Two of the quintessential characteristics of the good leader listed by Lao Tzu are mercy/compassion and conservation. If we look at the state of leadership in this country, both of these traits appear to be sorely lacking!
A great example of the lack of the former concerns the federal government's weak response both to the economic woes facing everyday Americans and the housing/foreclosure crisis. In both cases, little has been done that would cause one to think that our leaders feel any compassion for the electorate.
Another example is the increasing use of drone aircraft in the Afghanistan and Pakistani theaters of our most recent "war." Report after report has indicated that our drones are killing numerous innocent citizens, yet the drone attacks continue unabated. It would certainly lead one to believe that stated military objectives trump mercy or compassion for innocent villagers caught in the crossfire.
In the area of conservation, the most recent electoral cycle featured an estimated overall expenditure of $5 billion. All this money was spent simply to help various candidates obtain office. I'm sure you could think of a multitude of projects that $5 billion could have funded that would benefit society far more than wasting it on purely political endeavors!
In fact, if we're going to talk about wasting money, just look at how much our country spends on our military. We spend more than (something like) the next 23 or so nations combined and almost every one of those are our allies! Instead of working to conserve human life, vast amounts of resources and gobs of taxpayer dollars, every administration -- whether Republican or Democratic -- steadfastly refuses to pare back the military budget even slightly.
Is it any wonder that our infrastructure is crumbling, our educational system is creaking and expenditures to push this nation toward environmental sustainability are minuscule?
Related Posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
A great example of the lack of the former concerns the federal government's weak response both to the economic woes facing everyday Americans and the housing/foreclosure crisis. In both cases, little has been done that would cause one to think that our leaders feel any compassion for the electorate.
Another example is the increasing use of drone aircraft in the Afghanistan and Pakistani theaters of our most recent "war." Report after report has indicated that our drones are killing numerous innocent citizens, yet the drone attacks continue unabated. It would certainly lead one to believe that stated military objectives trump mercy or compassion for innocent villagers caught in the crossfire.
In the area of conservation, the most recent electoral cycle featured an estimated overall expenditure of $5 billion. All this money was spent simply to help various candidates obtain office. I'm sure you could think of a multitude of projects that $5 billion could have funded that would benefit society far more than wasting it on purely political endeavors!
In fact, if we're going to talk about wasting money, just look at how much our country spends on our military. We spend more than (something like) the next 23 or so nations combined and almost every one of those are our allies! Instead of working to conserve human life, vast amounts of resources and gobs of taxpayer dollars, every administration -- whether Republican or Democratic -- steadfastly refuses to pare back the military budget even slightly.
Is it any wonder that our infrastructure is crumbling, our educational system is creaking and expenditures to push this nation toward environmental sustainability are minuscule?
Related Posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
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