The Monster in the White House

No not the President -- the Situation Room!

The monster lurks - silent and invisible; slowly working is terrible effect on the people living and working in the White House. Call it the "Military/Political /Diplomatic Mindset." The cultural stew into which the newly elected President is thrown -- to continually marinate while surrendering any conflicting attitude or character trait.

Consider -- the President might be a nice, thoughtful, educated and well intentioned guy from Chicago. OK, he wants to "spread the wealth around," but he's still not an evil being. Yet even before he's elected, the Secret Service envelopes him in a cloud of protective security. And while it protects his person, it also begins to numb his creativity and any consideration that there are ways of using power other than those which are presented by the Military/Political/Diplomatic Mindset. Once in office, the "Man with the Football" is within a few yards at all times -- to say nothing of the detachment of Full Dress Marine Guards, saluting regularly. He is after all, Commander in Chief.

These realities alone would be enough to influence the perspective of a Zen Monk, let alone a freshman party politician from the south side.

Add to this the elimination of access to friends, former colleagues and everyday conversations (both personal and overheard...) at Starbucks. But this is only the beginning.

Next step on the road to complete unreality is the descent into hell -- the Situation Room.

"Something has Happened -- Somewhere in the World" and it has created a "Situation." Some crazed jiihadist Mullah has instigated a plan and blown up a building using a mind-blown illiterate mule with a C-4 suppository. Within hours, the A Team has assembled in the Situation Room to "Present the Options" to the President. He leaves the residence, walks down to the West Wing basement, paying no attention to the attentive staff, or hovering aides. He presents his palm to the ID system, enters the room and waits while the entire team "Stands to Attention." The Freshman Senator has come a long way via a family home in Chicago, thru a bachelor apartment in Washington, to the Oval Office -- and it has changed him -- so much so that he doesn't blink an eye at the room full of brass standing and waiting to present the options on his order.

At his nod, the presentation begins. "Mr. President, Something has happened. Here's the What, Why and How. Here's how it got past us. (Later we'll get to who screwed up...) Here's what we suggest by way of response. These are the options."

How will he react to a room full of experienced Military/Political/Diplomatic hands -- in full uniform -- suggesting three potential options? Will he say, "No?" Would you?

He will do something. And that "Something" will have been conceived and suggested by the Military/Political/Diplomatic machinery of the White House. Not one of the professionals in the room will suggest that the mighty United States do something simple or inexpensive. Nobody in the Situation Room will observe that bombs, aircraft, weapons and money cannot eliminate poverty and ignorance or educate women in Afghanistan -- because The Monster doesn't trade in education. The Monster serves itself -- and it bends all of us to its' will. The Monster also has a powerful knee jerk reaction to provocation -- the tendency to see everything through its own lens of Military/Political/Diplomatic intervention. The choices to do nothing; to not intervene or to intervene with food, agriculture and education are not going to be presented.

The Proposition here is that the system may well be the real enemy. The system reduces a quiet, introspective, soulful guy to "a Maker of Choices" among the options the system manufactures. He's proud and excited about "being in charge," yet he doesn't realize that he's already been digested. The system sees "problems" in the world and the system proposes solutions. As the system continues promoting itself, the potential opportunity for creativity and real cultural evolution is the latest victim of The Monster in the White House.

Confusion in the Promised Land

Growing up, I celebrated the Fourth of July with flags on my handlebars. The culture -- outlined from stories told at school, at home, on the National Holidays, at my father's knee; examining his Army uniform and building a frame for his medals -- was a culture of great freedom/ balanced with great responsibility. We were free to pursue our happiness -- but we had to finance it on our own, while we discharged our responsibilities. We were free to have fun in our spare time.

People fought for this! Died for this. So take care of everything, family self, health, home, neighborhood, community -- then knock yourself out! Have a ball! Run, Compete, Do a Shakespeare Play, become a politician. this is America! But the underlying cultural structure was not license or entitlement. It was anything you can afford with your allowance or what you can earn selling papers and pizzas. Freedom AND Responsibility.

I got through college -- Mom and I managed that. Her with a secretarial job and me selling shoes. Her duty was to her child and my duty was to keep her trust and become a big success. A Deal! And it worked! It does work. Thirty years later, I can verify that everything I was taught, worked like a charm.

Now I'm pushing sixty. And I don't see the duty, the decorum, the dedication or the sense of community and responsibility that so characterized my growing up time. Perhaps we've lost our commitment to anything we have, do or create together. The individual freedoms that made it possible for me to realize my dreams seem to have allowed our "nation" to evolve into a "rabble" of self absorbed individuals -- all with their hands out. And the political class seems to be pandering to the consideration that the people have the freedom and the government has the responsibility to support jobs, insurance, law enforcement and global democracy for everyone on the planet. It'll never work. The current model has separated the two bookends which together make for a meaningful life, family, community and country. Freedom and responsibility -- the two things have to come in a matched set -- living in the heart of each individual.

I hold these truths to be self-evident:

1. There's not enough money in the world for everyone to have everything they want, not even everything they need. It's a tough world out there, and it is the enterprising, aggressive and untiring few who will win the the biggest prizes.

2. The political class does not create anything! The politicians take through taxes -- from those who created wealth. Politicians are catering to the mistaken beliefs of the electorate. They are not being responsible, because we are not being responsible. You can't have what you did not earn. (Even if you steal it, you won't be able to keep it...) This crazy, irresponsible political class will prove that you can bankrupt the United States.

3. It won't go away until we make it go away. Nobody else is responsible for our lack of community. We have to start right here in our own homes and neighborhoods, to re-create the kinds of communities we desire.

I believe that those of us old enough to remember these realities should perhaps shoulder the burden of teaching what we know to be true to our children and our neighbors... one last time before we lay aside the burden and leave for the far shore.

Define "Recovery"

Everyone's positively perky about our prospects of late.

"Recovery in Bloom!"

Let's define our terms.

My portfolio is still short of two years ago. Our business is in reduced circumstances. The town is overspent. Mom is still retired and living on her portfolio returns -- a little less well of late. Real Estate is upside down here. The bank teller is working through her lawsuit with the builder from whom she bought two condos pre-construction in hopes of flipping them at the close. Instead, she's attempting to void the contract and save her home. The nation is in debt, and issuing bonds to pay. Our clients are in shock, and plainly "mental."

Personal, Professional, Local, State, Federal -- all in very different; but drmatically reduced circumstances.

So this is "Recovery."

I'm really looking forward to "Robust Health!"