This is on the internet, so it must be true. Interesting commentary on how The System works. Or not.

It seems appropriate to post it today (State of the Union Address Day), although it is arguably non-partisan in that its observations apply to virtually any and all Presidents of either party — past, present and (sadly) probably future. Especially all those who followed Eisenhower. —Ted E.

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What would it be like if your job was like the President’s?

Imagine for a moment that you had to work under the same circumstances as the President of the United States. Imagine that a large portion of your co-workers want you to fail. No... not that they just want you to fail, but that they actively work to guarantee that you will fail.

And imagine that these fellow employees are doing everything they can to get you fired next time your contract comes up for renewal.

Does your company have customers to serve? Products and services to produce and deliver? A corporate mission to abide by? Shareholders to please? None of that matters. The only thing that matters to many of the people who work with you is that they prevent you from accomplishing anything. Anything. Because some of them want your job, and make no bones about it.

Over forty people had your job before you were hired. Many of them made some very serious and costly mistakes. You, of course, are being held responsible for the mess they got your company into.

And imagine that these fellow employees aren’t just trying to stab you in the back, but they’re doing it to your face. Instead of performing the jobs they were hired to do, they're spending their time telling you, your boss, your other co-workers, your customers, the competition and anyone else who will listen as to what a horrid, incompetent and despicable human being you are.

Because you know you won’t get a real vacation for maybe eight years, to take your mind off of all this you thumb through trade magazines... only to discover that several of them devote almost or all of their pages to telling readers what a pathetic excuse for an employee you are. You will also learn why they don’t like your wife’s clothes or hobbies, either.

Your co-workers are encouraged to sabotage your efforts in the name of reducing revenue, reducing expenses (other than dollars spent to destroy your company’s competitors), and to consequently better serve the company’s customers and stockholders.

Although your fellow employees claim to share the same goals, you are the one paid to make the decisions that can achieve these ends. Thus, they see their job is to always criticize your decisions, no matter how wise or appropriate they may be.

If you take a business trip, they will complain that you should have stayed at your desk. If you stay at your desk, they will complain that you should have taken a business trip.

Your company has three distinct divisions. Although you hold a high position in one, you do not have total control over it; often many of your decisions must be approved by at least one of the company's other independent divisions. Nonetheless, you will be held responsible by most for everything done (or not done) by all three divisions.

Although you could use some help and have been budgeted to hire a few assistants, your fellow employees in other divisions will see to it that you are prevented from doing so.

Oh... you say their charges against you aren’t true? That your co-workers are simply making stuff up, taking things out of context and just plain lying? Tough.

Finally, you’re always aware that your cubicle is isolated and surrounded by company security guards because death threats have been made against you. You know they are real, because several people who held your job before you had been shot.

Have a nice day, Mr. President.

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Anyone who wants to be President shouldn't be allowed to be President”
— attributed to President Abraham Lincoln

I remember in the early 80's when Iaccoca turned around Chrysler in the last bad downturn and payed back the Fed loans. People were amazed at what he did and thought he might be a good presidential candidate. Unemployment was so bad Mickey d's had stacks of applications.- He pretty much said to the offer of the highest office- "What are you nuts?"

You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.

As for Chrysler didn't they get another bailout.

I remember Friedman testifying against it predicting that if Chrysler was considered to big to fail others would follow suit.

Chrysler did get another bailout, but that is really due to the looting of the company that Diamler engaged in. People still beleive that was a merger... it was anything but.

Daimler lost money on Chrysler which is why they sold it.

Yes, but Diamler also looted Chrysler and then refused to invest in new technologies for Chrysler, prefering instead to just platform share to try to cut costs. That was not a merger... it was a takeover. There was a really informative book that came out some years ago about the whole thing... I don't remember the name of it off the top of my head...

I'm confused... in the spirit of the thread subject... are you guys saying that Lee Iacocca was proactively working to undermine President Carter? Or that around half of the people who worked for Iacocca were trying to prevent him from succeeding?

I've heard it's a fantastic story....Tony, I believe the book you're referring to is Taken For A Ride: How Daimler-Benz Drove Off With Chrysler

if you look closely you can see a hand buzzer in Lee's hand...

quote:

Originally posted by GESingleMom2:
I've heard it's a fantastic story....Tony, I believe the book you're referring to is Taken For A Ride: How Daimler-Benz Drove Off With Chrysler

Yup... that's it. it is well worth the read. I got to talk to Dieter Zetsche a few years ago and asked him how much of the book was true... he just smiled nervously and said something to the effect of "much more than Daimler would like to admit".

I'll bet that was an incredibly interesting discussion, lol.

All I was trying to point out is that there are many great accomplished leaders in our country- such as Iaccoca, that are considered for President but turn it down due issues like those found in the commentary.

It then turned into a the chrysler-daimler-zetsch thread.

If big business is run like our government, companies like the big three would have been bankrupt years age.
Business must be accountable to their stockholders.
Government must be accountable to the electorate. But it's not.
follow the money trail

It gets pretty gray between gov and business when it involves who the big cheese gets to bring in when hired (or elected). Part of hiring (or electing) people is in recognition of who they can bring to the table.

Sort of like shouldn't Presidential candidates disclose who their cabinet will be as part of being elected? Those are the people who will run the government day to day. And what those people stand for speaks volumes about the candidate.

Anyone remember how Bush Jr. initially spoke negatively about Ashcroft for Attorney General? Two days later, after he removed the foot out of his you know what he recanted and Ashcroft was appointed and promptly draped the "boob" of justice (statue). Would have like to have known about Ashcroft before Bush was elected.

Well, Obama has been consistent in appointing ideologues instead of people with actual experience (car czar, green jobs czar etc.)

Condi Rice, Michael Brown.... oh wait! Those are the people responsible for the deaths of thousands hired by our previous president! my bad...

What. No credit to Dick( I'll shoot anything that moves) Cheney?

George Will wrote a great column on Obama. The state of the Union Address was a lecture by Professor Obama on how he knows all and we just idiots.

The comment on health care:

"Still, this is a complex issue, and the longer it was debated, the more skeptical people became. I take my share of the blame for not explaining it more clearly to the American people."

No Mr. President, we heard it when you and the "bipartisan" congress crammed it down our throats. Only when the public vomited it back all over their representatives were you forced to read what was actually in it.

I don't know what kind of Kool aid he is serving, but Burris has apparently overdosed since he is still under the impression a public option is still in the health care bill.

This sort of ignorance and the professorial attitudes of our president show that unless he changes tactics, he will quickly find himself to be a one term pony.

You expected George Will to say elsewise?

Meanwhile, O'bama blew the republicans away at their retreat. Answered every tough question they could ask. And firmly placed the ball in their court to help with the healthcare bill.

Obama, Repub retreat

Maybe we should listen to him.