In Search of Leadership

2009 brings to us a newly-elected (or reelected) Maine Legislature and also a new President of the United States.

This New Year also provides a multitude of challenges that demand the attention, careful examination and productive decision-making required to maintain and hopefully improve our Nation.

Locally, Maine is faced with declining operating revenues and the attendant hard choices necessary to continue to provide benefits and assistance to its residents. Considering the current economic woes, the question is no longer whether or not to reduce spending at the State and municipal levels but where to make the cuts.

Naturally, special interest groups are currently squeaking as loudly as possible, hoping for enough "grease" to keep their own wheels turning smoothly.

To Governor Baldacci's credit, he has publicly recognized the severity of the financial difficulties and has advanced a number of proposals designed to deal with revenue shortfalls. He is indeed providing leadership, no matter if one agrees with any or all of his plans. I personally would like to see a reduction in the number of highly-paid "administrative assistants" on the Governor's staff emerge as one of the plans to help balance the state budget. Leaders should share in times of hardship.

It is the responsibility of the Legislature to help construct, evaluate, fine-tune, approve and implement cost-reduction measures needed to comply with restrictions now imperative due to the decline in available funds. Unfortunately, leaders of this body have historically shown great reluctance to recognize financial limitations. They were elected to make the hard decisions required for the greater good, but frequently have preferred to pander rather than lead.

On a National level pandering has risen to an exalted art form, resulting in an absolute frenzy of squandering the taxpayers' money by rewarding incompetence and unethical behavior with numerous "bailouts" that have failed to improve America's economy. Indeed, we are treated to the spectacle of gigantic transfers of the public's money to lending institutions who have then refused to lend any portion of these funds to the people who supplied the money.

The incoming administration is pushing for even greater expenditures, designed to provide money to federal and local governments to spend on pork barrel projects that will drastically increase the national debt while doing little to improve the economy (exemplifying a growing tendency toward economic "central planning", which provides limited management capability but more government control).

Our President-elect provides little in the way of encouragement and hope in his speeches, instead insistently dwelling on the ruinous and dire consequences that are certain to occur unless we cede control of our lives to an all-encompassing government. Meanwhile, his nomination for Treasury Secretary is someone who failed to pay required income taxes in a timely fashion, for Attorney General an individual who oversaw some of the most infamous Clinton pardons and for CIA director a political hack who has no knowledge of intelligence operations or requirements.

President-elect Obama's imminent Washington festivities will reportedly cost $150 million dollars, more than three times the bill for the last presidential inauguration (which was roundly criticized for extravagance when the money could have been better applied to a host of National and world problems).

Leadership?

There may be glimmerings in Augusta, but on the National front there is not only a conspicuous absence of that particular commodity, but also a continuing dearth of common sense, ethics and service for the public good.

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