Wisdom for the Ages to Come

A wise man once said:
“Elections are decided not by those who embrace extreme positions but by those who view things from a vertical perspective. This view looks at whether we are getting better or we are getting worse. Are things improving or are they declining? Is my kid who just graduated from college going to be able to find a job to help pay off their college loans? The solutions that we have to develop in this country need to be pointing people toward how we are improving the future for the next generation rather than how we are going to beat those guys on the other side.”


And on our current president - he said:  “we don’t hear a president, we hear a candidate.”


On Immigration Reform: “Moot process until we secure the border. All the discussion of how we are going to reform immigration starts with that first and foremost thing. I don’t think there is a real appetite in America for all the intricate policy discussion of how you deal with it until you deal with the glaring issue of do you have control of your own borders. That has to be first and foremost.”


This makes me smile, and I see you smiling....my liberal sister is also probably smiling as she reads most of this.  There is nothing like a dose of good ol' common sense, delivered without hyperbole nor foaming mouth.


Who is this guy stating observations instead of opinions and personal desires?
Mike Huckabee.


Here is the link to all of this - in context.  http://bit.ly/m9nmYR


Now, rumor has it that Huckabee will announce tomorrow night that he will NOT be a presidential candidate in 2012.  
I can't blame him personally.  Washington has become so polarized that nothing of substance is accomplished.  But, Mike, please get in this race for our sakes.  Give the common, everyday American citizen a voice on the global stage.  We're sick of Pelosi and Reid.  We can't  give people like Eric Holder and Ben Bernanke four more years to drag us down the worst of possible paths.,  Nor do we need Gingrich, Palin and Romney presuming to speak to us or for us.  We need someone who speaks WITH us.  We need Huck. 


I hope and pray that Mike enters this race.  He could have beaten Obama in 2008 had the ultra right not trotted out Fred Thompson at the eleventh hour, just to muddy the water.  Well, the far right got what they wanted, a candidate who did not stand a chance of winning against Obama.  Now, they hope that we will swing so far to the right in disgust over the current policies and approach that we will give them any neo-fascist that they serve up.  Not so fast, boys.  Common sense and common decency still have a place in America.  We CAN get control of our borders.  We CAN get control of our federal spending.  We CAN get control of our currency.  We have to, the only alternative is surrender and capitulation to those who hate all that we are and have accomplished as one nation under God.


So, as you value your children's future, if Mike gets in the race; send him money, give him your vote, give yourself a voice in the way we do business as Americans.  Time to decide people....what's it gonna Huckabee?  ;-)

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Come back, Teddy Roosevelt

"Walk softly and carry a big stick, you will go far."

How many times have we heard these words?  Surely a wise and prudent approach to dealing with the world-at-large.  Since the death of John Kennedy, however, the men of the Oval Office have abandoned any semblance of balance, and instead have skewed far too left or far too right in all their dealings.

Walk softly - do not be overly boastful, demanding, abrasive, instrusive, nor militant.  In other words, embrace a proper amount of personal humility.

Carry a big stick - do not employ isolationist, cowardly, appathetic, nor slovenly practices in your relations with others.  Demonstrate the ability and be prepared to defend yourself and your "best interests" with zeal.

You will go far - People the world over best respect and understand that which they can relate to the easiest.  Good and trustworthy citizens are not looking for a  fight, but they don't falter when the fight comes to their door.

We need a president willing to:    (a) Live out this motto on a personal level in word and deed,   (b) Apply this standard to the national discourse, and   (c) Evaluate, address and engage our international friends and foes alike by their willingness to demonstrate this behavior.

If Teddy were alive and campainging today, I think he would have a lot in common with Mike Huckabee.  More on this in the coming days.

~ rg

Leadership

Leadership. The scarcest of talents in the entire human gene pool - is leadership. Think about the American presidents of your lifetime. How many were true leaders? Not many. What about your workplace. Do you report to a leader, or just another herder/driver. Most people who assume positions of ultimate responsibility are not trained in the art of leadership. They may have countless hours of tutelage in every management technique under the sun. But, leadership is misunderstood and thus ignored in our learning institutions.

So...does your boss lead or herd? Which category would you put our current president in? And what about the senior pastor at your church? Leader or herder? When the buck stops with you, do you lead? It takes less effort to herd, don't you think?

How would you define leadership? And for that matter, is it all that bad to be a herder ... if you're good at it? The most puzzling aspect of this is; it's actually easier to lead than to herd. Herders are easily trapped in micromanagement of operational details. Leaders, on the other hand, are able to keep their heads up and their eyes on the horizon. The ship sails better with the captain on the bridge, than if he is below decks tinkering with the engine.

A leader must master the arts of discernment, communication and network building. If you have acquired those talents and you surround yourself with great people, success is just a matter of time.

So.....are you a leader?