But seriously, it seems like "success" in economic terms these day means "postponing the day of reckoning till your successor is in office" and failure means the opposite. By that token Greenspan succeeded but Bush II failed.
A CEO was being honored at his retirement party. The toastmaster, his successor, called on him for parting remarks and advice. After delivering farewell comments, the outgoing CEO handed his successor two envelopes marked #1 and #2.
He said, "Place these envelopes in the top drawer of your desk. When you make your first big mistake, open the #1 envelope and follow the instructions. When you make your second big mistake, open the #2 envelope and likewise follow those instructions."
The new CEO was young, handsome and an accomplished public speaker. He and his family were featured in business magazines and were invited to speak throughout the business world at home and abroad.
For the first few months, things seemed to go along smoothly in spite of the CEO's frequent criticisms of the company's founders, business practices and employee performances. The new CEO seemed to relish pointing out the company's mistakes and perceived weaknesses.
One day, the new CEO committed a huge gaffe that headlined business newsletters and newspapers nationwide! He remembered the two envelopes given to him by his predecessor.
He rushed to his desk, seized the #1 envelope, tore it open and read it. The message was printed in bold black letters. "Blame your predecessor."
Immediately, he convened a series of press conferences, blamed his predecessor and things seemed to calm down for a few months.
About three months later, he made another gaffe of greater significance than the first one. Before meeting with the board of directors, he opened his desk drawer and read the #2 letter. It stated, in bold, black letters, "Prepare two envelopes!"
by "these day" I assume you mean for at least the last 30 or 40 years?
I suppose so. But, despite the great difficulty in proving this scientifically and the great risks of this being a mere effect of nostalgia, I strongly believe that the intervals of attention are getting shorter.
I"m sure the attention intervals are getting shorter. Mainstream media is painful to watch. I only picked the period 30-40 years as I'm 40 years old and it seems our political system has been "passing the buck" through my life.
Comments
And perhaps "Cash For Clunkers" will get credit?
But seriously, it seems like "success" in economic terms these day means "postponing the day of reckoning till your successor is in office" and failure means the opposite. By that token Greenspan succeeded but Bush II failed.
by "these day" I assume you mean for at least the last 30 or 40 years?
A common story... (copied from http://www.wickedlocal.com/milford/news/lifestyle/columnists... )
A CEO was being honored at his retirement party. The toastmaster, his successor, called on him for parting remarks and advice. After delivering farewell comments, the outgoing CEO handed his successor two envelopes marked #1 and #2.
He said, "Place these envelopes in the top drawer of your desk. When you make your first big mistake, open the #1 envelope and follow the instructions. When you make your second big mistake, open the #2 envelope and likewise follow those instructions."
The new CEO was young, handsome and an accomplished public speaker. He and his family were featured in business magazines and were invited to speak throughout the business world at home and abroad. For the first few months, things seemed to go along smoothly in spite of the CEO's frequent criticisms of the company's founders, business practices and employee performances. The new CEO seemed to relish pointing out the company's mistakes and perceived weaknesses. One day, the new CEO committed a huge gaffe that headlined business newsletters and newspapers nationwide! He remembered the two envelopes given to him by his predecessor.
He rushed to his desk, seized the #1 envelope, tore it open and read it. The message was printed in bold black letters. "Blame your predecessor." Immediately, he convened a series of press conferences, blamed his predecessor and things seemed to calm down for a few months.
About three months later, he made another gaffe of greater significance than the first one. Before meeting with the board of directors, he opened his desk drawer and read the #2 letter. It stated, in bold, black letters, "Prepare two envelopes!"
by "these day" I assume you mean for at least the last 30 or 40 years?
I suppose so. But, despite the great difficulty in proving this scientifically and the great risks of this being a mere effect of nostalgia, I strongly believe that the intervals of attention are getting shorter.
I"m sure the attention intervals are getting shorter. Mainstream media is painful to watch. I only picked the period 30-40 years as I'm 40 years old and it seems our political system has been "passing the buck" through my life.