I feel hopeful that with The Rupert Murdoch News of the World story, and the expanded reporting in newspapers including the Sacramento Bee, of misdeeds by local and state governmental officials -- change may be in the air. My optimistic side feels as if this could be a start to the pendulum beginning ever so slowly the shift back to honesty and integrity in our corporations and government.
The Rupert Murdoch story is particularly interesting as it shows us how pervasive the connections and corruption was/is. It reached all the way to the Prime Minister, Scotland Yard, the Wall Street Journal and Fox News. In fact this morning it was reported that Fox News was trying to lobby New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to run for President. One reporter even wrote that News of the World operated like an organized crime syndicate.
This incident has allowed us insight as to all the many organizations/people at the very highest level of government that were compromisable and compromised. Incredulously those that were sworn to protect -- police and watchdog organizations, were also involved. Do we truly think that the United States or California is any different? I don't think so.
Individuals who are honest and have integrity don't make it to positions of influence or power anymore. Nearly all of our businesses and governmental organizations are run by people who are all about money -- the mean green. We need to bring another reward system back -- ethics, morality, patriotism, some non-commercial human thing--that prevents this destructive and self serving behavior by our leaders.
How about leaders feeling a sense of self-satisfaction that they have done a job well done? How about that they feel useful to society and that their life has some deeper meaning? How about at the end of the day they can feel good that they have instilled a sense of ethics and morality in their workers which will carry on? How about that?
I have a faint ray of hope because I do believe that morality is built into our human DNA....
More on that subject next week....
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
#20 The World is Upside Down
A few years ago a former co-worker used to say "world is upside down". It was his way of expressing his frustration and disgust with an organizational structure that was no longer working. I came across that same phrase while reading the book "The Big Short" about the collapse of the financial markets. It was used when referring to an out of control Wall Street (before the collapse), in which nothing they were doing made sense.
That is the way that I feel daily as I go about my retired life. I get phone calls from former associates and listen to friends and others who complaint about their out of control, dysfunctional work places. They all ask me questions about what I think about such and such -- I often say that it makes my head hurt. The work world that I knew it for over 40 years no longer makes any sense to me.
Long ago I took an oath of office to the State of California. That meant that I was loyal to the State (department that I worked for) -- not to any specific leader. I was a public servant and I took that responsibility seriously. The public, in some form or other, was paying my wages, and I was responsible (on their behalf) for doing my duties responsibly -- protecting and earning their trust. Those days seem to be a distant memory.
Despite leaders and others signing that same oath, taking a mandatory course and signing a document showing that they have completed ethics training -- to include conflicts of interest -- those documents apparently mean nothing -- just something to sign, file away and ignore. There must be another memo/oath that I missed, one that states the world of state government is your oyster -- make it work for you!
This take what you can get, however you can get it attitude is what is killing government and upsetting the general tax paying public. If the public is served in any meaningful way, it is a happy accident. When employees come forth and speak truth to power, they are vilified, shunned and perhaps even written up and terminated.
Until those politicos, leaders and others that have created and perpetuated this giant debacle (for their own self-serving interest) are held accountable morally, financially and legally, nothing will change. Real change cannot be built on a crumbling foundation. Until that happens, the world will continue to be upside down!
Note: I have been so busy of late -- summer is keeping me way too busy to continue to blog two times a week. Going forward look for my blog on Tuesdays until further notice. And thanks to everyone who is reading -- I greatly appreciate it.
That is the way that I feel daily as I go about my retired life. I get phone calls from former associates and listen to friends and others who complaint about their out of control, dysfunctional work places. They all ask me questions about what I think about such and such -- I often say that it makes my head hurt. The work world that I knew it for over 40 years no longer makes any sense to me.
Long ago I took an oath of office to the State of California. That meant that I was loyal to the State (department that I worked for) -- not to any specific leader. I was a public servant and I took that responsibility seriously. The public, in some form or other, was paying my wages, and I was responsible (on their behalf) for doing my duties responsibly -- protecting and earning their trust. Those days seem to be a distant memory.
Despite leaders and others signing that same oath, taking a mandatory course and signing a document showing that they have completed ethics training -- to include conflicts of interest -- those documents apparently mean nothing -- just something to sign, file away and ignore. There must be another memo/oath that I missed, one that states the world of state government is your oyster -- make it work for you!
This take what you can get, however you can get it attitude is what is killing government and upsetting the general tax paying public. If the public is served in any meaningful way, it is a happy accident. When employees come forth and speak truth to power, they are vilified, shunned and perhaps even written up and terminated.
Until those politicos, leaders and others that have created and perpetuated this giant debacle (for their own self-serving interest) are held accountable morally, financially and legally, nothing will change. Real change cannot be built on a crumbling foundation. Until that happens, the world will continue to be upside down!
Note: I have been so busy of late -- summer is keeping me way too busy to continue to blog two times a week. Going forward look for my blog on Tuesdays until further notice. And thanks to everyone who is reading -- I greatly appreciate it.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
#19 We are All Connected
Shortly after I retired, I decided that I would reconnect with my gardening roots. I signed up for an 18 week gardening class taught by Master Gardeners. I learned about soil composition, water saturation rates, vermiculture and many other useful topics. However, my favorite part of the 18 week class was learning the following:
Master Gardener, Bill Pierce, was telling of a landscaper that had called him and asked if he could be responsible for killing one of the his client's trees. The landscaper had cut down a tree 50 feet away from a healthy but now dying tree. He had put stump killer on the remaining tree stump in order kill it -- and the client was thinking that killing the stump had also killed the tree at the opposite side of his yard. The landscaper wanted to know if this was even possible.
The answer was yes. Trees and other plants with their extensive root systems send out feeder roots that cover quite a distance. These extensive root systems provide water and nutrients to other plants within the vicinity. If one tree takes in water and food, it automatically shares with the other trees and plants. Plants as it turns out, are all interdependent upon one another.
I don't remember too much about all of the rest of the information that I learned -- but this one stuck with me. And I loved it -- that plants are all connected -- just like we humans. We all stand or all fail together -- although at times, it does not feel that way. What is good for one of us is good for all of us.
I think that is what is wrong with our politics, our leaders and sometimes ourselves -- we pretend that we as people are not linked -- we somehow feel that we are better than the next, and they are of no moment to us. But when we look out for one another, help one another, and teach another, we are forming a community of roots that tie us together and make us all strong. When a person (co-worker, family member) starts to falter we collectively help out with our resources and strength. And we are all the better for it. We are all connected -- just like the plants -- whether we like it or not.
It is time that we get back to our roots (literally), and start to live in sync with nature. As the late, great Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in major league baseball said, "A life is not important except the impact it has on the life of others". We should all live by those words.
Master Gardener, Bill Pierce, was telling of a landscaper that had called him and asked if he could be responsible for killing one of the his client's trees. The landscaper had cut down a tree 50 feet away from a healthy but now dying tree. He had put stump killer on the remaining tree stump in order kill it -- and the client was thinking that killing the stump had also killed the tree at the opposite side of his yard. The landscaper wanted to know if this was even possible.
The answer was yes. Trees and other plants with their extensive root systems send out feeder roots that cover quite a distance. These extensive root systems provide water and nutrients to other plants within the vicinity. If one tree takes in water and food, it automatically shares with the other trees and plants. Plants as it turns out, are all interdependent upon one another.
I don't remember too much about all of the rest of the information that I learned -- but this one stuck with me. And I loved it -- that plants are all connected -- just like we humans. We all stand or all fail together -- although at times, it does not feel that way. What is good for one of us is good for all of us.
I think that is what is wrong with our politics, our leaders and sometimes ourselves -- we pretend that we as people are not linked -- we somehow feel that we are better than the next, and they are of no moment to us. But when we look out for one another, help one another, and teach another, we are forming a community of roots that tie us together and make us all strong. When a person (co-worker, family member) starts to falter we collectively help out with our resources and strength. And we are all the better for it. We are all connected -- just like the plants -- whether we like it or not.
It is time that we get back to our roots (literally), and start to live in sync with nature. As the late, great Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in major league baseball said, "A life is not important except the impact it has on the life of others". We should all live by those words.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
#18 Does the Patient Want to be Healed
Several years back when I first discovered that the "patient" (defined as governmental and other institutions), did not want to be healed, I was absolutely aghast. I could not imagine that malfeasance was knowingly being condoned and rewarded. I now understand how naive I was.
While politicos, leaders and others have a vested interest in maintaining this status quo, I suspect the average worker would want the "patient" healed. Employees would like their workplace to make sense. They would like to trust what their leaders are telling them, and be rewarded for their good work. They want to feel like they are part of something good, bigger and outside of themselves. I do believe that humans like (and maybe even need) to feel useful. It is good for our mental well-being.
Despite employees and the general tax paying public wanting change, I personally do not see the "patient" changing without being forced to -- why should they? They enjoy positions of power and adulation, they enjoy controlling people, spinning the facts and figures to suit their needs, and they are rewarded handsomely for doing so.
Someone asked in a comment to this blogsite, "Where does the pathway (to change) start"? And my answer to that is the pathway to change starts with and within each and everyone of us. When large numbers of employees are sick and tired of being sick and tired and they collectively stand up and say ENOUGH -- that is when change will happen.
In Malcolm Gladwell's book "The Tipping Point" he wrote about how there is one defining moment that makes something happen. It can be the last straw, the largest number of protesters ever or something seemingly insignificant. Tunisia's tipping point came on December 17, 2010, when a revolt was started as a result of a 20+ year old male food vendor who had his scale confiscated for supposedly not paying his fee. He went to the office in charge of food vendors to complain -- they told him to pay his fee, which he had repeatedly paid again and again. He was so frustrated and at his wits end, he bought gasoline and lit himself on fire in the middle of the street. Others were so upset they took to the streets and months later overturned their despot leader.
So the pathway to change begins with all of you -- from the bottom up. There are great strengths in numbers -- and there are large numbers from the middle on down. Individuals can be knocked off rather easily -- large numbers of workers cannot. You are all a force to be reckoned with. So be the pathway -- be that change -- you will be amazed at what you can do!
While politicos, leaders and others have a vested interest in maintaining this status quo, I suspect the average worker would want the "patient" healed. Employees would like their workplace to make sense. They would like to trust what their leaders are telling them, and be rewarded for their good work. They want to feel like they are part of something good, bigger and outside of themselves. I do believe that humans like (and maybe even need) to feel useful. It is good for our mental well-being.
Despite employees and the general tax paying public wanting change, I personally do not see the "patient" changing without being forced to -- why should they? They enjoy positions of power and adulation, they enjoy controlling people, spinning the facts and figures to suit their needs, and they are rewarded handsomely for doing so.
Someone asked in a comment to this blogsite, "Where does the pathway (to change) start"? And my answer to that is the pathway to change starts with and within each and everyone of us. When large numbers of employees are sick and tired of being sick and tired and they collectively stand up and say ENOUGH -- that is when change will happen.
In Malcolm Gladwell's book "The Tipping Point" he wrote about how there is one defining moment that makes something happen. It can be the last straw, the largest number of protesters ever or something seemingly insignificant. Tunisia's tipping point came on December 17, 2010, when a revolt was started as a result of a 20+ year old male food vendor who had his scale confiscated for supposedly not paying his fee. He went to the office in charge of food vendors to complain -- they told him to pay his fee, which he had repeatedly paid again and again. He was so frustrated and at his wits end, he bought gasoline and lit himself on fire in the middle of the street. Others were so upset they took to the streets and months later overturned their despot leader.
So the pathway to change begins with all of you -- from the bottom up. There are great strengths in numbers -- and there are large numbers from the middle on down. Individuals can be knocked off rather easily -- large numbers of workers cannot. You are all a force to be reckoned with. So be the pathway -- be that change -- you will be amazed at what you can do!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
#17 Why Is No One Held Accountable Anymore for Anything?
After celebrating our liberties and freedom this July 4th holiday, I ask myself are we really free? Do we have the right to come forward and speak the truth? Do we get rewarded for doing the right thing? Do our institutions, which have a variety of checks and balances built within their structures, really work, or are they just another arm of some political party/opportunistic self-serving leader?
Workers and others have repeatedly attempted to "blow the whistle" in all ways possible. The Governor's Office, various Boards and Commissions; various legislators and even the Bureau of State Audits -- all have been put on notice, but to no avail. Those in positions of authority have done nothing. Why is that?
The California National Guard saga has been going on for over ten years; others like CalPERS, State Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and most recently CalSTRS -- those did not just happen overnight -- and they are not the only ones. Kathy Carroll, a former CA Commission on Teacher Credentialing attorney, described her former workplace as a "private bureaucratic empire using public funds". State institutions have become the personal fiefdoms of their leaders. The cronyism and self-dealing are destroying our state departments -- and it appears that no one cares.
I found it illustrative in the same May 11, 2011, Sacramento Bee article regarding the Teacher Credentialing Commission wherein the Chairwoman Ting Sun stated", "I have never found blaming and shaming to be a constructive way of resolving problems". Isn't that rich? It is a perfect way of shifting blame onto the very people who are trying to hold her and her organization accountable. I have news for you, Ms. Chairwoman, since you accepted the job and get paid for doing it, you are responsible for your deeds and accountable for your actions/inactions. Is this really such a novel thought; what did you think you were being paid to do?
Workers and others have repeatedly attempted to "blow the whistle" in all ways possible. The Governor's Office, various Boards and Commissions; various legislators and even the Bureau of State Audits -- all have been put on notice, but to no avail. Those in positions of authority have done nothing. Why is that?
The California National Guard saga has been going on for over ten years; others like CalPERS, State Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and most recently CalSTRS -- those did not just happen overnight -- and they are not the only ones. Kathy Carroll, a former CA Commission on Teacher Credentialing attorney, described her former workplace as a "private bureaucratic empire using public funds". State institutions have become the personal fiefdoms of their leaders. The cronyism and self-dealing are destroying our state departments -- and it appears that no one cares.
I found it illustrative in the same May 11, 2011, Sacramento Bee article regarding the Teacher Credentialing Commission wherein the Chairwoman Ting Sun stated", "I have never found blaming and shaming to be a constructive way of resolving problems". Isn't that rich? It is a perfect way of shifting blame onto the very people who are trying to hold her and her organization accountable. I have news for you, Ms. Chairwoman, since you accepted the job and get paid for doing it, you are responsible for your deeds and accountable for your actions/inactions. Is this really such a novel thought; what did you think you were being paid to do?
I think Andriana Huffington, in her post of July 29, 2011, hit upon the answer to my "why?" question. She was discussing Greece and its financial problems (sound familiar?), when she posed a far more important question: "Can a truly democratic movement break the stranglehold of corrupt elites and powerful anti-democratic institutional forces that have come to characterize not just the politics of Greece, but most Western democracies, including our own?"
Which brings me back to my other question -- are we really free, and if so, for how long?
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