Tag Archives: Obama

We’re Not Mushrooms: (Part 1)

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The upcoming election is arguably one of the most important in our lifetime.   It will set a course for this country that not only affects us, but our children and our children’s children.  It is a true clash of ideologies and the differences couldn’t be more profound.   So why is it so difficult to get a clear picture of those differences?   It is because we are being treated like mushrooms. (If you are not familiar with the term…ask an older friend).  It pains me so to think that our country’s future may be decided on “likeability” rather than “substance and truth”.

During the 25 years I spent in the financial industry, which by the way I am writing a not so flattering book, I tried to understand what motivates a client or prospect.  You would think that such insights would have given me an advantage….Right?   However, what I found was somewhat startling.  With advent of the computer trading, the Internet, cable news, etc. the information that became available to people increased dramatically in quantity but not necessarily in quality.  Bottom line was that many people quickly reached the point of “information and misinformation” overload and stopped seeking truth.  Consequently they withdrew from trying to get answers and many became victims of confusion, lies and misrepresentations by the “likeable” people who peddled them.  I see much the same phenomena in this election cycle.  People are so inundated with 24/7 news that many withdraw from trying to separate fact from fiction and facades from substance.

In my current position as a blogger, and owner of a small consulting concern, I have a bit more control on where I spend my time.  Probably more so than many hard working Americans.  Consequently during a good part of my day I take time to listen, to watch, to read, to investigate and compare media coverage of this current election cycle.  What I see is pathetic!  What is going on is one of the greatest shams pulled on both the suspecting (cynical) and unsuspecting (naïve).  Often I step away in disgust because I know that what I am watching many times is slanted, manipulated and controlled to keep us in the dark and to feed us Bull S**t while avoiding the real issues.  The important and relevant information is being disguised in irrelevant information and pushed upon the American public in such volume that the unsuspecting public reverts to selecting their favorite newscaster, media personality, and talk shows when formulating their own opinions.   Really?   Come on America you are smarter that that!

As I was writing this piece this morning, I was trying to decide on a format to present my position and appeal to the common sense of all Americans.   However in trying to articulate my position I don’t want to contribute to that which I despise….irrelevance and distractions.    So I would like to present a few observations today that I hope will uncover what I believe is a concerted effort in the “dumbing” of America.    Let me give you a few examples to illustrate what I mean by contrasting leadership styles in the House and Senate.   Today I will highlight Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Harry Reid (D-NV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

We, the American people, had little or no voice in the construction and/or passage of Obama care.   The bill was passed at a time when one party controlled the House, the Senate and the Executive branches of government.   We were told by the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) that “we had to pass the health care bill so that we can find out what is in it”.    Well Nancy, now we are finding “what is in it” and it only confirms what most Americans feared.   That is; if you give any political party absolute power without public input and oversight you are asking for trouble.  Here is a case in point.  The most recent “surprise” is that the costs of health care insurance premiums are up 50% in 2011.  When he ran for president in 2008, Mr. Obama promised he would lower health insurance premiums for families by $2,500 in his first term. But earlier this month, the Kaiser Family Foundation released its annual Employer Health Benefits Survey showing that average family health insurance premiums have gone up by more than $2,500 ($2,730 to be exact), not down. Then, this week, the Health Care Cost Institute released its annual Health Care Cost and Utilization Report showing that, after briefly slowing down due to the recession in 2009 and 2010, overall health care spending rose 4.6 percent last year, far outpacing both inflation and wages.  That is only the tip of the iceberg.   Sorry Nancy you get an “F” in leadership.

How about Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) the Senate Majority leader?   The Senate is required by law (unless the law is ignored) to present and pass a budget every year.   So why has Senator Reid blocked every attempt, even by his own party, to let those that we have elected have open debate and discussion that address issues central to the vitality of our nation?  He has stonewalled every attempt to pass a budget for over 3 years!  This is unprecedented, unforgivable, unconscionable and yes un-American.  This illustrates how out of control the power struggle in Washington has become when one man can be such an obstructionist.   Last I checked this is not a Monarchy King Reid.    Here is the irony.  Senator Reid is quick to criticize any House proposal, and any discussion on the Senate floor, yet he fails to present one of his own.  How are Americans to debate, decide and choose what is best for our country when the only plan being offered is being held as a political hostage?  Where is the leadership Senator Reid?   You are certainly my nomination for the poster child (albeit an old child) for term limits.

I would love to leave Senator Reid and move on to my next point but this touches the heart of an issue that seems to be lost in rhetoric and not covered in main street media.   That issue: separation of church and state.    In his continued character attacks on Mitt Romney I believe the Senator has crossed the line.  Senator Reid claims that Mitt Romney has “sullied” his Mormon religion thereby making religion an issue in state matters.   Here is the definition of “sullied” from the Encarta Dictionary.   “Spoil.  To spoil or detract from something, especially somebody’s reputation, that has previously been pure and honorable, or become spoiled or tarnished”.     Senator Reid, are you suggesting that his relationship with his religion should be considered in this presidential campaign?   Wow!  A Senate Leader so desperate to win at all costs has just obliterated the line between the separation of church and state.  Senator Reid, if you view yourself as a good Mormon and you believe what you say, I suggest that you handle it directly with the Mormon leadership where it should be handled.  Do I hear applause from the ACLU?  I saw this type of attack used one other time in my life, although I was too young to vote (21 was the voting age).   Thank God, and I do give Him thanks, that the American people saw through the demagoguery and elected a president that I came to truly admire.  That person was John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a democrat and yes….the first Catholic president.  Do you remember the statement that he made that set our country back on the path to greatness?   “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”.   With his vision, tenacity and leadership, and the perspective of less government and more American hard work and ingenuity, we put a man on the moon in a decade.  Senator Reid that is leadership!

What about the other side of the Senate aisle?   This is how the Senate Minority leader, Mitch McConnell (R-KY), breaks down the issues in a speech on the Senate floor on September 20, 2012.

 

“I understand there’s an election going on in a few months. But I’d like to remind my colleagues on the other side that we’ve also got a job to do around here. I mean, we’ve got multiple crisis-level issues to deal with. And yet Democrats don’t want to do a thing.  Never before has a President and a Senate done so little to confront challenges so great.  We’ve got a $16 trillion debt. Democrats haven’t bothered to pass a budget in three years. Every single American will get hit with a massive tax hike in three months if we don’t act to prevent it.  Democrats are saying we shouldn’t do anything about it — just go off the cliff.  Just see what happens. The Defense budget is about to suffer automatic cuts that the President’s own Defense Secretary has described as ‘devastating’.  Democrats can’t be bothered to figure out a way to avoid them. The Middle East is in turmoil; we remain at war in Afghanistan and with Al Qaeda and Senate Democrats haven’t even bothered to pass a Defense Authorization bill.  Gas prices have more than doubled over the past four years. Democrats have responded by conspiring with the President to make sure a domestic pipeline didn’t get built.  Just let the debt grow. Let taxes go up. Let the defense cuts stand. Let gas prices get higher and higher. Don’t pass a budget. Don’t pass any spending bills. Don’t do anything that involves making tough choices. Just sit around and kill time in the hopes that the voters will focus on the other guys instead.

Look: Our constituents didn’t send us here to watch the clock or to offer running commentary on the floor. They sent us here to make a difference.  We’ve got jobs to do. It’s about time we did them.  In these very challenging times, Americans deserve leadership. Never before have a President and a Senate Majority Party done so little when our challenges have been so great. There’s no excuse for it.”

Excuse me folks but what the heck is wrong with Senator McConnell’s position?  Now doesn’t that really outline what concerns us as Americans?   It speaks directly to the issues!   No fluff, no personality attacks, just the facts.   Okay maybe a party attack but isn’t it deserved?  I admire any politician of any party who admits and acknowledges “They sent us here to make a difference.  We’ve got jobs to do. It is about time we did them”.    The speech did not receive much coverage from Main Street media because supporting dialogue, cooperation and reconciliation does not fit their agenda.   I guess I am becoming a bit cynical about what I see but it just supports my assertion that we are being treated like mushrooms.  Remember, an informed society has the best chance in shaping its own destiny.     

 

So what is my point in bringing you today’s blog?  I hope that it illustrates the fundamental differences of our country’s leaders, and that Main Street media fails to at the very least “contrast the differences”.     I don’t believe that I stand alone and I do believe that we should again take up JFK’s challenge: “Ask not what the country can do for you, but what you (we) can do for our country”

The presidential debates start next week.  Your vote will count more than ever this November. Do yourself and our country a favor by watching and listening to the candidates.   Don’t cast your vote based on truncated and biased news reports and talk shows.  America you are smarter than that.   If you don’t want to be treated like a mushroom….don‘t act like one!

Step Back, Listen, Validate or Challenge

Look for Part 2 to be released in the near future.  You may want to revisit my blog of June 15, 2012 titled Fragmentation by Design.

A Man and His Word

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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.

Fragmentation by Design?

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There are many issues facing our country and each issue carries varying degrees of significance to each citizen.   It appears that the White House has been able to take these issues, personalize them for a given audience, and acknowledge them in a way that suggests a level of concern and compassion.    There is probably not a day goes by that President Obama isn’t meeting with groups where he speaks on topics specific to the audience rather than the broader issues that are facing our nation.   Examples include speaking to students about loans, to women about contraception or corporate roadblocks, to labor about job creation/protection, to elderly about entitlement programs, to veterans about ending the war, to Latinos about immigration and so on and so forth.   Taken on their own merit every one of these issues is important.  However, the point is not how we feel about a particular issue affecting various segments of our society we know how it feels.   We live it daily.   So is there real empathy and compassion on the part of the President for those in the audience; I would like to believe there is.  Or is this a superficial approach where the real underlying motive is to appeal to the parts?  Remember in mathematics the equation; the sum of the parts equals the whole?   In politics is the hope that appealing to the parts equals re-election?   Is this fragmentation by design?

Let’s step back and think.   We can all agree that each segment of our society has important issues that affect them personally and us as a nation.  In order to become a great nation again every one of these issues need to be taken seriously and addressed over time.    Unfortunately many Americans are frustrated by government infighting while so many issues affecting our lives go unresolved.  It appears that our faith in “hope and change”, as fragile as it was, has been shattered with the reality that the system in place to fix problems is itself broken.  It is a system where ownership of a problem is someone else’s responsibility.  It is a system in which our elected representatives couldn’t even agree on the time of day if they were standing in front of Big Ben.   So is it any wonder that when the President of the United States acknowledges issues, that are important to us personally, that a normal knee-jerk reaction is “wow someone can at least identify that there is a problem”?   Not so fast.   Though identifying the problem is the first step, it’s the easy one.  It, however, gives me no confidence that identifying an issue will result in change if there is no solution offered to at least debate.    A credible approach to problem solving is identification of the issues, prioritization based on importance, bipartisan debate on solutions, and finally implementation for change.   However this approach to problem solving requires strong leadership.   Mr. President that is why we elected you and that is what you promised.   I for one am disappointed as I feel that we are on the great ship USS America with a captain who knows how to align deck chairs but is afraid to take the helm.  It is a little late to tell us that your only experience in a boat was at the amusement park.   My advice Mr. President, standup, be decisive, lead with conviction but for the sake of our nation lead!  If you do, many will get behind you as our gain would be yours.   If the challenge is too great, or you don’t have the skill set, please step aside and exit gracefully this fall for the sake of this nation.  Hint: Start with the economy.