Calvin Coolidge said, "After all, the chief business of the American people is business." That has never been truer than today. We live in a transactional culture, pure and simple. Therefore, I believe it would help us to think of this national election as if we, the people, were hiring a President/CEO of USA, Inc.
In the 21st century, our country is much more like a mega-size corporation than it is the idealistic land of the free, home of the brave, let the eagle soar iconography of song and story. If we are going to survive in this extraordinarily competitive and evolving global economy, we must integrate into government the best practices of the business world or we will continue to be shouldered out of the limelight on the world’s economic stage.
If we look at our country in more business-like terms, it will allow us to evaluate better what is and what isn’t working, much in the same way that General Motors, Citigroup, Wal-Mart, and IBM evaluate their business plans and analyze their balance sheets. For these American giants, it’s all about shareholder value -- growth, profit and a significant return on the investment to the stockholders.
So, in our hiring phase for USA, Inc., we’ve narrowed our choice down to two candidates for the position of President/CEO. In their job interviews, we must demand that they be asked tough, specific questions about how they are going to pull our country out of the sea of red ink in which we are drowning.
Each citizen is a stockholder in this extraordinary enterprise, and therefore shares our debt. The questions we need answered by our aspirants must detail how they are going to deal with what is a staggering $9.65 trillion (yes, that’s trillion) dollar debt that is growing daily. I realize some economists say that number is manageable relative to our Gross Domestic Product, which was $13.7 trillion in 2007. Well, my common sense tells me it’s going to have to come from somewhere. We need real answers on how they are going to approach balancing the books.
Just like GM is having to re-tool after investing so self-servingly in low-mileage SUV’s and their ilk, the USA, Inc., has underinvested in its infrastructure and must begin building, rebuilding and maintaining our highway system, bridges, dams, and levees. This takes money. Big money. Additionally, our educational system, healthcare and energy security all will require massive infusion of funds. More money. We’re in an elective foreign war with no clear end in sight and our military is going to have to be rebuild, nearly from the ground up. Even more money.
Additionally, we have unfunded or underfunded entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid that many folks say could bankrupt our country. Former United States Comptroller David Walker is not alone in his belief that our fiscal politics are crippling our country and could devastate our economy.
So, what is your business plan, Mr. President/CEO candidate, for dealing with our debt and getting our country moving toward solvency again?
We’re not asking for homilies or for you to patronize and pander to your bases. We want to be spoken to as adults. We know there are going to be some difficult choices to come and we all are going to have to make shared sacrifices. Be up-front with us.
I assure you we are going to hold you answerable. We citizen/stockholders are going to demand accountability for all the tax dollars we will be investing in your vision, each according to his or her means. You must not waste our resources; you must not squander our treasure. We, the people, are willing to invest if there is a sane and sober rationale for the expenditure and a reasonable expectation of a return on that investment. Lay out your plans before us and we will decide on which of you to hire.
We must demand the same of our President/CEO’s board of directors, those politicians who are asking to be hired for the Senate and House of Representatives. Let us look for those who will put the interests of USA, Inc. as a whole above self-serving earmarks.
I will write more in future columns on questions I believe our applicants for these important jobs must answer clearly and cogently. I invite your feedback and suggestions. This is our country. We cannot expect them to be accountable to us unless we demand it of them.
Dennis Tardan is a communications coach, empowerment trainer, and professional speaker who lives in Victoria, Texas. His company is Tardan Professional Development www.tardanprodev.com. Write to Dennis at .
