Politics

I watch the killing that’s taking place around the world and ask myself why? How can someone be so intolerant that they can kill another person over their beliefs? How can someone be so angry that they’re willing to take the life of an innocent child to advance a cause? How can someone be so confused that they refuse to honor and value a life? There’s no simple answer to the horrific crisis that we face, but I’m convinced that a contributing factor is the poisoning of our minds. We are bombarded with hatred, intolerance, and violence every day. The entertainment industry incorporates hate, intolerance, and violence into movies, music, comedy routines, and video games in order to increase sales.    Read more…

Like me, many Americans are awakened at night by anxiety: We’re worried about the future, whether we’ll have jobs tomorrow, whether our families are safe, how the debt and deficit will affect our country’s global competitiveness, and about the world that we’re leaving to our children. While health care, the deficit, nuclear proliferation, and unemployment are among the top issues of the day, trust between our leaders and the American people is surely the foremost issue of our times. How much time do politicians spend measuring their words, covering their behinds or plotting against the opposing party rather than doing the people’s work? It’s no wonder that their actions encourage cynicism, apathy, and anger among Americans. If we can’t trust    Read more…

The responsibility of a leader is to lead. (What a concept.) The fact is, some leaders are causing irreparable damage to great institutions by shirking their responsibilities. They’re afraid to address difficult issues, make tough decisions, and introduce the change that’s required to achieve long-term success. Instead, these “counterfeit leaders” spend much of their time playing politics, protecting their turf, and promoting their self-interests. To make matters worse, counterfeit leaders, in both public and private sectors, often masquerade as positive role models while condoning unethical or irresponsible behavior that undermines the very foundation of their institution. With full complicity, we reward these misguided efforts by electing politicians for “life” and by paying executives zillions of dollars to damage the same organizations    Read more…