Speaker Pelosi (D) – DNC-Consulting

Speaker Pelosi – Enough is ENOUGH!

Bird of Prey There comes the point where every person reaches their penultimate point. They can take no more, stand no more, and allow no more abuses to be heaped upon them by others. On 30 August 2021, when Speaker Pelosi (D), Speaker of the US House of Representatives, refused to show up, refused to recognize, and refused to participate in a moment of silence for the 13 service members lost in Afghanistan, my moment arrived. I am thoroughly done, and I am here to describe what that means!

I will not edit my diet to fit a “woke culture!”

Commit I love fried chicken, watermelon, BBQ ribs, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread. I have been eating this way my entire life; I will not change just because some dweeb is projecting their racism onto food. Food cannot and should never be labeled as “racist.” I love grits and fried eggs, with cheese and gravy, or biscuits and hashbrowns. I am a huge fan of fried okra and pork. I enjoy a bowl of hominy and honey with a bit of butter and cornbread. Bring on the food, leave the politics on the porch!

I will not disrespect every police officer just because some person gets shot.

Is there the potential possibility that a bad police officer could have slipped in and will abuse their power? Absolutely, and it has been my displeasure to have met a couple of these abusive and detestable bastards in my time. I call them out, just like I call out those who abuse their position in any other profession. But, I am done with seeing every police officer branded as bad when a precinct somewhere else in the world makes a dumb call, makes a poor decision, or is Monday-Morning-Quarterbacked by a bunch of bureaucrats who never wore a badge. I have met too many great and good police officers to see all of them slandered by the media and the politicians for the statistical anomalies that come with a demanding job and the political misfeasance that is part of the risks in their profession. Thin Blue Line

I will add another piece of important information to this list, fail to listen to a police officer and get shot; you have no sympathy from me, EVER! A police officer demands to see your hands and has reason to believe their life is in danger; you need to listen and obey first, talk and spout stupidity later. Acting on a police officer’s demands in executing their duties is called being a responsible citizen, the first job a person has to law and order in society. As a citizen, you must listen to authority, even if you do not like that authority or disagree with that authority. Hence, it is not the police officer’s fault if you refuse to do as instructed and get shot in the process.

Rioters, Looters, Anarchists – You Are Terrorists, and I will treat you as such!

LIC There is no such thing as a violent protest. You are either protesting (peacefully) after having obtained the proper permits and in accordance with the laws, or you are terrorists hell-bent on destroying society. There is no middle ground, and I refuse to bend on this issue, regardless of the media’s claims! When you begin looting, burning, acting violently, this is the time to call in the military. The rules of engagement include returning violence equal to or greater than the violence shown to restore law and order: no police, military response, and open fire. Law and order is the police’s job. Terrorism is the military’s job, and those who survive receive a terrorist trial in a military tribunal.

Consent of the Governed. Rejected!

America is a Constitutional Republic (if we can keep it). Speaker Pelosi, you have breached public peace and no longer deserve my consent to hold your title and office as Speaker of the US House of Representatives. More to the point, until you are removed from office and held accountable for treason and other crimes, you are held in contempt and do not deserve any title. Nancy, go home! My consent to be governed has been withdrawn! Take your president, the fraudulent and senile Joey and Jill, the useless Kamala, and your good buddy in the Senate Patty with you. Fly commercial; I refuse you the right to use my taxpayer-funded transportation!

Rights, freedoms, liberties all come with obligations and responsibilities!

Your “right to free speech” comes with moral obligations, responsibilities, and you are accountable for what you say. The Supreme Court has made this clear in many a case law, and it remains incumbent upon the citizenry and the politicians to learn this lesson. Screaming nonsense is not allowed, and a “college safe place” will not protect you from a genuine ass-whooping when behavior correction is needed. Nancy, your vile and deprecating speech borders on treasonous and criminal as you have promoted violence on your political enemies, frankly that you have escaped the law is atrocious and needs rectification! That you are third in line to become president means you are held to a higher standard, and that you have failed to live to that standard reflects poorly upon yourself, your party, and this country! Well, as a citizen of this country, I reject you! The Duty of Americans

I reject the “Gang of Five” who have followed maliciously in your footsteps and prospered under your pernicious tutelage. You have poisoned enough minds and hearts during your Congressional career, and it is time for you to be held accountable for your crimes, audacity, and reprehensive behavior! You have dodged the obligations and responsibilities of your office long enough. Since you have gerrymandered your congressional district to guarantee re-election ad nauseam ad infinitum, it is time the citizens outside your community hold you accountable in front of a judge and jury.

Knowledge Check! Nancy, you sent the military to Afghanistan. You continued to send the military to Afghanistan as political decisions. You hold the blood of the slain, the sweat of the military sacrifice, and the tears of the families, and you cannot ever shake this responsibility! For you to act in such a deplorable manner is cause for removal and public shaming, at a minimum. But with your ego and arrogance, simple public shaming will not teach the lesson you need to learn. Thus, Nancy, I hope to be there in person when a judge hands down a sentence of guilty, and pronounces your punishment of community service in distinctive clothing, wearing a sandwich board declaring your crimes, and watch you pull weeds on a chain gang, scrubbing graffiti, and picking trash. Then, maybe, will the enormity of your crimes come home to you!

© 2021 M. Dave Salisbury
All Rights Reserved
The images used herein were obtained in the public domain; this author holds no copyright to the images displayed.

The Proper and Improper Role of Government – Chapter 5: Socialism, Communism, Capitalism, and Envy

As a kid, the USSR loomed as an ever-present force that could at anytime wipe America off the map with a pre-emptive nuclear strike. Of course, America would retaliate with nuclear weapons, and this would create MAD or “mutually assured destruction.” People understood MAD was bad, but the communists among us were more insidious about portraying communism. The news media showed bread lines, soap lines, and the bitter pictures of enslavement under communism. Thus, socialism was the way to go, and the communists were selling socialism as the better way to government.

Except, socialism is communism light, and when the socialists run out of other people’s money, communism takes over. All because under capitalism, the results of one’s choices and consequences are harsh and cannot be hidden. Those preaching socialism and communism were envious of the capitalists who achieved and wanted what others possessed but without the hard work required to obtain benefits.

One other reality is critical to understanding the role of socialism; there is an axiom that states something like, “today’s students are tomorrow’s government policymakers.” This is precisely what has happened; the students of the 1960s are now setters of government policy, holding onto the reigns of power through sheer willpower, to see America die before they do. Socialism has been taught in the classrooms of government-mandated schools since the early 1900s to purposefully bring down the liberty and freedoms of the citizens of every representative government, out of envy for those in power in communist countries. Refusing to believe that under communism, less than .01% are powerful, rich, and mighty, whereas everyone else suffers, grovels, and struggles!

Socialism, Communism, and Capitalism – Detailed for understanding.

What is communism? Webster relates that communism is “A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which the people equally share all goods.” Except, everywhere communism has been tried, one-party rule leads to sycophants and ideologues ruling and taking what they want, while everyone else suffers, held in power by hired guns. Cuba was an incredible island nation, then Fidel Castro came along, and now Cuba is a cesspool of suffering, misery, and stagnation. Venezuela used to be the crown jewel of South America; now, it is a war zone, a catastrophe, and a pit of wasted potential. Czarist Russia was no picnic, but it was much greater than the vulture of communism that feasted on the body of Czarist Russia while it poisoned the world. China before communism was enlightened, capable, able, and has joined the ranks of failed communist planning and operations.

What is socialism? Socialism is defined in Webster as “Any of [the] various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.” As well as, “The stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism, in which the means of production are collectively owned, but an utterly classless society has not yet been achieved.” Is the connection clear as to why socialism is referred to as “communism light?”

One last point about socialism, “legislation intended to improve the condition of the working-man. Among the measures include the insurance of workmen against accident, sickness, and old age, and the establishment of cooperative associations under state protection.” Envy of other countries having benefits has caused legislation that never should have happened in America and many other representative governments due to costs, loss of liberty and freedom, and the destruction of fundamental processes in the “Rule of Law.” How expensive has unemployment insurance been in non-monetary costs? Jobs have been lost forever, the expense of hiring has pushed jobs out of America, the expense has reduced wages of those lucky enough to be hired, but the growth of government and the millstone of bureaucrats has cost more than money, we have lost liberty, freedom, and potential.

What is capitalism? The common definition of capitalism in Webster states capitalism is “An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned, and development occurs through the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market.” Webster’s dictionary has come under the same influence of plastic words and liberal ideology. Webster also defines capitalism as “The concentration or massing of capital in the hands of a few; also, the power or influence of large or combined capital.” Do a few condense capital; yes, no doubt. Except, when there is less government, and people keep their envy to themselves, capitalism brings the most freedom to the most people better than any other form of government attempted in human history. So, while capitalism has its faults, which are legion, capitalism is not the problem as it embraces private property ownership. Private property ownership is freedom from government oppression!

Please note, it is entirely acceptable to reach a level of financial comfort, look around, see suffering, and want to aid in the relief of suffering. This is a good thing and expected in a capitalistic system. Those paying for the relief of suffering are not government officials hired through forced taxation. In a socialized system, the money is stolen, legally, through forced taxation, then handed freely to those suffering, with several cuts made for wages and benefits of the workers doling out other people’s money. In a communist system, political leaders get fat and enjoy all the benefits, while everyone else suffers without relief. Yet, too many people would see you in a communist system and suffer, for there is no envy. If you believe that, I have a gravity-resistant bridge to the moon for you to buy.

Envy

Envy has been one of the seven deadliest sins for a reason; it breeds violence and discontent. Webster shines a light on envy describing it this way, “A feeling of discontent and resentment aroused by and in conjunction with desire for the possessions or qualities of another.” Fear is disgust and envy paired for the weak to overcome the powerful. The disease of envy includes admiration, jealousy, discontent, disbelief, lies, and a host of emotions that overwhelm a person’s mind to the point where they become irrational and hostile. Another resource claims envy (from Latin invidia) is an emotion that occurs when a person lacks another’s superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desire it or wishes that the other lacked it. Aristotle defined envy as pain at the sight of another’s good fortune, stirred by “those who have what we ought to have.”

While academics continue to split hairs between jealousy and envy and strive to create more distinctions, what has been described regarding envy is sufficient for my purposes. The purpose of discussing envy is to aid in clearing the confusion surrounding envious people who have a modicum of power, as they perceive it, and then abuse that power for their own benefit. For example, Trump Derangement Syndrom (TDS) was already a disease long before President Trump left the private sector for the political arena. TDS remains rooted in envious people acting violently, abusing power, and acting unethically and immorally because of the envy they feel for President Trump’s success.

Consider Speaker Pelosi (D), who ripped her copy of President Trump’s State of the Union speech up in front of cameras. She was jealous; her pride was hurt, and she felt envious and lacked a weapon to harm the president, so she acted immaturely and disrespected the sitting president. All this because, at heart, Speaker Pelosi (D) is nothing but a shallow and useless person, stuck in Congress and hating every minute of her tenure there because she could not obtain a higher office. She is envious of the Americans she despises and works 24/7/365 to destroy America, all because of her envy of other people’s success.

Social justice warriors, including President Obama, are full of envy and do everything they can to obtain revenge for self-inflicted wrongs. Envious people hate consequences for the choices they make. Envious people turn to drugs, alcohol, and other forms of self-medication, which in turn makes their self-loathing and self-hate worse. Then, these same envious people curse the success of others while demanding that someone else pay for the help they need to overcome their self-inflicted consequences.

I recently talked to a gentleman who was severely upset that democrats stole the 2020 elections, stuffing ballot boxes, allowing illegal immigration, and a host of other crimes that occur for votes. While I can understand his distress, he was envious of a political party for their success at suborning American Law. He left the conversation mad because he could not understand the role of envy in himself and what he was observing in others. Worse, the belief that justice and mercy are alive keeps him from acting to help change the situation, shift the paradigm, and improve the problems he mentioned to a solution. Envy captures the mind, placing shades and shutters over logic while unlocking emotion, many times without the person realizing what is occurring until that mind is chained in the captivity of envy.

There is a reason why envy is a deadly sin in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, mentioned in all the ancient books as a problem, and continues to infect people who refuse to learn. Unbridled emotions are captivity, not freedom! There is danger in the extremes of everything. Envy is in the extremes and imitates a minimal issue to capture the mind and control the person. Consider this, capitalism is the best, and envious people implement socialism to chain capitalism while rooting for communism to come in a takeover, thinking they will be better off and the “rich will finally pay their fair share.” Reality is always disappointing for envious people, and the result will be that everyone detests them when their plans come to fruition.

© 2021 M. Dave Salisbury
All Rights Reserved
The images used herein were obtained in the public domain; this author holds no copyright to the images displayed.

NO MORE BS: Calling Out Politicians

Rep. Greg Stanton (D) got called out on my blog and both of Arizona’s Senators, and previously I have called out the now Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (D), who was then a member of the US House of Representatives. A comment was passed along to me that I only pick on politicians with (D) after their name. I will call out every single politician who does not honor their oath of office or represent their constituents. Politicians in America be on alert; I will not tolerate this behavior anymore.

America deserves better from those elected to public office, from the dog catcher to the school board and from the city council to the president’s office. Every office-seeker is accountable to those who elected them. Not to the special interests, banks, businesses, and other entities are pushing agendas and money into their pockets through legal but ethically questionable and illicit schemes. Across the globe, in every democratically elected government, too many politicians are abdicating their jobs, refusing to do their jobs, endlessly asking questions to avoid doing their jobs, and exercising every excuse possible to waste time and collect a paycheck from the taxpayers. Hence, be on alert; the electorate is awake, taking notes and passing names around.

To the Speakers, Majority and Minority Leaders, your role is two-fold, represent who elected you to office, and lead your political caucuses in the respective houses of government. Speaker Pelosi (D), we have regularly informed you that you are not doing your job. While the following applies to the US Senate specifically, it speaks to all majority and minority leaders and is worth knowing:

“Elected at the beginning of each Congress by members of their respective party conferences to represent them on the House or Senate floor, the majority and minority leaders serve as spokesmen for their parties’ positions on the issues. Working with the committee chairs and ranking members, the majority leader schedules business on the floor by calling bills from the calendar and keeps members of his party advised about the daily legislative program. In consultation with the minority leader, the majority leader fashions unanimous consent agreements by which limitations of time for debate are agreed to and divides that time between the parties. When time limits cannot be agreed on, the majority leader might file for cloture to shut off the debate. The two leaders coordinate party strategy and try to keep their parties united” [emphasis mine].

We need to be precise; a majority and minority leader are not US Constitutional offices but were created to aid the organization of government bodies. These positions were first designed and accepted by democrats to benefit President Woodrow Wilson’s legislative pogrom. One of those American Presidents who was quietly destroying America, one legislated article at a time! Worse, even with a complicit Congress, the two-term president wrote 1803 executive orders and proclamations! President Woodrow Wilson, the highest writing, end-running around the US Constitution President until eclipsed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and WWII; thus, leaving President Wilson #2 on the list of presidents ruling by executive fiat instead of legislated law.

Feel free to disagree, but the following are considered accomplishments of President Woodrow Wilson (D). I find direct lines of congruence from the problems of today and President Wilson’s complicit Congress, and only if you intend to destroy America would I call these “accomplishments.”

- - Including an “ambitious agenda of progressive reform that included the establishment of the Federal Reserve and Federal Trade Commission.”
  - He won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Treaty of Versailles, which directly led to WWII. Winning a Nobel Prize for creating global problems reminds me of another Nobel Peace prize winner-President Obama (D)!
  - President Wilson is responsible for starting the “League of Nations,” the foundation of the current United Nations. We all know how well that has worked out for America!
  - As part of President Wilson’s progressive reforms, “Congress passed the Underwood-Simmons Act, which reduced the tariff on imports and imposed a new federal income tax.”
  - With the help of friendly Congresses, President Wilson saw child labor laws, an eight-hour day for railroad workers, and government loans to farmers all passed as legislative accomplishments, which set up the animosity between railroad and government workers against every other employee in America.
  - President Wilson used his roots in the confederacy to resegregate the US Federal Government, overturning many hard-won concessions. Republicans had fought to secure and destabilizing America while creating the problems of the 1960s Civil Rights movement.

As a dedicated independent voter, I call out any and every politician who is not doing their job, or advancing a government pogrom that steals liberty, destroys freedom, or persuades people to give up their rights for “government protection.” The United Nations is killing the world and needs to be stopped by any legal means necessary!

The tax system in America is the reason why employees cost too much to compete with other countries. The tax system provided government bloat to allow the government to see us, the citizens, as property, pick winners and losers and abuse the US Constitution. With the amount of trade America does with the world, why do we pay so much in taxes at the local, county, state, and federal levels? The income tax system is regressive, which means it hurts innovation, job creation, job growth, and the entrepreneurial spirit that has made America since the colonial era.

Want an interesting fact to chew on; America did not need an income tax when it was installed under President Wilson and a complicit congress. The Military-Government Complex created during WWI was a tragedy that has never been corrected, and a farce force-fed to the American people, and who has paid the price, every taxpayer since President Wilson! Why does Congress give itself tax breaks; because they know that if they paid the same as everyone else, they would pay too much in taxes.

The Great Depression was a farrago of government ineptitude from beginning to end! The government used the suffering of millions of people to create a government jobs program, the military-industrial complex, and government debt as a means of stealing freedom, robbing liberty, and breaking the American soul! If you are as tired as I am of the politicians, join me in calling them out. Call out the perks they voted for themselves, the retirement benefits that make a CEO’s “Golden Parachute” look like a paper kite. Call out the politicians who refuse to respond to their constituents. Call out the spending and tax politicians at every level of government. Demand your liberty and freedom back!

© 2021 M. Dave Salisbury
All Rights Reserved
The images used herein were obtained in the public domain; this author holds no copyright to the images displayed.

Competition, Collaboration, Cooperation, and Compromise: Revisiting the 4-C’s

Ziggy - The Government In 2014, I wrote about the powerful tools of competition, collaboration, cooperation, and compromise. I have been considering a revisit of this topic for several days, as the need for compromise, collaboration, competition, and cooperation seem to continue to fade and be plasticized. I also feel a dire need exists for every citizen to know what is happening and how to recognize when you were fed rotten mushrooms when you expected steak.

Andragogy - The Puzzle The inherent discussion is condensed from Thomas (1992), who advocated this combined approach to organizational design as a masterstroke to getting people working together. The same basic philosophy can be seen in the writings of Goldratt and Cox (2004), Lencioni (2002), Lundin, Paul, and Christensen (2000), Boynton and Fischer (2005), and Boylan (1995), among many others. Notably, these principles have been understood throughout time; Jucius (1963), in speaking of the broader issues in personnel management, understood the combined power of collaboration, cooperation, compromise, and competition and wrote extensively about using these effectively in the organization. Cruickshank and Davis (1958) understood these principles as a combined and more effective tool than different general direction strategies. All of these authors have strove to ensure business leaders understood the practical application and inherent need for the organization to adhere to these principles as a combined effort of all organizational members. McNichols (1963) strove to keep these items combined in executives’ minds, thus empowering them to discover solutions employing all the strengths in the consolidated collective use of competition, collaboration, compromise, and competition. The empowerment felt in combining these tools elevates the individual focus into a collected culture and body, and the solutions for an organization are improved dynamically.

Collaboration

Collaboration is strengthened by cooperation, compromise, and competition. Collaboration is all about action, working together with another person or entity to produce or create a product or service. However, like all words on this list, the term has a dark side and a legal standard born from the historical collaboration with enemy forces as a traitor. Collaboration originates with Latin from Collaborare, meaning to work together.

Senator McCain would call his political gymnastics with the then-Senator Obama as collaboration, or working peacefully together for the common good; but in honesty, the resulting product was more the traitorous use of collaboration. Unfortunately, the same pattern is visible in many current politicians who “make deals” to “make history.” Instead of writing laws suitable for everyone and are constitutional, while scrutinizing the legislative branch for runaway government.

Competition

Competition is the act of competing, and competing is all about striving to achieve something through defeating or establishing superiority over another. Competition must end in collaboration, cooperation, and compromise; in fact, competition will breed collaboration and cooperation to reach a compromise before those competing against; this is why competition is so powerful but not independent of the others. The fires of competition are crucial to purifying those collaborating, compromising, and cooperating into a single, honed unit that can more effectively work together.

The dark side of competition is what is witnessed in too many governments’ capitals. The hostility of establishing superiority has created monsters of hate, envy, spite, malice, and the citizenry are left betrayed and confused. The competition between political parties has bred such tremendous angst that neither political party can see past the next election and realize the competition they are in is meaningless, at best! I was disgusted with the political response to the Bush/Cheney election and the “Chads.” But, since that election, the rhetoric has only climbed higher and higher. The parties try to make enemies of each other and the citizens until a war of words and silly emotional jokes are running around, displaying their childish stupidity.

Compromise

Every adult in the room should be aware by now that a good compromise leaves everyone upset. This is a simple truth of humanity and has been apparent in every age of recorded human history. As a verb (denoting action taken) or a noun, the common definition of compromise boils down to the same thing, settling a dispute by mutual concession. Webster and Cambridge Dictionaries are pretty clear on this topic. Every side concedes a little for the whole to gain a lot. Compromise without cooperation or collaboration is nothing, and competition is an added value, or force multiplier, to ensuring more decisive compromise.

However, Speaker Pelosi (D) feels a distinct need to continuously offer this word as what happened in a political committee. But, she uses compromise as a verb with the following definitions:

- Bringing into disrepute or danger by indiscreet, foolish, or reckless behavior.
- To cause to become vulnerable or function less effectively.
- Weaken (a reputation or principle) by accepting standards that are lower than is desirable.
- To accept standards that are lower than is desirable.

Hence, let me be explicit, compromise when discussing the 4-C’s uses the term as a noun or a verb using the common definition. Do we understand why Speaker Pelosi (D) and many other politicians from both sides of the aisle use compromise as a verb or plasticize compromise as a noun to describe the political chicanery happening outside the light of day?

For example, we could use the compromise of BREXIT as to why BREXIT went from a good thing to a punishment. We could use ObamaCare as a perfect example of political compromise, where lower standards became acceptable, and America’s healthcare became vulnerable due to the reckless and feckless behavior of the politicians involved! We could use the wasted time of the District of Columbia becoming the 51^st state legislation as a dispute brought by foolish behavior that forces the US Constitution to be violated by lower standards than desirable.

Cooperation

Cooperation is a process; this fact can never and should never be forgotten. A process requires investment from all sides, time, trust, and a clear goal to achieve. Cooperation is the rendering of assistance through ready compliance, not compulsory means! Cooperation can do nothing without the shared responsibilities of collaboration and compromise; when competition is added, the cooperation is strengthened, not weakened. Yet, even cooperation can be abused, turning friends into enemies, family into distant associates, and countries to war.

WWI and WWII brought the dark side of cooperation into life, and the same hatreds borne from those conflicts still exist today! Consider the US Civil War; President Lincoln wanted to forgive the Confederate States and welcome them back into the Union with open arms, no hate, no animosity, no recriminations. When President Lincoln was shot, the South was not brought back into the Union, except as an outcast. The citizens of the confederacy were treated horribly then and now through the punishment of the law. There are still actively used laws to punish the Confederate States, keeping the area in depression; this is the dark side of cooperation.

Angry Grizzly Bear The first post on this topic explicitly dealt with business and how businesses can use the combined power of the 4-C’s to more powerfully work together, advance towards a common goal, and achieve greatness. The same lessons taught in business should be applied to government offices and the elected officials holding public office. Yet, what do we find daily reported as news; childish behavior, tantrums, and vile deprecations towards those in the minority party. Even though history proclaims that today’s majority party is tomorrow’s minority party; hence, we should not be making enemies of each other. We should not be using the dark side of the 4-C’s as weapons of state to destroy but employing the light side to build, create, and grow.

References

Boylan, B. (1995). Get Everyone in Your Boat Rowing in the Same Direction. New York, New York: Barnes & Noble.

Boynton, A., & Fisher, B. (2005). Virtuoso teams: Lessons from teams that changed their worlds. FT Press

Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap…and others don’t. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Collins, J. (2006). Good to great and the social sectors: A monograph to accompany Good to great. London: Random House Business.

Collins, J., & Hansen, M. (2011). Great by choice: Uncertainty, chaos, and luck: Why some thrive despite them all. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Collins, J., & Porras, J. (1994). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. New York: Collins Business Essentials – A Collins Business Book: An Imprint of Harper Collins.

Cruickshank, H., & Davis, K. (1958). Cases in management (2nd ed.). Homewood, Ill.: R.D. Irwin.

Goldratt, E. M., & Cox, J. (2004). The goal: A process of ongoing improvement. (Third Revised ed.). Great Barrington, Massachusetts: North River Press.

Jucius, M. (1963). Personnel management (5th ed.). Homewood, Ill.: R.D. Irwin.

Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable. Hoboken, NJ. John Wiley & Sons.

Lundin, S. C., Paul, H., & Christensen, J. (1996). Fish! A remarkable way to boost morale and improve results. New York, New York: Hyperion.

McNichols, T. (1963). Policymaking and executive action; cases on business policy (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Mintzberg, H. (1980). Structure in 5’s: A synthesis of the research on organization design. Management Science (Pre-1986), 26(3), 322. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/205849936?accountid=458

Mitchell, J. (2003). Hug your customers: The proven way to personalize sales and achieve astounding results. New York, NY: Hyperion.

Punia, B. K. (2004). Employee empowerment and retention strategies in diverse corporate culture: A prognostic study. Vision: The Journal of Business Perspective, 8(81), 81-91. doi: 10.1177/097226290400800107

Robinson, G. (1999). Leadership vs. management. The British Journal of Administrative Management, 20-21. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/224620071?accountid=458

© 2021 M. Dave Salisbury
All Rights Reserved
The images used herein were obtained in the public domain; this author holds no copyright to the images displayed.

NO MORE BS: VA Administrators – Heaping More Shame

Angry Wet Chicken I believe in public shaming; I am an equal opportunity shamer. Where the VA is concerned, well, I tend to be more motivated to pass out shame than any other government entity. Not that I won’t pass along shame, or congratulations, when warranted, the administration of the VA deserves a few more scoops from the shame bucket today!

The Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG) passed along two issues today, and I have to weigh in on serving more shame, cold, hard, and well deserved. Long have I maintained that the administration and administrators of the VA are the problems in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Today’s VA-OIG reports provide more justification for demanding cleaning of the house for administration officials at all levels in the VA.

- - “Rita Copeland, 59, of Portsmouth, Virginia, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to defraud veterans. Copeland operated an entity known as Veteran Services of the Commonwealth and purported to provide various services to veterans from 2016 through 2020. She caused a number of victims to apply for VA home improvement grants and then used a portion of the grant payments to her own benefit instead of performing the promised work.”
  - “Sophia J. Quill, 60, was charged with defrauding the VA and the Michigan Department of Treasury out of $470,000. Quill and her co-conspirator Melissa Flores, who was arraigned last year, allegedly created aliases and obtained or created fraudulent documents to make it appear that they were heirs to various individuals who died.”

VA 3 If this is VA Excellence in action, we all need to be concerned! Do you notice anything missing from these reports? Let me help; where are the approving officials expected to do due diligence in being held culpable for allowing the fraud to thrive? I fully admit I have limited experience being a document reviewer and approving authority. I cannot help but ask about these approving officials who have been trained and gathered experience for their employment role.

Apathy I submit documents to the VA all the time, and every time I have to submit anything, the intake “officer” has to certify the document’s validity. Heck, the VA had my NGB Form 22 and both DD 214’s, and I still had to submit valid copies to ensure I was not defrauding the government. Forget innocent until proven guilty; submit forms to the VA, and you are guilty until they begrudgingly claim you are innocent. Submit documents to Social Security for a claim, same thing, same process, same everything. Yet, somehow three different people were able to defraud the government, stealing money, and are now hosts of the government.

Detective 4 Now, returning to the VA-OIG reports, who authorized accepting the fraudulent documents? Where were the inspectors? How many veterans had to complain they were being cheated before anyone took notice of Copeland’s crimes? How many congressional members were contacted for help that never arrived? How many letters to administrators were written that were never answered? How long did veterans suffer before the VA took action, especially in Copeland’s case? How many evidence intake specialists lost their jobs in either case? Were any held accountable for failing to do their jobs?

Congress, you have two straightforward jobs, write laws that are constitutional and scrutinize the legislative branch to protect the citizen from runaway government. After the last two weeks, I have to ask, where are you in performing either role? Passing District of Columbia Statehood for the “umpteenth time” is unconstitutional! Overlooking the scrutinizing of the legislative branch is unconstitutional and criminal negligence of your sworn duties.

The administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs is rotten to the core! Yet, even when directly responsible for fraud, negligence, and dead veterans, the administrators are given a “Get out of Jail Free Card.” Wasn’t Speaker Pelosi pretty upset with CEOs and “Golden Parachutes?” Yet, the VA Administration has precisely this and more, and the veterans and taxpayers cannot even get your attention for a second of work! Where is the corporate media taking the politicians and the VA administration to task for criminal negligence and failure to protect the citizen? It seems to me we can add a culpable third party to the needs a dish of shame, the media, who are also criminally negligent in performing their duties. The Duty of Americans

Where are the lawyers? Copeland’s case undoubtedly deserves a Class-Action Lawsuit to help those defrauded get the money they need. Where are the lawyers, hungry to see change and willing to risk becoming known for taking on the VA and winning? The actions of the VA Administrators need to be corrected. If Congress refuses to scrutinize appropriately, the lawyers need to begin processes in all 50-states and US Territories and Districts to demand the VA get fixed!

Bird of Prey The time for kid-glove treatment and soft-shoe approaches is past and dead; more positive and forceful measures are required. Where are the lawyers?

© 2021 M. Dave Salisbury
All Rights Reserved
The images used herein were obtained in the public domain; this author holds no copyright to the images displayed.

NO MORE BS: Putting Shame in the Right Place at the VA – Administration

Angry Grizzly Bear I have found great and good providers at the VA, as well as some truly awful and detestable providers. The Doctors, Nurses, Medical Support Assistant (MSA), and the patient are supposed to form a PACT team to improve the health and welfare of the patient in the VA Health Care System (VAHCS). The PACT Team is a VA organizational program to assist in improving care and stands for Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), as an extension of patient care services. The PACT Team also includes the Patient Advocate and several others, as detailed in the image below. PACT_model

I mention all this because I have heard from a veteran, we are going to call him “Boats,” a chief Boatswain mate for over 20-years in the US Navy, honorably discharged, and a disabled veteran of the Vietnam Era. Boats’ doctor changed clinics, thus shaking the PACT team to its core. Since the doctor was reassigned to a different clinic, the nurse has been changed but not explicitly assigned, so the coverage nurse cannot be reached by phone, and secure message falls on deaf ears and plastic lips. Hence, reaching his PACT team has become a burden, his health has suffered greatly, and the mask mandate makes his safety in the VA Clinic doubtful at best, as the mask aggravates his ability to breathe.

PACT 1 Because his clinic has no doctor, other doctors have been sharing their time in the clinic. This means that if treatment requires time and interactions over multiple visits, the patient loses any type of continuing care and is left frustrated, with continuity of care hindered. Here’s the rub, this has been an ongoing situation for a long time, and the continuity of care has become a root cause in the failing health of this veteran. Unfortunately, this is not a new or rare problem for the VA, and as shortages in providers continue to increase, it will only worsen.

PACT 3 Boats is in the same situation as many other veterans. While misery loves company, this type of misery costs lives, and that is an administrative problem Congress legally bound the VA to fix, and they refuse to address. Like the mask policy that does not include a face shield option or include the verbiage for approved medical conditions, the administration of the VA continues to market lofty and grand standards and fails even to meet minimum legal requirements. I have witnessed the administrative officers, known by their online pictures, refuse to help veterans, pawn off veterans, and even go so far as to hide from veterans to avoid providing customer service.

The hospital administrators have been schooled in the VA; many have “come up through the ranks.” These administrators have been taught how to avoid accountability, responsibility, and work the VA Bureaucracy to keep their jobs, even when veterans are dying from the administrative problems they created. While an employee, I heard the tales of how my Hospital Administration Services Director got her job; draw your own conclusions, all I do know is someone was promoted to an exceedingly great height above her maximum level of incompetence!

Detective 4 Consider the hospital director moved, at taxpayer expense, from Seattle to Phoenix. She had been killing veterans in Seattle and took over an award-winning hospital, which very shortly became a national joke for where veterans go to die! Her lessons are still being taught, veterans are still dying, and the administration is still the problem! The mask mandate that has stopped my prescription from being refilled, my abusive PACT Team led by a doctor who invited me to find a new provider, refused to contact me for two months about needed blood work to refill diabetes medication. After two weeks without diabetes medication, magically, diabetes medication arrives. No blood work ever occurred because I cannot access the VA due to my approved medical condition that makes wearing a mask impossible.

The administration of VA Hospitals is a crime! I had an assistant director, while an employee, who said, “If a non-VA Hospital did anything like the VA does things, they would be shut down for malpractice.” The assistant director is now a clinic director for the VA; her resume included 20-years in non-VA hospital administration. She joined the VA to help veterans. Where is the VA-Office of Inspector General in rooting out these administrative landmines of ineptitude that makes hiring more difficult and retaining talent near impossible? Where is Congress in scrutinizing the VA and helping those working to change the VA to succeed instead of actively contending with them?

Boats has serious problems. The legacy of the VA is to kill him instead of fixing their administrative problems. But, the VA’s mission statement is still, “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans.
“Our department remains fully committed to fulfilling the sacred obligation that we have to those who serve in uniform.” ~VA Secretary Denis McDonough.

VA Seal Where is the VA acting in accordance with the mission statement and fulfilling its “sacred obligation?” The answer, with the current leadership in administration, nowhere! The VA has been purposefully designed to kill veterans and can be fixed. The fix must include Congress, and we all know how Speaker Pelosi (D) feels about veterans; when she called them terrorists, it was clear her scrutinizing the government where the VA is concerned will not happen.

I-Care VA Secretary Denis McDonough signed onto the “I-Care” principles as core values in care for veterans in the VAHCS. Well, when can we, the veterans, see that these core principles have been on-boarded and are correcting behavior?

“VA Core Values describe how VA will accomplish its mission and inform every interaction with our customers. These Core Values are: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence — better known as “I CARE.” VA’s Core Values will continue to serve as the right guide for all our interactions and remind us and others that “I CARE.”

I care about those who have served.
I care about my fellow VA employees.
I care about choosing “the harder right instead of, the easier wrong.”
I care about performing my duties to the very best of my abilities.

Mr. Secretary… The veterans are dying now! We are waiting!

Like my enlistment oath, I signed onto the I-Care principles and even though I am no longer employed by the VA, I live I-Care! Where is the VA in proving “I-Care?”

NO MORE BS: Statehood for DC – A Total Waste of Time!

Angry Wet Chicken Another legislative session, another brain-dead idea passed off as needed, fair, and necessary, and wholly without merit. Gosh, I am fed up with the time wasted by both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Speaker Pelosi (D) is pontificating about the U.S. House passing (again) legislation to make the District of Columbia a state. Except, Speaker Pelosi (D) never saw a liberal idea she didn’t immediately love, embrace, and wholeheartedly support, so nothing new in this news.

President Biden (no surprise here) backs the idea he has previously not supported as a Senator. Color me shocked! What did not surprise me was racist and belligerent commentary on the house floor during the debate. It seems, every time someone with a (D) after their name can play the race card, the race card gets thrown down. No objectivity, no specificity, no reason, logic, only plain emotion, malice, and stupidity! Man, the use of the race card has gotten ridiculous. Read Rep. Jones’s (D) comments, and feel free to laugh at the stupidity! Plain ol’ public scorn should follow commentaries like the statements Rep. Jones (D) made, including mockery, shunning, and shame!

On the issue of race, the 2019 Census estimates 46% of D.C.’s residents identify as “Black,” and 46% identify as “White.” Leaving a mere 8% of the population to fill all other ethnicities and races. Yet, Rep. Jones (D) wants to make D.C. becoming a state a race issue. Queue the mocking laughter and public shaming! Calvin & Hobbes - Irony Hurts

One of the issues brought up for making the District of Columbia a state was the amount of taxes they pay. Personally, I laughed at this argument! Still laughing; not sorry! How long has the District of Columbia elected mayors who have done nothing but tax and spend; almost forever! Taxation without representation is a dead issue when you elect tax and spenders into office. As I was told as a kid, “You made your bed, now sleep in it!” Think I might be wrong, understand the following:

“No Republican has ever been elected mayor since D.C. home rule began in 1975. The DC Republicans have had no representation in the D.C. Council since Carol Schwartz left office in 2009. As of January 7, 2019, there are 30,001 registered voters affiliated with the Republican Party of the District of Columbia” [emphasis mine].

It appears to me, thou doth protest too much, and consequences hurt! One-party rule is never a good idea, but the District of Columbia has embraced one-party everything and is suffering accordingly! Please note, I am not claiming the Republicans could rule any better, but I am arguing that one-party rule is NEVER a good idea!

What is the issue?

Detective 4 The District of Columbia keeps petitioning to become a state. The U.S. Constitution provided for a federal district under the exclusive authority of the U.S. Congress; D.C. is therefore not a part of any U.S. state. Since this is a U.S. Constitutional issue, it will require all 50-states to ratify a change to the U.S. Constitution, not simply the wasting of time and resources of the U.S. House of Representatives. But, as they say on the Home Shopping Network, “There’s more.” With 34 US States never having been made states properly, according to the US Constitution, and their lands remain under “Federal Government Control,” I do not see DC being a state that big of an issue!

The District of Columbia is a unique federal district of the U.S. The Government of the District of Columbia operates under Article One of the United States Constitution and the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which devolves certain powers of the United States Congress to the Mayor and thirteen-member Council. The District of Columbia Home Rule Act was a compromise back in the 1970s to allow more self-rule to D.C. while still being within the boundaries of the U.S. Constitution. While the District of Columbia Home Rule Act caused some pretty wild protests, this was expected as a compromise between Congress and the local D.C. residents. All the adults know that a good compromise leaves everyone upset. How effective has the District of Columbia Home Rule Act been; well, look at the before and after economics, and the problem becomes loud and clear. Taking us back to why I am still laughing and still not sorry!

For the lawyers in the house, the District of Columbia Home Rule Act is a quagmire of legal jargon and directionless logic like no piece of legislation it has ever been my displeasure to review. If you can make sense of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, please I.M. me directly, for I have questions and need answers. Thank you! Apathy

Alert!

Dont Tread On Me Today’s chicanery in the U.S. House of Representatives was not the first time a piece of legislation making D.C. a state has passed the house. I doubt this will be the last time our tax dollars are wasted on passing frivolous legislation on a U.S. Constitutional issue that will be passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. Have any of the elected officials in the U.S. House or Senate read the U.S. Constitution, US Bill of Rights, or other founding U.S. documents? I figured those with (D) had read their Marx and Keynes, but they were not elected to act like Keynes or Marx!

NO MORE BS: Sacrifice and Selfishness – Understanding Begets Power

Personally, I do not care what you believe for religion, nor do I care about your bedroom choices, your skin color, your culture, heritage, or even your clothing or hairstyle. What you do is more important. What I do is more important. How we form a free-thinking society, responsible people who love freedom and liberty under the “Rule of Law” is more important. I have been called a bigot, a racist, a sexist, and so much more, primarily by ignorant byzantines who projected their own inadequacies, and I happened to call them out. I have thick skin and big shoulders; you want to accuse me of stupid stuff; that is your choice; thankfully, you will also enjoy the consequences.

What is Sacrifice?

Webster provides multiple definitions for sacrifice; only those contained below are we considering:

- - “An act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy.”
  - “A bid made in the belief that it will be less costly to be defeated in the contract than to allow the opponents to make a contract.”
  - “Give up (something important or valued) for the sake of other considerations.”

Gary Hamel is quoted as saying, “A noble purpose inspires sacrifice, stimulates innovation, and encourages perseverance.” Herein lies the importance of understanding sacrifice as a principle of power, a tool for constructing a life, and a mode of understanding the world. People will always sacrifice for that which they desire; understanding this principle explains many human behaviors and the resulting consequences.

Consider our current (fraudulent) president, Biden. He has sacrificed dignity, potential, life, and much more to attain in his senility the president’s chair. I long to ask him if it was worth the sacrifice. Except, the consequences of the president’s actions have ripped holes in the fabric of America, monumentally increased distrust in government at all levels, and is actively working to ruin America during his remaining days as president. Hence, we must ask America, was the candidate worth the consequences?

As a principle, sacrifice must be understood as a double-edged sword; it cuts both ways. Selfishly sacrifice, and you get harmed, selflessly sacrifice, and you gain even as you lose. Like the double-edged sword, there is no safe spot to stand; you either slide one way or another, and danger lies on the edge of decision making.

What is Selfishness?

Interestingly, selfishness is being selfish, and being selfish is all about “lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with personal profit or pleasure,” according to Webster. More specifically, selfishness is also self-centeredness and realizes that one is only concerned excessively or exclusively for oneself or one’s own advantage, pleasure, or welfare, regardless of others.

James Altucher is quoted saying, “Your competition is not other people but the time you kill, the ill-will you create, the knowledge you neglect to learn, the connections you fail to build, the health you sacrifice along your path, your inability to generate ideas, the people around you who don’t support and love your efforts, and whatever god you curse for your bad luck.” The perfect summation of a life lived as selfish and self-centered. Thereby presenting a person with some interesting questions, especially for juries deciding guilt or innocence, managers of people in employment, and parents of children. Do we understand that selfishness is an empty hole that can never be filled? Do we appreciate that sacrifices made selflessly are many times lost in the selfishness of others? Will we choose to learn, connect, build, generate, and support?

Speaker Pelosi (D) is the most selfish person it has been my displeasure to know. Blind to other people’s struggles, refusing to represent her district properly, continuously thinking she is the keystone in American Government and an institution in her own mind who refuses to act in any manner worthy of anything higher than utter contempt. Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi (D) is not alone in her attitude, actions, or refusal to represent those who elected them to a seat of American power. If Speaker Pelosi had an ounce of humanity, she would have retired many years ago; instead, she bitterly clings to power and projects her insecurities and ineptitude onto others in her vile and detestable manner and methods.

Why is this topic important?

Sacrifice and selfishness are two sides of the same coin. The extremes of a decision matrix line, where the person must choose, and cannot long remain neutral. However, like all things, selfishness and sacrifice can be taken to the extremes, and in the extreme’s bondage, chaos, and trouble lie. Do we, the lovers of liberty, understand that the extremes of anything bring problems, sickness, death, and disease?

Consider for a moment a friend of mine. He sacrificed a lot of credit card debt to fund projects that were supposed to help other people. But in the end, he had to file bankruptcy, he lost his house, he lost his spouse, and too many people thought his “sacrifice” was for selfish ends and hated him for his “gifts,” all while being “grateful for the gift” to his face. Can a selfish act be a sacrifice worthy of the name; no! We see this pattern explained in the New Testament when Jesus Christ is teaching the sermon on the mount; he talks about a man who fasts to be seen of men and has his reward not from God, but man. He speaks of a man who prays on street corners to be seen of men and has his reward. What is a sacrifice-minded person to do; enter into your closet and petition God in secret, and He who sees in secret rewards openly.

The connection between sacrifice and selfishness is clear, but also the extremes of action in selfishness and sacrifice are also apparent. We have examples all around us of selfishness taken to extremes and the danger that lies on that path. We also have examples around us of those who sacrifice selfishly and struggle. The answer is to balance sacrifice and err on the side of selfless sacrifice; essentially, not running faster than we have strength.

Selfless sacrifice is not a new principle, tool, mode of living, or human capability, but selfless sacrifice requires discernment in making decisions. Selfless sacrifice requires education, knowledge, and experience and includes failure! Selfless sacrifice does not have a media cheering section but does come with genuine gratitude by those who know, and the reward is always greater than the sacrifice, law of the harvest. Selfless sacrifice includes action, trust, hope, faith, and joy. Paradoxically speaking, one would not involve joy in the activities of sacrifice. Still, selfless sacrifice does include feelings of joy, hope and can be considered an extension of a person’s commitment to charitably living with others.

Best of all, selfless sacrifice is not a “religious” anything! I know many great, and good people from all walks of life, and every religious flavor possible, and of them can be said, “They walk as an example of charity, hope, and faith embodied in human frailty.” Hence, to all the irreligious and atheistic people, you can walk in like manner and have honor without affecting your choice of religiousness. Selfless sacrifice contains the power to connect with other people, animals, and even plants in a more profound, more full manner than currently enjoyed.

I offer these thoughts for your consideration, hoping that by choosing differently, we can create a truly better world and not just a surface polish. We, the humans on this planet, can live differently, without ruining our economies, without destroying each other, and without sacrificing freedom and liberty for the chains of government, and bondage to politically powered people. All I ask is that you think about these principles and take action. Thank you!

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