Search Results for: Leadership Under

Leadership Right Under Our Noses, Just When We Need It

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Often Lost in Media Coverage in Normal Times, Governors Actually Run Things

Consider Governors

Several recent presidents have been governors: Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush II. Even so, governors often get short shrift in media and in public attention. We tend to gravitate toward Washington personalities. This is an understandable, if oftentimes shortsighted, approach to picking our national leaders.

Washington personalities have the natural advantage of being in a global media capital. At some level, Washington based individuals also often deal in foreign policy and foreign crises. These yield valuable experience for a potential president.

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The Terrible Price of Weak Leadership

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Two Examples Prove Their Weakness Almost Daily. Now a Third?

Why Weak Leaders Carry Such a Cost

Every case is unique of course, but finding someone in a leadership position for which they are clearly incapable of fulfilling is a painful thing to observe. In almost every such case, there are clear costs to be extracted:

  • Everything in the organization becomes transactional. There is very little in the way of mutual respect or loyalty to the leader. The goals and priorities of that leader are up for grabs and up for sale – or are simply ignored.

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The Republican Budget is Crystal Clear

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Image by Dee from Pixabay

This Has Nothing To Do With Traditional Conservative/Liberal Arguments

Remember the Old Days?

Once upon a time, our political debates pretty much revolved around two sets of priorities/belief systems, both seeking a better America for all, but choosing different paths.

Republicans were generally thought to be pro-business, but that included small business. They sought smaller government where feasible, sought to minimize taxes, and expected America to be a leader on the world stage. Republicans abhorred deficit spending at any level. They emphasized a moral code of traditional values.

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A Snapshot of the Current Presidency

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The Headlines Tell The Story

What Does America Want In A President?

Clearly, the answer to that question can vary a lot, as divided as the country is these days. Still, I think the majority of us could agree on a few traits and attributes we would like to see in whomever is occupying the White House at any given moment.

How about this as a short list of what most of us would like to see:

  • A bit of class
  • A sense of stable, calm leadership
  • Someone who seeks to unite us,

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Reduce Government Size and Increase Efficiency?

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We Have An Excellent Example of How To Do That – If That Is Really The Goal

The Trump/Musk “Reform” Model

By now, most people seem to have figured out that the current administration’s goal for the government has little to do with government efficiency or effectiveness but is solely focused on downsizing as an end unto itself. Still, there are folks who continue to support the effort because they really do want a more efficient government, and they hope the DOGE rampage will at least help make it happen. Good luck with that hope.

 Revisiting The Purpose Of All This Effort

 So,

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There Is A Champagne Shortage

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No, Not Here. In Moscow and Beijing

“I Can’t Believe Our Good Luck”

That must be the phrase being repeated daily in the capitals of Russia and China. In just the first couple of weeks, the Republican administration has gone to a European security conference and first offered up everything the Russians could hope for out of Ukraine, with nothing demanded in turn. Our new not ready for prime time Defense Secretary was a one man disaster at the conference. He was clueless as to what the situation demanded. So much for American leadership.

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Odds and Ends

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Notes on Assorted Topics- Mostly Politics, But Not All

The Gutting Of Government is Well Underway

As expected, the taking of hatchets to government is under way at full throttle. As one would expect from a Trump initiative, it is being done with zero thought to impacts or smooth execution. Just ripping things and people apart. It is worth noting that this is being done for several reasons, and those reasons tell you who is driving the processes and why.

There are the Plan 2025 people, led by the nominated Director of OMB,

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Lessons Learned from a Once in 1000 Years Disaster

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We Know What Works In Such Situations

Hurricane Helene in the Mountains

We in the Great Smoky Mountains have all experienced (and many still are very much experiencing) a unique disaster. The force of one of the largest hurricanes to hit the US in many decades coming inland and up through the Appalachian Mountains. The mountains are full of steep terrain, deep valleys, and large trees. When that environment meets a hurricane, the damage is almost beyond comprehension, over a very large area. Some communities no longer exist, others took various levels of damage, just about everywhere took some damage..

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Two Letters to Read And At Least One That Is Missing

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 Plus, Reflections on the Harris Effect

There Are Some Special People Among Us

I had the pleasure and the opportunity to work with some of them over the years. Some were political appointees, but most were career civil servants, government leaders, or military officers. A couple of characteristics made them special over the long haul.

One, they were dedicated to the principle of service to the country. They were, without exception in my experience, leader-servants. They all believed passionately in the country. Most had a copy of the constitution with them pretty much always (me,

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You May Have Heard About A Shooting Last Weekend?

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Tragedy, Opportunity, Accelerator, Brake? Yes, Likely All of the Above

What This Blog is NOT About

Everyone and their brother started writing about the PA shooting within minutes of the event. Like the debate we talked about earlier, I find it useful to give things a couple of days to sort out at least a little. This blog will not recap the event, blow by blow. We have all had more of that than we need. I remember when it broke on tv, I found myself thinking-

“Oh great. This will be continuous coverage by everyone everywhere for at least the next 24 hours,

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