A CEO as President

Though I know there is an unemployment problem, but I’m sure I’m not the only one in America that works for a large publicly-traded company. After that debate - all of them, really - I want to say what I think we’re all thinking…

I feel very fortunate that I’ve worked under (way, way under) a few very impressive CEOs. I think that they’ve done as much right in their jobs as is humanly possible. But would that make any of them a good president? In my personal case maybe, because I work in a science-based industry. But let’s just say in general, Does being a CEO predispose you to be a good president?

Here’s the thing: there is no way to layoff someone from being an American Citizen. There is a permanence to that that cannot be overcome. The job of the President must act both for the Greater Good, but also on behalf of every single citizen. Though unfortunate, in a company, if times get tight or if there is a strategic advantage, people can get laid off. Research budgets can be cut, too. There are other things as well, such as not investing in growth (or even in maintenance, if you must) and even cutting production. When those things happen, the displaced workers are supported by the USA and the safety net.

So what happens when the thing you’re running is the very thing that is the safety net? As I said, you can’t layoff an American Citizen.

So can a CEO be a good president? Of course. This is America. Any one of us can grow up to be President. But do you have an indispensable skill having been a CEO that nobody else could ever have? No, I don’t think so.

The Method

As we sneak up on the last of the three presidential debates, I think of one horrible fact that has not yet soiled the high-minded speeches we’ve endured for the last two years: what happens when we all refuse to work together?

Let me get something out of the way right now: this little epistle is going to look like I’m attacking Republicans if you, dear reader, don’t make it all the way to the end. The fact that I feel compelled to say that is just one little proof of the situation we’re in. So let’s get to it.

Here are some very recent political memories of mine, in no particular order. I remember this thing called the Nuclear Option in the Senate. This is when the Republicans held the Senate and because they didn’t like the Democrats stopping some of their bills with filibuster, they proposed getting rid of the filibuster entirely, giving the majority ultimate control with a simple majority (the way the House works). It was clear that the Republicans, then in the majority, did not have any interest in working with Democrats. So fast forward to now, with the Republicans now in the minority, they’ve filibustered a lot of what the Democrats have tried to do. Further, the House, which is still Republican controlled, has done little. Period. So in a minority, the Republicans don’t seem to have any interest in working with the Democrats.

Is this a one party problem? I’ll say not right now. I think that any group of people could become sufficiently contrary, regardless of their ideals, to stop our government from doing anything well. And that’s a real heck of a problem if there isn’t any way to get beyond the moment in time when one group has reared up and decided to hold everyone else hostage. There’s a way, though. It’s rough, but it’s a path.

Here’s the deal: until we finally burn up all the oil in the ground, melt the ice caps, create a super virus that will kill us all, or get hit by a meteor, we can hope that we have time. So we take that time to have the government do nothing. But I mean do nothing on purpose. Regardless of what side of the spectrum you’re on today, you have to be able to see that the government is not solving the big problems. When we can see that, we all scream at the top of our lungs “STOP!” Every person in government is suspended for one year, no bills can be passed, and the military takes over ruling the country. As the military, they do only the basics, like defense and infrastructure. All social security and the like is also suspended for a year. Along with the mail. Then, after one year, everyone that was in office goes back for the remainder of their term and we keep going from there. During that time, all taxes that are collected (the IRS functions can be performed by the military) go directly to the national debt.

Or maybe we can do something else. Maybe as we go into this election, we vote for sensible people that are more concerned with having a functioning government than having a government that functions exactly the way his fundamental beliefs tells him it should. I’m sure there is at least one sensible person in most congressional races (though we lost some like Sen. Lugar to the primaries). And I think our current president has shown that he is, at least, practical.

Or we can do the military rule thing… either ours or the one that takes us over because we can’t be trusted with big decisions anymore.

Wants and Fears

Have you noticed that there are political campaigns everywhere these days? They tell me that there are a lot of things to be afraid of today. Like the economy. Man, that thing is scary. It seems that it is the most pervasive thing in existence. Seems to mean more to us than air, water and love. This thing can completely ruin my life if it's allowed to do so. It can do it whether or not I personally make it mad. However, even if I do everything I can for it, it may not reward me with riches, but merely a normal life. I'm afraid of the economy.
Then there are radicals. These people are terrifying. Get this: they base their lives off of beliefs that have no way to be proven right or wrong. They just believe something - maybe it's something they find comforting or maybe it's something they themselves are afraid of - and they let it drive everything in their lives. They protest, burn, marry, kill, and lie based on these beliefs. And I hear they have them outside of America, too. I'm afraid of radicals.

I want to be happy. To be happy, I first must just be. I can't be happy if I'm not alive. I want clean air, fresh water, a functioning sewer, and booze. Those things are all at risk. I'm not even saying I want progress. I don't want cleaner air and fresher water. I'm saying simply that we can't let any more slip away. But it slips further and further into disrepair as the economy and radicals make us more and more afraid. I'm afraid of being afraid any longer.