Letters From Texas Worldwide Headquarters, Political Affairs Division, is strongly committed to keeping you, the crap-reading public, fully informed on what the candidates are saying, and whether they’re telling the truth.
Our first fact-check of the political season: Farouk Shami, who startled reporters yesterday with this stunning claim:
“I’m not a flip-flop. I ran for the governor. I’m running for the governor, and I will be the governor.”
Not so fast, bucko.
Our crack team (yes, our team is, unfortunately, on crack, so we’re in the market for a new team) quickly sprang into action to determine whether Mr. Shami’s claim that he is not a flip-flop is accurate.
Here are the facts. According to experts, this is a flip-flop:
On the other hand, our experts claim that this is Farouk Shami:
Farouk Shami – Fact Check
From http://www.faroukforgovernor.com
“… and founded a multi-billion dollar company that has created thousands of jobs for Texans…”
Farouk claims (as well documented in many articles and interviews, and then repeated by the media) to be a Billionaire; however he is NOT listed on Forbes List of Billionaires
According to his claims, Farouk Systems is a billion dollar company with thousands of employees; however Hoover’s reports the 2008 revenues as $27.4 million with 150 employees and Houston Business Journal reported his revenues as $37.5 million – this is probably before CHI operations were brought to US – However, Farouk has always counted his revenues in the following manner
* Not what he sold to the distributors (his revenue)
* Or what the distributors sold to the salons (with100% markup)
* But what economic activity the salons created by selling and using his products, i.e. salon retail (with another 100% markup) and service revenues (product cost 10%) – However, even with his calculations, it does not add up to billion dollars (even if CHI sales were $300-400 million)
* As to employees, Farouk has counted all the part-time educators (independent salon owners and hairdressers) who conduct training classes and work the beauty shows (scheduled by the distributors) as his “employees”, since the company pays for their fees & expenses – these are temporary and very part-time contract workers, not full-time employees on his payroll
Farouk’s management philosophy includes
* “I conceived it, thus it’s done”, i.e. making a decision tonight and fully expecting it to be implemented before he even talks to anyone – it works in a small entrepreneurial organization where he has the total control and it is his own money – However, how would it work in our democratic form of government?
* In his culture (and business practice) – “cousins” (anyone with Middle Eastern heritage) make no mistakes and family “walks on water”
Dude. You’re taking this blog, and that candidate, way too seriously.
That settles it. First I find out he’s not a flip flop and now he’s not a bilionaire?!
AND he doesn’t walk on water?!
I’m so not voting for him.
Flojos 2010!
But M.R., he’s a Quaker! You know, like Quaker Oats!
Quack. Quaker. Quakest.
You know, FUBAR. I don’t know why that post is funny. It shouldn’t be. You deconstruct its elements and it shouldn’t work. But it does. I go around shaking my head at times. “What is it that makes Har…, er, FUBAR funny?” I think maybe the problem is with us. Those of us who think you’re funny are just basically psycho.
HOLY FUBAR BATMAN–Is it just me or does he resemble the late Cesar Romero aka “The Joker” on the 1960s Batman TV series??
DMw/P: you can go around trying to figure out why a blog post is funny, and while you’re at it you can try to determine why, despite what the laws of physics tell us, why a bumble bee can fly. But all you’re really doing is taking time away from your usual heavy drinking. Does this seem like a good plan to you?