Before I was the “crazy, racist, hobbit, tea bagging, loony” tea party member, I was actually a consultant to CEOs. 

Not everyone will agree with me, but, too bad – “I love CEOs!”  I admire the ones I worked with because they were willing to throw everything they had in life to pursue a dream of business ownership.  They sold their possessions, mortgaged their homes, ran up their credit cards and borrowed from family members or their friends to pursue their dream.     

America was a great nation and offered a rewarding life for those who worked hard.  Becoming a successful CEO meant working hard and facing stressful pressures of making payroll, finding sources of revenue, and taking “big-gulp” phone calls from their banker.   Being a leader is not easy and the consequences of bad decisions show up in their bank accounts.   Making good decisions shows up in their bank accounts too!  Either way – they chose the course of success or failure.

As a coach to CEOs, I enjoyed working with those who would listen and take advice.  I did not have all the answers but I knew where to get them.  I would find it in the wisdom of others who had gone before and led the path to successful leadership.  My network was filled with leaders who had made it and had the scars to prove it.  They would lend advice and help keep another CEO from making a poor decision they had once made themselves. 

Every now and then I would run across a CEO or executive who just plain did not listen.  They had all the answers and if you tried to give them advice, they looked at you with a blank stare.  I usually did not spend a long time working with them because it was frustrating.  We would do all we could to share our thoughts, concerns and employee grumblings within the company.  They would fluff it off and pretend it was no big deal.  They didn’t want to hear and they didn’t want to change. 

Usually those CEOs experienced a lot of problems and some have actually closed their business.   Those who sought advice were the most successful.  Seeking advice is wise as noted in Proverbs 15:22, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”

As I watch President Obama stand in the Rose Garden for yet one more speech, I understand how difficult it must be for his staff, his advisors and the Democrat Party.  He is unwilling to listen; has made his plans to drastically change America; will stick with them through the end; and will take the country down with him.  His pride and ego are over the top and we are watching a man fall from his seat of adoration. 

As America watches, we just want to scream “Stop.  This is insanity and your plans are hurting you and us!  Stop now!  We can’t take it anymore and watching your administration implode is too difficult for the people to bear.“

There is a way out of this and it begins with admitting the strategy to change America did not work.  The plans were laid out but one huge factor was missing and was totally ignored by Obama and his buddies on the left -- The American Spirit.

The Spirit of America is named Freedom.  From the beginning of our history to today, Americans love their liberties and freedom to be who they want to be.  They do not take kindly to regulations that strangle their ability to be free.  They do not appreciate politicians who think they can run our lives better than us.  They are irritated with those who think EBT cards are free money yet they are really pick-pocketing those of us who get up every day and work hard.  They are God-fearing families who are tired of God-hating groups telling us we are the haters.  We are tired of schools telling lies to our children and erasing our heritage and our history.  We are fed up with the United Nations passing laws and our leaders agreeing to them – circumventing the most beautiful freedom document ever written – The Constitution.

In business, the employees usually know when it is going to fail.  They know it before the CEO.  They are closer to the ground.  They feel the pain first.  They see the CEO forging ahead as employees leave, clients go elsewhere and the bank calls the note.  The employees whisper behind his back and words like DENIAL, STUBBORN, IGNORANT, MIS-GUIDED, INCOMPETENT are heard.

At the end of the day, the CEO sits alone in a big, beautiful office surrounded by awards and pictures which in reality are nothing more than paper products.  The buck stops there and no one stands in the hallway wishing the CEO well. 

Americans are on the ground and we are feeling the pain.  We see Obama forging ahead with his flawed plan and his rag-tag group of leftover friends and far-left advisers.  It is mind-numbing to be a part of this time in history. 

For a while I thought maybe the nation was behind him and we in the tea were wrong.   But we have been proven right.  The change has changed America and we don’t like it.  It’s not us.  It never will be us.  America is better than the change he wants us to be.

All we can do now is pray for a Damascus Road experience.  It appears God is the only one who will get Obama’s attention because he sure has not listened to the groaning and pleadings of the American people.  God is still in the miracle business and he can flash a light into the eyes of those who do not see any time He wants to.  That’s my prayer for President Obama.  It worked before and it can work again.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND ACTION ITEAM

As I was writing this blog, I received an email from a fellow member.  The email showed one more liberty-loss for us and one more over-reaching regulation by one of Obama’s departments.  The Department of Labor is preparing to establish more new regulations that apply to all businesses.  It will crush jobs and send more of us packing our bags and closing up shop.  Read more here and take action as noted in the article.  Tomorrow is the last day to make comments.  In addition to making comments about this regulation, please contact your Senator and Representative and ask them to investigate this attack on liberty by the Department of Labor.  You can reach your Congressman at http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml.

Here’s the article:  Sucker-punching regulations

With the demonization of CEOs as a norm in the media today, please understand one thing.  If these guys and gals were not willing to throw everything to the wind to create a business, we would not have jobs and people would be unemployed.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what we have today.  More and more of us are unwilling to throw everything to the wind during this administration.  We must have a man or woman in the White House who understands that risk-takers create jobs – not government officials.    If the White House, the media and the misguided left would understand that our economy would soar again.