The Political Front with Douglas CastleDear Readers:
At present, the President of the United States is receiving a lesson in dilutive compromise -- that special effect which happens to any idea, invention or legislative bill when an inharmonious group of individual decisionmakers are much more myopically focused on their respective interests, agendas and politics than they are in the economic well-being of the people whom they are supposed to protect. And while Mr. Obama learns this horrifying lesson first-hand, the United States plummets deeper and deeper into a shattering economic depression. An economic stimulus package is undeniably needed - that part is unanimous - but just what "package" will emerge after this originally well-intentioned beast has run the gauntlet of Washingtonian politics as usual is not looking like anything like any reasonable person's idea of a Silver Bullet. In fact, the package (or rather the bill being discussed in the Legislature) is mutating in the womb as I write this.
The analogy is that the highly-compensated gods atop Mount Olympus are busily hosing each other while we mere mortals down below, all but forgotten, are being consumed in an uncontrollable fire. And the fire is growing in its intensity and destroying every object in its path. The blaze is out of control.
In properly-focused networking, teambuilding and policymaking, all parties involved 1) share a common vision; 2) share a measurable common goal; and 3) have a personal opportunity to reap some political, emotional or financial gain, but without conflict with the group's vision. If any of these three elements are missing, you have a recipe for slow-cooked compost.
Despite Mr. Obama's apparent good intentions; despite the desperate need for the government to take a definitive, leadership role in the shoring up of a dangerously failed economy; despite the time sensitivity of the mission at hand; despite the manpower and might behind this legislative C-Section effort; and despite the growing list of economic casualities in this fiery meltdown -- there is no plan, there is no bill and there is no concensus.
Sadly, our legislators are suffering from some conditions that are rendering them unable to unite and draft needed legislation:
1. They are well-paid, and do not relate to the problems faced by their constituents;
2. They have wonderful job security, without an assessment of performance, or a requirement to actually "produce" anything;
3. They put partisan politics and special interests ahead of the welfare of the State;
4. They do things to impede the success of adversaries, instead of reaching a status of cooperation in order to put their grudges aside and work in concert;
5. They do not understand the causality of the problem, do not share a vision of how to solve it, and they do not have a defined set of goals toward which a stimulus package would work;
6. They enjoy showing power by slowing the process until such time as their personal agendas and pet projects are incorporated into any programs;
7. There is no personal incentive to any of them to actually help solve the problem. They represent their respective parties, their favorite lobbyists, and simply enjoy a chance to find fault with the ideas of others instead of proposing solutions.
In brief, all three vital elements for effective teamwork and decisionmaking are completely missing from the legislative stimulus plan proceedings. It takes a good team, as well as a good leader to produce effective legislation. I am not certain that we have either of these.
When and if this bastardized, compromised, pork-stuffed patchwork behemoth of a bill emerges, it will likely be 1) unintelligible; 2) non-economically stimulating, and 3) filled with financial patronage and inflationary waste.
But then, I tend to be an optimist.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle,
THE POLITICAL FRONT
for THE NATIONAL NETWORKER
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THE POLITICAL FRONT: The "Stimulus" Package - A Study In Self - Interest.
