Dr. Larry Lezotte, a preeminent educational researcher and a
man I greatly admire, once asked, “If the problem is caused by someone below
you on the organizational chart, or if the problem is caused by someone above
you on the organizational chart, or if the problem is caused by external
factors, then in what ways are you relevant to your organization? If the solution to your problem lies beneath
you on the organizational chart, or above you on the organizational chart or
outside your organization then in what ways are you relevant to your
organization?” President Harry Truman
had a sign on his desk that read, “The buck stops here.” These are but two articulations of the same
message: be accountable.
I am amazed at the lengths some folks are willing to travel to
avoid having the buck stop with them. It
appears whatever is wrong is always someone else’s fault and that the solution
is the responsibility of someone else. Of
course, blaming someone never solves the problem, it just deflects the heat by
passing the buck.
On November 7, 2020, Donald Trump released a statement
claiming victory in the Presidential election. He claimed some deep conspiracy
stole his votes, that there was widespread voter fraud, and that the media were
perpetrating false information. He won,
but it was factors outside the election that took it away from him. There remains absolutely no evidence to
support his claims. He did not say “I
lost,” nor did he concede the election.
It was the fault of governors, secretaries of state, voter fraud, and the
media. The buck moved on.
On March 13, 2020, as the coronavirus was rapidly spreading
through the US Trump had continued to say it was like the flu and it would
go away, and was even so bold as to say that he rated his response to the virus
as a “10.” He made it clear that he was not responsible for the virus or our
nation’s response. The buck moved on.
As the electric power grid failed in Texas leaving millions
without electricity. Governor Abbott frantically looked for someplace to plant
the blame. It must the Green Neal Deal,
it must be ERCOT. It could not possibly
be the governor, who appoints the board of ERCOT or supports legislative
priorities to protect the oil and gas industries by keeping federal regulations
at bay. Nope, it was someone else. The buck moved on.
As McConnell and Graham and company found excuses to push
through Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court within weeks of the election
after promising they would not do that very thing just 4 years ago, it must be
because it is unwise to really believe they are accountable for their promises. The buck moved on.
And clearly, all the problems in America right now are due to
unfair trade advantages and immigration and minorities and democrats and
liberals. Right. It is not me, it is not my prejudice, it is
not my lack of knowledge of the issues, and it is someone else’s fault. Let’s build a wall. The buck moves on.
Yes, I could go on and on.
I won’t. The current thinking of
many politicians is to take credit for positive results whether or not any
action on their part influenced those results, and to pass the blame for any
problem to someone else, and to work diligently to obstruct other politicians
who are developing plans to address the problems. I call that cowardice and lack of character.
This is not just rhetoric for me. I was a public school superintendent in one
of the most highly regulated public school systems in the country. I was one of 2,000 superintendents in the
state. I was charged with following all
the state laws, all the federal laws, and all the local codes. If our buildings were not ADA compliant it
was my fault, I accepted that and implemented a plan to correct it. If our cheerleaders were enmeshed in
controversy I accepted the responsibility to fix it. If our football team was losing I accepted
the responsibility and developed a plan to improve it. If our test scores were declining it was my
fault and I developed a plan to fix it.
On and on. I wish I had known
Trump’s model before I retired because there sure were a lot of other people I could
have blamed for these issues. But I knew
the job title meant the buck stopped with me.
As one of my professors used to say, “If your name is on the door and
there is carpet on the floor it is your responsibility.”
Donald Trump lost the presidential election fair and square. After months of attempting to identify voter irregularities, he has failed and his court cases have been dismissed for lack of evidence. It is not a conspiracy. It is not a cover-up. He lost.
He can’t blame that on anyone.
His supporters continue to look for someone to blame, but there is no
one. Meanwhile, President Biden is
addressing all our issues heads on, tackling thorny problems via executive
orders, legislation, and the bully pulpit while the loyal opposition opposes all
that he is attempting to do. That is
their strategy to prove they are relevant in our organization. Obstruct all plans to improve or
resolve. They simply want to shoot the
buck.
Own up, Republicans.
If you are not part of a solution you are part of the problem. Your platform can simply not be: let’s keep
the Trump supporters happy and oppose everything proposed by Democrats. If you continue to follow that platform you
will become irrelevant in the institution of governing the USA. How about universal admission that the truth
is Trump lost the election and go from there.
We need folks of conscience, not of fear, folks of character not of
conspiracy theory, folks of truth not of treachery. Be accountable.
Let a buck or two stop with you.
