America Must Turn Around or Go Down!
As I go outside every day to retrieve the daily paper…lying somewhere between the gutter and the lip of our lawn, I spy refuse scattered about the street and on other people’s property…largely the doing of college students who rent in the area and/or some of our neighborhood high school juniors and seniors.
These same non-socialized youths speed through the neighborhood, cut corners, make turns over peoples lawns and flip you the bird if you happen to be like me and holler at them. A large percentage of today’s American youth deserve no one’s respect or tolerance. You do wonder what if anything they were taught at home other than, “Don’t let anyone give you a hard time!”
For the last seven years we have been led by this generation’s model, George W. Bush. Bush is a below-average-intellect beneficiary of a family legacy. Many of the students in the nearby University, especially those studying [or merely taking] business courses are quite like him: they believe themselves gifted and privileged…though they are, by virtue of my having taught them at one time, greatly deluded about such matters.
This year’s Presidential election will be pivotal for the country and the world. Either we turn around from making the same poor choices we have over the last twenty years or we join the trash heap of all great past civilizations. Bush has taken us down more than a few notches but the path to the bottom is still open and our choice in November will either cause us to change course productively or continue downward but in a new and lasting style.
McCain, Clinton or Obama…whom shall we choose? Forget party affiliation. Let’s consider person, personality and temperament. McCain is not neo-conservative--an off brand of National Socialism--hence he is acceptable in the most general of political terms. He is a brighter man than George W. Bush, thinks for himself and has some good ideas as well as some bad ideas. He does project a certain psychological rigidity.
He and I are the same age, but his years have taken a toll on him in good measure because of his long painful captivity in North Viet Nam. I sense that he may be in the earliest stage of dementia. If he is and the stress of office takes its usual toll he might well lose the ability to weigh and to make decisions on his own towards the end of his four years. In terms of style he is too cut and dried…too concrete. His heart may be in the right place but not his head. There must be an end to Iraq sooner than later. We can’t disengage and withdraw in a day or a month …but we also cannot stay forever lest we simply destroy what is left of a professional military and rely on nuclear weapons as both threat and punishment.
Hillary Clinton is a bright lady who instead of presenting herself as a Margaret Thatcher or Angela Merkel, apparently wants to be Hill’ Clinton. She wouldn’t be hoarse so much of the time were she to just be herself. I have worked for some very enterprising and effective female bosses in my life but none of them strained to be something they were not. The idea that she has solutions to every problem does not sell well at all with me. Anyone with any sense knows there is no way she commands so much knowledge and problem solving capability that she could have a viable and highly effective solution ready for every known or predictable problem. And, frankly, Bill only compounds her unacceptability as a President. He has been anything but the articulate, socially skilled and diplomatic guy he was as President. I supported Bill Clinton through all his problems as President because of his intellect and its effective use. But I do not want him as the surrogate associate President for Hillary. Isn’t that what Cheney has been for the hardly-thinking Bush?
Barak Obama has a sharp intellect. He doesn’t need to strain to make a lasting impression in that respect. He is a thoughtful, superbly organized and effective stump speaker. He is empathic, considerate…but perhaps a bit regal at times. He has that mind for problem-solving so treasured among Chief Executives of almost every kind. He leaves no doubt in my mind who will ultimately make all crucial decisions no matter how difficult or problem laden…or who will publicly take responsibility should things go wrong. If you look at Barak and see “black” close your eyes and listen to a sharp, engaging intellect…the kind of intellect that is rare but essential to kind of leadership America needs. One last thing! I have sat in the pews through many religious services in my life and I cannot think of a pastor or priest
that I ever completely agreed with and sometimes rejected their message out of hand. Pastors do not make perfect. God blesses them no more than poor you and me. So much for that.
Who do I recommend? I leave that to you to decide. Just do what is best to repair and restore our badly wounded democracy. It’s either that or those kids who trash the neighborhood will rule someday soon and America will be America “no more.”
Dr. Ronald G. Ribble
Note: Dr. Ribble’s doctoral research and dissertation was entitled
Temperament, Motivation, Arousal and Leadership: An Investigation of the Interrelations of Arousal-Based Individual Differences and Leadership Profiles
Dr. Ribble held several unit command positions in the USAF, has been a Hospital Psychiatric Program Director, taught “Motivation’ at UTSA for 14 years and is founder and owner of his own Consulting and Publishing firm, Towers and Rushing Limited
