My Beauty Best Teacher

Africa has long been saddled with poor,even malevolent, leadership: predatory kleptocrats, military-installed autocrats,economic illiterates, and puffed-up posturers. By far the most egregious examples come from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zimbabwe—countries that have been run into the ground despite their abundant natural resources. But these cases are by no means unrepresentative: by some measures, 90 percent of sub-Saharan African nations have experienced despotic rule in the last three decades. Such leaders use power as an end in itself, rather than for the public good; they are indifferent to the progress of their citizens (although anxious to receive their adulation); they are unswayed by reason and employ poisonous social or racial ideologies; and they are hypocrites, always shifting blame for their countries’ distress. Under the stewardship of these leaders,infrastructure in many African countries has fallen into disrepair, currencies have depreciated, and real prices have inflated dramatically, while job availability,health care, education standards, and life expectancy have declined. Ordinary life has become beleaguered: general security has deteriorated, crime and corruption have increased, much-needed public funds have flowed into hidden bank accounts, and offcially sanctioned ethnic discrimination—sometimes resulting in civil war—has become prevalent. This depressing picture is brought into even sharper relief by the few but striking examples of effective African leadership in recent decades. These leaders stand out because of their strength of character, their adherence to the principles of participatory democracy, and their ability to overcome deep-rooted challenges. The government of Mozambique, for example, brought about economic growth rates of more than ten percent between 1996 and 2003, following the economic catastrophe wrought by that country’s civil war (which ended in 1992). And in Kenya, President Mwai Kibaki has strengthened civil society, invested in education, and removed barriers to economic entrepreneurship instated during the repressive rule of Daniel arap Moi.The best example of good leadership in Africa is Botswana. Long before diamonds were discovered there, this former desert protectorate, which was neglected by the British under colonialism, demonstrated a knack for participatory democracy, integrity, tolerance, entrepreneurship, and the rule of law. The country has remained democratic in spirit as well as form continuously since its independence in 1966—an unmatched record in Africa. It has also defended human rights, encouraged civil liberties, and actively promoted its citizens’ social and economic development.
GOOD APPLES
What has enabled Botswana to succeed where so many other African nations have failed? Some observers point to the relative linguistic homogeneity of the country. But Somalia, which remains unstable despite a similar uniformity, shows that this factor is far from sufficient.Others point to the century-old teachings of the congregational London Missionary Society—the peaceful, pragmatic outlook that is inextricably bound up in the country’s political culture. But this explanation also fails to explain why the same positive effects have not been witnessed in other countries with a history of Christian teaching, such as in neighboring Zambia. Nor are Botswana’s plentiful diamond reserves responsible:Angola, Gabon, and Nigeria all have abundant natural resources, but none has seen comparable returns for its people.It is Botswana’s history of visionary leadership, especially in the years following independence, that best explains its success. Sir Seretse Khama, Botswana’s founding president, came from a family of Bamangwato chiefs well regarded for their benevolence and integrity.
When Khama founded the Botswana Democratic Party in 1961 and led his country to independence, he was already dedicated to the principles of deliberative democracy and market economy that would allow his young country to flourish. Modest, unostentatious as a leader, and a genuine believer in popular rule, Khama forged a participatory and law-respecting political culture that has endured under his successors, Sir Ketumile Masire and Festus Mogae. Although operating in very differerent circumstances, Mauritius’ first leader,Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, held to the same leadership codes as Khama.Ramgoolam gave Mauritius a robust democratic beginning, which has been sustained by a series of wise successors from different backgrounds and parties.Both Khama and Ramgoolam could have emulated many of their contemporaries by establishing strong, single-man, kleptocratic regimes. But they refused to do so.Effective leadership has proved the decisive factor in South Africa, too: without Nelson Mandela’s inclusive and visionary leadership, his adherence to the rule of law, his insistence on broadening the delivery of essential services, and his emphasis on moving from a commandeconomy toward a market-driven one, South Africa would probably have emerged from apartheid as a far more fractured and autocratic state than it did.Too few African leaders have followed the examples of Mandela, Khama, and foreign affairs . Ramgoolam. Ghana, Lesotho, Mali, and Senegal are all showing promise. But in many other African countries,leaders have begun their presidential careers as democrats only to end up, a term or two later, as corrupt autocrats: Bakili Muluzi of Malawi, Moi of Kenya,and, most dramatically of all, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Other leaders, such as Sam Nujoma of Namibia and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, may be heading in the same direction.
A BOLD INITIATIVE
To build on the positive leadership examples, a select group of prominent past and present African leaders who met over the last year decided to confront the continent’s pathology of poor leadership with deeds as well as words. At the conclusion of a series of private meetings(the final one of which was held in Mombasa, Kenya), they established the African Leadership Council, promulgated a Code of African Leadership with 23 commandments, issued a Mombasa Declaration promoting better leadership,and proposed a series of courses to train their political successors in the art of good government.Members of the council believe that absolute standards of leadership are both appropriate and attainable. Good leaders deliver security of the state and of the person, the rule of law, good education and health services, and a framework conducive to economic growth. They ensure effective arteries of commerce and enshrine personal and human freedoms. They empower civil society and protect the environmental commons. Crucially, good leaders also provide their citizens with a sense of belonging to a national enterprise. Conscious that Africa’s poor are getting poorer and that good governance is essential for successful economic development, the council sees itself at
the vanguard of fundamental reform in the continent. Its approach certainly goes far beyond the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (nepad) and proposals for the African Union. The Code of African Leadership, for example, says in its first commandment that leaders should “offer a coherent vision of individual growth and national advancement with justice and dignity for all,” implying that most leaders today do not. Other commandments demand that African leaders encourage “broad participation,” adhere to the letter and spirit of their national constitutions (especially term limits), encourage dissent and disagreement, respect human rights and civil liberties, strengthen the rule of law, promote policies that eradicate poverty and improve the wellbeing of their citizens, ensure a strong code of ethics, refuse to use their offices
for personal gain, oppose corruption, and bolster essential personal freedoms. This uncommonly bold agenda seeks to avoid renewed patrimonial leadership debacles, such as those presided over by Mobutu Sese Seko in Zaire, Moi in Kenya, Idi Amin in Uganda, and Jean-Bedel Bokassa in the Central African Republic. The council is highly conscious,too, of the hijacking of Zimbabwe’s government by Mugabe, which has resulted in starvation and drastically reduced living standards.The council is chaired by former President Sir Ketumile Masire of Botswana and includes former Nigerian head of state General Yakubu Gowon,Vice President Moody Awori of Kenya, former Prime Minister Hage Geingob of Namibia, and a dozen other present and former prime ministers and cabinet ministers from Sierra Leone to Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda. All are regarded throughout Africa as men of unusual personal probity and esteem and as accomplished proponents of good governance. The council intends to recruit additional members from the ranks of Africa’s outstanding democratic leaders, Francophone and Anglophone, female and male. Together they will serve the continent by advising international organizations, individual countries, and donor agencies on how to improve leadership. The group stands ready to assist civil societies in countries undergoing serious leadership crises. It will also urge greedy national leaders to attack corrupt practices and adhere to term limits (the current presidents of Gabon, Malawi, Namibia,Uganda, and Zambia, for example, have all had pangs of desire for illegal third terms). Next year(2005), it expects to begin holding special seminars for cabinet ministers and others. The council’s curriculum emphasizes constitutionalism, the rule of law, ethics, accountability,diversity, good fiscal management, coalition building, and the fundamentals of modern micro- and macroeconomics. Training courses will soon be launched.Whether the efforts of the African Leadership Council will reduce bloodshed,diminish corruption, and encourage more prosperity for citizens across Africa is by no means certain. But as a unique African response to the continent’s immense needs, this innovative endeavor is a promising, dramatic step forward.

By
Robert I. Rotberg

Reprinted with permission
Copyrighted 2004 Council on Foreign relations Inc. All Rights Reserved

Unlike a Senator or a Congressman or a Judge, one of the most important characteristics needed in a President is leadership. Leadership is the ability to successfully integrate and maximize available resources for the attainment of goals- in other words, Presidential leadership is the ability to maximize taxpayer money and government employee's time in order to to accomplish goals like national security, providing a safety net for members of our nation, protecting the borders, issuing permits, enforcing standards, regulating commerce, and others.

I've written about leadership before, as it is a topic that I am interested in since I am a leader in my classroom, in my school, in my union, in my community, and on the internet. For example, in my post 'Red Wings Provide Lesson in Leadership' I looked at the leadership qualities of the two last captains of the successful Red Wings hockey teams, and evaluated some of our political leaders to see if they had some of the leadership traits that I saw in Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom, such as being calm, cool, collected, controlling the highs and lows, working hard, having poise, humility, grace, humility, modesty, and leading through example.

Yesterday I heard some more about leadership from Howard Putnam at the Get Motivated Business Seminar that was held in Auburn Hills (see my post Get Motivated Business Seminar Review: Powell, Giuliani, Cosby, Putnam, Walsh, and More! for my full review). Mr. Putnam rose through the ranks at Southwest Airlines to become CEO of the company, where he led it to great profitability and success.

According to Putnam, there are several principles of leadership. Let's look at each one, and then evaluate whether Obama, Romney, or I follow these rules on how to be an effective leader:

• Honesty- a leader has to be honest with others and say what he means and mean what he says. Those who know me know that I am honest to a fault- I believe that it is important to always tell the truth and not to lie, fib, tell half-truths, dissemble, or obfuscate. Obama on the other hand does not hold closely to this principle- now that we know him after he emerged from obscurity to win the Presidency, we frequently see him lie about things both large and small- he attributes traits and arguments to his opponents that they do not have, he says his health care law isn't a tax but then goes to court to claim it is, he says to be civil in political discourse and then demonizes his opponents, etc. Romney appears to be a more honest person- he says what he means, and this has often gotten him in trouble, especially with the more conservative members of the Republican establishment. He picks and chooses his words carefully, which makes him come off as cautious, but I believe he does this so that he doesn't say things which he does not believe.
• Passion- a leader has to be passionate about their job. Those who know me know that I am passionate about being a teacher- I spend 80 hours a week during the school year working on my lessons and grading papers and improving my own knowledge of the subject matters that I teach and this passion shows through. President Obama also is passionate- but not about all phases of the Presidency- by his own admission, he enjoys and is passionate about the symbolic aspects of the President and is passionate about the legislative aspects of the President's job, but would rather go on vacation and go golfing rather than spend extra time in the office working on being a good executive or commander in chief. Romney also appears to lack full passion for the job- in 2008 he was cautious and did not go fully in when he ran for President and only recently really seems like he wants the job- I'd like to see more passion from him or else he'll be like the cold and boring and unmotivated McCain and lose the next election.
• Vision- a leader must have a vision of how to be successful and stick to that vision. Obama has a vision- his problem is that his vision of the United States is not a vision that most others share because it is extreme, so he must temper his own vision and try to hide his true intentions about where he wants to take our nation. Perhaps if he was more true to his vision, he would be a better leader. Romney's weakest in this area- sometimes I wonder what his true vision is for the United States and what he really pictures when he pictures the America that he wants after he is done being President. Myself, I have a vision- readers of my blog know that I imagine an America based on our Founding Principles and I've getting a reputation in my school for being very picky about making sure everything in my classroom fits my vision of a successful classroom.
• Authentic- a leader must be true to themselves and who they are. In my classroom, this is a problem, because being a conservative teacher means opening oneself up to criticism and attacks from administration and other teachers, and this is a problem on my blog, because I can't reveal my true name. President Obama shares this same problem- as I touched on above, he is an extreme radical, and would rather be a king of America rather than its President, but yet he can't be these things and he knows it. Romney also has a problem being himself- he is stiff and tense sometimes when giving speeches or talking about policy, and I feel that he is deeply concerned that his religion will hurt him with bigoted citizens of our good nation.
• No ego, no arrogance, and no exclusion- a leader must be willing to admit they are wrong, must be willing to be humble, and must try to make everyone feel welcome to express their ideas. Putman once had everyone in the company write him letters offering suggestions on how to improve efficiency, cut waste, use resources more effectively, and run a successful company- he said he read them all, and let people know that he welcomed all their ideas, even if he later said that some were bad and some he didn't take. A good leader has to be open  to listening to others- I take suggestions in my classroom and even though I don't have to, I have my students write an evaluation of my class at the end of the year and I take these suggestions to heart, even if I don't implement all of them. Romney appears to be a humble person too- sometimes almost to a fault as he doesn't speak often enough about his skills, successes, and his track record of doing good and positive things. Obama, on the other hand, is all about ego and arrogance and is running one of the most closed know-it-all White Houses in history, and we can see the results in the lack of leadership and success in our nation.
• People first- a good leader must put people first, and truly care about others. Myself, I care about every student- other teachers laugh at me when I speak honestly about not wanting to leave a single child behind in education and about the difficulties of getting every single person in my classroom to feel cared for and to learn. Romney also seems to put people first- both times that I have met him in person he shook my hand and looked into my eyes and said hello and thanked me for coming to support him, and seemed to genuinely mean it, and his staff and supporters seem to like him for his support and loyalty. Obama though lacks this important leadership skill too- he is aloof and cold towards others, and his staff has deserted him in droves, and in his pettiness he attacks others and demonizes them rather than really trying to move our nation forward.
• Other traits that Putnam talked about for leaders that he really didn't get into were being a continuous learner, having good communication skills, attempting to move forward, being persistent, understanding technology, and having a global mentality. You can on your own evaluate whether Obama or Romney has these skills.

Here in Detroit, we have been blessed to have had perhaps two of the greatest leaders in the history of hockey, maybe even in all of sports, in Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom. The former and current captain of the Red Wings hockey team demonstrate the qualities that a good leader should have, and I believe that from them we can learn some larger lessons on leadership that we can then apply to many of our current politicians.

The words that have been used to describe the leadership qualities and skills of these two captains include: Calm, cool, collected, controlling the highs and lows, working hard, poise, humility, grace, humility, modesty, and leading through example. These two captains are not the kind that always feel the need to give speeches about their leadership; rather, they lead. And they rarely seek out awards and accolades; in fact, they both appear uncomfortable with the deserved recognition that they receive for their talents and leadership. In addition to winning numerous individual awards, they have also led the Red Wings to many Stanley Cups and have led teams that have dominated their sport for almost 20 years.

The Red Wings are currently locked in an epic battle with the San Jose Sharks in a series that I honestly wish would never end- two mighty teams locked in a titanic struggle of wills, both teams playing the game the right way, both teams giving it their all, showing the world how awesome hockey is- if this series was played for another dozen games I'd be happy! Watch Game 7 on Thursday at 9:00 pm eastern time.

Contrast the leadership of Stever Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom with the qualities of the current leadership in our nation, both Republican and Democrat. Would you describe Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, or John McCain as calm, cool, collected leaders? I wouldn't- although Obama sometimes appears as a icy professor, his eyes give away that behind that icy facade he is burning with a fire and passion that has driven him to success. Pelosi and Reid and Trump and Gingrich and McCain all are excitable and sometimes shrill leaders; leaders yes, but not the collected types who are under control at all times.

Whereas Yzerman and Lidstrom demonstrate poise and grace, those qualities are absent from Trump and Pelosi and McCain and Reid, who all appear to be more emotional and awkward, whether because of bad hair, shrill speaking, politically-incorrect jokes, or incoherent statements.

Yzerman and Lidstrom are modest and humble; contrast that to spotlight grabbing Obama or Palin, who both can't go a day without bragging about what they do and seeking recognition for their successes.

George W Bush had some of these qualities about him, and I think that explains his growing popularity as we move farther away from his Presidency, and Reagan and FDR and Washington all demonstrated during their presidencies these leadership traits of being cool, collected, humble, modest, graceful, and poised, and under their leadership America got better- maybe not as great as many wanted and perhaps made some mistakes along the way, but they all had the kind of Presidencies where after they were done people looked back and were okay with the direction the nation had gone.

Do any of our political leaders have these qualities and skills? Perhaps Hillary Clinton? Perhaps a Mitt Romney?

Our next President should look to these great Red Wings captains for leadership qualities and skills.

UPDATE: Via ABC News, George W Bush comments on the death of bin Laden... and does not spend an entire speech on all that he did, does not highlight all the work he did trying to catch and kill OBL, and does not try to garb himself in some sort of false populist mantle. Here is what he instead says:

Bush said Obama described in detail the secret mission to raid bin Laden's Pakistani compound and the decision he made to put the plan into motion. He told Obama, "Good call."

"The guy is dead. That is good," Bush said of bin Laden. "Osama's death is a great victory in the war on terror. He was held up as a leader."

"The intelligence services deserve a lot of credit. They built a mosaic of information, piece by piece," he said, claiming no credit for himself.

"I met SEAL Team Six in Afghanistan. They are awesome, skilled, talented and brave," he added. "I said, 'I hope you have everything you need. One guy said, 'We need your permission to go into Pakistan and kick ass.'"

Humility, grace, uncomfortable claiming credit, modest, and cool- traits that Obama would do well to emulate if he wants to be half the quality of a leader as President Bush.

UPDATE: Inside sources report the principal of Dunbar SHS informed his staff today that he received his letter of termination (aka non-renewal). In addition, it is also reported that principals from Coolidge SHS and Anacostia SHS will not be renewed. If you have additional information, please email saveourcounselors@gmail.com

Voters sent a message to Washington in 2010, and that message was that they were not happy with the direction that the Democratic leadership was taking our nation. They inflicted historic losses on the Democrats in the House and higher-than-usual losses on the Democrats in the Senate. The losses would have been higher if Democrats in the House and Senate hadn't aggressively campaigned as moderates who didn't agree with the leadership of Pelosi and Reid and managed to convince voters of that fact. But after all of this, it turns out that the Democrats didn't receive the message and that those moderates who said they didn't side with leadership were only lying to voters, because the Democrats are going to continue with Pelosi, Reid, and Obama.

The only real change that might have occured in the Democratic leadership was a change at the number two position in the House. Democrat Jim Clyburn challenged Steny Hoyer for the second most powerful position for the Democrats in the House, the position of minority whip, in order to shake up the leadership for the Democrats. But leadership and the Democratic rubes rejected Clyburn in favor of keeping more of the same failed leadership and policies that extended and deepened the Great Recession under Pelsoi (since 2006) and Obama (since 2008).

Rather than rejecting Clyburn in favor of Hoyer, Pelosi came up with an interesting compromise- create a brand new separate position for Clyburn, and then pretend that it was 'wink wink' equal with Hoyer. Pelosi and the Democrats in Congress decided that separate was equal, and that after rejecting someone based on the merits (I hope) that it was okay then to create a brand new weaker position to fill with them.

Clyburn is an African-American.

PS Here is a joke for you: "Two politician are having lunch together, all of a sudden one stood up and shouted, 'Your lying.' The other replied, 'I know but just hear me out.'"

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Yesterday I heard on the radio (760 AM) Democratic House Speaker Andy Dillon and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop. As they were interviewed by Paul Smith, they talked about the budget situation in Lansing and the problems there were to getting a budget passed. Both of them implied that the problems with Michigan- the budget problems and the government problems- are caused by a lack of leadership at the top. And they are right.

Michigan's budget problems are directly attributed to Democrat Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and her lack of leadership and communication skills.

During the interview, Dillon said that the reason why Bishop waited so long to pass a continuation budget was because Bishop felt that Granholm would accept this budget and then veto the more permanent budgets the legislature was working on. He wanted to give the Governor a finished permanent budget and have her decide on that, fearing that by passing a continuation budget it would make the process of putting together a budget more contentious and bitter. He was right.

Dillon was also asked if Granholm would veto budget bills that the House and Senate both hammered out after long exhausting hours. He said he didn't think she would, but he didn't know- that she hadn't been involved in the process and what little involvement that the Democratic leader of our state had was wishy-washy, uncommitted, and weak. And that lack of leadership had introduced uncertainty and confusion into the entire process. And he was right.

The problems in our state are responsible in part because voters of our state took a chance on an inexperienced politician with few leadership skills. This caused uncertainty, lack of direction, lack of vision, and confusion to radiate through the entire state government. The weakness at the top of our state contributed to the weakness of our state.

This lack of leadership, vision, and the ability to make touch choices and tough decisions is playing out now at the national level. We have a President who runs the nation much like Granholm ran the state of Michigan, and he will run the nation into the ground due to his lack of leadership skills. Voters need to recognize the choices that they made that took us to this point in our state, and in the future, vote for strong leaders, of either party, who are willing to make tough choices and get things done.

Bishop and Dillon both are doing well in this process and should be judged highly- Granholm is doing poorly and should be judged poorly.

Image via Wikipedia

Part 4 - Web 2.0 Leadership - In this four part series, I cover tagging, review building a PLN with an iGoogle page, notes on wiki editing, and end up with Leadership notes. This is taken from a blog post for my ninth graders. Really this is leadership and their future - more than Web 2.0 but part of it.

Web 2.0 Leadership
Finally, for my students I have a word for you.

1. Handouts are going Out.
   
   This is a tough, competitive world going through tough times right now.
   
   No one is going to "hand" you anything. The handouts that are already being given out are rapidly going away and will continue to.
   
   
2. You need to be able to collaborate globally.
   
   There are skills that you need to have that most adults, yes, most educators don't understand right now but you are in this project because your teacher (and teachers if you are from another school) see and understand that global collaboration is an essential part of your future.
   
   And global collaboration is about CO-CREATION. This means you have to learn how to create TOGETHER.
   
   
3. Teaching You to Collaborate Globally is Hard.
   
   Most adults aren't teaching this well because they are not doing it well themselves.Many "global collaborations" are just competitions. And while competition is OK in some instances, we have to COOPERATE also.
   
   
4. Learn to Focus.
   
   I want you to be successful leaders in this world. The less supervision you require, the more money you can make. Company CEO's don't have someone looking over their shoulder telling them not to play games on their computer. CEO's are there because they can be trusted to focus on the most important thing!
   
   When you are given a task. Do it - if you need help ask.
   
   We leave the chat up to help you but if it is a distraction and time waster, understand - just because you are in Digiteen's chat window doesn't mean you are "working on" Digiteen any more than if I go in the teacher's lounge and play a card game means that I'm working at teaching! Your physical presence on a website means NOTHING unless you are physically doing something meaningful.
   
   
5. No One Will Do it for You.
   
   Your teacher is your coach. The coach doesn't play on the field for their players but teaches players how to play the game. Don't ask your teacher to do for you what you need to know how to do. Ask them to Coach you.
   
   
6. More than You Are Now.
   
   Admit that you don't know it all. If you have a good teacher, he/she will tell you there is a lot he/she DOESN'T know about technology and digital citizenship. If you think you know it all, you're wrong. Open up and learn.
   
   
7. Use this Opportunity.
   
   YOu have the opportunity to make friends with kids all over the world. Learn about them - what interests them - how they are different and like from you.
   
   
8. Respect Others.
   
   Respect others that are different than you. If you read a "funny" name - that is someone's name. Don't make fun of it, even out loud in class. When you do that you are creating teachable moments for your teachers to share with you how we must respect those from other countries. A person's name is sacred to that person and the most important word to them in the world - treat it with respect.
   
   
9. Every Teacher is Your Teacher
   
   We have many teachers who volunteer there time here on Digiteen even when they don't have a class in the project. We also have many experts, college professors, and others. We jump in and share with you and each other all the time. Realize that the teachers run this project and if someone points something out, although they are not your direct teacher they are your "teacher" and can help you learn something. They also have a responsibility to monitor and keep things safe for you.
   
   
10. You Get what you Give.
    
    Mrs. Julie Lindsay and I have done more than 20 global collaborations and we have found one thing. That when a student really puts something into these projects, they get a lot more out of it than they put in. We've had students become part of major books in education, videos, who have won prizes, and teachers who win global and national awards. When we collaborate together we become better.
    
    Good things happen to those who give. I am a living example of this and believe it with my life and actions.

4 Posts in this Series (Will link them after completed.)
Part 1 - How to Tag Properly
Part 2 - Building your PLN and RSS Feeds.
Part 3 - Editing Wikis and Placing Hyperlinks
Part 4 - Web 2.0 Leadership

I'm getting sick and tired of the increasingly amount of articles written by liberal bloggists and journalists who argue that Barack Obama can't do anything at all to help the situation with the Gulf Oil Crisis. There is article after article, blog post after blog post, all arguing the same thing- this was a natural disaster, the responsibility for the containment and cleanup is entirely on BP, Obama had nothing to do with it, Obama has nothing to do with it, and Obama and the Democrats in Congress who are running our nation right now are not to be blamed for it. They are wrong though- Democrat President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress running our nation can and should be blamed for their failures during the Gulf Oil Crisis.

First, as I wrote in Obama: Didn't Waive the Jones Act, Made Gulf Spill Worse that:

Don't kid yourself- there is a lot that the government can do to help the situation in the Gulf- like getting the heck out of the way of people who want to help. Obama could have waived the Jones Act and allowed foreign ships to assist in transporting goods (like oil-skimming booms) in order to help clean up the mess. But he didn't. Obama refused to waive the Jones Act.

Second, as I wrote in Mitt Romney on Leadeship that:

Romney is right- what we need right now is someone who will use what power and authority and resources that the federal government has to help, and other than that stay out of the way. Attacking BP isn't going to help anything, and there will be plenty of time for that later if that is what is called for. And sitting down with lawyers, labor union leaders, watermellons, and anti-war activists isn't going to help him come up with any new ideas to solve this issue. It's Day 52- what sort of leadership has he demonstrated from his position as most powerful leader in the world?

Third, New York Times columnist CAMPBELL ROBERTSON wrote in Efforts to Repel Gulf Oil Spill Are Described as Chaotic:

From the beginning, the effort has been bedeviled by a lack of preparation, organization, urgency and clear lines of authority among federal, state and local officials, as well as BP. As a result, officials and experts say, the damage to the coastline and wildlife has been worse than it might have been if the response had been faster and orchestrated more effectively.

“The information is not flowing,” Senator Nelson said. “The decisions are not timely. The resources are not produced. And as a result, you have a big mess, with no command and control.”

Obama should not be held responsible for the Deepwater Horizon Rig blowing up, but after it did, he should have been on the situation, providing leadership. This was federal waters, the federal government has extensive resources available, and the one thing that the President of the United States can do better than anyone else is act as a crisis manager. Once the rig blew up, Obama doesn't have to go out there with a straw to suck up the oil, but he does have to put in place a team who can organize federal, state, and local officials and put in place clear lines of command and clear lines of communication. That's his job. The President's job is to step in when there is a disaster and lead. He doesn't have to do anything- man a rig, visit the Gulf Coast, clean pelicans- but he does have to LEAD, or at least delegate that leadership to someone else who can then lead (like a crisis manager or something).

Fourth, lawmakers passed the federal Oil Pollution Act in 1990 to ensure that plans were in place for oil spills, so the response effort would be quick, with clear responsibilities for everyone involved. This means that Congress and the President are responsible for making sure that these plans were in place and ready to go. Oh, I know Obama has only been President for a couple years now (it seems like a lot longer), but the Democrats have been running Congress for years longer than that- at what point do we hold them responsible for not making sure that that laws in our nation are being followed? If the government can't take responsibility for something like this, passed almost 20 years ago, on what leap of faith can you expect them to take responsibility to do anything right as their responsibilities expand under Democratic leadership?

Obama CAN help to contain and clean up and prevent future Gulf Oil disasters- but he isn't doing that. He isn't helping to contain the spill- in fact, it appears that he is not repealing regulations that hinder fighting the spill and he is hindering efforts by states to build reefs and other means of protection. He isn't helping to clean up the spill- he has created a vacuum of leadership at the top of our nation, a vacuum that is sucking the oil right out of the ground and spewing it everywhere in a potent symbol of his inadequacy for the Presidency. And he isn't helping to prevent future Gulf Oil disasters, unless you consider his attempts to drive the US back into the Stone Age by killing energy production a way to help prevent future spills like this one. Obama can help the Gulf Oil Spill... but he isn't. The same things could be said for the Democrats who are running Congress as well.

Voters need to hold these people responsible and throw them out of office. Unlike a lot of conservatives, I'm not calling for big government and all powerful government to solve the situation, but I am calling for a government that shows leadership during a crisis and works to get out of the way of people trying to help. That's something that is possible, but not happening, under President Obama and the Democrats in Congress.

There is a reason why I have suggested several times that our nation should elect Mitt Romney for President in 2012. It is not because I 'hate Obama,' it is not because 'I am racist,' it is not because I am a 'GOP plug,' and it is not because I am 'a paid political consultant'- nope, the reason why Mitt Romney should be President of the United States of America is because he is the best man for the job.

In Get Comfortable with Mitt in 2012 I wrote "solid, reliable, able conservative executives who do good things and do them well. Let's start getting more comfortable with Mitt in 2012." In New Faces in 2012? Nah, Make it Mitt Instead I wrote " Republicans don't need a 'conservative Obama'- we already have seen what happens when you put an inexperienced idealistic rube in office, and it isn't pretty. We don't need a 'new fresh face' or even someone 'from outside the establishment.' What the Republicans need to do is put a responsible, solid, experienced, and learned President in the White House- not someone who is going to set the world on fire and be a revolutionary, but one who will start the task of 8 years of solid, steady, digging."

Romney has kept up his profile over the last several years (The Man Who Should Be President Gives Advice), and today he has written another nice article for USA Today about a very important skill that President Obama lacks- leadership:

....The president is meeting with his oil spill experts, he crudely tells us, so that he knows "whose ass to kick." We have become accustomed to his management style — target a scapegoat, assign blame and go on the attack. To win health care legislation, he vilified insurance executives; to escape bankruptcy law for General Motors, he demonized senior lenders; to take the focus from the excesses of government, he castigated business meetings in Las Vegas; and to deflect responsibility for the deepening and lengthening downturn, he blames Wall Street and George W. Bush. But what may make good politics does not make good leadership. And when a crisis is upon us, America wants a leader, not a politician.....
....In a crisis, the leader must gather the experts — federal, state, local, public and private — not to discover who is to blame but to secure their active and continuous involvement until the crisis is resolved. There is extraordinary power inherent in an assembly of brilliant people guided by an able leader. In virtually every historic national crisis, our most effective leaders gathered the best minds they could find — consider the Founders in Philadelphia, Lincoln with his "Team of Rivals," Roosevelt with scientists and generals seeking to end World War II, Kennedy with the "Best and Brightest" confronting the Cuban missile crisis.....
....What happens when men and women of various backgrounds, fields of expertise, and unfettered intellectual freedom come together to tackle a problem often exceeds any reasonable expectation....
....Finding fault is easier than finding answers. And worse, it paralyzes many of the very people who may be needed to solve a crisis....

Romney is right- what we need right now is someone who will use what power and authority and resources that the federal government has to help, and other than that stay out of the way. Attacking BP isn't going to help anything, and there will be plenty of time for that later if that is what is called for. And sitting down with lawyers, labor union leaders, watermellons, and anti-war activists isn't going to help him come up with any new ideas to solve this issue. It's Day 52- what sort of leadership has he demonstrated from his position as most powerful leader in the world?

You need to ask yourself- would you want your business run by Mitt Romney or Barack Obama? If the left is stubborn enough to resubmit Obama to the American people in 2012 and have the nation evaluate Obama on his record and achievements and leadership during his time in office, I think the choice is clear- Mitt Romney needs to kick Obama's arse.

This year I'm getting off to kind of a slow start- for example, just yesterday I got my new Franklin planner pages and figured out what is going on for this month and this year. This post is another example- my obligatory 'best of' post. 2011 was a good year for my blog- readership is way up and lots of radio and newspaper interviews were set up- and there were a lot of great posts from which to choose from, so I basically just went with the numbers. Some of you are new regular readers and might have missed these, and my usual readers will also enjoy reading some of these posts again. So here you go, the Best Posts of A Conservative Teacher 2011:

How I Helped Mary Beth Hicks Write her Book 'Don't Let the Kids Drink the Kool-Aid'

Many of you know that I have been interviewed by newspapers (Detroit News) and by major radio shows (Larry Eldar Show) and some of you have even tuned in to hear me occasionally co-host a radio program (Total Education Hour), but it may surprise you all to know that I have also been a part of a major best-selling book- Don't Let the Kids Drink the Kool-Aid: Confronting the Left's Assault on Our Families, Faith, and Freedom by Mary Beth Hicks...

The rest of the post is about how I helped out Mary Beth Hicks- although again, I did very little other than nudge her in a direction. You really all should pick up her book- it's great.

Yulia Tymoshenko, former PM of Ukraine, is Now in Prison for Political Differences

For some reason, my blog has been getting very popular in Ukraine recently- after the US, the second largest source of readers of my blog is coming from Ukraine over the past month, and all-time, Ukraine is the 5th biggest nation of readers of my blog. Why Ukraine? Perhaps it stems from a post I wrote in January 15, 2010 supporting Yulia Tymoshenko for President of Ukraine...

The rest of the post is about Mrs. Tymoshenko, who is a pro-democracy former businesswomen who rejected the communist approach of keeping the masses poor while the elites proposer, so the elites manipulated the voting processes and the masses to defeat her, and then they turned around and imprisoned her and likely will kill her while she is in prison.

Evaluating the Leadership of Obama and Romney Using Howard Putnam's Principles of Leadership

...Yesterday I heard some more about leadership from Howard Putnam at the Get Motivated Business Seminar that was held in Auburn Hills (see my post Get Motivated Business Seminar Review: Powell, Giuliani, Cosby, Putnam, Walsh, and More! for my full review). Mr. Putnam rose through the ranks at Southwest Airlines to become CEO of the company, where he led it to great profitability and success. According to Putnam, there are several principles of leadership. Let's look at each one, and then evaluate whether Obama, Romney, or I follow these rules on how to be an effective leader:...

The rest of the post looks at Obama and Romney and evaluates their leadership in light of the principles that Putnam laid out.

America will Realign Towards the Tea Party in 2012; Write it Down in Stone

...In my post NYT's Douthat is Wrong: Realigning Elections Exist and One is Coming I countered an argument that was advanced by the New York Times Ross Douthat where he claimed that Harvard Professor V.O. Key's theory on realigning elections was wrong. Douthat thought that 2008 was supposed to the be realigning election, and now that we can all see that it was not, he has become disillusioned with the theory that Key advanced in his iconic essay “A Theory of Critical Elections” and now thinks that elections that change America's direction are no longer possible. But he is wrong. In my post Why 2008 Was Not a Historic or Realigning Election (written in 2009) I addressed Key's theory of realigning elections and looked back on the election of 2008 and looked forward to 2012....

This post is one of my more educated posts- I pull from political science and pundits and election data to project 2012 as a re-aligning election that will be dominated by the Tea Party (in Congress).

USA Today Is Wrong- 58.5% of Americans Have Jobs, not 45.4% as Reported

...But I have some issues with this data. According to my own analysis of the information provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showing the employment-population ratio from 1988 to 2011 (seasonally adjusted), the number of people employed in our nation is holding steady at a new-normal post-Obama post-recovery number of 58.5%...

This post has been updated from time to time- and in spite of the supposed 'recoveries', the number of employed in our nation has actually gone down. Go to the post and you can link to the numbers yourself and see just what the 'new normal' of employed is under Obama and the Democrats.

Increase the Number of Representatives in the House? An Argument in Favor.

...In my post 1930's Are Root of All That is Wrong I wrote that "At one time, I thought the 1930's were at the root of all that is wrong about America, and compiled a list of all of the laws and taxes and liberal decisions passed during that time." That post contained a list of all of those bad laws that came out of that time of fascism and communism and war and depression and collapsing social values. But one law that I left off that list was the Reapportionment Act of 1929, which established a permanent method for apportioning a now constant 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives according to each census, essentially capping the number of Representatives at 435...

This post goes on to argue in favor of increasing the number of Representatives in the US House. Yeah, if I were in charge we'd move past the cartoonish arguments that Republicans and Democrats are currently having in the political world and really start getting to the root of bringing our nation back towards conservative principles. Check out this post and get educated.

The Story of a Bear named 'Bearack Obama' and How Liberal Policies Are Affecting His Brother Bears Too

...According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, there are even reports of a black bear that has recently taken to sitting every day at the picnic table, apparently waiting to be fed. He also has refused to dig out his own winter den, forcing government employees to do so. Although the bear once was self-sufficient, he now begs for a handout every day from our generous government, who provides him with food and a home because those rich fat cats who make a profit deserve to suffer or something or other. Because the bear was once a healthy and prosperous bear but now is just a lazy welfare case of a bear, the local residents have taken to calling him Bearack Obama...

This post is amusing, but it was based on a true story.

Abolish the Department of Education- What Does the Data Suggest?

...the massive spending in education at the federal level was largely a waste of money and did nothing to improve our test scores.... this group would argue that all of the spending done at the federal level is having little to no effect on test scores for students because the money is being gobbled up by bureaucrats in Washington who are far removed from the real educating of students at the local level. They would suggest spending less amounts on education at the federal level and seeing what might happen- perhaps test scores would remain flat as they have done for over 30 years, but if this happens than our nation could save that $77 billion dollars/year and use it in other areas where it might be needed or not use it at all and have our government run a balanced budget....

This post considers two arguments in favor of the Department of Education- you'll have to read the full post to find out what the data suggests regarding this federal agency.

Sappor, Godsway Yaw, writes about the failure of African Leadership "...It is not so much the wicked effects of colonialism or neo-colonialism or a regime of artificial borders that keep Ghana and Africa in general, poor. It is true that colonialism did not bestow much to Africa but the African leadership could not retain, let alone increase, the little that it inherited. In fact, corrupt leaders destroyed it. The inherited infrastructure-(roads, brides, schools, universities, hospitals, telephones, and even the civil service machinery) - are now in shambles... Common sense dictates looking both ways before crossing a street, or risk being hit by a truck. For decades, African leaders looked only one way, at "external factors": colonial legacies, the lingering effects of the slave trade, an unjust international economic system, and predatory practices of multi-national corporations, among others, to explain the miserable economic performance of the continent. A lot of studies have already been done about the external factors and it is no secret to say that these factors are beyond the control or manipulation of most African countries on an individual basis. It is therefore a MUST to make an unerring examination of all causative factors, both external and internal, in order to arrive at a lasting solution. “A big obstacle to economic growth in Africa is the tendency to put all blame, failures and shortcomings on outside forces. Progress might have been achieved if we had always tried first to remove the mote in our eyes”... Although it is true that colonialism and Western imperialism did not leave Ghana, for this matter Africa in general, in good shape, the condition has been made immeasurably worse by internal factors such as misguided leadership, systemic corruption, capital flight, economic mismanagement, senseless civil wars, political tyranny, flagrant violations of human rights and military vandalism, among others...",GhanaWeb.

This is the sort of news that neither Fox nor memeorandum is reporting! I've been lucky the last couple days to corner both a Senator and a Congressman and get their thoughts regarding the debt limit- yesterday I wrote about what Senator Murkowski said (EXCLUSIVE: Senator Spills on the Latest on the Debt Limit)- today I'm going to pass on to you, my good readers, what Congressman Duncan Hunter (R, CA), told me today regarding the current debate about raising the debt ceiling.

According to Congressman Hunter, the situation looks grim. Cantor is pushing for $2 trillion in cuts and a corresponding increase in debt limit. The problem is that there are no real easy cuts to make- there is very little non-military discretionary spending in the budget and not enough to really close the gap, so any sort of real cuts will have to hit Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. “This is the budget today”, he said- the budget and purpose of the government has now simply become to redistribute wealth from those who work hard and produce wealth to those who don't. So in order to actually cut anything, you’d have to reform our entitlement programs. But the Democrats have drawn a line in the sand and refuse to do anything on the budget unless taxes are raised, and then after income taxes are raised, any entitlement reform will be 'in the future'- aka, passed on the future Congresses to really enact.

The biggest problem facing our nation is an utter lack of leadership in the office that is supposed to be providing the most leadership for our nation when it faces a crisis- the President. President Obama refused to released is a plan to Congress- something with numbers and words and written down that can be scored and marked up and analyzed. All Obama produces is rhetoric- in every meeting, he walks in with talking points and words and that's all. He has refused to actually take any sort of real stand or leadership on any issue facing our nation- the GOP keeps begging him to just release some sort of real hard numbers and something in writing, but he refuses because he thinks that if he takes any sort of positions on any issues it will damage him in the coming election.

“I really hope that after 2012 we will have an administration that will be more favorable towards moving legislation,” he said, pointing out also that the Democrats in the Senate have also completely abandoned any attempt to pass anything at all- Congressman Hunter says that “I don’t think the Senate is going to pass any budget on anything until after 2012”- he says that the reason why the Senate is refusing to even think about possibly considering passing any sort of budget is because it does not benefit them in any political sense- if the Democrats take any sort of stand on any important issue, they may be held accountable to voters and made to account on it.

So what is next, if we have a Democratic party that is refusing to take leadership and pass laws and face the real issues facing our nation. On this issue, sometime around August 1st to August 5th, the GOP- the party that controls 1/3 of the government and has controlled this institution for only a couple months- will have to step up and choose one of two options- agree to the Democrats plan, which, since they refuse to compromise will be basically lots of tax raises combined with empty promises to cut things in the future, or “hit rock bottom.”

“It is worth letting the market fluctuate for a short time if it means that our kids will have a market in the future,” Congressman Hunter said.

UPDATE: Thanks so much for linking to this story!

Michael J. Isimbabi of the The African Leadership and Progress Network writes about Leadership and Governance. "...While the international community can provide much needed assistance, it is unrealistic to count on it to free African countries from bad leaderships and poor governance, given the hard realities of global geopolitics and economics. Whatever the underlying causes of slow progress in Africa may be, Africans themselves have to take responsibility for their own progress. In this regard, the development of indigenous capacity and homegrown policies informed by local knowledge and perspectives provides the best hope for poverty alleviation in poor countries...The onus therefore falls squarely on well-off and accomplished Africans to proactively take charge of fostering good governance and the evolution of visionary and transformational leaderships in their countries. The financial, intellectual, and other resources of accomplished Africans, especially those outside the continent ("Overseas" or "Diaspora" Africans), are yet to be fully tapped and effectively utilized toward fostering African progress, particularly leadership/governance capacity building with a strong private sector orientation."

The Nigerian Leadership Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit and non-governmental organization of Nigerians in the Diaspora. Its mission is to promote democracy as well as good, responsible, accountable, and transparent governance in Nigeria.
Its Objectives are:
* To promote a just, fair and stable political environment in the nation
* To empower our citizens to realize their economic and political potential
* To promote effective leadership development of our citizens in general and that of our political leaders in particular. This will emphasize high ethical standards, commitment to civic and social responsibility, appreciation and celebration of and respect for the diverse citizenry of our nation.
* To construct a platform for members to share their knowledge and expertise geared toward promoting good governance and economic development.
* To sponsor various activities which promote increased business and economic development as well as the political and leadership apportunities for our citizens through seminars, lecture series, annual meetings, etc.

Michigan continues to struggle under Democrat leadership. The latest numbers are striking- under high regulation, anti-growth, high-tax, anti-business leadership in Lansing, Michigan's third-quarter unemployment rate rose to 8.6 percent (from 7.9 percent in the previous quarter). And it is not just 'the auto companies'- under Democratic leadership, the rest of the state is part of this- the Ann Arbor area saw its unemployed ranks rise by 26.9 percent, the Grand Rapids area saw its unemployed count rise by 26.1 percent, while the Holland area saw a rise of 28 percent. Thanks to Crains Business Detroit for the data.

The good thing is that with an Obama victory, Michigan might be sending its leadership to Lansing. Also from Crains comes this little piece of information- recently a resolution was introduced in the state House that would set up a new process for installing a lieutenant governor in Michigan- which would need to happen if Granholm left and Cherry took her place. The bills sponsor says that this isn't the reason for the bill- but, where there is smoke there is usually fire, and soon Granholm might be lighting the rest of the country on fire as she did Michigan.

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Leadership: Great Leaders, Great Teams, Great results is FranklinCovey's flagship leadership-development program. It takes a " mind-set, skill-set, tool-set" approach to developing leaders who can unleash the talent and capability of their team against the organisations highest priorities. In addition to drawing from the proven legacy of developing effective leaders, Stephen R Covey also taps into the best thinking of well-known experts in the leadership field, such as Harvard Business Professor Clayton Christense, customer loyalty expert Fred Reiccheld and bestselling author of the Speed of Trust, Stephen MR Covey.

 

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Ginny Fleck, a teacher from Green Bay with 30 years of experience, is among nearly 5,000 teachers who retired recently after all the hysteria in Wisconsin- double the amount that normally retire. "It wouldn't make sense for me to teach one more year and basically lose $8,000," she said (the Huff Post is the source). Fleck would still be paid $52K/year to teach German, but under the new laws, she would have to take part of her $60,000 annual salary to pay for a part of her own healthcare and kick in for her own plush retirement, and that would add up to 8K/year.

Fleck is a great example of the sort of entitlement that is reflected in public employees- while the rest of America struggles to hold jobs and people face reduced salaries and reduced hours, she would rather quit than take a pay cut of 8K a year. Rather than say 'I'm just happy to still have a job in this environment and would love to continue to be paid 52K/year to teach young children German', she sees making 52K but not 60K as 'losing 8K'. Although she doesn't teach math, it is clear she has eaten up liberal rhetoric which regards growing the budget at slower levels as 'cutting' and believes that 'Bush cut the size of government' (which he did not- he grew it by large amounts with his unsustainable spending).

An Angry Entitled Teacher Waves a Union-Made Sign Instead of Doing Her Job and Teaching Children

Ginny Fleck, according to ratemyteacher, "did NOT teach us what we needed... she tought the wrong way to say everything." As you can see from the picture at the right, Ginny Fleck took time out of the school day to wave union-produced materials and yell hate filled comments rather than teach German to young middle school students for 60K a year.

According to the Huff Post, the departure of 69-year angry liberal entitled Ginny Fleck has now opened up a position of employment for a young, technologically savvy teacher trained in new methods and just eager for the chance to teacher. 'I would love to have a job teaching middle school students German for 30K/year plus benefits plus retirement plus vacations' this new hypothetical teacher might say.

In Green Bay, Fleck said about 140 out of 1,700 of the district's teachers retired this year. She said another 50 or so planned to retire in the middle of this school year, cashing in vacation days saved over the years to retire in January and yet be paid their full salary until the end of their contract year (do any of you have this sort of set-up in your jobs?), and leaving the district in a scramble to hire long-term substitute teachers to fill the loss.

But above all, Fleck bemoans the fact that "All of the leadership is gone"- as if by leadership she means people like her who illegally strike to demand higher wages and salaries while refusing to pay anything for retirement and healthcare, at a time when Wisconsin's economy, like the rest of the nations, is struggling. Her leadership of screaming hate at people so she can keep her own is the kind of leadership that apparently will now be leaving Wisconsin, being replaced by professionals who will perhaps be more willing to work with the community and more recognizing of the situation that others from Wisconsin are in.

Thank you Huff Post for posting this article and bringing my attention to Ginny Fleck, a great example of everything that is wrong in the education world, and someone who I think should be lucky to continue to be making a fine retirement package paid for by the taxpayers.