Some of you may be too young to remember a time when “your word was your bond”. I won’t tell you that those times were easier, or harder, than the times we are now experiencing. What I can say is that at one time we placed a very high value on a person’s word. Whether upheld or broken there was reward and consequences associated with a man’s words. It is sad to think we have “evolved” to a point where the word is simply a mechanism to garner support for one’s own purpose, position or gain. Even sadder is that we as a nation don’t stand up and demand accountability once associated with a person’s word. I believe part of the problem is a disconnect between what someone says and the barrage of media interpretation that follows. For example, in politics, if a candidate speaks in the morning by mid-day the media has already added its own interpretation. Sadly, depending how it plays in the polls the candidate may or may not issue a correction even if it contradicts what they originally said. Most media “experts” pass their interpretation on as fact and shoves it down the throat of an American audience. Is it any wonder that American’s are confused, disgusted or fed up with what they see in the media? There is an ongoing debate calling segments of our society “disenfranchised”. Let me suggest that the real word is “disengaged”. Many Americans, including myself, are angry as we look at what is going on in Washington but we cannot rollover and play dead. You snooze you lose. It has to stop….let’s get reengaged. Let’s start with the one area that regardless of our race, color or creed we can agree on. Let’s reaffirm that a person’s word is, and should be judged as, the essence of their character. It is not some piece of malleable crap to be, molded, modified, taken lightly or spoken without consequence. We Americans are smart enough to know that regardless of the shape, height or color, crap still stinks!
Here is my suggestion for a beginning. Let’s let our elected officials, and candidates, know that we will hold them accountable for their words both past and future. Be fair and let them all speak, listen to their opinions, contrast what they say with what you know, ask your questions and determine how you will reward their answers with your vote this fall. Turn off attack ads unless you are willing to take the time to investigate the merits of such indictments. Let’s claim our right as American Citizens to reestablish the importance of the vote through the value we place on a person’s word.
I am going do my part in removing the media bias to some very fundamental promises made by our current president. In his own words:
Transparency and Open Government
Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies
SUBJECT: Transparency and Open Government
My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.
Government should be transparent. Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing. Information maintained by the Federal Government is a national asset. My Administration will take appropriate action, consistent with law and policy, to disclose information rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use. Executive departments and agencies should harness new technologies to put information about their operations and decisions online and readily available to the public. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public.
Government should be participatory. Public engagement enhances the Government’s effectiveness and improves the quality of its decisions. Knowledge is widely dispersed in society, and public officials benefit from having access to that dispersed knowledge. Executive departments and agencies should offer Americans increased opportunities to participate in policymaking and to provide their Government with the benefits of their collective expertise and information. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public input on how we can increase and improve opportunities for public participation in Government.
Government should be collaborative. Collaboration actively engages Americans in the work of their Government. Executive departments and agencies should use innovative tools, methods, and systems to cooperate among themselves, across all levels of Government, and with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals in the private sector. Executive departments and agencies should solicit public feedback to assess and improve their level of collaboration and to identify new opportunities for cooperation.
I direct the Chief Technology Officer, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Administrator of General Services, to coordinate the development by appropriate executive departments and agencies, within 120 days, of recommendations for an Open Government Directive, to be issued by the Director of OMB, that instructs executive departments and agencies to take specific actions implementing the principles set forth in this memorandum. The independent agencies should comply with the Open Government Directive.
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
This memorandum shall be published in the Federal Register.
BARACK OBAMA
(Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment)
Ok you decide. How true has the President been to his word? Step back, think, validate or challenge.
Personally I believe that there is not an American alive who wouldn’t embrace the promises outlined in these words. The promises presented here are without media bias, what do you think? Both Presidential candidates have called this election a critical juncture in our nation’s history. I couldn’t agree more.
On a final note, notice the second to last sentence of the presidential statement above. Do you recognize it? It is a disclaimer.
Phil, you make good points. Yes, a person’s word should be their bond. It would be great if we could move ourselves and our country hard in that direction. Think of the atmosphere of trust and reliance upon which so much could be accomplished. Think of the recovery of wasted millions of hours and billions of dollars on litigation and contract protection. Just think!
Yet, I believe in the principle of “indicative before imperative.” That is, what we ARE precedes and determines what we DO. If someone is a fabricator to the core, no amount of resolutions or agreements or pacts will turn them into a truth-teller. That person has to be changed first from a liar to something else.
Nothing short of spiritual rebirth and growth from the inside can do that. I suppose what I am suggesting is that rather than my saying, “Just think what it would be like if everyone told the truth,” it may be more to the point for me to ask, “How can liars be transformed into truth-tellers?” If I ask it that way, three fingers point right back at me!
Thanks for giving me something to think about.
All the best,
Russ
He, as many polititians, says what he wants you to think, then does something else, thinking we will forget and he/she won’t be held accountable. Thank you for bringing this to light. Time to clean house in November!
(I had to add /she because I thought of Nancy P.)
Thank you for all of your time in this blog!! It’s so well written and thought provoking. I know this is your objective.It will help raise awareness. Nicely done!!
I wish you well in this and all of your endeavors
Niko
Thanks for your comments Dan and I do not see your response as negative or an attack. As you can see your response is posted in total. You did exactly what my blog designed to do….provoke thought and dialogue. Stand Back, Think, Validate or Challenge. It is not an exhaustive commentary meant to overwhelm the reader ….a point I think I illustrate well in the latest post. To your point ….. “he didn’t say if these promises were carried out or not”… Exactly! It caused you, the reader, to do your own research and form your own opinion.
Regarding the substance of your article I did follow the link and yes there is a ton of information. There is now two links for people to consider. A link that shows what was promised (my link) and what was or was not accomplished (your link). Here is the issue Dan. Like you, I look into the areas that are of interest to me just like anyone else who would follow your link. You obviously found progress in areas that are important to you. That is great. Is it enough? That would be your call not mine. However, in areas that are of interest to me I find broken or unfulfilled promises both in the link that you provide and other sources. In the link you provided you will see that he established a bi-partisan group of political leaders (within his first 120days of office) to review the budget and bring a consensus resolution. When they presented a bi-partisan solution he disbanded the group and totally ignored their recommendations. Just reading the “presidential promises” on the link you provided evokes enough challenges for me…..maybe we could agree on a couple of fronts but he falls short on many more for me.
Keep up the reading and research.
Phil