’s Plan for us. We are each responsible for identifying our motivated abilities, so we can pursue the work that we are good at and love doing.

I use historical economic data to identify the causes of economic changes to show the duration of achievements and declines.

I use Timelines to track technological advances, I list critical data by year to track Nominal GDP, Per Capita GDP, Population, Trade Balances, Inflation and Household Income by country.

I understand that it is difficult to get a clear picture of what goes on. TV News covers accidents, crime, events, their opinions in real time and lots of TV Ads. 

It takes a long view to identify trends. In the 1960s I subscribed to US News and World Report to get a monthly summary of events.

I also use my own experience as a “time capsule” to share my life experience and career as a witness to Lived History. My goal is to motivate the readers of this Blog to focus on their own unique abilities to develop their own list of motivated abilities and direct their careers to do what they love to allow them to be happy and successful.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

US History 2-23-25

Our Roots were in Europe. Discovering New Trade Roots was an issue in 1492 and Spain funded the expedition led by Christopher Colombus to discover a trade route to India. Colombus landed in the Bahamas and that began the takeover of South America by the Spanish and the Portuguese. The Spanish moved to occupy the West Coast. 

Europe needed timber from North America to build ships and buildings. The French established Quebec in Canada and took over the Louisiana Territory along the Mississippi River to New Orleans. The French set up trading posts. The British established colonies in North America from Maine to Georgia. The British were interested in owning the land and posed more of a threat to the Native population.

Evolution

Discovering America 1492 – 1600 (108 years)

British Colony 1600- 1776  (176 years)

Revolutionary War 1776 – 1783 (7 years)

Constitution Established 1783 – 1789) (6 years) 

Expansion

Louisiana Purchase 1802

Mexican War won 1848

Expansion from 1802 to 1848  (46 years)

Industrial Revolution 1848 – 1880

Peak 1880 – 1913

Decline   1913 - present

Economy

Forestry  & Agriculture 1600 – 1848

Manufacturing 1848 – 1970

Decline 1970 - 2025

Education

Self-Taught 1600 – 1900

Public Schools Peak  1900 - 1928

Child Labor Laws 1933

Severe Decline 1979 – 2025

Public Schools peaked in 1928 and began to decline in 1933. They had replaced homeschooling. Public Schools concentrated on basic skills of reading, writing and math. Most students attended school in 1^st grade and graduated in 8^th grade and were well prepared with an education equal to college. Most students were ready to find occupations and own and operate businesses. The Exit Exam was college level.

Health

Health Problems           Solutions

Bacterial Infections       Penicillin 1928

Bone Injuries                Plaster Casts 1900       

Water Borne Diseases Water Treatment 1920

Viral Infections             Natural Immunity        

The US shared a common vision from its beginnings in 1789. We were set to expand and develop based on the technologies that were existing and developing in the 1800s. We developed roads, waterways and canals to improve the transport of goods.

We adopted the railroad using the Steam Engine in the 1820s and completed the transcontinental railroad in 1869. We survived the Civil War from 1860 to 1865. We ended water-borne diseases when we treated water with chlorine and built the sewer systems. The discovery of penicillin in 1928 led to the development of anti-biotics in 1940. Edison’s invention of the light bulb in 1879 led to the development of AC electricity by Nikola Tesla in 1884. The invention of refrigeration in the 1850s led to refrigerators replacing ice boxes in the 1930s

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

US Politics 2-23-25

I registered the Dunwoody GA Tea Party on teaparty.net and created the NTL Conservative Blog in 2010. 

I had followed US politics most of my life and so did my parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles. We were Conservative Republicans. When I was 3 years old, we were in Texas. My uncle John was the Director of R&D for Texas A&M, but was also the Secretary of Agriculture for the State of Texas. He knew Lyndon Johnson who was a US Congressman in 1945. We were invited to dinner at the LBJ Ranch in 1945. After dinner my Mom and I went outside with “Lady Bird” to see the horses. My Dad, uncle John and my brother Bobby stayed inside. My brother said that Lyndon gave him the creeps. LBJ was up for reelection and my uncle John came to visit us at our small ranch. He came in the back yard and my Dad asked him how Lyndon did in the election. Uncle John told him that “everybody that ever lived in these counties voted for Lyndon.” LBJ hired 50 people to vote in place of the dead people and paid them $5 to go from one polling place to another. They had the voter lists with the names of the dead people. The polling places were staffed by Democrats. Voter Fraud was the preferred Democrat Strategy.

Years later I appreciated Franklin Roosevelt’s handling of World War II and his support for building Dams during the Great Depression to provide jobs during the Great Depression. I agreed that some of his other moves were unconstitutional.

I liked Harry Truman’s handling to end World War II and liked the Mashall Plan that gave Europe and Japan a chance to recover.

Even more years later, we “Liked Ike” when he was elected in the 1950s.

I read the newspapers when I was in grade school and believed that US manufacturing was where I wanted to work. I was livid when I found out that the Mafia had taken over the Labor Unions.

As time progressed in the 1960s, saw the Kennedy assassination and in 1963 I knew Lyndon Johnson was the worst successor to the Presidency we could ever imagine. 

I was supportive of non-discrimination laws, but believed in personal responsibility. I reacted negatively to the overreach in the Civil Rights Act that resulted in replacing Meritocracy with race-based favoritism. I learned how the founders of US Industry in the 1880s were refused their property rights and were forced to accept Labor Unions and Company break-ups.  My instincts told me that we needed to preserve Meritocracy and Property Rights. I knew that expanding the US Free Market Economy required increases in Productivity.

In the 1970s, I noticed that Republicans like Nixon would end the US riots, but his abandoning the gold standard and courting Communist China were mistakes. The bill for Johnson’s Vietnam War and Great Society came due and the US auto industry decay would herald economic decline. In the late 1970s, Johnson’s inflation hit. Gas prices soared and off-shoring manufacturing increased.

In 1976, Jimmy Carter became President. He gave the Panama Canal to Panama, a big mistake He spent his time getting Egypt and Israel to sign a peace treaty, a good thing.

In 1980, I read “Free to Choose” by Milton Friedman and knew that Ronald Reagan would be our best bet to turn the faltering economy around.   Reagan ended up winning the Cold War in 1988 and had stabilized the US economy. Japanese cars became popular and the US auto companies were left with bad quality and future decline.

In 1989, GHW Bush became President and signed on to UN Agenda 21 and the Global Warming Hoax. He did a good job with the Gulf War to save Kuait, but allowed Democrats to continue building the “Deep State”. In the meantime, China was taking over more US manufacturing with low labor costs and that was a bad thing. GHW Bush rubber-stamped all of Ted Kennedy’s socialist bills and became a 1 term President when Ross Perot campaigned on preventing the National Debt to go out of control. I voted for Perot and Clinton won.

I began to notice that Republicans were campaigning like Conservatives, but voting like Democrats. I called the Demopublicans.

In 1993, Bill Clinton became President and issued an executive order to implement UN Agenda 21 to support the global warming hoax. He did balance the US federal budget, Newt Gingrich restored Republicans to Congress with the “Contract for America” to slow the growth of government. Clinton kept the outsourcing of US manufacturing jobs with NAFTA. Gingrich declared that the US was becoming the “Information Economy”. The information wasn’t good.

In 2000, GW Bush became President and on 9/11/2001 the Twin Towers in New York were destroyed by Islamic Terrorists. This prompted Bush to invade Afghanistan and later to invaded Iraq. The cost of his adventures was $10 trillion. 

In 2008, Bush was asleep at the switch with the Mortgage Meltdown that began with banks being threatened with race discrimination suits if they did not lend mortgages to unqualified buyers.

In 2009, Baraq Obama became President and he doubled down on building the “Deep State”. He also continued on UN Agenda 21 implementation that required that the US Voters quietly agree to become poor. All manufacturing jobs were gone and foreign aid continued to rise. Obama spent $10 trillion on the Global Warming Hoax and put it on the US National Debt credit card.

In 2010, the Tea Party held a rally in Washington DC and TEA stood for Taxed Enough Already. It was a call to return to lower spending and Federal Debt reduction that began with Ross Perot’s campaign in 1992.

In 2010, I started the Dunwoody Tea Party to encourage lower government spending, especially in Dunwoody. The Dunwoody City council had adopted UN Agenda 21 and they proposed a $133 million Bond to build unnecessary Parks. I bought Vote No Parks yard signs and won the park bond vote. I was tapped to join a State-wide Tea Party Committee to deliver a No vote on the $18 billion TSPLOST in Georgia and we won.

In 2011, I became a Delegate to the Georgia Republican Convention and learned that it was a “club” of Establishment RINO Republicans who were waiting their turn to be Delegates to the National Republican Convention. 

In 2013, I gathered 4 candidates for City Council and 2 of them won. One became Mayor and asked me to serve on the Community Council. I was elected to Chair the Council to conduct the first review of requested zoning issues and proposed ordinance changes. I served for 4 years. I was asked to chair “Save Dunwoody” and bought yard signs to campaign against UN Agenda 21 inspired 12 foot paths to connect to MARTA, the metro transit company with parks and expensive roundabouts to replace street intersections. 

When the city of Dunwoody was formed in 2009 it was clear that they were trained to implement UN Agenda 21. Georgia Governor Bad Deal had been a Democrat who switched to Republican and he passed the Regionalism Laws required to allow UN Agenda 21 implementation.  

I got to know lots of Republicans since 2010 and one of them asked who I supported for President in 2016. I said I would support whoever told the most truth.

In 2016, Donald Trump appeared on the stage at the Republican Presidential Debate he laid bare the failures of most of the other Republican candidates. They were stunned. I was relieved. I became a “Trumper”.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Confirmation Update 2-22-25

Confirmation Hearings and Votes for Appointees will continue through February 2025. 

Marco Rubio – State Department has taken over USAID.

Howard Lutnick – Commerce is expected to take over the US Postal Service.

The US Senate has confirmed 17 of 25 Appointees as of 2-25-25:

Marco Rubio – State Dept,

John Ratcliffe – CIA,

Kristi Noem - Homeland Security,

Pete Hegseth – DOD,

Scott Bessent -Treasury,

Sean Duffy - Transportation

Doug Burgum – Interior,

Lee Zeldin – EPA,

Pam Bondi-Attorney General-DOJ, 

Doug Collins – Veterans

Chris Wright – Energy, 

RF Kennedy Jr – HHS

HHS, Tulsi Gabbard – DNI

Brook Rollins – Agriculture

Howard Lutnick – Commerce

Scott Turner – Housing,

Kash Patel, FBI

 

Confirmation Vote Pending:

Elise Stefanik, UN, (current House Member NY)

Russell Vought OMB,

Kelly Loeffler – SBA

Jamieson Greer – Trade

Linda McMahon – Education

Lori Chavez-DeRemer - Labor

Branden Carr – FCC

Billy Long IRS

 

Confirmation not required

Susie Wilds – Chief of Staff

https://www.axios.com/2025/02/04/trump-cabinet-confirmed-members-confirmation-votes

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/27/trump-cabinet-confirmations

https://www.democrats.senate.gov/2025/01/27/schedule-for-tuesday-january-28-2025

Comments

Democrats are “slow rolling” the confirmation process. They insist on individual meetings, multiple “hit-job” hearings, cloture votes that require 60 votes to proceed to confirmation votes and finally, confirmation votes. Disruptive Protests are being scheduled by Liberal Democrat funded NGOs in response to each action being taken by the Trump Administration. The funding for these protests are likely coming from Soros and other Marxists and are money-laundered via multiple NGO Non-Profit groups. In 2020, the same groups hired Antifa to burn down cities.

Democrats are fighting ICE. Sanctuary States are resisting by having Democrat Federal Judges issue opinions. All of this is aimed at slowing the Trump Deportation Plan for Criminal Illegals and those with Deportation Orders.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader