It is my observation that individuals who do not take responsibility, tend to have been in positions in their lives for which little responsibility has been required.
Blame is something generally heaped on others whereas responsibility is something generally heaped upon oneself. Blame is about dumping. Responsibility is about seizing. Blame is about taking care of oneself. Responsibility is about taking care of others. Blame is selfish. Responsibility is selfless.
I have to say I am getting a bit weary of our President pointing the finger of blame. Everyone knows that all the problems of America are not his fault. Even if he didn’t remind us at every bend in the road.
Do you think the President’s focus on blame is a function of his past? A past in which he has had to take little responsibility?
One of the big knocks on him during his campaign was his inexperience and how that might affect his ability to lead. I think for the President, the first step in his quest to become a great leader is to yank the reins of responsibility.
The job’s not easy. But didn’t anyone tell him that when he campaigned like a bad assed champion to get it? When it comes to great leadership nobody cares who caused the problems. They only care about the person willing to take responsibility, the person who will seize responsibility and get ‘em fixed.
…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” Luke 12:48 (NIV)
Not even in a 1960′s sci-fi television show. Or should I say, “logical Mr. Barack?”
I would be the first person to admit, that I’m not the sharpest knife in the drer; Pancil in the pack; tool in the shaid; brightest bub in the lamp; you get the drift… but I can’t for the life of me figure out this light rail boondoggle I heard about the other night when I was flipping between the State of the Union address and the Hispanic Shopping Channel.
I live in Atlanta, Georgia where we have this little transportation outfit called MARTA which began rail service back in the 1970s; and which I think may still be operating from a 1970s strategic plan. It is a government operation, and I’m pretty sure it has never been able to pay for itself through pure ridership, advertising, or pay toilets (if they have any).
Last night, having arrived home from Newark, NJ, I headed to the MARTA station to catch the train home. I waited 20 minutes in a dark dreary station for it to show up and then leave the station, was ithen nformed that I would have to transfer trains due to a reduced evening schedule, was pan handled on two separate occasions whilst snuggled up with about 100 bedraggled strangers, and was ultimately deposited in another dreary station. I was not left scratching my head as to some of the reasons why it is fiscally challenged.
I did notice a sign that said they were having a public meeting to solicit ideas on how to address some of their issues, and I could only imagine who might schlep down to their offices for that meeting to help solve all its problems. My advice, “Go LOOK in the mirror people!”
The problem with Mr. Obama and his Starfleet Command is their government approach to government. Don’t you think that if some smart company or investor thought for a minute they could make a buck off of light rail, they wouldn’t have done it already?? Warren Buffet could scratch a check in a heartbeat if thought it was viable and add that to his choo choo collection.
I read that Obama wants to drop $8-$13 Billion to fund high-speed light rail, and I’m thinking for my family of 4 we spend $3,000 per year on a high deductible health plan with an HSA which includes well care. A little quick math and I’m figuring $8B could cover the health care nut for about 2.6 million families or over 10 million lives. Now, I’m not proposing the government buy health insurance for 10 million people; there are just better ways to piss away my borrowed tax dollars.
Obama’s government approach to government is kind of like when your mamma gives your kid a $100 gift card to Wal-Mart, and your kid promptly goes and blows it on $100 worth of Yugioh cards. He then trys to convince you it’s a good investment! The purchase feels pretty good for about 5 minutes and then the reality of stupidity begins to set in. The only difference with government is that it can even rationalize reality.
Here’s an idea. How about a little bit of Un-Government? Now there’s a little change I could believe in. If President Obama could grasp that concept, who knows where he could lead this country? That might even be statue-worthy. Definitely a cut above and installation at Madame Tussauds.
So what about this light rail thing? Maybe I am living in a cocoon with my only perspective being a local public transportation system that has given me a jaded perspective. But I don’t think I’m off by much. Change? My butt! Simply a government approach to government. TheyWDo you smell something funny?
Just for the record; I am a light-skinned American with no Negro dialect except when I want to. Although that fact, I don’t think, would help me in any sort of election. In fact, I would suggest I am woefully unelectable. About the only thing I’ve been elected for lately is jury duty, and I am not sure if that was an election or more of a selection.
Our jury foreman was a dark-skinned African-American man with a multi-cultural dialect. I would describe it as a Negro, Black, African-American, Georgian dialect. The point being, that he was elected, neither because of the color of his skin nor whatever the heck his dialect was, but because in the eyes of 11 other multi-dialect voters sitting around a table, he seemed to be a respectable guy, capable of managing a process, and articulating our decision. In short, he was qualified.
I don’t consider myself a particularly enlightened individual, although I have dropped a decent amount of weight over the past few years. For a little heavy enlightenment on light skinned comments with a light-hearted delivery, I highly recommend Polite Society’s post, ”Negro Dialect?”
As for Harry Reid, I can certainly forgive him for his stupid comment, and I pray for forgiveness for the river of stupidity that gushes from my mouth pretty much anytime I open it. I can also thank him for helping Polite Society to enlighten me. I would also be thankful if Uncle Harry’s foot in mouth disease is miraculously cured with a one way ticket back to Nevada.
My Dad came to my ballgames until the day he died. I was 31 when he “got called up.”
As a kid, he never missed a game. And I played sports year-round, so there were lots of games.
He made me feel like mine was “the earth and everything in it*.” Not through amazing skill of parenting, brilliance of intellect or book learning.
He simply showed up. He was the guy leaning on the fence down the third base line on a hot summer’s day. A face in the crowd on a rainy day at some leaky city gym. A man standing in the cold on the sidelines of some Jr High gridiron two counties from home. Brilliance in simplicity.
Along the way, I surmise, the roles got reversed. He didn’t come to church softball games when I was 30 because he thought I needed him there, or to see great sport. The joy he gave, became the joy he received.
Sometimes I think I am not much of a Dad, and my teenaged kids would agree. Hopefully in time, my children will forget that. What they remember, I hope, is that I showed up.
GeeZ: Hey ChiQ, you know txt msgng is foreign to me as I am too cheap to pay for it. But lately I have been Twittering up a storm. As I’ve said before, “If brevity is next to Godliness, then I’m going straight to Hell.” This presents some challenges on Twitter as I have rarely met word I didn’t like but Twitter cuts you off at 140 characters. At 141 characters they literally “bleed” your eyes with red type. I spend as much time shortening messages as I do writing the derned things.
I need to crack the code, and since I don’t know any Navajo Code Talkers, I thought perhaps you could help. I know LOL, using the letter “U” for “You”, and “4″ for “for” but beyond that any help you could provide with either the code or code etiquette would be helpful.
What do you think? Is it possible to teach this old dog a new trick? Or should I say this old bird a new tweet?
ChiQ: haha what a lovely request. this is an easy one. i’ll give you a few easy ones:
JK: just kidding
legit: legitimately
cul8r: see you later
ttyl: talk to you later
ily: i love you
g2g: got to go
wat: what
2: to
idk: i dont know
wow…i guess i wasnt as good at this as i thought. honestly, i try to avoid “abbrevs” (abbreviations) because i want to avoid the whole valley girl syndrome haha. “idk” if any of those would actually help you in twitter because they are very conversational, however for you….older….readers they might come in handy if you have texting
Early in my life I believed that there was great scope for rational analysis to improve the workings of government and the welfare of mankind, but over time I have come to appreciate how strong is the role of the irrational in all human affairs.
Albert Gladstone Sims (1917-2002)
As a fairly conservative guy scratching my head over the recent approval in the Senate of a nearly $1 trillion spending bill, I find myself returning to the passage above. It has helped me reconcile decisions “beyond comprehension” that have impacted both my world and the greater world around me, time and again.
Our economy has serious challenges right now and while the word “crisis” is a word I avoid like the plague (perhaps irrationally) because it carries weight of an oxen’s burden for me, for many Americans, “crisis” is absolutely appropriate. While the solution, or solutions to our economic problems have not revealed themselves, and while we may not like what we are hearing from one side of the political spectrum or the other, it might be worth pausing for a moment and thank our founding fathers and all those men and women who have died for the right for us to make our voices heard. Even if we do not agree. Or we believe those voices are consumed by the irrational.
While I am not in alignment with the current direction of political policies; the wisdom behind the quote above gives me solace. The belief that out of chaos emerges beauty, gives me hope.
ChiQ: i am grabbing on to your last little paragraph, Geez, because u really did lay a toughie on me and i honestly dont feel like im educated enough on the subject to really engage in clever dialogue or witty banter about it. but i do know that theres a whole lot of hope in this country right now. with the economy so sour and people losing jobs, everyone has hope for change. (which i feel has been a word i have heard more in the past year and a half than in my whole life). most people hope for the government to take a new direction or initiative…clear things up. personally, and yes, i know, i am rather naive, but hear me out….my hope is that people remember each other.
sounds simple enough, right? but its really not. i think, alot of times, people forget that they are living on this planet with billions of other people, some alike to them and some different. given our current economic standing, i feel like the population is being reminded about each other. when you have less money to spend and therefore less material distractions, i know i, for one, am reminded about the people in my life. because even if you lose everything, every car and home and purse and ipod and cell phone, you still have your family, friends, spouse, or siblings. they’re the things that will remain the same. and i hope our president and new officials will remember that their purpose is to help others. because thats what we really need now.
GeeZ: Four years ago I saw Barack Obama’s address at the Democratic Convention, and was totally blown away. I remember being awed by this young guy who seemed to come from nowhere and who made this eloquent and heartfelt speech. I have no idea what he said, but I do remember thinking this was a guy whom we had not heard the last of.
Here it is four years later and he is just a few weeks from being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. What a whirlwind from basic obscurity to the White House.
I followed the election fairly closely. I mean I knew who the candidates were for the most part, I knew who the vice presidential candidates were. I knew who Joe the Plumber was. I knew who Cindy McCain was. I knew who Bill Ayers,Jeremiah Wright and Father Flager were. I heard all the dirt for sure.
Barack Obama is totally a Rock and Roll President in my mind. He has risen like a rock star. He certainly has some degree of talent, but like Miley Cyrus or The Jonas Brothers (Nick, Joe, and Kevin–yes ChiQ they are starting to stick–and what about this Bonus Jonas??) he seems to have been almost “produced” into the Presidency. Like Miley and the Bros. Jonas, he has been handled and managed with all the skill and aplomb of the Disney Machine.
Hopefully, he will be able to step out from behind the marketing machine that produced him into the White House. Hopefully, he will be able to shake off the doubt many Americans share regarding his experience andhis judgement. Hopefully, he will be able to successfully distance himself from the Chicago Political Machine and Governor Blagojevich.
Hopefully he will prove to be not to be merely an incredible stage show, slick choreography and a front for the band. Hopefully, he will stand tall and lead.
What sez you ChiQ? Did you know there’s about to be a new sheriff in town?
ChiQ: well, this may sound strange but i purposely did NOT closely follow the election. it was my little way of rebelling against all the teachers and students (WHO may i add cannot even vote yet…). the election was the topic of choice in so many situations for so long, and i saw my friends and classmates getting into heated and heavy dabates about the issues, some of which even ending in tears. i just kept thinking to myself “why do you feel the need to judge people based on their morals and political beliefs? why do you feel the need to push YOUR ideas on others? why do you feel the need to tear down the other candidate so you can build yours up, even though you KNOW he has just as many faults?” it drove me crazy! so rather than subject myself to passion filled arguements, i kept myself out of the whole thing and my opinions quiet.
As for the new prez, i certainly hope he can bring the change he’s been preachin’ about to the choir. this is a time when, clearly, America has been very divided because of an election. with the economy going all whack and iraq still a cloud over our heads, i hope Mr. Obama has a plan to spring us out of the slump America is in now. We can’t be divided. not now. we have to stick together and support each other as we hit this bump in the road. i dont care if you’re republican. he’s in office now and there’s nothing you can do about it. so stop hoping he fails and gets humiliated. start hoping he’s going to be a great thing for this country and guide us through our times of trouble. i know i am.
GeeZ: Now there’s a novel concept. I think we will see over the coming months “leaders” who find themselves all over the road as they bounce from one gutter to the other. A friend suggested this topic and used Jerry Grinstein as an example of a Leader who, over the past few years, demonstrated some true bootstrap leadership skills.
Who is Jerry Grinstein?? Jerry is a Board Member for Delta AirLines who, back in the 80′s ran Western Airlines, and who was instrumental in its successful merger with Delta. (For clarification that would be the 1980s ChiQ.) The merger was long held out as one of the few (maybe the only) successful airline mergers in airline history.
Anyway during the cratering of the airline business a few years ago, Mr. Grinstein took the helm (or should I say, Hell) of Delta Air Lines as it rocketed toward bankruptcy. I always wondered about his motivation; if perhaps there was some feeling of personal responsibility for the disaster which Delta had become while he sat on the Board of what was becoming a runaway train. But as I’ve heard said in church, God doesn’t care under what pretense you arrived, just so long as you are there, you’ve got a chance.
Unlike many of our other corporate “leaders,” he did not do it for the money. He took on the CEO position at Delta at a sub-market salary, forwent all bonuses, and when Delta emerged from bankruptcy, which generally signals BIG PAYDAY for the muckity mucks, he gave all the gravy coming to him and gave it back to the employees of Delta in the form of a scholarship and hardship fund to help Delta families. It is fair to say, he was not unduly enriched for his efforts as many in the airlines have been over they years (and continue to be) as well as at the other corporate giants, many of whom are now teetering on the brink.
But what makes Jerry a great leader?? I am sure there will be many white papers written about this over the years, but I’ll take a crack at it in a few lines here, which should suffice for most. First, regardless of who got Delta in the mess it was in, he took personal responsibility for the airline and its ultimate fate. Second, he communicated clearly with both management and the rank and file of the company as to the situation and what corrective steps were being taken; often with a keen wit and often self-defacing sense of humorhit . He did not whitewash the suffering that was taking place but made sure the employees knew what was in it for them if they were able to collectively pull Delta out of the ditch. He was confident and comfortable in the capabilities of his management team and allowed them to leverage their skills to the benefit of of the airline overall. He leveraged media opportunities (the US Airways scare) to both center and rally the employee base. He not only sacrificed monitarily, but at over the age of 70, a time when he could have been kicked back fly fishing, running charitable foundation, or doing whatever it is that rich retirees do, he gave up some of his key golden years to give Delta a chance. And lastly, and I believe this is a key ingredient for success in any leadership endeavor, he was in the right place, at the right place and in the right frame of mind. In my mind he was really about the only person crazy enough and capable enough to lead.
What do you think ChiQ? Are there any world or corporate leaders out there living or dead who have struck you as being particularly good at their vocation?
ChiQ: wow. Mr. Jerry certainly seems like the kind of person we need more of in this world. a selfless, devoted, fighter. well Geezer, i dont know much about the corporate world, but i do know of two people who are fantastic leaders. now im going to go out on a limb here and say something really crazy: i see my parents like this. Especially recently, i’ve been fortunate to actually recognize everything they do for me and my little brother. its incredible. first, i think of my mom. she dedicated a whole nine months to me and suffered so that i could live. she came into her position as a mom with selflessness. as parents, my mom and daddy decided they were ready to put their whole selves into a whole new job: raising a child. my dad works so hard so i can get a fabulous education and have clothes to wear and food to eat. he works all day and i reap the benefits. it reminds me of Jerry’s giving his bonuses back to the company. he went through hell and still had the heart to give back. thats what my dad does everyday, although i hope his job isnt as much of a nightmare as putting a nearly bankrupt company back together.
Now, they might not be world-renowned political leaders or CEO’s, but my parents are MY leaders. they set the example for me in my life and i see, on a daily basis, pieces of the person i hope to become. especially during these “crazy teenage years”, raising a kid can be almost as trying as making a big merger or saving a broken company. whenever i mess up, i know they’re always there to pick up the pieces of my mess and guide me in the right direction so i can put them back together. they do all they can with a smile on their face, a bit of humor, and they certainly dont do it for the money. i think raising a kid can be one of the biggest leadership positions a human can take on. my parents did a great job, and i just hope others will do just as well.
wow. what a sappy blog my end turned out to be. how very un-teen like. but i think too many teens dont appreciate everything their parents do for them, but as for me, im saying “hats off to mama and daddy!”
GEEZ: With the Holiday Travel Season upon us, I think it is only appropriate to focus a moment on the bane (or one of them) of air travel these days. Specifically, airport security. To set the tone for this, perhaps we should reflect for a moment upon a portion of Emma Lazarus’ famous poem, “The New Colossus.”
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless tempest-tost to me…
This fairly describes the state of air travel in the U.S. today, and can imagine the airlines finishing the sentence in the poem with something like, …..and we will chew you up, lose your baggage and starve you along the way with a great big smile and a bubbye for you when you get off our plane if you are lucky…”
When you go through airport security on a busy travel day, don’t you sometime feel like the “huddled masses?” And what about all the bad breath and the smelly feet of the teeming masses? I’m getting a gag reflex just writing about it; which brings me to the point of this airport security ramble and that is; Fast Actin Tinactin, Odor Eaters, and Tic Tacs.
You see, for years, I’ve thought they could spruce up and make the user experience at airport security by having the folks at Tinactin, Doctor Scholls and Tic Tac pay some big corporate marketing bucks to pay to re-design the “user experience” in security, but most importantly, to do some major product sampling. Their are very few things in life more offensive than having to watch thousands of people take off their smelly shoes and then walk with their sweaty athletic feet through the x-ray machine. Talk about a biology experiment. I know the airports are propogating, contaging, coating convering, and thoroughly spreading the nastiness and plague of athletes foot across America.
And for goodness sake, everyone who goes through security should have the benefit of a Tic Tac. I had a friend who used to say, “with that breath, you could knock a buzzard off a gut wagon.” And I’m telling you, airplanes are filled with buzzards these days. Everyone of them should be given a few Tic Tacs on their way through security.
I think this brilliant marketing scheme would go a long way toward happier holidays, healthier citizenry, internationl relations and world peace.
You know, Harry Reed would make a good spokesperson for this campaign and in fact, maybe he could support some legislation to forward this motion. Or at least implement it at the Capitol.
I wonder how the youth of today view airport security? ChiQ?
ChiQ: well ive done airport security more than several thousands of times. as Geezer knows, my dear old dad used to work for an airline, which enabled us to fly for free and travel A LOT. i pretty much grew up on an airplane. but the part i always, always dread is the security. mines less about hygiene (although i will talk about that a bit later) and more about the agony of waiting in the long lines, the stress of having to remember so many things, and the terror that the buzzer might go off as you walk through, delaying you even further and possibly making you miss your flight. and dont get me started about the “random safety checks”. is it just me, or does someone in your family CONstantly seem to get picked for those “random checks”. they just lump on the stress levels of getting to the gate and boarding the plane.
now, waiting in line is a big issue for me. im a normally patient person, but thats when i can have something to do, like read a book or listen to my ipod. i could sit there for hours. but u cant do that in a line. theres only enuf time to make u seriously annoyed.
then theres the issue of your belongings. ive gotten so where i plan my outfits for flying strategically so that i dont have to take off belts, jewelery, and wrestle with my shoes. i always feel so awkward once i get my things but having to stand there for what seems to be 10 million years re-dressing myself. and also knowing that every second u spend re-dressing, there is probably someone behind you, tapping their foot with impatience and waiting for you to finish.
lastly, theres the hygiene issue. i mean come on. use some deodorant for crying out loud. or wear less perfume! its common courtesy. or at least wear socks if you have some sort of foot disease. i remember last year going through security with my grandmother (nana). i had on flip flops for optimal ease going through security. yet nana inSISted that i wear socks going through security. which meant that i had to take my flip flops off and put on the socks right before i went through, and remove the socks and put my shoes back on afterwards, all while my family waited with impatience.
in essence, airport security sucks. i hate it. it makes the whole flying experience much less enjoyable, and i agree with Geezer that something needs to be done. who agrees???
GEEZ: Hey ChiQ. Let me lay this one on you. I have this theory that the language of text messaging evolved out of the Valley in the 1980s. What thinks you?
ChiQ: hahahaha classic. i wholeheartedly agree. except for now instead of people just saying it as, like, totally a joke (haha) people actually talk like that. which is kinda sad. BUT personally i like it better than say, how they talked in the 1800′s. at least this is entertaining. speaking old english is like speaking chinese! its like now we have an entire generation of valley girls….except….oh wait….thats my generation….does that make me a valley girl? what do ya’ll think?
