|
|
|
The Word's Eye View is a newspaper column written by
AN OPEN LETTER TO TREASURY SECRETARY TIMOTHY GEITNER Dear Mr. Geithner, The media has reported your lack of ability to gather a full compliment of people to staff the Treasury Department. I understand Rodgin Cohen is the most recent person to withdraw his name for the position of undersecretary. I know this must be a frustrating procedure for you as I am certain you would like your department to be up and running at full strength as soon as possible. Because of your present dilemma and my love for America, I thought I should throw my hat in the ring of consideration. Please be advised this is not an act of economic desperation as I do have a wonderful job that I truly enjoy, but there are times that patriotic duty is compelling. Most resumes begin with a listing of academic backgrounds; I won’t trouble you with this as I am reasonably certain the colleges I attended are ones with which you are not familiar. They were far from the Ivy League culture but the professors did demand a high level of excellence which required a great deal of labor on the part of the students. Few, if any, of my classmates came from wealthy families; consequently, we all worked at menial jobs to accomplish the goal of graduation. All of this was prior to the credit card generation so we by necessity operated on a cash and carry basis. Even though I have no background in banking and high finance these lessons of hard work, self motivation and pay as you go may qualify me more for the job that some of your recent interviews. Early in my life I was impressed with the idea that failure should not be rewarded. AIG has been the recipient of 180 billion dollars in bailout money but continues to compensate executives with millions in bonuses. This makes me wonder if the generators of these ideas are individuals who don’t really understand the Biblical work ethic. Speaking of the Bible, a good measure of that Book sprinkled around Washington couldn’t hurt a thing. I know it’s propagation would be politically incorrect, but perhaps we could slip its principles in here and there before it’s adversaries know what’s happening ---you know, like your boss did with the stimulus bill. Here is one I really like ---“And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” (Deuteronomy 8:17,18) The idea is quite simple; it is God that gives wealth, and He can take it away overnight ---just check the Dow Jones. My salary requirements would be minimal as I would prefer to remain in my existing residence and communicate via telephone and e-mail as much as possible. When necessary, I could travel to Washington and would be glad to fly coach or even red-eyes as this is what I’m used to. I don’t need a $400 a night hotel, just a place to throw my sleeping bag for a night or two; after all, this is what we expect of our men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, the pay scale of a first sergeant would be fine---perhaps Congress should work for that wage for awhile to test their patriotism. I have a great fear of living in or around the Beltway as it seems to have polluting effect on common sense thinking. I really believe my contribution would be greater by continuing to rub shoulders with the common folks, the ones that all politicians attempt to court from primaries to Election Day. Isn’t it important that someone is hearing them all the time and has an intimate knowledge of the rancher who is in a perpetual fight for his life against nature and bureaucracy, the small business person who desires the freedom to fail but the opportunity to achieve, the diminutive group of employees who resist union intimidation and the patient who wants to make their own health care decisions? These are real stories of life that should effect how the Treasury Department allocates money. In reality, sir, I have little to offer on my application except a decent amount of old fashioned horse sense and a pretty fair working knowledge of the Book that made this nation great. In all certainty, there are millions of other Americans that are more qualified than I, but you will not find them in the usual talent pool. They will be discovered on farms and ranches, factories and small businesses; some are homemakers or teachers while others labor in sun and rain on construction sites. Some have never been to college, but have more practical knowledge of life and when to spend or not to spend than is contained in the five foot shelf in the Harvard library. They have come up the hard way and have never experienced the nanny state nor do they want one. They, as their ancestors, are willing to take the risk of navigating life with self determination and faith in God. They will work for reward, not expect a government handout, pay their taxes (Oh, I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to insult you), and run their own race. May I humbly suggest that these are the people from whom Washington should be extracting wisdom?
|