Font Rants on Many Subjects

Today's theme is responsibility. We live era of responsibility. Responsibility means that you get credit for success and take the blame for failure. The dictionary gives us four definitions for a responsible individual. The first meaning is to answer for something. As in why is the economy cratering. Why don't we have any money in the treasury? Why are we bogged down in this quagmire in Iraq? Why are we unable to come to terms with North Korea? Why are terrorists crashing airplanes into our cities? Why are our spies incapable to delivering fact instead of fiction?

The second meaning is one of making choices. We are free willed beings, but this empowerment comes with obligations to try to make right choices. Choices can be simple, like should I go on a vacataion? Other choices are more complex, like commiting the entire military, diplomatic and monetary might of my nation against another country? The point is we want to be the ones making the decisions, we need to be responsible and prepared for the outcomes.

The third meaning is accountability. We should be accountable for our decisions. Our decisions should be measured accuratly and fairly based on outcomes. If for example we pushed through a trillion dollar tax cut, and the result was a 2 trillion dollar deficit, and 3 million jobs lost, and an economy stuck in neutral; then we could be measured, fairly that our decisions were not correct. Or perhaps we might consider our choice to launch a pre-emtive war against a middle eastern nation because we thought they posed an immediate threat; but then it turned out there was no immediate threat, and the conquering the foreign land was harder than we anticipated. As the one who made the decision we are accountable for it. Objective accounting will force us to concede that it was a bad decision, so that we might strive to correct our mistakes. Of course you can always choose a different method of accounting, perhaps one recommened by a freind, which will give us a false picture; but that would be irresponsible.

The final meaning is to be politically answerable. So when the election comes in 2004 consider this era of responsiblity, and realize that the power is yours to decide if those decisions made in the last 4 years were wise, or folly.