I Think I Know Why

As I read this morning about the continuing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, it occurred to me that I know what the problem is. Not with the oil spill, but with life in general, especially in the United States. Everyone is myopically egocentric.

Maybe this is already obvious to some people, and maybe some people are even saying “well, I’m not.” True to both statements. When I say myopically egocentric, I’m not talking about everyone, but it still runs pervasive in the U.S., and it’s a very sad and sorry situation. There are a lot of people, especially among those in power, who simply don’t care about anyone but themselves.

Take BP CEO Tony Hayward, for instance. According to this article, he wants his life back. His personal life doesn’t exist because of the massive inconvenience of this oil catastrophe. You can get it from his own lips.

Isn’t that a tragedy for Hayward? Look, when you are the CEO of a major corporation, you opted for a lifestyle that is synonymous with The Company. It’s the very definition of being a company man, and geez how much more should we customers pay for gasoline to make the inconvenience worth your time?

Look at other examples around the country, from the big banks to politicians. Even I could see this fiscal disaster from half a decade away. All the way back in 2005, I kept hoping for an early end to the housing bubble. It didn’t burst until it became big enough to throw shrapnel around the world and into orbit. Look farther back and you see similar shenanigans in tech companies before the tech wreck. Cooking the books, making blatantly moronic decisions for a quick buck, damn who it hurts.

Politicians are no better. Check this out. Here is Buz Mills, candidate for Arizona Governor. Nevermind that he plans to cut spending across the board on budgets already slashed to the bone. Listen to his words at the end of the ad. “I’m not a politician, but that’s what I’d do.”

Now watch this video.

That sure looks a lot like mud-slinging to me. Congratulations, Buz, you are now officially a politician! For the record, Jan Brewer uses what’s known in Arizona as “Clean Elections.” It’s a fund set up for campaign finance matching, and the intention is to allow people who aren’t rich from Arizona’s #1 industry, over-expansive and unnecessary development, to run for public office. Then there’s the claims about Mills bilking business partners out of money. It takes a special kind of person to run for public office–the kind with a turnip inside their skull. Don’t confuse this with an endorsement for Brewer. She’s daft, too.

Even every day Joes. Just take a look at the pet listings in Craigslist. There are a lot of “ads” decrying puppy mills, high “rehoming” fees (a term I detest, by the way), and people who just want to get rid of inconvenient animals. It’s all about me, me, me, me, me.

Or maybe it’s my problem. Somehow, I never believed the 80s mantra that greed is good. I always believed that you take responsibility for your own actions.

Will somebody in the public eye please give me some hope? Do something that I won’t disdain. Do something actually useful or productive that doesn’t have the motive of lining your pocket. Somebody, please? Anyone? Any takers? Prove me wrong?

Maybe it’s nothing but a pipedream.

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