Never did I ever imagine that the expression “while Nero fiddled, Rome was burning” would ever apply to my country and Washington, D.C.
Never, at least in my life, has there been more acrimony, cacophony, dyslexia, pettiness and, dare I say, hatred in my capital. Anais Nin once said, “If only we could see ourselves as others see us.” As individuals, many of you are bright, but when you get together, you have become a gaggle of cackling geese.
Look how America regards you – 14 percent approval rating (CNN opinion research, Aug. 1). While our troops fight valiantly to build, your divisiveness destroys what they and we fight for.
Never have I heard more blithering rhetoric. Jobs, jobs, jobs. Yet, our Congress fiddles while jobs burn. You, our representatives, are home for an extended five-week vacation, while Washington burns.
Forgive me, you are working hard at fundraising for the next election. If only we could get our representatives and senators to sign a pledge:
I will not accept or raise money for campaign finance until we enact a $4 trillion cut in the deficit of the USA that begins now and not in seven years.
Is that asking too much, or have we become devoid of the American ideal? Is our future for sale?
Jobs – you cannot create jobs when your indecisiveness leads to impotency. It is difficult to be an innovator when our leadership does not even comprehend what the word means.
I am incredulous. You had Simpson-Bowles and the Gang of Six as a glide path. If you will not consider this, then you will probably continue to pontificate and cast aspersions on one another while Washington burns.
Suggestion: Ask three of the wisest people I know – Pete Peterson, Warren Buffett and John Whitehead – to form a committee to suggest publicly what the right path is for today, not tomorrow. If one is objective, this is not difficult.
Our greatness as a country has and is deteriorating, and it is you, Washington, we turn to. Are you capable of being as you were born – American? You were not born Republican or Democrat or whatever; you were born American. As friends of mine say, “no labels.” Help us to regain our greatness.
Please remember that it is said “our greatest natural resource is our children.” Please transcend your pettiness – do not squander their future for your next election.
Get back to Washington and put the fire out. Do your job! •
Alan G. Hassenfeld is the chairman of Hassenfeld Family Initiatives and former chairman and CEO of Hasbro Inc.
Seifert Systems Invests in Energy Efficiency to Strengthen Operations
For manufacturers, energy is more than just another operating expense. It plays a critical role…
Learn More
