Are We Really a Meritocracy?

Watching Mark Sanford give that speech yesterday gave me an idea: what if hard work and intelligence aren’t the prerequisites to success?  What if reaching a certain level has nothing to do with merit and everything to do with luck?

A governor and likely front-runner for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination for 2012, an ‘everyman’ he is not. Yet defying common sense and sanity he carried on for months indiscreetly scribbling love e-mails and planning trysts. Presumably he traveled commercial, so, my question is this—did he think he wouldn’t be recognized? And, considering it was Father’s Day, did he not consider that his kids would be calling? Couldn’t he have kept it zipped until his term was up? Had he ever heard of phone sex? Considering she lives in Argentina, it would have been more convenient and much less expensive.

His bizarre disappearance and even more bizarre press conference made me wonder—maybe the leaders in business and politics today aren’t the best and the brightest, perhaps they are simply the luckiest or come from the most influential families. Sanford’s wife  who led his campaigns came from a wealthy, influential family.

It isn’t just Sanford, what about George W. Bush. In his defense, he had eight years as president to shape his image as a thinker, or non-thinker. The list is long: He advocated democracy amongst advanced societies such as Egypt and Pakistan,  passed a prescription drug benefit without allowing the government to renegotiate pricing with the pharmas, nominated Harriet Meyers, condoned cronyism throughout his presidency, failed to pardon Ramos and Compean, bailed out GM and Chrysler and set the stimulus spending spree in motion.

Could he really have made it in business or politics without Daddy Warbucks?

And Nancy Pelosi? Would she really be Speaker of the House without her wealthy family behind her? Couple a grating and phony laugh with a juvenile, clique-like view of Congress and we have a country in gridlock. The same deer-in-headlights gaze that plagued President Bush transmit an emptiness of thought which make irrelevant any of her words spoken thereafter. Is she really the brightest and best our country has to offer?

The argument extends to the business community as well. Maybe those genius financiers and business founders don’t always merit that ‘genius’ label.

Madoff and his fellow Ponzi consigliere: Were they really smart? Making obscene amounts of money doesn’t automatically add up to a membership in Mensa. How much smarts does it take to recruit investors, take their money and promise a certain return which is made possible by taking on more investors?

What about the futures traders and hedge fund founders living in Manhattan or on palatial estates in Connecticut? Should they be considered worthy of wealth simply because of the profits they created? The credit default swaps that brought down the U.S financial system are complicated mechanisms created by said traders and hedge funders to avoid regulation. Maybe they should be given credit for the complexity of their trading, but make no mistake—walking into a casino, sitting down at a poker table and playing million hand poker with nothing in your pocket isn’t genius, it’s something else.

Growing up under the most optimistic of Presidents, inspired me to believe that the hardest workers, the believers, the doers made it in America. Watching Mark Sanford and our leaders over the last ten years makes me wonder.

It’s Called Courage, Mr. President

Many politicians and citizens hold up ‘bipartisanship’ as the ideal, claiming that the ‘middle’ is where Americans want to live and be governed, but most of us know the truth—the label of conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, instructs the way we live and the way we vote.

Elections have consequences, but as a conservative, it is painful watching the rapid devolution of America via: ‘employee free choice act’, increased federal oversight of businesses, raised taxes, the oncoming inflation resulting from a nonsensical monetary policy, defense cuts, and the acknowledgement, before the Arab world, that yes, Americans torture. The President for change has been busy, but again, he is merely setting out to accomplish what he promised—redistributing wealth, health-care for all and turning the last superpower into just another member of the UN and NATO with a vote, not a voice.

These policy disagreements are natural, but there are behaviors we expect from our President which transcend policy. Save the Code Pinkos and lunatics on the fringe, I believe all Americans demand courage from our Commander-in-Chief, which is why his silence on Iran is so troubling. Whether President Obama chooses to believe it or not, around the world, Americans are looked upon as cheerleaders for freedom. Those Iranians braving jail, beatings and death to protest the fraud perpetrated by the Ayatollah and the midget, carried signs in English—not aimed at Gordon Brown—but toward the captain of freedom’s cheerleaders.

Perhaps the revolutionaries should have written those signs in French. Here’s French President Sarkozy, from The Wall St. Journal:

The President yesterday denounced the “extent of the fraud” and the “shocking” and “brutal” response of the Iranian regime to public demonstrations in Tehran these past four days.

“These elections are an atrocity,” he said. “If [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad had made such progress since the last elections, if he won two-thirds of the vote, why such violence?” The statement named the regime as the cause of the outrage in Iran and, without meddling or picking favorites, stood up for Iranian democracy.

Aside from convincing Twitter to delay its maintenance schedule, President Obama has been mute, until yesterday, when he dropped the hammer, saying he had ‘deep concerns’ about the election. What about the protesters murdered by the government, Mr. President? Aren’t they worth mentioning?

After living abroad and traveling extensively, I’ve learned more about the unique character of the American people. When you rip apart the labels and facades, you’ll see a people who loathe nuanced positioning, especially when freedom is at stake. We crave courage and clarity from our leaders.

You might not like it Mr. President, but you have a duty to those Iranians who are willing to die for their vote and also those Americans who expect their leader to embody the ideals which set us apart.

To those brave Iranians marching, tweeting, posting and wearing the green of Mousavi on their arms while competing in international soccer competitions, we salute you.

Street Reacts to Obama’s Speech

If headlines and reaction of news organizations and at least one terror group is any indication of who feels the most slighted by Obama’s trip and speech today, then we might conclude that Israelis were the ones left somewhat disillusioned.

 Planted boldly atop the Jerusalem Post’s site reads, “It’s time for these settlements to stop.” Instead, Haaretz Daily News, focused its headlines on the positive reaction from Israeli politicians. Underneath its “Obama: I’ll personally pursue a two state solution,” however, the writer begins by noting that Washington views the west bank settlements as “illegal.”

 The Palestinian Authority and Hamas offered praise, both sensing a changing policy and a new beginning.

 The Arab press was mixed. One Egyptian editor refused an invitation to attend the speech explaining (from al-Arabiya):

 ”If I went to the speech it would mean that the problem was just with (Obama’s predecessor) George W. Bush, but the problem is with U.S. policies in the world and in the Muslim world which haven’t yet changed.”

“We have seen a vast public relations campaign from Obama but we haven’t seen any radical differences, not on an Iraq withdrawal or on Afghanistan, or the war in (Pakistan’s) Swat. He has even gone backwards on promising to close Guantanamo.”

 So attempts to rid the Swat valley of Taliban running around shooting, beating and blowing up innocents are unjustified? If this editor of the independent al-Doustur newspaper, Ibrahim Eissa, views ridding the swat valley of primitive bearded thugs isn’t a good thing, then I’m not sure how Obama’s speech could have changed his mind. Perhaps if he’d announced his intention to convert to Islam and join the Muslim Brotherhood, he might have stood a chance.

 More response from the region as reported by al-Arabiya:

 The Jordan Times said Obama would have to exert himself as he “attempts to clean up the mess his predecessor created in the Arab and Muslim worlds.

“Muslims and Arabs would like to hear much from Obama, starting with Palestine, Iraq and the U.S. military presence in the Gulf.

“While foreign policy is crucial, a sincere show of respect and attempt to rebuild trust are more important.”

Saudi newspaper al-Ryadh said Obama’s decision to address the Muslim world and “in visiting the two most important Arab capitals, is breaking with former American presidents and wants to attack the most important front of the challenges (Western misunderstandings with Muslims.”)

UAE newspaper Akhbar al-Saa referred to “a new era in relations between the United States and the Muslim world” with Obama’s move into the White House.

But Dubai’s al-Bayan stressed that “the region wants to hear from Obama’s mouth that he is conscious of the imbalance in relations (between America) and the Muslim world and that he wants to remedy it.”

In other words, bend over Mr. President. Like all the Presidents who’ve come before you, it’s never going to be enough. As’salaamu alaykums, a smoother than smooth personality and a super-prompter won’t garner applause from those who eschew introspection in favor of blaming Jews and westerners.

Hugo’s Variety Show

You just can’t make this stuff up. Chavez, who unbeknownst to me already had a weekly variety show, is marking the show’s tenth anniversary by holding a special marathon edition, according to the Telegraph.

“It will be in chapters, like a soap opera,” said Mr. Chavez, a former paratrooper who often breaks out into song on air.

 Just what kind of songs does he sing? The possibilities are endless… Although ‘Down with America’ or ‘American Idiot’ would be choice song selections, they’re not Spanish.

His programme normally runs on a Sunday, when typically he talks, sings, explains government policy and attacks his critics at home and abroad.

But the special edition will run between Thursday and Sunday.

Mr Chavez has in recent months stepped up his criticism of opposition-owned media.

Last week, Venezuelan police raided the home of the head of the opposition channel Globovision.

They alleged that they were investigating 24 new cars on the property they suspected were going to be resold at speculatively high prices.

But human rights groups accused the government of trying to intimidate its critics.

Funny how Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins were outraged by alleged Bush administration human rights abuses, yet jet down to sip sangrias with Hugo the first chance they get.

Two faces of Islam

Where was al-Jazeera when thousands of Muslims recently gathered to pray front of Milan’s Duomo to protest Israel’s operation in Gaza?  As one of Europe’s most storied gothic cathedrals, their act was blasphemous and offensive, yet presumably acceptable to those at al-Jazeera who are now crusading against some in the U.S military who dared to consider handing out Bibles to local Afghanis.

 Consider: the Saudi Kingdom gives billions to western Universities to promote Islam as the religion of peace and shells out even more to build Wahabbi mosques in the west. Muslim immigrants in the Netherlands are rejecting Dutch culture, rather than adapting to it. And it’s a Muslim who fought to remove crucifixes from Italian schools. In Denmark? Well, there were those riot inspiring cartoons which gave rise to Muslim protests world-wide.

 So we, non-Muslims, must adapt and respect without scrutiny, and we do. In the west, we film documentaries and movies slandering and questioning Christianity. How many perverted Catholic priest plots or Dan Brown inspired TV shows have aired in recent years? Yet, I’ve not seen one Mecca vs Medina Koran inspired documentary. Maybe I missed it.

 The latest American transgression involves the U.S military’s proselytizing in Afghanistan by handing out, gasp, Bibles.

 From Fox News:

 Al Jazeera claims, based on inside video obtained from an independent documentary director, that the evangelical group at Bagram had a clear purpose — to spread Christianity. “They were on a mission, but it appears it was not just a military one,” the video begins.

 The documentary filmmaker and former soldier Brian Hughes turned the evidence, an on-base church service at Bagram, over to al-Jazeera. I guess NBC, ABC, BBC and CNN weren’t interested, or he believed al-Jazeera was the only newsmaker capable of exploring the topic without prejudice.

 The hypocrisy of Muslims in the Arab world who expect the opportunity to reform our culture and pray in front of our most sacred churches in open blasphemy while refusing us the opportunity of handing out Bibles isn’t surprising. But our weak defense of religious freedom is.

From RFE/RL:

Under Afghanistan’s internationally backed constitution, it is a crime in the country to try to convert a Muslim to another religious faith. Afghan Muslims who do convert to another religion face a possible death sentence under Afghan law.

 Wary of the sensitivities of the issue, U.S. Central Command has issued General Order No. 1, which forbids troops on active duty from trying to convert people to another religion. That rule applies to all U.S. soldiers based in Afghanistan and Iraq.

 Indeed, a U.S. military spokeswoman at Bagram Air Field said on May 5 that the Bibles shown in the Al-Jazeera report had been sent about a year ago by a church in the United States to one particular U.S. soldier who is an evangelical Christian.

Major Jennifer Willis says she can now confirm that the Bibles seen in the report were collected by U.S. military chaplains and destroyed. She says none of the Bibles was distributed.

 Cultural and religious tolerance is one-sided. Until non-Muslim westerners decide to dispense with political correctness in support of freedom, this hypocrisy will continue.

GE Fights Back…In the Comments Section

Fox News has managed to make the suits at GE fairly unbalanced after their recent report covering the bias at NBC and the outrage expressed by shareholders who are watching the stock, and their 401ks, tank. Was it was the exposure of GE’s connection to billions in a cap-and-trade windfall, which would only be made possible under a President Obama, and how that has figured into their over-the-top pimping of his candidacy the last two years? Or was it was the Fox correspondent’s intrusion into a contentious shareholder meeting? Whatever the motive, the folks at General Electric are hacked off, spooked, or both.  

 

So irritated are they that they have Gary Sheffer, their executive director of corporate communications & public affairs, posting comments beneath a Politico article like a regular blogger, detailing what really transpired at a recent shareholders meeting.

 

According to the Hollywood Reporter, cited in the Politico article, here’s what happened at the meeting:

 

Just before GE re-elected board members, company brass were hit with questions from shareholders critical of an alleged leftward political slant at MSNBC.

 

 

But one of those questions came from Jesse Watters, a producer on “The O’Reilly Factor” whose criticisms were cut short when his microphone was cut off, according to several attendees.

 

According to the article, other shareholders, and yes the reporter is a shareholder, had their microphones cut as well.

 

And here is what GE’s Sheffer, if that was really him, wrote in response underneath the Politico piece:

 Gary Sheffer from GE. I was at the meeting and this account of what happened is wrong. We let shareowners have their say — that’s what the meeting is about –and yesterday’s meeting was nearly three hours of sometimes tough criticism, including on MSNBC. But be clear, Mr. Watters and his Fox News friends had full opportunity to make their points. Mr. Watters made his statement, sat down and then departed before the meeting was concluded. If he felt he had been “cut off” he could have simply returned to the microphone (several shareowners spoke multiple times). The meeting was not concluded until there was no one left standing at the microphones seeking to speak.
Posted By: Gary Sheffer | April 23, 2009 at 10:52 AM     

Unfortunately, he takes umbrage at the Fox correspondent Jesse Watters, not at the possibility that NBC is skewing news to boost the President, thus ensuring future billions in revenues for GE. Shouldn’t NBC offer a disclosure of some nature? I mean the two viewers left watching MSNBC and NBC will be fascinated to learn that unlike Santa Claus, their conspiracy theories do exist. Only, unfortunately, it’s the libs holding the bag on this one.

China Spies; U.S can’t Cry

What could possibly be more troubling than a handshake with Chavez or bow to a Saudi king? The notion that we are borrowing trillions from a country who continues to steal state secrets. From today’s Wall St. Journal:

WASHINGTON — Computer spies have broken into the Pentagon’s $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project — the Defense Department’s costliest weapons program ever — according to current and former government officials familiar with the attacks.

Similar incidents have also breached the Air Force’s air-traffic-control system in recent months, these people say. In the case of the fighter-jet program, the intruders were able to copy and siphon off several terabytes of data related to design and electronics systems, officials say, potentially making it easier to defend against the craft.

Further on in the piece, former U.S. officials say that the attack most likely originated in China, despite the denials offered by the Chinese who rejected a recent Pentagon report concerning their progress in cyber-spying.

The tea parties weren’t a reaction against a liberal, nor were they initiated by a bunch of rednecks against a black man, as Janeane Garofalo maintains. They were hatched by a group of frustrated Americans who see the U.S government mortgaging its future and theirs. More than deepening the recent ‘living beyond our means’ culture, Obama is building on the past administration’s disregard for sovereignty with respect to China. 

How can we complain about China’s spying when we’re borrowing their money to build that $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter?

Joe Taxpayer

Beyond the parade of tax-cheats nominated or occupying cabinet posts, the tax returns of Obama and Biden demonstrate how easier giving becomes as zeros are added to your paycheck. They also reveal another startling hypocrisy rampant among Democrats—they want taxpayer sacrifice but are unwilling to do it themselves. Obama gave away 6.5% of his adjusted total income—$2,656,902 and Biden, just .2% of his $269,256.

In case anyone wonders why so many of America’s richest are liberals itching for tax hikes, just look at these tax returns. The Obamas donated 6.5% and are still left with over $2.5 million.  Poor Joe couldn’t give much. How could he keep up with D.C’s power elite if he gave away an Obama like 6.5% of his paltry $269,256? Where would he go for suits?

Politics of Meddling

He came to listen, not to lecture. Yet after yesterday’s push for Turkey’s acceptance into the EU, I wonder if Europeans Obama-glow has worn off. Aside from a few missteps, like his snooze inducing presser with Brown and his ‘French’ town hall, the President and his prompter had them weak-kneed and star-struck. So, they must have been taken aback when Obama continued the ugly American habit of minding other countries’ business.

“Turkey is bound to Europe by more than bridges over the Bosphorous. Centuries of shared history, culture, and commerce bring you together. Europe gains by diversity of ethnicity, tradition and faith – it is not diminished by it. And Turkish membership would broaden and strengthen Europe’s foundation once more.”

But according to a poll released by the German Marshall Fund and the Compagnia di San Paolo in late 2007, only 21 percent of Europeans believe that their culture would be enriched enough to support Turkey’s bid for EU membership. 21 percent. Merkel and Sarkozy strongly oppose EU membership for Turkey.

Imagine the outrage and furor if, during his speech before the United States Congress, French President Sarkozy had made a plea to legalize the more than 20 million illegals currently living in the United States? After all, they would enrich our culture, add to our diversity and benefit our commerce. It would have been a classic ‘mind your own bees wax’ moment.

We should let the EU member nations and their citizens decide Turkey’s fate. Controversial mosque construction, whether to permit ‘burkinis’, and attacks on free speech, are matters for Europeans, not Americans. And if the recent Turkish resistance to the Danish Prime Minister’s nomination to lead NATO is any indication of future battles in Brussels, well, then maybe the concerns of Sarkozy and Merkel have merit.

Maybe Europeans don’t believe that the old continent, “gains by diversity of ethnicity, tradition and faith.” The riots in Paris, the cartoon controversy in Denmark and the attacks on their freedom might have them a bit spooked.

Nigel Farage, the UK Independence Party leader, calls the idea “a disaster, and advises Mr. Obama to “remember that while he’s been elected President he’s been elected President of the United States only.” Good luck with that…

Stimulating the G20

 

He had them at bonjour. Anarchists and mainstream Europeans lauded the arrival of the ‘anti-Bush’ in London yesterday, as G20 leaders met to coordinate their cure for a crisis whose origins some would prefer to ignore. But not French President Sarkozy who noted Wednesday evening: “The crisis didn’t spontaneously erupt in Europe.”

 

Aside from the American President’s second questionable diplomatic gift, an iPod presented to the Queen, it’s the diverging opinion on how to solve the crisis making non-English headlines. The French and Germans are strongly opposed to Obama’s push for stimulus. Already overloaded with entitlement spending, they differ philosophically from a President whose budget wouldn’t qualify his country for EU membership.

 

The nonpartisan CBO contends that President Obama’s budget would incur a debt-to-GDP ration of 5.3 percent for the fiscal years 2010 to 2019. The President’s advisors have argued that his healthcare, education and energy initiatives would increase revenue, thus reducing the unsustainable deficits. But how will going green help spur corporate growth among factories and businesses whose taxes are bound to soar even higher than the tax rates which are some of the highest in the world?

 

Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi supports the French and German focus on tougher regulation, as opposed to unproven deficit-creating stimulus. In today’s column, La Repubblica’s Federico Rampini openly questions Obama’s leadership qualities by likening his ability to dictate the international agenda to former President Jimmy Carter. He called it a “historic low for America.”

 

France’s Sarkozy summed up the European opposition best—“We want a capitalism of entrepreneurs, not a capitalism of speculators.” The biggest crisis in a century wasn’t their fault, and although Obama is reticent to place blame, it’s clear and understandable why other leaders are eager to identify the cause. Because without acknowledging what went wrong, why and who is responsible, solving and preventing future disasters become impossible. Unregulated hedge funds and derivatives must be tackled.

 

According to France’s L’Express, the IMF was a big winner at the G20—its capacity went from $250 billion to $750 billion. In an attempt to demonstrate his concern for the third world, Obama additionally wants the IMF to sell off $20 billion of its gold reserves to help the poor in third world countries. Beyond making a compassionate impression, another motive might have been at play, as his budget calls for taking away charitable deductions from Americans making over $250k. Someone has to pick up the slack for Feed the Children. 

 

Bush bashers were eager to move beyond the cringe-inducing international summits of the past and into an era of change. While non-English speaking Europeans who aren’t keyed into U.S. political minutia continue to be wowed by his smile, presence and remarkable story, foreign leaders and dedicated observers are getting a clearer  picture.