RE: They are holding back because they know if Obama wins he’s going to stick it to um like it’s never been stuck before.
Let’s say (God forbid), Obama wins... are they still going to hold back?
I mean, by that time, they’ll know what’s the White House agenda is for the next 4 years.
How long will businesses hold back before they say — OK, we gotta do something other than stand still....
If Obama wins, they'll wait to see who gets the leadership positions in Congress. If it's weepy and blinky (Boehner and McConnell) again, they'll know nothing will change and things will get worse. If hopefully we get some good TEA Party leadership in that will actually DO things, then businesses will know that Obama will be contained.
If 0bama wins, it will highlight the three different types of business in the United States:
1. They are here but not for long: these are the global players or businesses with the ability to pull up their stakes and leave. Those that have not done so already, will beat feet for the exit.
2. They are stuck here: these are the smaller businesses and have less mobility. They are going to look to sell out (probably to someone in category 1 above), close shop and live off whatever accumulated wealth they have, or will retrench and make their last stand in the last ditch.
3. They are here to stay, and you have to pay: These are the GM’s, GE’s and Solyndras. They are just fine with another 0bama term to pump borrowed federal money into their coffers. Of course, there will be kickbacks, but it’s a cost of doing business, right? It’s inefficient crony capitalism, or American corporate fascism with nominal “ownership” in what’s basically a command economy. Soon Americans will be waiting in line for toothpaste and toilet paper. Just like our old rivals in the now-departed USSR used to do.
Many will just close the doors and stop the financial hemorrhaging. Stash the cash and do something else. Downsize to a level that will permit an extended hunker down. My company has been shrinking and relocating as much as possible. We're in the bull's eye for a big hit with sequestration. We know from past harsh experience that when those engineers with the corporate memory to run the sophisticated DoD tasks are dumped on the street, they are never coming back. Those projects are toast. They will find an employer who isn't going to dump them and will have no reason to return.