The Buck Stops Here
Adopted by President Harry S. Truman, he kept a sign on his desk “The Buck Stops Here.” He’s noted as popularizing the phrase in politics.
He believed the President must make the decisions and accept the ultimate responsibility for those decisions.
Oh, if only that were true today.
The opposite of ‘the buck stops here’ is called ‘buck passing.’
Passing the buck is also called playing the blame game. It’s the act of attributing to another person or group one’s own responsibility. It is often used to refer to a group of ‘oppressors’ who keep less powerful groups – the oppressed – treated in a cruel and unfair way, not given the same freedom or rights as others.
In certain circles ‘passing the buck’ has become the routine. Using this phenomenon, blame is passed around for each and every less than positive experience.
We’ve all heard of the blame programs and fault-finding hucksters. It seems to me this blame game stuff has become more prevalent in recent years – even mainstream in some circles.
Major examples include critical race theory (CRT), the 1619 Project, Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
CRT is based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct groups of humans but socially constructed racism, used to oppress and exploit people of color. Critical race theorists hold that racism is inherent in the law and legal institutions of the United States which in turn create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans.
The 1619 Project attempts to rewrite American history by stating slavery came here in 1619 which created the historical consequences of racism. Advocates take a critical view of traditionally revered figures and events in American history, including the Patriots in the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers, even with Abraham Lincoln and the Union during the Civil War. They claim that slavery was essential to the beginning of the American Revolution. They also view capitalism as brutal and tied to slavery.
Black Lives Matter (BLM) sought to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns were/are police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people. Following the George Floyd death, it called for sweeping legislative changes surrounding policing, including calls to divest from policing and reinvest funds directly in community resources and alternative emergency response models. AKA – defund the police.
Discrimination is also the major thrust of the whole LGBTQ+ narrative. The acronym stands for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer”. It may refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual, non-heteroromantic, or non-cisgender. Those identifying with and supporting those folks have gone beyond the discrimination phase, with programs and initiatives for children to physically change their sexual characteristics.
Then comes DEI. This initiative was also sparked by the George Floyd incident, which is intended to end discrimination. It proposes we ‘celebrate’ diversity, provide more opportunities for women, minorities and transgenders (equity) and ‘including’ more diverse people, women and minorities in college admissions and workforces.
In each case, the theories are ‘blame.’ Proponents finger-point and shift the responsibility for “failing” to others.
Psychology Today suggests this blaming others is a defense mechanism, protecting the person espousing the blather from experiencing unpleasant feelings, such as guilt or shame.
I won’t be so sensitive. I say, ‘get a life!”
We don’t live in the past, we’re alive right now. And we each have a short time to make some major decisions about ourselves.
We have laws outlawing discrimination. Affirmative action was declared unconstitutional, twice.
I’m not suggesting that racism and discrimination are not part of America’s history. It was – and perhaps still is in some ‘red-neck’ circles. But that’s the past. Can we move on? I don’t owe anybody reparations.
If all the time, money, energy and effort spent on the blame game were spent on closing our failing public schools – especially those in the big, inner cities, firing all the hogs at the public education trough, and giving those kids a real education focused on the three R’s instead of curricula based on the blame game – we might give everyone the opportunity and outcomes we wish for all Americans.
God created us equal. God didn’t create us the same.
Life’s test is not about others. It’s about each of us deciding what to do with it.
Let’s focus on providing opportunity, then not just allowing but requiring competition for college admissions and useful careers. The same for technical training and apprenticeships.
Everyone has a space – and a place – in our country.
The Buck Stops Here! (Are you looking in the mirror?)
*******************
Have a great and prosperous week.
Hug somebody.
References:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/critical-race-theory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_1619_Project
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ#:~:text=LGBTQ%20(also%20commonly%20seen%20as%20LGBT,%20[1][2]%20LGBT+,%20[3]%20LGBTQ+,
SPIDER Bytes
This week’s trivia question is: Who was the first woman to serve on the US Supreme Court? The answer to last week’s question re: the islands west of Ecuador studied by Charles Darwin: Galapagos. In 1835, British naturalist Charles Darwin observed local plants and animals that seemed related to ones found on the mainland—but that also had many physical variations unique to different islands. It led to his theory of evolution by natural selection. He sailed aboard the HMS Beagle.
Great September jobs report Friday. Wait for the downward revisions soon.
45,000 Atlantic and Gulf port longshoremen/dockworkers went on strike last week. Since the U.S. is no longer energy (fossil fuel) independent, imports of petroleum would be curtailed as well as fruits and vegetables – with bananas topping the foodstuffs list. Supply chains for microchips, auto parts, wine and spirits, chocolate and cherries would also be affected. In addition to 77% higher wages over 6 years, the union wants further automation banned. However, magically after 3 days, union leadership reached a 3-month agreement for a 62% wage hike ($4/hour/year to the current $39/hr), so prices on key products will not go up even more before the election. Serendipitous for one presidential candidate.
Here we go. Iran attacked Israel with 181 ballistic missiles last week. The UN general secretary continued his to plea to Israel for a cease fire. Addressing an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council a week ago, the Iranian Foreign Minister said Israel “does not deserve membership in the U.N.” He claimed Israel had driven the Middle East to “the brink of a broader conflict” due to its “aggression and heinous crimes against nations of the region. Now more than ever, Israel has become a serious threat to international peace and security.” Got it? Israel, about the size of Massachusetts, is to blame for being attacked and is responsible for all Middle East unrest.
The D.C. city council is rescinding its protection of renters from eviction for non-payment of rent. It seems many ‘affordable’ housing unit owners have declared bankruptcy or are on the verge of foreclosure because those landlords can’t pay their mortgages without rental income. Gee, maybe landlords aren’t the ogres after all.
The media event, also known as the debate between the VP candidates, provided national news outlets lots of fodder for biased discussion before the event, and gobs more after. They apparently think U.S. citizens just don’t know anything about anything without the judgements of these self-appointed opinion leaders. Even one CBS debate moderator couldn’t help herself from correcting a candidate after the network’s ‘debate rules’ stated that would not happen. Disquieting.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law last week prohibiting local CA governments from enacting or enforcing a requirement that a person show identification when voting. Elon Musk wrote on X late Monday: “Wow, it is now illegal to require voter ID in California! They just made PREVENTING voter fraud against the law. The Joker is in charge.” How scary is a law like this?
