SINthysist
Rural Racist Homophobe
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2001
- Posts
- 11,940
Boot's Blasts
Wednesday, June 12, 2002
A LYING CULTURE
Notice the steadily declining stock markets and wonder “why” when almost all the emerging economic data indicates a rapidly recovering economy?
And do you notice the sudden spate of terrorist warnings that the federal government issues daily – with everything from scuba divers, apartment-renters and private pilots all being mentioned? Who are next – ballroom dancing instructors and dental hygienists?
Here is what may be going on – in our economy and in our culture:
1) Investors do not know whom they can trust anymore. Can you blame them? Virtually every day we hear of another crooked CEO being led off in cuffs. Since the Enron debacle of last year, it seems that we are all looking at corporate management differently. Just last week the former head of Tyco was arrested for cheating on sales tax on art he purchased.
2) The accounting problem – a major aspect of Enronitis - seems to have ‘infected’ the entire business world. Standards of honesty and objectivity have become so blurred that no one trusts the numbers anymore. And if you can’t trust the numbers how can you make an investment decision?
3) The daily revelations that indeed agencies of the U.S. Government had clues well before September 11 that, had they been properly analyzed, may have prevented the attacks have caused many to lose faith in those agencies. Thus the new ‘re-organization’ plan announced last week by President Bush. This plan will do nothing to change the quality of the analysis – or to improve the honesty of the leaders of those agencies. It is really just a PR move to make Washington look “on top of the situation.”
4) How can we have faith in CIA Director Tenet or FBI Director Mueller when they have both been ‘hiding’ these reports for eight months? Mueller actually – beginning on 9/14 - denied that the FBI knew things which he darn well knew was not true. And Tenet’s CIA has been a failure for years. He only cares about keeping his job.
5) The spate of new ‘terror warnings’ – which are scaring investors and hurting the markets – are a direct response to the ‘cover-up’ charge. The administration has decided to dump out each and every report - no matter how skimpy the evidence - to combat charges of holding back anything.
6) As much as the 9/11 attacks showed our vulnerability to well-planned suicide hijackings, the other Big Story is that the moral responsibility of our leaders – both in government and in business – has been hijacked by greed and career-preservation. Lying – to save one’s job and to hide ill-gotten gains – is now commonplace.
We started down this seedy road a long time ago. Vince Lombardi’s oft-quoted statement – “winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” – has permeated too many ambitious people today. In both politics and business the bottom line is “winning” – as defined not by doing a good job - but by getting richer or getting re-elected or re-appointed.
The two elections of Bill Clinton only solidified in our culture the acceptance of lying as a way of doing business. So-called ‘educated’ people marveled at his lies and how he survived them. They were only furthering the notion that if you can get away with something then you have done a great job!
Hillary’s election in New York continued to show that we have become a nation enamored of celebrity – and accepting of lies, cover-ups and unmitigated greed.
Until we reverse this ‘culture of lying’ we are going to be a society in decline.
We cannot be Ronald Reagan’s Shining City on a Hill until we clean out this rotten morality and replace it with the old stalwarts: 1) pride in a job well-done, regardless of consequences; 2) shame for lying; 3) placing standing up for what is right over short-term consequences; 4) caring less about yourself and more for those you are responsible for; 5) your word is your “bond.”
Old fashioned stuff?
You bet.
7:01 AM
http://leboutillier.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, June 12, 2002
A LYING CULTURE
Notice the steadily declining stock markets and wonder “why” when almost all the emerging economic data indicates a rapidly recovering economy?
And do you notice the sudden spate of terrorist warnings that the federal government issues daily – with everything from scuba divers, apartment-renters and private pilots all being mentioned? Who are next – ballroom dancing instructors and dental hygienists?
Here is what may be going on – in our economy and in our culture:
1) Investors do not know whom they can trust anymore. Can you blame them? Virtually every day we hear of another crooked CEO being led off in cuffs. Since the Enron debacle of last year, it seems that we are all looking at corporate management differently. Just last week the former head of Tyco was arrested for cheating on sales tax on art he purchased.
2) The accounting problem – a major aspect of Enronitis - seems to have ‘infected’ the entire business world. Standards of honesty and objectivity have become so blurred that no one trusts the numbers anymore. And if you can’t trust the numbers how can you make an investment decision?
3) The daily revelations that indeed agencies of the U.S. Government had clues well before September 11 that, had they been properly analyzed, may have prevented the attacks have caused many to lose faith in those agencies. Thus the new ‘re-organization’ plan announced last week by President Bush. This plan will do nothing to change the quality of the analysis – or to improve the honesty of the leaders of those agencies. It is really just a PR move to make Washington look “on top of the situation.”
4) How can we have faith in CIA Director Tenet or FBI Director Mueller when they have both been ‘hiding’ these reports for eight months? Mueller actually – beginning on 9/14 - denied that the FBI knew things which he darn well knew was not true. And Tenet’s CIA has been a failure for years. He only cares about keeping his job.
5) The spate of new ‘terror warnings’ – which are scaring investors and hurting the markets – are a direct response to the ‘cover-up’ charge. The administration has decided to dump out each and every report - no matter how skimpy the evidence - to combat charges of holding back anything.
6) As much as the 9/11 attacks showed our vulnerability to well-planned suicide hijackings, the other Big Story is that the moral responsibility of our leaders – both in government and in business – has been hijacked by greed and career-preservation. Lying – to save one’s job and to hide ill-gotten gains – is now commonplace.
We started down this seedy road a long time ago. Vince Lombardi’s oft-quoted statement – “winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” – has permeated too many ambitious people today. In both politics and business the bottom line is “winning” – as defined not by doing a good job - but by getting richer or getting re-elected or re-appointed.
The two elections of Bill Clinton only solidified in our culture the acceptance of lying as a way of doing business. So-called ‘educated’ people marveled at his lies and how he survived them. They were only furthering the notion that if you can get away with something then you have done a great job!
Hillary’s election in New York continued to show that we have become a nation enamored of celebrity – and accepting of lies, cover-ups and unmitigated greed.
Until we reverse this ‘culture of lying’ we are going to be a society in decline.
We cannot be Ronald Reagan’s Shining City on a Hill until we clean out this rotten morality and replace it with the old stalwarts: 1) pride in a job well-done, regardless of consequences; 2) shame for lying; 3) placing standing up for what is right over short-term consequences; 4) caring less about yourself and more for those you are responsible for; 5) your word is your “bond.”
Old fashioned stuff?
You bet.
7:01 AM
http://leboutillier.blogspot.com/
