For years we have looked at the president of the U.S. as our "Daddy" and "Moral Leader" of whom we should look up to for moral guidance. This had proven to be a big mistake. Those of us who have worked within the beltway, covering Capital Hill and the White House know how truly unglamorous living at 1600 Pa. Ave. is. In fact that presidency is nothing more than a glorified policy wonk job. We are not to count on his telling us when the economy is in good enough shape to spend. We might as well be waiting for Godot.
It was not too many decades ago when the naïve mindset of our country, and most countries, was that the President was “the good daddy who taught us right from wrong; fiscally, morally, and behaviorally. Here's some news. The President is not our Daddy; and, if anything we are his. Many who have not worked within the confines of the Washington D.C. Beltway (I did for over a decade in media covering Capital Hill, The White House, the first Gulf War, etc), might not understand, the President of the United States is your employee.
The Office Of The Presidency is not a very glamorous job. In fact there are only two main descriptions within it. a. Keep our citizenry safe and b. balance the budget. Though of course it is more ideal if our president keeps his zipper up while performing his duties, or not be inebriated and choking on pretzels while his two dogs look on, as long as he gets the job done, he has done what we elected him to do.
You see, he/she works for us, not vice versa. If we find ourselves in a “photo-op” with the president, it is he who should be excited, not us, as he gets to take a picture with his boss (one of us). So why wait for the President to tell us the economy is okay. We know it is not okay as long as we are throwing billions of dollars into a war in which we do not belong. So be it. One day, we pray, he may come to his senses and start bringing them home as he promised every day as he campaigned for the job.
Meantime, we the small businesspersons of America must continue doing commerce so our clients and customers will have products to purchase. Yes, they may be merchandise that costs less than they normally would, but that is fine. Just the very act of making a purchase, clicking a mouse, charging it on your debit or credit card (or Paypal), shows the rest of the country that it is okay to still buy goods. We do not have to wait for the president to tell us “things are going to be okay”. He is not our daddy. We love shopping for our friends and family, and no economy is going to change that, even if it is merely a card or a mouse pad or a hoodie, we've made a purchase, created jobs, and made someone else very happy.
Please don't wait for one of your employees (the President) to tell you “everything is okay, lets start spending”; do it on your own, maybe he'll get the picture, and know we are not waiting for him to tell us. After all, we are the boss.
