Why was my wife screaming so uncontrollably at the television set? When I learned why, I joined the screaming with equal ferocity.
Fox News was interviewing Susan Ferrechio, chief congressional correspondent for the Washington Examiner. She had plenty to say and plenty of energy to say it with. Was Ms. Ferrechio’s energy aimed at the wanton slaughter of thousands of Syrian civilians in Aleppo? Or at the increasing threat of confrontation with Communist China? Or, perhaps, at the effort to flip the presidency away from Donald Trump in the Electoral College?
Not even close! Ms. Ferrechio’s vexation had to do with fear that President Trump, once inaugurated, might not really or totally separate himself from his galaxy of businesses. Fear, I tell you, full-fledged fear that President Trump might talk to his sons about matters arising from the vast empire of Trump business enterprises, even after Trump had assured the American people he had no interest in his businesses once sworn in as president. Poor Ms. Ferrechio seemed terrified a family dinner at the White House might veer off course, deliberately, that is, and dip into the forbidden realm of Trump’s enterprises despite Donald’s insistence that the fate of America to him was paramount.
Horror upon horror, folks. What defenses do we, the American people, have to prevent a Trump son from asking his father if new letterheads might now be appropriate? Or might their business representative in Guatemala take an occasional side trip and do business in El Salvador?
All kinds of related experiences cascaded down the walls of my memory bank. During the Korean War, we had a commanding officer at our post just south of Washington who cared about nothing on earth except military correctness. With a million Chinese Communist troops preparing to swarm down upon our GIs from their positions north of the Yalu River, this captain lined up his men and shouted, “If there’s anything I can’t stand it’s dirty brass!”
A university offered a foreign language program I found impressive. That university invited me to sit in on a faculty meeting as a visiting observer.
I was stunned!
The entire meeting was consumed with the persecution of the professor who’d founded that great language program repeating, emphasizing, restating and warning this outstanding professor that, “You must never forget you are forbidden to profit in any way from enrollments in your program. All tuition revenue will go directly to the university. If you are offered speaking engagements or if you’re offered a fee to be interviewed regarding your program, again, all revenues go directly to the university. Do you understand? Are you sure you understand?” And so on.
Henry Kissinger once said, “The reason there’s so much conflict in the academic world is the stakes are so small.” I know nothing about the size of the stakes, but it was readily apparent the mentality guiding those proceedings was very small indeed. Hand me a sledge-hammer and let me try to enlarge that mentality.
Some people will never get it. And that’s why we have failing societies. Some people, like Trump and that language professor, are winners. Say that 500 times in front of a mirror. Some people are just winners! Help them! Respect their ability and achievements. And stay the hell out of their way. They’re winners. Can’t you handle that?
Let Donald Trump and the language professor and anybody else with a proven record of achievement, let them prosper. If Donald Trump wants to hold a family seminar every now and then, congratulate him and wish him luck. Here now is a truly monumental concept. See if you can metabolize it. Who does it hurt if Trump’s businesses prosper while he’s president? That frown on your face mystifies me. A Trump earning extra income is a happier Trump. A happier Trump will be a better President Trump. Concomitantly, a language professor who gets maybe 25 percent of the tuition received from his program will devote more energy bringing in more student customers. He’ll dream up ways to bring in more money. If you’re at war with my thinking, I’ll bet you’re mentally calculating money that could be coming to the university going to this “over-rewarded” professor instead. Wrong! Can’t you conceive of the university earning more money as the customer base grows thanks to the extra-energized efforts of that professor?
Why do so many of you live in fear of success? You still can’t rearrange your reaction to reward winners and do all we can to augment the number of those who make it into the winner’s circle. The attitude of “Do you fully understand you’re not allowed to profit one dime… ?” When you come at me with thinking like that, you’re confessing more than you really want others to know. And, wow, listen to Ms. Ferrecio. She delivers her “punish the successful” with such earthy gusto!
The Japanese proverb says it best, “The nail that sticks up shall be smashed flat.” Maybe that’s why the Trump organization has so few Japanese carpenters.
Don’t forget Lincoln’s reply when some Union generals resentful of Grant’s success approached the president and declared Grant was an alcoholic.
“Find out what brand he likes,” said Abe. “I want to send him a case!”
Media wishing to interview Barry Farber, please contact [email protected].
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