Biden Immigration Policy Imprimis 3-7-25

Biden’s Mixed Immigration Legacy: Border Challenges Overshadowed Modernization Advances December 10, 2024. Policy Beat By Muzaffar Chishti, Kathleen Bush-Joseph, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, and Madeleine Greene 

However history judges the Biden presidency, immigration will be a critical factor. Joe Biden entered office promising not only to undo what he described as the harsh immigration policies of his predecessor, now President-elect Donald Trump, but also to create new opportunities for millions of long-resident unauthorized immigrants to secure legal status. As Congress continued its three-decade old pattern of inactivity on immigration reform, Biden was unable to deliver on legalization for even small portions of the estimated 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States. And the administration’s approach at the U.S.-Mexico border, which experienced record irregular arrivals of asylum seekers and other migrants, was sharply decried by liberals and conservatives alike. Immigrant-rights advocates claimed that Biden’s border policies doubled down on the Trump approach. And conservatives charged the administration’s strategy invited chaos by permitting several million people arriving without authorization to enter the United States.

To be sure, the Biden administration demonstrated a record level of activity on immigration, advancing 605 immigration-related executive actions as of December 6, according to Migration Policy Institute (MPI) calculations—far more than the 472 in Trump’s first term, which was seen as uniquely active on the issue. Through these executive actions, the Biden administration restored legal immigration levels that had fallen due to the COVID-19 pandemic and earlier Trump initiatives, as well as rebuilt refugee resettlement to numbers not seen since the 1990s. The Biden administration was also estimated to have naturalized nearly 3.5 million people, the most in any presidential term; more than doubled the length of work authorizations; and recrafted interior enforcement priorities to target national security and public safety threats, and recent border crossers. Additionally, the administration extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to 1.7 million potential new beneficiaries (although far fewer received the status), offering them work authorization and protection from deportation. To decrease the pressure of irregular arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border, the administration established new humanitarian pathways and orderly processes for migrants to enter the United States, and built a new network of cooperation with governments across the Americas.   

Despite these developments, the country’s attention throughout Biden’s tenure was focused on the Southwest border, where authorities carried out 8.6 million migrant encounters from January 2021 through October 2024 (many were of repeat crossers). Biden was hounded by a strong public perception that the border was uncontrolled. Even when the administration further narrowed access to asylum at the border in June, the measure was seen as too little, too late.

Although a combination of carrot-and-stick processes and Mexico’s stepped-up enforcement quelled some border pressures, MPI estimates that as of July more than 5.8 million migrants had been paroled in or otherwise allowed entry to pursue asylum applications and other immigration cases. At times of high arrivals, overwhelmed authorities often had to release migrants into the country due to a lack of asylum screening and other processing resources. In recent months, as encounters have decreased, so too have releases.

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/biden-immigration-legacy

Comments

The number of Illegals who entered the US from 2021 to 2024 is estimated at 21 million and 65% or 13.65 million are estimated as employed in US jobs.

WASHINGTON--Today, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that in a single month under President Trump more than 20,000 illegal aliens were arrested. That's a 627% increase in monthly arrests.

While there's no federal mandate for employers to use E-Verify, many states have laws requiring it, particularly for public employers and certain private employers based on size and location. In Georgia, for example, both public and private employers with 11 or more employees must use E-Verify. 

E-Verify requires employers to confirm US citizenship.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

 

US Work and Income Data 3-6-25

The most vulnerable households are renters who have household incomes of $50,000 or less. Cumulative inflation since 2021 is 20% to 30%. 

The Global Price of Oil has declined from $70 per barrel to $66 per barrel.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts that the United States will produce 13.59 million barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) in 2025. This is an increase from the EIA's previous estimate of 13.55 million bpd. 

Forecast details

The EIA expects the following production levels throughout 2025:

Q1: 13.40 million bpd 

Q2: 13.57 million bpd 

Q3: 13.65 million bpd 

Q4: 13.74 million bpd 

The EIA also expects U.S. petroleum and liquid fuel consumption to remain at 20.5 million bpd in 2025. 

On February 24, 2025, the average price of regular gas in the US was $3.125 per gallon, according to FRED. 

Gas prices by state:

California: The most expensive state for gas, averaging $4.84 per gallon

Mississippi: The least expensive state for gas, averaging $2.68 per gallon

Texas: Averaging $2.74 per gallon

Oklahoma: Averaging $2.75 per gallon

Louisiana: Averaging $2.76 per gallon

Kentucky: Averaging $2.79 per gallon

Median Household Incomes are increasing.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the median annual salary in the US by age group was: 

20–24 years: $40,768

25–34 years: $59,072

35–44 years: $70,512

45–54 years: $69,472

Median household income in the United States from 2018 to 2023: 

2018: The median household income was $75,790

2019: The median household income was $81,210

2020: The median household income was $98,680

2021: The median household income was $99,200

2022  The median household income was $77386

2023: The median household income was $80,610

2024  The median household income was $61,984

2025 The median household income est   $74,225

US Labor Participation Rate

1950  58.8

1960  59.8

1970  59.1

1980  64.4

1990  64.0

2000  67.2

2010  64.8

2020  66.3

The US labor force participation rate has changed over the years, with women's participation increasing in the 1970s and 1980s, and declining since then. The aging of the population has also contributed to a decline in the overall labor force participation rate. 

Women's labor force participation 

1940: Women made up 24.4% of the labor force

1950: Women made up 33.9% of the labor force

1960: Women made up 37.7% of the labor force

1970: Women made up 43.3% of the labor force

1990: Women made up 57.5% of the labor force

1999: Women made up 60% of the labor force

2000: Women made up 59.9% of the labor force

Overall labor force participation 

1950: The civilian labor force was 62 million

2000: The civilian labor force was 141 million

2025: The total number of non-farm employees expanded to 159 million

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CIVPART

US Divorce Rate History

The share of the currently separated or divorced among ever-married women increased from less than 1% in 1900 to 20% in 2022. Since 1900, the percentage of ever-married women who were currently married decreased from 83% to 68% in 2022.

https://www.bgsu.edu/ncfmr/resources/data/family-profiles/FP-24-11.html#:~:text=In%201940%2C%20approximately%203%25%20of,higher%20at%2016%25%20in%202022.

1940 About 3% of ever-married women were separated or divorced. 

The divorce rate was about 10 per 1,000 women, which was double the rate from 1900.

1942 The divorce rate was 10.1 per 1,000 married women, which was lower than the 2015 rate of 16.9.

1970s About 50% of couples who married in 1970 ended up divorced.

1979 The divorce rate peaked at 22.6 divorces per 1,000 married women.

1990s The divorce rate started to drop back down.

2020–2021 The divorce rate was 14.0 divorces per 1,000 married women, which was the lowest level over a 40-year time span.

Today The divorce rate is considerably higher than it was in 1940.

https://www.google.com/search?q=us+divorce+rate+by+year+1940+to+present&sca_esv=20df7a1c160717ba&ei=Bw--Z8DROdC4wN4Py67BsAw&oq=us+divorce+rate+%25+by+year+1940&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiHnVzIGRpdm9yY2UgcmF0ZSAlIGJ5IHllYXIgMTk0MCoCCAAyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYqwJIrPoDUNgOWM3XA3ACeAGQAQKYAZ4BoAHUKqoBBDY2Ljm4AQHIAQD4AQGYAiagAvMVqAIKwgIKEAAYsAMY1gQYR8ICERAuGIAEGJECGNEDGMcBGIoFwgIFEC4YgATCAgsQABiABBiRAhiKBcICBRAAGIAEwgIOEC4YgAQYxwEYjgUYrwHCAgsQLhiABBjHARivAcICIBAuGIAEGJECGNEDGMcBGIoFGJcFGNwEGN4EGOAE2AEBwgIQEC4YgAQY0QMYQxjHARiKBcICEBAuGIAEGEMYxwEYigUYrwHCAgoQABiABBhDGIoFwgIfEC4YgAQY0QMYQxjHARiKBRiXBRjcBBjeBBjgBNgBAcICChAuGIAEGEMYigXCAgsQLhiABBjRAxjHAcICGhAuGIAEGJECGLQCGMcBGIoFGOoCGK8B2AECwgIaEC4YgAQYkQIY0QMYtAIYxwEYigUY6gLYAQLCAhQQABiABBiRAhi0AhiKBRjqAtgBAsICEBAuGAMYtAIY6gIYjwHYAQLCAhAQABgDGLQCGOoCGI8B2AECwgIGEAAYFhgewgILEAAYgAQYhgMYigXCAggQABiABBiiBMICCBAAGKIEGIkFmAMG8QUn0hymjyapnYgGAZAGCLoGBggBEAEYFLoGBAgCGAeSBwQzMS43oAfbmwU&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

US drug and alcohol statistics

138.5   million Americans 12 and over drink alcohol.

28.3 million or 20.4% of them have an alcohol use disorder.

57.3 million people use tobacco or nicotine products (vape).

25.4% of illegal drug users have a drug disorder.

25% of Americans (70 million people) admitted they use illicit drugs.

us drug and alcohol statistics - Search

Many marriages fail because of drug and alcohol disorders.

US Church Attendance History

Church attendance in the United States has been declining since the 1980s. 

The Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s significantly impacted the American Revolution by fostering a sense of individual agency, challenging established authority, promoting religious equality, and creating a sense of unity across the colonies, which made it easier for colonists to later unite against British rule and fight for independence; essentially, the Awakening's emphasis on personal religious experience prepared the colonists to question political authority and fight for their rights. 

Between 1700 and 1740, about 75–80% of the population attended church. In 1776, only 17% of Americans identified as religious adherents. Most of the 83% non-adherents were Church of England. All had Bibles.

From 1850–1890, the percentage of religious adherents increased to 45%. 

From 1890–1952, the percentage of religious adherents increased to 59%. 

In the 1950s, there was a revival of religion, which some called a third great awakening. 

During the 1950s, nationwide church membership grew at a faster rate than the population, from 57 percent of the U.S. population in 1950 to 63.3 percent in 1960

In the 1960s, societal changes led to a questioning of religious institutions. 

In 1988, the percentage of church members dipped below 70% for the first time. 

In 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue, or mosque, the lowest percentage. in Gallup's history. 

In 2021, 47% of Americans were members of a church, the lowest percentage Gallup has ever measured. 

When church members don’t hear helpful information at church, they stay home and tune in to Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Comments

Work should be fun. If it isn’t you’re in the wrong job or the wrong place.

Love is grand, but Divorce is $40 grand. Child support is $100 grand.

Church is optional and social. Your relationship with God is mandatory, private and requires listening.

Overcoming addiction requires God’s intervention.

Declines in church attendance can be traced to political differences. Pushing the boundaries of acceptable behavior to accommodate “fads” undermines the 10 Commandments and ignores personal responsibility. Pope Francis was wrong to support the Climate Change Hoax and is wrong about his support of Illegal Immigration. His overreach is out of context with prior Popes.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Social Security Plans 3-5-25

Social Security Announces Workforce and Organization Plans

February 28, 2025 • By Social Security Administration 

Consistent with recent executive orders issued by the White House, the Social Security Administration will continue to implement efficiencies and reduce costs, with a renewed focus on mission critical work for the American people.

The agency plans to reduce the size of its bloated workforce and organizational structure, with a significant focus on functions and employees who do not directly provide mission critical services. Social Security recently set a staffing target of 50,000, down from the current level of approximately 57,000 employees. Rumor of a 50 percent reduction is false.

Initial steps to reduce the workforce included offering a limited number of employees the opportunity to leave the agency under the Deferred Resignation Program and Voluntary Early Retirement (VERA).

Yesterday, the agency announced to all employees that Social Security would soon implement agency-wide organizational restructuring that will include significant workforce reductions. The announcement includes offering Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VSIP) to all employees on a first come first serve basis and expanding VERA to all employees. Both VERA and VSIP require employees to opt in and to separate from the agency by specific dates.

Social Security anticipates that much of the staff reductions needed to reach the target of 50,000 will come from retirement, VSIP, and resignation. Additional reductions will come from reduction-in-force (RIF) actions that could include abolishment of organizations and positions. RIF also can include directed reassignments from one position to another position in the agency. Agencies are required to submit their RIF plans to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) by March 13, 2025. No date has been set when a RIF might begin after OPM approves the plan.

SSA has operated with a regional structure consisting of 10 offices, which is no longer sustainable. The agency will reduce the regional structure in all agency components down to four regions. The organizational structure at Headquarters also is outdated and inefficient. SSA will now have seven Deputy Commissioner level organizations.

These steps prioritize customer service by streamlining redundant layers of management, reducing non-mission critical work, and potential reassignment of employees to customer service positions. Also supporting this priority is looking for efficiencies and other opportunities to reduce costs across all spending categories, including information technology and contractor spending. SSA is committed to ensure this plan has a positive effect on the delivery of Social Security services.

https://blog.ssa.gov/social-security-announces-workforce-and-organization-plans/

According to recent data, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has approximately 60,000 federal employees. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+federal+employees+are+at+ssa&oq=how+many+federal+employees+are+at+ssa&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRifBTIHCAIQIRiPAjIHCAMQIRiPAtIBCjExOTc0MmowajmoAgCwAgDxBUl2sIQ9Bxj6&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Feb 20, 2025 — DOGE has so far identified savings of just over $232 million with regards to the SSA alone.

https://www.newsweek.com/doge-reveals-social-security-administration-cuts

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Trump Agenda Update 3-4-25

The Budget Bill passed the House on 2-25-25 with a “yes” vote of 217 by Republicans and a “no” vote of 215 by Democrats.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9yx7e13ryo This is the first Continuing Resolution Bill and allows funding for Deportation and the continuation of the current 2017 Tax law. The next CR Bill will include Tax Reductions. 

DOGE finds 20 million dead on Social Security rolls. Manual records removed from Treasury Department.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/elon-musk-says-millions-social-security-database-between-ages-100-159

DOGE claims $65 billion in savings to date and expects to find $1 trillion.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/doge-claims-65b-total-estimated-savings-agency-efficiency-leaderboard-launched

DOGE clock racks up $100 BILLION in savings

https://x.com/RT_com/status/1891008675201810491

USDA is fighting bird flu and is importing eggs from other countries to increase supply to lower the cost.

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/imports-exports/table-eggs

The increase in US oil and natural gas production will increase supply and lower prices within the next 6 months. US gasoline prices are expected to decline. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that U.S. crude oil production will average 13.59 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2025. The EIA also projects that U.S. petroleum and liquid fuel consumption will average 20.5 million bpd in 2025. 

As of February 22, 2025, approximately 30,000 United States federal civil service workers have been laid off since the start of the second presidency of Donald Trump. 75,000 Federal employees have signed up to take the severance package.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+federal+workers+have+signed+up+for+the+severance+package+in+2025&sca_esv=53feb0882db3a0a9 

The average Federal Worker makes $106,000/yr and has $38,000/yr in benefits for a total average cost of $144,000/yr.

100,000 employees making $144,000 equals $1.4 billion. As of November 2024, the federal government employed just over 3 million people. 10% of the Federal Workforce is 300,000 employees and equals $4.2 billion. There are an estimated 200,000 probationary workers — generally employees who have less than a year on the job — across federal agencies.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-administration-mass-firings-of-federal-probationary-workers-likely

The goal is to upgrade software to allow more automation, productivity and accuracy to allow the creation of reliable, interconnected  federal databases. We need to identify how many US Citizens and how many legal non-citizens are in our Population.  

ICE has arrested 21,000 criminal Illegals since 2-5-25.

The Reuters news agency later reported that 37,660 migrants had been deported in Trump's first month,

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-mass-deportation-numbers-first-month-2034479

US Fentanyl deaths average 70,000 per year. Mexico and Canada have increased their border control to stop Fentanyl smuggling into the US.

California wants $40 billion to rebuild LA after the fire. Trump is not approving Federal Funding for States who continue to have “Sanctuary” laws. Trump will also require California to increase water supply and maintain forests.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has selected state Attorney General Ashley Moody to become the next senator from Florida

for Marco Rubio’s Senate seat. DeSantis is proposing to have his own DOGE for Florida.

Dan Bongino will serve as Deputy Director of FBI. The Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms ATF will join the FBI.

Homeland Security has taken over the USAID building to house Customs and Border Protection CBP.

The Secret Service reports to the Secretary of Homeland Security. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services USCIS reports to Homeland Security.

Agency Heads are forming teams to coordinate progress. The Energy and Interior Secretaries are working together to push energy development on Federal Lands.

The US Postal Service could land under the Commerce Secretary to re-engineer their processes to lower their costs and become more competitive.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent federal agency that does not report to another agency. The SEC is responsible for regulating the securities industry, including public companies, investment advisers, and securities exchanges. 

The Federal Trade Commission FTC need to be reformed.

The FTC is the nation's consumer protection agency. It: 

·       Collects reports about companies, business practices, and identity theft

·       Uses reports to spot trends, educate the public, and share data about communities

·       Enforces antitrust laws

·       Reviews proposed mergers

·       Investigates other business practices that may impair competition

·       Releases a report with information about the number and type of reports it receives

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is overseen by Congress and directed by five commissioners appointed by the president. The president also chooses one of the commissioners to be the chairman. 

Ending the War in Ukraine involves Trump’s deal with the US companies partnering with Ukraine to develop their mining and oil drilling.  European countries are talking about offering a “Peacekeeping Force” in Ukraine.

Ending the War in Gaza is weeks away, but nobody wants Gaza citizens. Trump wants the US to turn Gaza into a modern coastal city with investments from Arab companies. Israel will need to defeat Hamas, detonate unexploded bombs and destroy the tunnels. Gaza citizens might go to their homes, pick up the rubble and camp on their properties. 

Europe will likely deport the Refugees they received in 2015. These Muslim welfare hounds are committing 40% of the crime in these EU countries. Conservatives are winning elections in Europe because they support deportation of these criminals.

In the US 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.

Trump is in favor of making English the official language of the US and rebuilding the US Timber Industry.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Confirmation Update 3-3-25

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 transfer the US Postal Service to Commerce.

The US Senate has confirmed 18 of 25 Appointees as of 2-26-25:

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

Tulsi Gabbard – DNI

Brook Rollins – Agriculture

Howard Lutnick – Commerce

Scott Turner – Housing,

Kash Patel, FBI

Kelly Loeffler – SBA

 

Confirmation Vote Pending:

Elise Stefanik, UN, (current House Member NY)

Russell Vought OMB,

Jamieson Greer – Trade

Linda McMahon – Education

Lori Chavez-DeRemer - Labor

Branden Carr – FCC

Billy Long IRS

Ambassadors pending

 

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.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Career Reflections 3-2-25

Companies are fragile and short-lived. Of the 8 companies I worked for, only 4 companies including United Way, Kearney National, Monsanto and Washington U continue to exist. 3 companies including Rickel, Electromagnetic Sciences and Schwan Foods were sold. Hayes failed to manage its working capital, went bankrupt and closed. 

I watched once great companies like General Electric fail. Lower prices from competitors and market saturation can drive big companies to make mistakes. They scramble to add more profitable businesses outside their expertise to increase revenue. They should focus on their core strengths. Boards of Directors are too focused on increasing revenue and quarterly profits. They should fucus on continuous improvement of operations and product quality.

My career was geared to accomplishing what I came to do.

United Way rapid expansion and structure fixing

Kearney National teamster dumping and relocation

Monsanto promotion refusal and water treatment issue

Washington U promotion refusal and SEU dumping

Schwan Foods promotion refusal, automation and solving employee development

Rickel UAW dumping and industry consolidation with Ag Chem

Hayes rapid expansion and cost containment failure

EMS rapid expansion and rapid contraction

I watched the US auto industry fail to compete with the Japanese auto industry and attribute this to their lack of innovation and systemic unionization.

Unionization in the US peaked at 35% in 1954 and is currently 10%. I was involved in improving employee relations to make unions unnecessary. Unions need to reform their focus to support automation and innovation to increase productivity. Wages are based on labor supply and demand and are controlled by the average wage for each occupation. Non-union wages are typically higher than Union wages. Wages are also determined by expertise within the ranges published by occupation.

Employee development begins with testing to establish a “Base-Line”.  Employees are responsible for their own development.

This is also true for Education from 1^st grade through high school and beyond to college. Students are responsible for their own education. Parents and Teachers need to prepare students to become self-supporting. Students need to identify their Motivated Abilities to ensure that they are happy and successful.

God is in charge and will help if we listen. We need to identify what we are good at and love to do as clues to God’s Plan for us. We are as unique as our DNA.

I am extremely grateful for my career that was guided by God’s Plan for me. I got to use my musical talent to work as a musician for 18 years from age 14 to age 32. I got to use my business talent to work in Personnel for 51 years from age 23 to age 74.

I am extremely grateful for my wife’s career as a Dental Hygienist for in Dunwoody 31 years from age 43 to age 74 after raising our 6 children. She loved her job, the Dentists she worked for and her patients. It was God’s Plan that she enjoy being a Mom and enjoy having a professional career.

I am grateful for the success of our 6 children and hopeful that our 13 grandkids and our 6 great-grandkids will succeed in finding God’s Plan for each of them.

God has a Plan for you and you’re not going to like it if you fail to discover God’s Plan for you. If you listen, God will help you through the tough spots. 

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

NTL Consulting Atlanta 3-1-25

In 1993, the consensus forecast for industrial production in the United States was a 3% increase. This was more than double the growth in 1992, but still below historical standards.  

In 1993, I was approached by several of the CEOs I had worked with on the AEA Board. They wanted me to open a consulting practice and they had projects lined up to upgrade their HR functions. It was a group of 6 companies with projects and timelines that were doable. The Reagan Build-up had ended and Defense Companies were being consolidated.

I had selected my corporate jobs to learn everything I would need to know to lead Personnel Functions and end my career as an independent consultant.  My time had arrived. I called an old friend I worked with at Monsanto and who had started his own consulting practice. He suggested that I file my taxes as a Sole Proprietor. I decided to office at home and go to customer sites as needed. bought a Gateway PC, a Honeywell Printer, Scanner Fax Machine and a lightening arrestor. I used floppy discs to make copies of policies, affirmative action plans and other documents for customers. I rented a PO box to receive resume responses for recruiting. I filed my own quarterly taxes and as a Sole Proprietor could deduct my basement office square footage, mileage, recruiting ad costs and other expense. I used my home phone number, had an answering machine and was available 24/7 to customer calls. I billed my time like a Law Firm. I didn’t have rent expenses. I had no employees. I made no sales calls. All of my 46 customer companies were referrals. I would screen referrals when they called. If I determined that I could help, I would meet with them, give them my Confidentiality Agreement and have them sign my Consulting Agreement. If I determine that I couldn’t help I would refer them to those who could.

Marlene was working as a Dental Hygienist and enjoyed it. The kids were age 18 to 28. 3 of the kids were married and 3 were in college.

My first job was to re-do their Compensation Plan for L-3, a defense contractor. I identified their need to use better Design Software that included the Bill of Material to save cost and errors.  Next, companies wanted my generic policy manual and affirmative action plans, some wanted engineering recruiting. I wrote job postings to include what they would work on and what tools they would use. I led recruiting efforts, screened resumes and participated in interviews. I served on several acquisition teams, recruited for new start-ups, did post-acquisition work, I upgraded their Compensation Systems. I solved production bottlenecks and recommended automation solutions. I handled terminations and hiring plans and resolved sexual harassment issues. I implemented ISO 9000 Quality and Lean Manufacturing. I handled regulatory compliance including OSHA and avoided Discrimination Cases.

I had a base of clients that were permanent. I was “on call” at Venture Engineering, American Signal, Fire Arms Training Systems, Rockwell Automation and Rockwell Missile Systems. I had long assignments at Scientific Atlanta, Boeing Missile Systems, Peachtree Doors, North American Packaging, Timber Jack, Scientific Resources and Rockwell Collins. I was called to assess operations a Wadley Regional Medical Center in Texarkana Tx.

I continued to serve as HR Chair for AEA and wrote the AEA Position Paper on Hilary-Care. I wrote a weekly column for Computer Currents. I chaired the IEEE Convention Program on “loose electronics”. I resigned from MAHTPA and HRMA, because I was a Consultant and I had denied entry to consultants for these groups when I wrote their bi-laws.  I also served as Manufacturing Chair for AEA and wrote their ISO 9000 Quality Manual for AEA.

I retired in 2017 at age 74 and had prepared my client companies for my retirement by training their existing employees.

In 2017, manufacturing accounted for 11.18% of the US GDP, or $2,192.93 billion. At the same time, manufacturing employment was 8% of total employment in the US. 

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader