Oprah? President? No Way!!!

Hey, I kinda like Oprah. This is not about that. I've neither had nor taken the time to more than incidentally follow her career, but the bits which have floated into my awareness have all been positive. She's climbed her way up to fame and fortune, apparently works hard, gives away cars and stuff, is a savvy businesswoman. She's articulate, intelligent, has world-wide name recognition, and cleans up a whole lot better than Steve Bannon.

I know, that last is a low bar, but in this world the way it is, appearances, especially for women, count a great deal. Much as I bemoan the standard, Oprah is gorgeous.

So what's my problem then? That's not what qualifies somebody for President. Sure, intelligence, hard work, and the ability to speak in complete coherent sentences would be really welcome in the office right now. But their lack comes from too many people in this country believing that celebrity and business success are all one needs. Heck, maybe just celebrity.

It hasn't worked out well for us yet. Reagan wasn't the worst example of the consequences of voting on that belief, but with our short memories, who needs to look further than the current "like, really smart" office holder?

What we need are dedication to the principles of our constitution, and governmental experience. Being CEO isn't the same thing as being, say, Governor. Business doesn't work the same way as government. It's goals are different. It's power structure is different. Its ethics are different.

Government is of, by, and for its people. Under our constitution, that means all of us. Business is of, by, and for wealth. That means the wealth of the person / people at the top, and shareholders. Screw the employees.

Government has the power to tax to raise the money to do its job. Business has to produce the cheapest product/service at the highest price to do its job. Screw paying taxes, screw environmental protection, screw worker safety, etc., etc., unless forced by... oh, hey: Government!

If you can't get that, I won't bother to explain it all in more depth to you here. It could take pages. Another time, perhaps. I'm just saying, while Oprah would have a hard time being worse than Trump, I'm more of an idealist. I want somebody who can really do the job, who is genuinely qualified for the job. Not just different, an outsider, and famous.

Those latter qualifications are not what somebody needs to solve this country's problems.

But we can start by voting. We have enough caring, thoughtful, informed people in this country that if we all got out there and performed that one little civic duty, a whole lot could change, for the better.