4 More Days Until Election 2012

President Barack Obama (left), Governor Mitt Romney (right).

I am presently in San Francisco, California teaching the last live course for the PLI patent bar review course this year. Ā As I was in my hotel room this morning getting ready for the day news coverage showed President Obama at a rally where supporters were screaming the familiar “4 more years” chant that you hear every time an incumbent President is running for reelection. Ā The coverage then turned to Governor Romney in Wisconsin, where the crowd started chanting “4 more days.”

Then when I fired up my laptop to check e-mails and approve comments from first time posters and those otherwise caught up by our comment spam software, I came across a comment from a patent attorney who explained why he had finally decided to vote for President Obama ā€” the Patent Office is working very well.

The comment to that article really didn’t fit with the broader content or theme of the article on which it was left. Ā As frequent readers know I always try and encourage relevant comments that don’t go to far off tangent so as to keep the discussion focused and on point. Ā So I didn’t approve that comment there but reached out to the commenter to let them know I would be posting this article.

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It is undeniable that the Director Kappos has revitalized the Patent Office. Under the previous regime patent allowance was at an all time low, when rules packages were put forth each and every comment of the user community was routinely ignored, and ultimately the industry had to sue the Patent Office to prevent what would have been theĀ disastrous claims and continuations rules from being implemented. Ā To say there was not a good relationship between the user community and the previous regime at the Patent Office would be a rather ignorant understatement. Ā There is no doubt that this have changed at the Patent Office for the better.

Still, does the fact that the Patent Office is now well run mean that President Obama has earned 4 more years?

Those who know me know that I am a registered Republican. Ā Over the years I have been known to vote for particular Democrats at times, but I believe in most of the core principles Republicans and Conservatives stand for, and for the most part I believe I operate my business and life as a “small c” conservative. Ā I am fiscally responsible, but I do have a heart and try and help people. Ā I throw my bias out there for your consideration, not to suggest anyone needs to agree with me. In fact, many of my best friends are Democrats and disagree with me.

I have already voted and I voted for Governor Romney. Ā I am a lawyer volunteer for Romney for President and I will be working on election day in that capacity and then volunteering in the event there is a recount in Virginia, or anywhere else for that matter.

While I know that the Patent Office is operating on all cylinders I also see more than $1 trillion deficits as far as the eye can see, $16 trillion in debt and growing, 23 million Americans who cannot find work, taxes set to rise to on January 1, 2013 to a level that will cripple our already stagnant economy andĀ troubling inaccuracies about what actually transpired in Libya. President Obama campaigned by promising hope and change, yet the same partisan political bickering ensued and I believe his policies have gotten in the way of recovery. We are broke, we borrow $.40 of every dollar we spend and there has been an utter failure to address key issues such as the housing market, immigration and entitlement reform. Instead focus has been on healthcare despite the fact that the majority of Americans objected to Obamacare.

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I would absolutely love for Director Kappos to stay on as Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office regardless of who wins the election next Tuesday, but for me a vote for President Obama comes with one thing I like a lotĀ ā€” Team KapposĀ ā€” and many things that I think will lead the country further in the wrong direction. Ā 

I believe we need a turn around expert in the White House, and that person is Governor Mitt Romney. I also believe that we need to be on a different path virtually everywhere except at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. That is why I support Governor Romney.

Let’s also not forget that back in 2008 when he was running for in the Republican primary, Governor Romney then promised to appoint a patent attorney to run the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Ā So I suspect that whoever wins next week will make innovation policy an important cornerstone of economic development in the U.S. Ā 

So what are your thoughts? Please share your thoughts in the comments below, but please keep it civil.

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39 comments so far.

  • [Avatar for Ron Hilton]
    Ron Hilton
    November 6, 2012 10:06 pm

    Stan, if you ever come back through Utah allow me to take you on a guided tour of the Conference Center where you can ask about any hidden rooms šŸ™‚ There is also a 3-D cutaway model of the Temple in the Visitor Center where you can see plainly see the rooms inside.

  • [Avatar for Stan E. Delo]
    Stan E. Delo
    November 6, 2012 08:46 pm

    Well said Step, and if any have not voted by now they do not deserve to be able to complain about things political. I am very happy to report that I helped to re-elect my incumbent Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) for another term. She was one of only three US Senators that voted against the America Invents Act, and actually had the will and nerve to stand up and protest it’s passage in no uncertain terms on the Senate floor. It made me very proud of her, and her words were very direct and to the very real point of the matter. Political leanings did not matter.

    Unfortunately for us all, her words and actions were ignored or belittled by others in the Senate, (it was way too late by then), resulting in the passage of the AIA. Not good, but perhaps slightly better than prior attempts at *Patent Reform*. Your public servants at work, including Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who spent many years crafting said patent reform efforts.

    A free glass of my new Pomegranate creation to all that care to have a sip or two!

    Skol,
    Stan~

  • [Avatar for step back]
    step back
    November 6, 2012 06:06 pm

    @BobZ #32
    Yes, step’s words are up there at #15

    And in no way do they say Romney=Hitler.
    I do not now, nor have I ever thought that Romney=Hitler.

    BTW, I too voted.
    Proud to say I did not pull a lever for either of Romney and Obama.

    As patent practitioner’s we are supposed to have competence in the sciences.
    One of the sciences involves putting monkeys in a cage and watching them sling mud at each other.
    We (all of us) are no different. We sling mud at each other once the juices get flowing.
    Witness the “evidence” as presented above.

    With that said, let us raise our mugs of Kool-Aid and toast to ourselves and our sapient ancestors. Cheers, Li-Chaim, Salutee, Bottoms Up mates. Drink and be merry for tonight the election bickering is over.

  • [Avatar for Bob Zeidman]
    Bob Zeidman
    November 6, 2012 01:16 pm

    Stan, thanks for recognizing that.

    -Bob

  • [Avatar for Stan E. Delo]
    Stan E. Delo
    November 6, 2012 12:36 pm

    Bob Z and Ron-

    Please pardon my lapse of reason and cheap shot. It was a bad thing for me
    to do. I won’t let it happen again.

    Stan~

  • [Avatar for Mark Nowotarski]
    Mark Nowotarski
    November 6, 2012 12:15 pm

    I voted.

  • [Avatar for MaxDrei]
    MaxDrei
    November 6, 2012 11:41 am

    Today I read with interest that if you want to know the result already, you can. Just go to sources (the betting sites, Nate Silver) who need to call it right, and pay no attention to all those sources of information (big polling organisations, the rival political parties) that need a neck and neck race.

    It’s also interesting, how they are this week choosing a new President in Peking.

  • [Avatar for Bob Zeidman]
    Bob Zeidman
    November 6, 2012 10:05 am

    Ron,

    Stan doesn’t even deserve a response. His tin foil hat is cutting off circulation to the brain.

    Gene, how do you attract so many nutcases to this discussion?

    I’m also interested in the people who justify step’s comparison of Romney to Hitler by saying he wasn’t really comparing Romney to Hitler. His words are still up on this list, more verifiable than any of the other “facts” you present. I can still read them myself, so your arguments to the contrary show that you’re just ideologues who will justify any rhetoric no matter how hateful as long as the speaker generally agrees with your principles.

  • [Avatar for Ron Hilton]
    Ron Hilton
    November 6, 2012 09:47 am

    Stan,

    You should have followed your rule about not discussing religion or politics. I used to consider you a reasonable person to dialog with. As both a Republican and a Mormon, I can tell you that your vicious, bigoted comment above is totally false. I’ve been a Mormon all my life and the only small rooms I have ever seen at church are Sunday School classrooms, with windows in the doors. I respect Democrats and those of other religious faiths. Why is it too much to expect the same from others like you?

  • [Avatar for Paul Cole]
    Paul Cole
    November 6, 2012 09:46 am

    Have a good day everyone, and enjoy the late night TV.

  • [Avatar for Stan E. Delo]
    Stan E. Delo
    November 6, 2012 09:30 am

    Step and BD-
    I would suggest a tall frosty glass of Chimeric Cherry, especially during election season. I learned a very long time ago to never discuss politics or religious beliefs at work, or anywhere else, for that matter. It’s not just because I happpen to dislike Republicans in general, but more like respectting the actual wishes of the American electorate. A single day and millions of votes will determine the outcome, but it would be a pretty sad day for me if a religious nut case like Mitt actually won the election.Did you ever know that the Mormons actually have dozens of small rooms in their *churches* for presumably extramarital activities? I happen to know about it because I built the acoustic reflectors for their New Mormon Tabernacle Hall, capable of seating 25,000 religious zealots.

  • [Avatar for step back]
    step back
    November 5, 2012 07:49 am

    BD,

    It’s not Global Warming this time.

    It’s the always delusional human brain making up stories of things that are not there.
    (Which, BTW, is a huge problem when it comes to PTO examiners, hindsight, and section 103 rejections.)

    I never said that Mitt is like Hitler.

    Instead I basically said that “leadership” per se may not always be a good thing.

    However, the “fact” based minds of a few, and at the time emotional, commentators here saw it otherwise.

    So let us raise our Kool-aid filled mugs and make a toast to the delusional, story-inventing, human brain that each and everyone of us (me included) possesses. Cheers. šŸ˜‰

  • [Avatar for Blind Dogma]
    Blind Dogma
    November 4, 2012 09:32 pm

    It’s getting hot in here.

    Must be that global warming thing…

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    November 4, 2012 06:58 pm

    Rhaz-

    You say: “I agree that references to the Hitler era may be extreme…”

    You have the audacity to say that such a reference “may be extreme”? WOW. Comparing Governor Romney to Hitler IS extreme and over the top. There is no “may” about it. The fact that you say “may” tells volumes about your grasp of reality.

    You say: “I do not know any other standing President that has had to withstand the degree of open, public disdain and disrespect…”

    Obviously you don’t remember President George W. Bush who the left routinely compared to Hitler. The left was extraordinarily disrespectful of President Bush, and the fact that you choose to ignore that in an attempt to re-write history is rather telling.

    You seem to be trying to take a shot at me, but you don’t ever really seem to say anything directly. You seem to suggest that I have no right to my opinions based on actual fact. I find that interesting since you took so much time to write. So I shouldn’t write what I believe but you can and should yourself?

    I presented hard proof to back up my claims. You don’t challenge me on the facts but rather say they are one of many interpretations. Actually you are incorrect. Facts are facts. The fact is that President Obama has repeatedly lied about Governor Romney. Everyone can see that President Obama lied about Governor Romney’s position on the Detroit bailout, but yet so many just parrot the President in careless disregard of the truth.

    -Gene

  • [Avatar for Rhaz Zeisler]
    Rhaz Zeisler
    November 4, 2012 04:58 pm

    Oyhee! Gentlemen- and I think it is ALL gentle-men who have posted: We have gone far from center due to this very emotional election and Gene’s liberty to use his blog as a bully pulpit.

    First, Gene- I have tremendous respect for your perspective on intellectual property law et al, and as a result have sent 1000s of readers to your site. While we often do not agree on many issues associated to the recent changes in IP policy (http://www.ipadvocate.org/mibj/index.cfm), we try to provide to our community of faculty and student inventors a fair and balanced perspective so they can freely make an informed decision. Consequently, I had an immediate problem with this blog because, while you began it by referencing a comment you chose editorially NOT to post, you also suggested this blog was inspired as a response to it. It should have ended there as it is far from IPWatchdog’s mission and brand.

    That said, the comments posted represent three differing positions, Red, Blue and Independent. In all cases though, they share similar views of the candidates. Let’s not get hung up in the exact words used by the candidates as it is a futile effort in interpreting the already diverse English language. Let’s agree that there are fundamental differences that divide us.

    Corporations are citizens too. Corporations are owned by citizens (and others) but under 91% of US employees do not own stock in the companies they work for.

    Government should provide basic services to its citizenship. What is basic and what percentage of taxes should be on the ballot for citizens to vote on… annually.

    This type of an approach would shift the ‘burden’ from Congress having to determine what to negotiate, to do what Congress should be doing: interpreting into policy and law.

    And while we are eliminating basic services to downsize government, why then would personal decisions of one’s own life enter into this vast downsizing as a policy we need to preserve in law. My decision in this election weighed many things, but when 11 Republicans at various times in the last 2 years publicly announced that they felt it OK to represent their own personal views as party policy, verses listening and serving the wider combined views of their constituency, then that’s where the line is drawn and balance of power shifted away from the people.

    And one last point on everyone’s comments and contributions to your blog- policy and law. With all of the ‘fact checking’ this election has done, and I find it refreshing but limited to few news and media channels to have an impact, we still have the English language to deal with. There are comments within this blog post that defiantly present views that are factually interpretive. And so should they be. That is what a democratic society does- interprets the condition. language and policies of our country. There are items that provide indisputable facts like time, date, even exact words used- but those words are just that- words to be interpreted. Even exact law provides the right to interpretation.

    No one has mentioned the monies that have been spent to vet views and opinions that may not be good for the democratic process or the candidates themselves. They often represent a broader constituency that battle each other far from the center and the candidates, too often getting media attention simply because of their extremism.

    But nothing is more egregious than publicly paid statesmen that have publicly pronounced their defiant opposition against a standing President and have publicly announced their commitment to block any policies, irregardless of merit, as their party’s agenda. Unfortunately, these bad practices have set the playing field for the last 4 years and established this wave of intolerance against bipartisanship. Couple that with the ongoing challenges made on the current President to prove he’s an American citizen over and over again. Really?

    While I agree that references to the Hitler era may be extreme, I think the commenter was simply trying to emphasize that when an untruth is said enough times, it becomes accepted truth, good propaganda and eventually even policy and law. And we all know where that can lead. We can all agree there has been a machine of untruths that have penetrated the airwaves. But its ok NOT to march to the same tune as long as we are respectful of each other’s views. And in all due respect, I do not know any other standing President that has had to withstand the degree of open, public disdain and disrespect -something that has measurably impacted our international reputation and in my political view, emphasizes that its not about a fair race to the White House, but racism in America at it core. Sorry I went sideways gentlemen, but I had no other way to close.

  • [Avatar for Paul Cole]
    Paul Cole
    November 4, 2012 04:39 pm

    It is interesting to reflect that the first Republican president was Abraham Lincoln.

    If time travel were possible, I do not think that either candidate would have got a job in the outer office of the Springfield, Illinois law firm of Lincoln & Herndon. Lincoln was a supporter of business development and as I recall approved the building of the first transcontinental railroad. But I am less than convinced that the current attitudes of the Republican party would have commended themselves to him.

  • [Avatar for Ron Hilton]
    Ron Hilton
    November 4, 2012 03:32 pm

    Partisanship is human nature. People naturally band together with others who are like-minded. But I’ve always thought that entrenching party affiliation into the institutions of government was a bad idea. It just exacerbates gridlock and/or confers an undue advantage on the party in power, no matter how slim the majority.

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    November 4, 2012 03:17 pm

    step-

    Comment liberated over on the Bipartisanship article.

    Thanks.

    -Gene

  • [Avatar for step back]
    step back
    November 4, 2012 02:42 pm

    p.s. Gene: I think the spam catcher has me by the coattails in the more recent “Bipartisan” post.

  • [Avatar for step back]
    step back
    November 4, 2012 02:41 pm

    Gene, Bob,

    Unintended consequences.

    I didn’t mean to activate you emotional push buttons to that vitriolic extent.

    I was hoping to instead divert the stream of discussion here to patents, increased PTO fees, the AIA; that kind of stuff.

    Irrespective of how we each stand on the R vs. D divide (not much different from the Lilliputian big versus small ended egg cracking divide), I think most of us stand on the pro-inventor, pro-inventorship, pro-software patents side of the line.
    Yes?

    I note that both Obama & Romney pay lip service to “innovation” but neither proposes to do anything to grease the path for inventors who have good ideas and are trying to move forward with them. As far as I can see, AIA simply puts more stumbling stones onto the inventor’s path. (AIA was a creature born of “bipartisan” dealing & scheming.)

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    November 4, 2012 01:51 pm

    step-

    Just to echo Bob, and to prove you are the one who is distorting truth, if you actually read the article you would know that President Obama lied about Governor Romney’s position on Detroit.

    Romney wrote:

    “The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk.

    In a managed bankruptcy, the federal government would propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/opinion/19romney.html

    It is humorous how you are wrong about virtually everything you say. You are wrong because you believe President Obama without question and without verification. The truth is Detroit DID go bankrupt and President Obama pushed them into a bankruptcy that cost taxpayers at the expense of the unions. The unions should have been last in line, but President Obama ignored the bankruptcy laws and put them first ahead of even secured creditors. That will mean that moving forward lenders will not be able to assume that their secured status will put them first when they lend to companies that are unionized. That will mean higher loan costs for those companies.

    In the future please do your homework a little better before you start with a condescending attitude toward me. It is unbecoming.

    -Gene

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    November 4, 2012 01:42 pm

    step-

    You can’t talk to Republicans? Really? And you actually think you have any objectivity when you say that my recitation of fact is a distortion?

    Obviously, you did not watch the debates and you don’t listen to the candidate that you seem so ready to vote for. In the third debate, and elsewhere, President Obama has said: “I said if I got bin Laden in our sights I would take that shot…”

    See http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1210/22/sitroom.03.html

    He has been on the campaign trail in speech after speech saying that he was the one who got bin Laden. So it is truly ironic that you hurl accusations of distorting truth when I am correct and you are incorrect.

    In terms of your great leader comment, it is extraordinarily offensive to compare Mitt Romney to Adolph Hitler. That is exactly why people like you are an embarrassment to all Americans. You liberal Democrats can’t help yourself but go to far with asinine comments and over the top comparisons.

    Finally, I will just point out that it was you who devolved into name calling and ridiculous comparisons. You must be so proud of yourself and your President who rather than discuss the big issues facing us has made a mockery of the campaign by focusing on Big Bird, degrading Governor Romney and name calling for cheap laughs.

    You and other like you are an utter disgrace.

    -Gene

  • [Avatar for Bob Zeidman]
    Bob Zeidman
    November 4, 2012 11:51 am

    step-

    More facts (sorry). Romney never told GM to “drop dead” or anything like it. He argued for a managed bankruptcy to clear the company of debt, get the best possible outcome for its shareholders, make the company more efficient, and do it in a controlled manner as allowed by law. That’s what bankruptcy is for. Here’s a link to Romney’s actual article for you to read (though it’s easier, I admit, to ignore it, claim that Republicans are the ones ignoring the facts and make offensive comparisons to Hitler):

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/opinion/19romney.html?_r=2&

  • [Avatar for Bob Zeidman]
    Bob Zeidman
    November 4, 2012 11:42 am

    step-

    I doubt this will influence you, but for other readers the facts may be useful. Here re excerpts from a transcript of Obama’s speech on the killing of Bin Laden, direct from CNN:

    Transcript: Obama announces the death of Osama bin Laden (http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/02/bin.laden.announcement/index.html)

    I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaedaā€¦

    I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden…

    I met repeatedly with my national security teamā€¦

    [L]ast week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Ladenā€¦

    Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operationā€¦

    I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was.

  • [Avatar for step back]
    step back
    November 4, 2012 06:37 am

    Gene,

    I learned a long time ago that you can’t talk truth to those who are deep inside the Republican distortion field.

    Obama never said, “I (Obama) killed UBL”.
    He said, “UBL is dead and GM is alive”.

    On the other hand, the MIttneesia man said to let GM drop dead so that “free” markets can prevail and he said he wouldn’t waste time hunting down UBL.

    Yes, “leadership” can be a great thing.
    There was a great “leader” back in the 1930’s
    … in Germany.

    As for the higher and higher PTO fees for less and lesser “services” to their “customers”, I think we should wait to hear from those of the “customers” who have to dig into their own private sector pockets to pay for all that and to pay for the additional privilege of post-grant reviews. Isn’t it great that the “customers” have only one place to shop at for securing “exclusive” rights in THEIR discoveries (the ones created prior to filing)? Isn’t it great that the courts have said exclusive doesn’t mean exclusive? Isn’t it great that the PTO gets to say all inventions are either predictably “obvious” or directed to “abstract” ideas? We live in It’s a Wonderful Life times. Yes indeed. Leadership. Drill baby drill. Climate change is a hoax and God wants rapes to happen. Deep in the distortion field and slipping deeper into it all the time.

    That said, whatever happens Tuesday night, IMHO, it really won’t matter. Obama, Mitt-pappa, they’re both cut from the same cloth. All thinker tank talk and no science. Peace.

  • [Avatar for Bob Zeidman]
    Bob Zeidman
    November 3, 2012 06:37 pm

    Gene,

    Thanks for the article. And I know I won’t be booted from this list (as I have from others just recently) for espousing conservative values and declaring myself a proud Republican voting for Mitt Romney.

    You should have stopped by while you were in SF.

    -Bob

  • [Avatar for Ron Hilton]
    Ron Hilton
    November 3, 2012 04:49 pm

    Given a choice between big well-run government and small poorly-run goverment, I would choose the latter. The most important role of government in fostering economic prosperity is to get out of the way. A large goverment that is very efficient at doing the wrong things is much worse than the alternative. So I am a Republican and almost always vote that way. However, there is a proper, limited role for government and sometimes Republicans do curtail it too far. For example, Democrats do a much better job of anti-trust enforcement. But that is still not enough to sway me not to vote Republican.

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    November 3, 2012 01:49 pm

    step-

    One more thought…

    I wonder whether you take President Obama to task when he says the he was the one who got Bin Laden, like he nearly always says. Of course, President Obama gave the order that set a lot of people and assets in motion.

    I just find it curious how when a Republican says something like “I did X” there is righteous indignation, but when President Obama makes outlandish claims and lies about what he has done (i.e., Libya) no questions are asked and everything is taken at face value. It would be laughably bizarre if it weren’t such a sad commentary on intellectual honesty in political discourse.

    -Gene

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    November 3, 2012 01:45 pm

    step-

    You are right. No single person can claim credit for doing anything that requires a team.

    Having said that, a team without a leader is like a rudder-less ship.

    The legislature in MA has historically been overwhelmingly Democrat. So what do you suppose the difference was between the politicians that caused the deficit and those that fixed the problem and lead to a surplus?

    Wait for it… wait for it…

    Governor Romney.

    I’m sorry if you don’t like the facts, but is is not coincidence that things turned around in MA when Governor Romney was elected.

    As for the AIA… I think it is extraordinarily naive to believe that the AIA had the intention of crushing independent inventors. It is also rather insulting and demeaning to independent inventors to suppose that they will be crushed by the AIA. Like I have said so many times, at the end of the day the AIA will benefit independent inventors and small businesses at the expense of large corporations. I will, of course, be proved correct once again in the long run, as I always am. The big companies are not nimble enough to operate in a first to file world where everyone, including independent inventors, understand now that they have to file early and often.

    Now for the fees. Fees are high and I don’t like that at all, but if fees are going to prevent someone from moving forward than they probably should save their money and do something else anyway. We all know that it is a fact that the patent process is the cheapest part of the entire idea to financial success continuum. It will still be the cheapest part of the process. So if inventors or businesses cannot afford the fees then they should ask themselves how they plan to afford all the other, much greater, necessary costs they will need to incur to succeed.

    Also, have you noticed that the USPTO is creating a pro-bono program?

    Also, have you read the AIA? Are you aware of micro-entity status?

    It is simply false to say that the AIA, David Kappos or the Patent Office is trying to cripple independent inventors. The evidence to the contrary is overwhelming and for reasons I can’t understand the evidence is completely ignored in favor of a narrative that is simply false.

    -Gene

  • [Avatar for step back]
    step back
    November 3, 2012 01:06 pm

    Actually … He [Romney] was Governor of MA where HE turned a deficit into a surplus

    Gene, Gene,

    Your in-the-bubble mentality is showing.

    Romney no more single-handily “build that” economic success in Mass. than did Clinton/Gore single-handily build the Internet and the roaring 1990’s that it spurred.

    Stop giving homage and credit to them who have big mouths but do little else (aka politicians).

    WE should instead turn our attention to them who actually do build things of value, namely, inventors and more specifically, independent inventors who know how to “think different” –as opposed to marching in step with corporate group think.

    WE should turn our attention to undoing AIA 2011 (the America Invents (Not) Act) which is designed to suppress and crush the independent inventor while floating to the top only those who can afford the ever increasing filing fees and patent re-re-re-review procedures it, AIA brings into play.

    (BTW, did you see that PTO fee increase in Oct. 2012? –It’s only the beginning of the AIA cow that swallows itself due to unstoppable greed.)

  • [Avatar for Gene Quinn]
    Gene Quinn
    November 3, 2012 12:24 pm

    Mark-

    You say: “Look at the job that FEMA is doing compared to the last administrations handling of a disaster.”

    You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, but what you say here is factually inaccurate. You should watch the news about what is going on in NJ, with 4 to 6 hour lines for gas, no electricity, no food and no FEMA support. The people in NJ and NY are getting extremely frustrated. President Obama flew in for a photo op and then left, and the federal government response has been non-existent.

    You say: “Getting rid of Obama care at this point would blow our deficit out of the water.”

    Again factually inaccurate. Obamacare will explode our deficit. It robs Medicare to pay for benefits. We were told it would push insurance costs down and insurance costs have gone up.

    You say: “If you take the stimulus out of the equation, actual Federal government spending has gone down under Obama…”

    That is sort of like saying if the Queen were a man she would be the King.

    You say: “Romney is economically very scary because you really donā€™t have any idea what he will do if he were to be elected.”

    Actually we do know. He was Governor of MA where he turned a deficit into a surplus and worked in a bipartisan way with a legislature that was 87% Democrat.

    -Gene

  • [Avatar for Mark Annett]
    Mark Annett
    November 3, 2012 10:47 am

    Steve M. mentions core belief. If Romney had a core I might consider voting for him. The guy has no spine! He is a salesman and nothing more. It is not just the patent office that is running better it is all areas of the government that are running better. Look at the job that FEMA is doing compared to the last administrations handling of a disaster.

    Why would anyone seriously want to put our country in to the turmoil economic uncertainty that Romney is suggesting. Getting rid of Obama care at this point would blow our deficit out of the water. Rewriting the whole tax code at this particular point in time would create vast economic uncertainty. Keeping the tax cuts in place for the wealthiest individuals and increasing defense spending are also going to add to our unnessarily add to our deficit.

    If you take the stimulus out of the equation, actual Federal government spending has gone down under Obama and as the blog acknowledges services have gotten better. The next four years are going to be even better than the last as we continue to make incremental improvements in our economy and our Federal govermnet. The markets already know that Obama is going to win.

    If Romney was the “severe” conservative that he said he was during the primaries then he might deserve to win. But there is no substance to the man and he will say anything to get elected. McCain was at least someone with principals. Romney is economically very scary because you really don’t have any idea what he will do if he were to be elected. Thankfully, we will never have to find out. The markets are never wrong! Obama is going to win and we are next four years are going to continue to improve.

  • [Avatar for West Coast Guy]
    West Coast Guy
    November 3, 2012 09:08 am

    One more thing that hits home financially.

    Living out here in the Bay Area is costly, and I depend very much on the mortgage interest deduction; in fact, I’ve max’d out the deduction and cannot take the full amount of interest paid on the mortgage. The mortgage interest deduction — and my family’s financial picture — is “at risk” with Romney and Ryan. Although the tax “rate” may not be increased, the tax “amount” will increase and cause my family and I to suffer a financial detriment.

  • [Avatar for West Coast Guy]
    West Coast Guy
    November 3, 2012 08:59 am

    Am I better off than I was four years ago? Yes. Is my family? Yes.

  • [Avatar for Anon]
    Anon
    November 3, 2012 08:47 am

    step back,

    I recognize the veracity in what you say, but I am not yet willing to relinquish the struggle. Perhaps I have a bit of Phoenix in me and believe that even if we go up in (promethean) flames, that we can rise from the ashes.

  • [Avatar for Dale Halling]
    Dale Halling
    November 2, 2012 11:11 pm

    Gene,

    Kappos was much better than the traitor Jon Dudas and company, but he is a typical Crony Capitalist. He supported the incredibly corrupt AIA – a big company, big Wall Street give away. He has no idea the burdens the patent office places on startups and frankly does not care. He will probably be rewarded with a big raise at IBM or head off to lobby for special interest legislation for other large countries to the determent of the patent system and our Rights. If he is the best we can do, then I fear for our country.

  • [Avatar for step back]
    step back
    November 2, 2012 08:20 pm

    IMHO it doesn’t matter who “wins” control over the reigns of the executive branch.

    The legislative branch is already in a “corporate capture” mode, meaning that concentrated monetary power buys you (you, being “them”) the best government (and legislation –think AIA 2011, think the Shummer/Wall Street provision) that such moneyed power can afford.

    The judicial branch is already in an “ideology capture” mode, meaning that concentrated think tank power buys you the best judicial perception (and decision making bias –think KSR, Bilski, Prometheus, etc.) that such moneyed think-tanking power can afford.

    The executive linchpin is just the last nail to hammer into the coffin for American inventorship.

    Remember when “Invented in America” meant something? (I.e. Thomas Edison, Alexander Bell, the Wright Brothers) It’s no longer true irrespective of who occupies the White House. Foreign-based inventorship is trending up and American-sourced inventorship is trending the other way. We all know how this story is going to end. (Hint: Happily ever after, but not for us.)

  • [Avatar for Steve M]
    Steve M
    November 2, 2012 05:31 pm

    I like Mr. Obama personally, and would have no problem being good friends with him. He is a good man who wants the best for America and its people. And he has reversed a number of illegal and immoral “things” that Mr. Bush had wrong (yes; waterboarding is torture; and spying on Americans without proper court approval / oversight is wrong). He is doing what he believes is best for America.

    The problem is that his core beliefs in what part governments (federal, state, city, etc) should — and should not — play in our lives is fundamentally different from mine.

    Core beliefs must trump a willingness to share a friendly basketball game.

    The sad part of all this is that when it comes to the continuously expanding national debt, it doesn’t matter which man gets in. The only way to stop the red ink is for us all to vote for politicians who are willing to reduce, take away, and raise the price of; all those things we’ve come to expect from governments.

    How many of us are willing to do that?

    Will future generations be willing to forgive us for what we’ve done to them?

  • [Avatar for Michael E. Zall]
    Michael E. Zall
    November 2, 2012 03:58 pm

    Gene: I was at the AIPLA Conference. Great meeting. I am typically apolitical and was on the fence on the electionā€¦one day Obama the next Romney, juggling all the pros and cons. While I was sitting at one of the meetings listening to David Kappos I had an ā€œahh ahhā€ moment. The USPTO is really going in a great direction. I realized that this is the result of Obama running the government. The Bush regime made a mess of the USPTO and Kappos has gone a long way to strighten it out. We do not need or want a change. Whatever your opinions are on specific issues, overall we are moving in a much better direction. To change now would be a shame.