Bad Karma in Business

My sister was a great waitress. She actually cared about the happiness of her customers. I don't know if this can be taught. Graciousness might be a gift from God or a genetic propensity.

Caregivers such as nurses sometimes kill their patients because they are so wrapped up in protocol and procedure they can't see through to the comfort and care of their wards. Corporate mentality hates mistakes so it designs rules and intricacies that hobble the natural tendencies of good workers. Nurses spend half their time staring at a computer screen imputing data while every patient carries around a bulky paper file of physician scribble. No wonder medical mistakes and errant infections make a trip to the hospital as dangerous as a dance on a battlefield.

Corporations are sitting on trillions of dollars of profits, refusing to invest, hire or even issue dividends. Incomes continue to shrink while companies borrow for free. The unsuccessful premise of a leveraged consumer based economy is still the predominant business model.

Rudeness is an American badge of honor. Transportation is such an onerous task that we might revert to walking. Airlines finally make a profit at the expense of the customer. Ask for help in a mega hardware store and the answers is always '˜it's not my department.' If business can't find the prudent courage to advance toward the future they should at least invest a trillion or two into teaching people to '˜be polite.'

Governmentally, economically and practically we are burdened with flawed failure driven models. The problem is uniquely American, too many doers, not enough thinkers. Success, greed and even the American Dream is an inconsiderate process. Banks should hire as many philosophers as mathematicians. The airlines should hire my sister. The mega hardware store needs a few kindly old farts that happen to know what the hell they are talking about.

Business stupidity is rampant and has been since Reagan quashed unionism. The myth of productivity requires that workers suffer. Greed driven decisions from the top promoted by mindless equity investors put capitalism on the brink and now after a taxpayer funded recovery all they can think is to go back to the old ways. What ever happened to live and learn?

I don't expect the Tea Party to get any smarter but I hope the majority of Americans get angry for the right reasons.