It was a different time, a different place

In the pale moon of 2009, I drift off and recall a different era. A time when challenges were met head on and a simple nod and handshake were enough to forge ahead. The pastel memories are oh-so vivid and yet in-truth, a dalliance with the past that forces me to admit I come from a different time, a different place.

I will spare you the clever commentaries or quaint references and instead put my cards on the table. The "different time, different place" I come from is similar to the one you are standing on now, except it was built upon unyielding principles, of honour and yes leadership. Oddly it might be the "same place" but it is anything but the same mindset.

Brokaw's greatest generation, is now only a faint memory, far too few in political office and even fewer given the respect they damn well deserve in my opinion. Their curriculum vitae was unlike those of today as they didn't table grandiose University degree's but spoke in terms of accomplishments, of winning battles both figuratively and literally but always with the firm understanding of honour, commitment and loyalty. This so-called modern culture has turned the tables on history and where experience was once a mandate of leadership, now a bit of gray is a sign to head to the pasture for a fresh new look with some quaint marketing hype behind it.

Inherent to this different time, different place was that it built leaders. Sometimes bold, sometimes brash but the types who knew that to get the tough job done, you might need to roll the sleeves up and get a morsel dirty. It mes amis is not an easy walk being a leader. It involves taking of the mantle of responsibility in the darkest hour, when the task is great and storms winds are blowing. Leadership does not mean telling people what they want to hear but leaving great footprints for others to follow.

And that is precisely what has been missing for roughly the last twenty years. While there have been a few who have made the attempt, they unfortunately have fallen victim to the media machine and left the pretenders to grind much of the world downward.

During the pep-rally politics of the last election where policies were never discussed, I made the conscious decision to sit on the sidelines. To observe the public with a hopeful eye that they would make their decision based upon facts, cold hard facts. I was disappointed as my hopes for a unified country went astray for what is likely one of the most divisive campaigns ever run only to be matched in disappointment with an endless series of tactical stumbles by the new administration. Results of the election were secondary to me because in-fact the nation was the problem as it didn't ask questions and responded to the Pavlovian marketing approach.

Now as the hazy summer lists on, the economy is lost at sea. Deny it if you like or even shout out the latest announcement from the public relations department because if this was a cruising ship, the rats would be treading water by now. Lacking direction, unemployment is soaring to the point that some states are nearing the levels of the Great Depression. Proposed tax changes are a blueprint for failure and virtually forcing many to reconsider where they live and what the long term impact of the mismanaged infrastructure will leave in its wake. The populist revolt is well underway and while few seem to fret over tax rates of over 58% for NYC residents earning seven figures plus, let me tell you when you destroy incentive, money flows out and trust me, it will flow out at levels you cannot imagine. On the left coast, the once brilliant Golden State has long since lost its luster and few seem to point out that the state that once had the nations finest educational system is now dead last, effectively sealing its fate in the coming decades. It may lack sex appeal to a dumbed-down generation that needs to be spoon-fed in one-hundred forty character messages but if you want to seal your fate, pull funding from education and the arts. That is bankable and has been since the dawn of time.

So where is the leadership in the country? Where are the leaders to drive forward higher learning to ensure economic competitiveness, to push into high speed mass transit or the needed infrastructure to return manufacturing to the country. Simply said, there are no leaders and the pretenders on both sides of the aisle are too busy launching early volleys into the campaign trail. While the new administrations Health care plan is proposed, few are truly debating its impact, discussing the massive impact on taxation or for that matter considering if it will satisfy its goal or merely plunge the country into a deeper cesspool of debt. Unfortunately what is being done by elected officials is not act on behalf of the voting public but instead use this as a grandstand issue, to lobby within the media or for that matter as the President Barack Obama did, ask high-profile bloggers to help his administration in winning public support for the bill.

Per his invitation-only conference call the president said:

"It is important just to keep the pressure on members of Congress because what happens is there is a default position of inertia here in Washington. And pushing against that, making sure that people feel that the desperation that ordinary families are feeling all across the country, every single day, when they are worrying about whether they can pay their premiums or not... People have to feel that in a visceral way. And you guys can help deliver that better than just about anybody.

"I know the blogs are best at debunking myths that can slip through a lot of the traditional media outlets. And that is why you are going to play such an important role in our success in the weeks to come."

While appalling on many levels, including soliciting the media for direct assistance to sell the public on the bill, it is another shot from the cannon that leadership has long since left the building.

This is neither an opinion on the bill, health care reform, the pathetic nature of journalism or even the tactical approach of the Presidential office but instead it is a rallying cry. Not withstanding this bill, learn the facts through independent and professional journalists but most of all, insist on leadership. Leaders who know the tough fight and don't need clever slogans or scripted events to get the tough job done. Leadership does not mean telling people what they want to hear but leaving great footprints for others to follow. Leave great footprints.