Red Letter Day

Well Inauguration Day comes but once every four years in America. That is when we swear in a newly elected President. It may be a new person to the role or a re-elected President continuing on for his or her second term in office. This time it is a new person in the presidency.

New in more than one sense. That is the problem we face as Americans this time around. For the last eight years we had our first African-American president. This time most of us thought we would be swearing in our very first woman president. Well that isn’t happening.

What is happening is far different than a vast majority of Americans thought would be happening. A person – another male – will be sworn in but he represents something extraordinarily odd. Here are some of the markers:

·         Rich, or so he says

·         Smart, or so he says

·         Powerful, or so he says

·         Problem solver, or so he says

·         International peacemaker, or so he says

The person doing the talking is not a writer, reader, student or knowledge person. His education is of questionable credentials if not outright lowest common denominator. We know nothing of his arts and intellectual interests – or gifts, for that matter. He is on the surface just what he says he is.

Is that good enough? I don’t think so.

This is not about an election. This is about hiring the best person for a very important job. A job each of us in the USA relies on for safety, hope, vision, leadership and long term focus. The resume of the current president-elect is not full enough or shared deeply enough for any of us to make a decision about his hireability. As a matter of fact I would not hire him based on what little I know of his background. Neither would most of you.

That’s a fact. Being a self proclaimed billionaire is not a resume item. In fact there is no proof that he is a billionaire. Rich, yes; fabulously rich? No. No proof. No balance sheets. No tax returns. Bottom line – no documentation whatever proving he is a billionaire.

But even if he did prove that as fact, there are all the other aspects of his background that still need vetting before making a hiring decision.

Such aspects include these:

·         Sensitivity and respect for all people living within our borders

·         Hope and vision for world peace and respect for the processes and values that acquire it

·         Value of history and the struggles that have brought mankind to its present place; how then to proceed with respect for all that has preceded us

·         Respect for education, science and logic that help mankind understand its potential and problems as well as recognize the tools to use to solve important issues

·         Basic respect for justice and fairness among all people wherever they reside on the globe

·         An openness to possibility and discovery wherever it may be

The only aspect that we might find helpful in the role of president is success in making workable deals. I think the current president-elect has that aspect covered. It doesn’t inform us, however, to whose benefit the deal applies? To the American people or to the primary stakeholders in the business firm? The latter is not what America is about. Nor should it be. My position here is not anti business; it is anti self dealing and anti greed.

The presidency is about much higher ideals than those trumpeted by the president-elect. Those are not in evidence from this person. My conclusion is this is a bad hire and ought not be consummated.

I’m just saying…  Pray people. Pray!

January 20, 2017