The Republican Party Today - November 7, 2012

Once again another election in my life and once again we see division. The vote goes right down the middle. As a Republican I found it hard to get 100% behind Romney, but I voted for him and I thought he would win, but I never thought for a minute that it would be a landslide and it was what I thought it would be.

Elections don't really matter. I have learned that. I go through the motions and participate, but Governance is what matters. These elections don't decide issues. The issues  are decided each and every day by actions of our representatives.

As someone who has studied Economics virtually my whole life, I saw Romney as representing austerity and Obama represents cranking up the printing presses and passing out the dough. Both of these extremes are bad. Romney's austere budgetary cuts would have led to deflation and Obama's print and spend policies will lead to hyperinflation -- way too many dollars pushed to the Banksters chasing commodities.

We have seen so many of these nail biting elections here lately. There will never be 100% agreement on anything, but we aren't even close to having a united front on the issues that face this nation.

My opinions are in the minority, because they take deep reflection and listening to others to develop. I care about the people in this country, but I am very frustrated by their trivial  and material desires. The Republican Party is 100% the opposite of its original founding. The GOP was the party of Lincoln, ended slavery, reined in the Robber Barons, and believed in keeping the military from getting overly involved in foreign entanglements. The Republicans need to get back to their roots or they are going to wither.

The Republicans have learned nothing over the last 12 years. The GOP still has the same strongholds and over the last 4 election cycles has not been able to expand its base. It has been spinning its wheels in the same battleground states; razor thin differences in Florida, Ohio, and Virginia and constantly trying to win Pennsylvania and Michigan, but failing each and every time by a couple percent.

The Republican Party is stagnant. It has not in my life seemed to have a long range plan and has for the most part been in denial about their prospects come election day. Look at what happened today. The Party always thinks candidates who aren't in the established hierarchy should wait their turn -- Bob Dole, Reagan, GHW Bush, McCain, and Romney. GW Bush was a product of his father. Democrats have pulled candidates from the background to the forefront -- Carter, Clinton, and Obama are prime examples.

The Republican Party needs to refresh itself. It needs to seek younger participants. It needs to represent the future generations and build momentum to the future. The GOP needs to reassess its priorities or it will keep having these failures. The Democrats can't help but overstep their bounds. It is in their inner being to create mandates out of thin air. The Republicans were able to capitalize on the overreach of 2009-10 in 2010, but the Republicans couldn't get out of their own way in this election, because of the staleness in the party.

The Republican Party couldn't motivate the Tea Party and they POed the working class with intolerant rhetoric and not thinking out, establishing, and educating the electorate about their positions. It is time that the Republicans take a look in the mirror to realize where the problems lie. When you represent narrow interests, then it is hard to gain expansive results. The Republican Party is viewed as the party of grumpy old white men. In order to move this nation forward, someone is going to have to step up to the plate and take us in another direction.

It's about Jobs that create the Standard of Living

Only losers, apologists, and excuse makers don't get this. We've been on this road to nowhere for far too long.

If we create more jobs, then the issue will focus on the supply and availability of labor versus now where it focuses on the supply and availability of jobs. When you create more jobs income naturally rises. And I am not talking about servant sector jobs. I am talking about production/creation.

It is that simple. These arguments that the problems in this country center on overregulation are overstated. The issues of overregulation are affected by fear of law suits. We need Torte Reform. We have needed that for decades. I don't see anyone making a move to bring that about, because most of the people running this country are lawyers.

We have to have regulations, because the corporate culture has not worked in the interest of America. We cannot deregulate our economy to mimic Developing Nation economies. Do you want our environment to be like that of a Third World country? Will our economic fortunes rise, if our wages match those of China and India and other developing nations? We have to demand that their standards match ours or we don't let their products in the country if they compete against our labor force and they are cutting corners.

I see these statistics about college graduates finding work versus high school and lower attainment not finding jobs. What those stats never delve into is underemployment. College graduates with degrees that are doing menial labor and who are qualified to do much more technical work. And I have shown you articles and stats that show retirees staying in the workforce and staying in management positions. They say the younger generations aren't qualified. Well, it's hard to be qualified when you aren't given the opportunity to move up the ladder.

The piousness and self sanctification of so many of the Baby Boomers does more than frustrate the younger generations. We hold our grandparents and great grandparents in high esteem. They fought their way through Depressions and World Wars to bring this country into its Golden years and the Boomers have frittered it into an Economic Depression and they are in a drunken stupor of denial about what it is going to take to get us out of it.

It is going to take people really working together and looking out for one another in a spiritually meaningful way to move forward. Dog eat Dog and I've got mine, you get yours are what have brought us to the point that we are at today. That is not what this country was built on.

Take heed, no one man is going to be able to change the country. For far too long we have seen big blown soliloquies  that never develop into fruitful endeavors. We see politicians looking out for their own interests instead of those of the people. Whomever is elected to the next term of the Presidency and all of the other offices near and far, big and small, it takes working together in a meaningful way to make things happen. It takes working together for the people you are supposed to represent to move things forward. It takes courage to make things happen. It takes more than words to make things happen. It takes action to make things happen.

Don't talk about it be about it!

Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- November 4, 2012

Job Creation Under Barack Obama: Less Than Meets The Eye? - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden November 3, 2012 - In the aftermath of yesterday's better than expected jobs number there have been many analyses in the media on both sides of the aisle, either attacking or defending Obama's track record in creating jobs. All have come up with arguments which according to their authors, are solid and defensible. There is one analysis, however, which is missing, and that is a follow up of what we showed yesterday in "Chart Of The Day: America's Geriatric Work F(a)rce."  In it we demonstrated the very much "under the radar" schism of America's workforce since the NBER-defined official end of the recession in June 2009 into the "haves", or those above 55, who have been able to get a job since the end of the recession, and the "have nots", or all those in the labor force who have not been able to find a job. So how does this data look when extended to the beginning of Obama's term, or the 46 full months starting with his inauguration in January 2009, and continuing through the latest, October 2012 data point. The chart is presented below; you decide.                      In summary: while those in the 55-69 age group have gained nearly 4 million jobs under President Obama, everyone else has lost just over 2.5 million.              In other words, those aged 55 and over should be scrambling for "4 more years." Everyone esle... perhaps not so much.

Chart Of The Day: America's Geriatric Work F(a)rce - Zero Hedge - Tyler Durden - November 2, 2012 -The traditional excuse apologists for America's collapsing labor force participation rate use every month is that due to "demographics" and retiring baby boomers, increasingly more old workers are no longer counted by the BLS and as a result, are skewing the labor force. That's where they leave it because digging into details is not really anyone's forte anymore. This would be great if it was true. It isn't.                            A month ago in "55 And Under? No Job For You" we presented visually and quite simply that of the 3.3 million jobs "created" (updated for October's data), a gasp-inducing 3.8 million has gone to workers aged 55 and over, or the one cohort that according to conventional wisdom is retiring, and actively leaving the workforce. How can America's elderly workers account for more than the total? Simple: workers in the young (16-19) and prime (25-54) cohorts have cumulatively lost a whopping 1.3 million, with just the 25-54 age group losing 842,000 jobs (don't believe us: spot check it right here courtesy of the Fed).                           In other words, America's edlerly are not only not in a rush to retire, they are reentering the workforce (thanks to the Chairman's genocidal savings policy which has just rendered the value of all future deposits worthless thanks to ZIRP), and in doing so preventing younger workers, in their prime years, from generating incremental jobs.                                 And nowhere is this more visible than in today's jobs report. On the surface, the US generated a whopping 413,000 jobs (after generating a massive 873,000 last month) according to the Household Survey in October. That's great, unfortunately breaking down this cumulative addition by age cohort confirms precisely what we have said: all the jobs are going to old workers, who have zero wage bargaining leverage (as they just want to have a day to day paycheck). To wit: when broken down by age group, the total October increase shows that of the new jobs, 10.7% went to those aged 16-19 (source), 11.6% went to those aged 20-24 (source), a tiny 9.8% went to the prime agr group: 25-54 (source), and a massive 67.8% went to America's baby boomers: those aged 55 and over (source), and who refuse to leave the workforce and make way for others.

Food Stamp Growth 75X Greater than Job Creation - The Weekly Standard - Daniel Halper - November 2, 2012 - With the latest jobs report, it is now the case that "Under Obama, Food Stamp Growth [Is] 75 Times Greater Than Job Creation," according to statistics compiled by the Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee. "For Every Person Added to Jobs Rolls Since January 2009, 75 People Added To Food Stamp Rolls." Here's a chart detailing the growth:

October Jobs Report Shows Incomes Continuing to Decline - Newsbusters.org - Noel Sheppard - November 02, 2012 - One of the negative features of the current economic recovery has been declining incomes of average Americans. This trend continued in October.                      The Labor Department reported Friday that despite 171,000 jobs being added to nonfarm payrolls in October, average hourly earnings for such employees edged down by 1 cent to $23.58.
Average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees also dropped by 1 cent to $19.79.                        This continues a trend reported by the Census Bureau in August finding that since the recovery began in June 2009, median household incomes have fallen 4.8 percent adjusted for inflation.                    Also of note, the manufacturing workweek edged down by 0.1 hour to 40.5 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls also edged down by 0.1 hour to 33.6 hours.                 As such, despite the positive headline numbers in this report, this is by no means a strong jobs market this far into an economic recovery.             



America's best job creators are slowing down - Fortune through CNN Money - Nin-Hai Tseng - October 31, 2012 - We're only halfway through earnings season, but it's clear corporate America is struggling. After seeing remarkable growth amid a shaky economy, U.S. companies expect a decline in year-over-year earnings for the first time in three years. And Sandy's economic toll certainly won't help most companies.                             As big companies brace for tougher times ahead, the niche market of mid-sized firms expect trouble, too, as a blast of tax hikes and spending cuts threaten to weigh on earnings, according to a survey by the National Centre for the Middle Market at Ohio State University. This suggests another piece of bad news for the job market, given that in the years following the Great Recession, mid-sized companies created more jobs than most other companies. 


Without Electricity, New Yorkers on Food Stamps Can’t Pay for Food - Color Lines - Jorge Rivas - Thursday, November 1 2012 - It’s been more than three days since power went out in many parts of New York City, including the Lower East Side where multi-story public housing complexes like the La Guardia Houses don’t have electricity, heat or water.                    Many of the residents are also without food.                 Many of the low-income residents receive cash and supplemental nutritional assistance from the state electronically through what the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance calls Electronic Benefit Cards (EBT.)                      Recipients buying eligible foods are suppose to swipe their EBT cards like any other credit card for their purchases but since Hurricane Sandy hit, most Lower East Side stores don’t have electricity to run credit card transactions and are only accepting cash. Leaving many people on EBT with empty wallets, empty refrigerators and no access to food.                   “The supermarkets don’t even really want to sell anything. They’re open but if you don’t have cash, you messed up. And everybody in these projects, they take EBT…food stamps,” a La Guardia Houses resident told WNYC’s Marianne McCune.                 Listen to Marianne McCune from the La Guardia Houses below and visit WNYC.org to read her story.
 

Save the Bees

 

Colony collapse disorder (CCD) - (Wikipedia) - is a phenomenon in which worker bees from a beehive or European honey bee colony abruptly disappear. While such disappearances have occurred throughout the history of apiculture, the term colony collapse disorder was first applied to a drastic rise in the number of disappearances of Western honey bee colonies in North America in late 2006.^[1] Colony collapse is significant economically because many agricultural crops worldwide are pollinated by bees; and ecologically, because of the major role that bees play in the reproduction of plant communities in the wild.                 European beekeepers observed similar phenomena in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain,^[2] and initial reports have also come in from Switzerland and Germany, albeit to a lesser degree^[3] while the Northern Ireland Assembly received reports of a decline greater than 50%.^[4]                Multiple possible causes of CCD have been identified. In 2007, some authorities attributed the problem to biotic factors such as Varroa mites and insect diseases (i.e., pathogens^[5] including Nosema apis and Israel acute paralysis virus).^[6][7] Other proposed causes include environmental change-related stresses,^[8] malnutrition, pesticides (e.g.. neonicotinoids such as clothianidin and imidacloprid^[9][10][11]), and migratory beekeeping. More speculative possibilities have included both cell phone radiation^[12][13] and genetically modified (GM) crops with pest control characteristics.^[14][15]


Controversy Deepens Over Pesticides and Bee Collapse - Wired Magazine - Brandon KeimEmail - April 6, 2012 -         controversial new study of honeybee deaths has deepened a bitter dispute over whether the developed world’s most popular pesticides are causing an ecological catastrophe.                     Researchers led by biologist Chensheng Lu of Harvard University report a direct link between hive health and dietary exposure to imidacloprid, a so-called neonicotinoid pesticide linked to colony collapse disorder, the mysterious and massive die-off of bees across North America and Europe.                          The study isn’t without critics, who say doses used in the study may be unrealistically high. But the level of a realistic dose is also a matter of controversy, and even critics say the findings are troubling.                  “Our result replicates colony collapse disorder as a result of pesticide exposures,” said Lu, who specializes in environmental exposures to pesticides. “We need to look at our agriculture policy and see if what we’re doing now is sustainable.”                   Developed in the 1990s as a relatively less-toxic alternative to pesticides that seriously harmed human health, neonicotinoids soon became the world’s fastest-growing pesticide class and an integral part of industrial agricultural strategy. In the United States alone, neonicotinoid-treated corn now covers a total area slightly smaller than the state of Montana.                         Like earlier pesticides, neonicotinoids disrupt insects’ central nervous systems. But unlike earlier pesticides, which affected insects during and immediately after spraying, neonicotinoids spread through the vascular tissues of plants. They’re toxic through entire growing seasons, including flowering times when bees consume their pollen.


Bees Colony Collapse Disorder - Google Articles

Richard Garrison speaks about his Mother's Passing and Grace Hospital

Richard Garrison needed an outlet to speak about his mother's death and the dealings he had with Grace Hospital, in Morganton, in relation to their billing practice in lieu of her passing. I am passing this story along to you and I hope that Grace Hospital will rethink such a practice, and its propriety, during a man's time of mourning.

After a recent experience involving Grace Hospital in Morganton, I am left with dissatisfaction and the loss both of my mom and my ability to grieve that loss. My mom was transported from our home on May 5th, 2012, to Grace Hospital where she was treated for about two hours. Mom later passed away at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

CMC sent a "regular" bill for the leftover amount due after mom was treated, and DID NOT contact the Mecklenburg County Clerk of Court, if anyone had the reason to they did, but CMC acted in a compassionate manner, as well as sending a sympathy card to me for the grief I was going through.

Grace Hospital wasn't HAPPY with over 9-thousand dollars, they really needed the additional 3-hundred dollars by whatever means they had to get it. Grace Hospital billed Medicare and State Health Plan more than $9500.00 dollars, and received over $9200.00 dollars. Without taking a breath, Grace Hospital FORGOT to send an ordinary, regular bill for what they say was an amount due of $320.31. Instead they ran down to the Burke County Clerk of Court's office and obtained a "claim" against my mom's estate.

The "official" document was delivered to me during the time I was dealing with the loss, mom had been gone only a short period then, and I was trying to organize affairs. I was forced to "STOP" thinking about the loss of my mom, and deal with this issue and when I did, I was further
surprised when an employee at Grace Hospital told me by phone that "She had placed a LIEN against the estate, and I could not close it until the balance was paid" I told her this was not true, and she was stating incorrect information. I confirmed what I told her was true with the local clerk of court the next day.

Since Grace Hospital has a 'KNOWN' reputation of 'selling out' debts to bill collecters before the ink has dried, I went to the hospital and asked to pay the balance. I realize this was not my debt; but I didn't want any additional unnecessary embarrassment. I was told by a cashier that the balance was ONLY $248.61 which is even LESS IMPORTANT than the $320.31 - OR - the loss of a mom or a dad.

I have filed this with the NC Attorney General's Consumer Protection, and I received a response from Grace Hospital by Associate Counsel David Pope, in which he states "this is our policy" The Attorney General's Office says it cannot help me, so now I ask, How can anyone, especially
a community non-profit hospital, act in such a careless and reckless manner, and then justify what they are doing as being acceptable ? On the surface, from a common sense standpoint, is this anywhere near fair, when considering that Grace Hospital is a non-profit community hospital ?

Ode to the Good Ole Boys of NC

Set to the theme of the Dukes of Hazzard - Good Ol' Boys - Waylon Jennings

Just them good ol' boys,
Don't care who they harm,
Beats all you've never saw, been finaglin' with the law since the day they was born.

Helpin themselves,
Laughin' at the shills.
Someday karma might get 'em, but the law never will.

Makin' their way,
The only way they know how,
That's even a little bit more than the law will allow.

You know what it's about,
It's like milk and honey,
Sellin' their soul to the Devil for the love of money,

Just the good ol' boys,
Wouldn't change if they could,
Breakin the system like we knew eventually they would

10 questions with Cliff Moone - Candidate NC 96th District House Seat

Cliff Moone is a candidate for the North Carolina 96th District House Seat. Cliff is one of the original founding members of the Citizen's for Equity in Government and he is one of the original eight people who met at the coffee shop in Viewmont with the goal  of reaching across political and cultural lines to form an alliance to work towards making local government more responsive towards all of Hickory's Citizens. He is the leading Diplomatic member of the CEG. I first became aware of Cliff at a Hickory City Council meeting when he attended a Hickory City Council meeting in 2010 and participated in a Proclamation celebrating the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  Cliff continues to play a vital role in moving forward with the CEG's concerns, issues, and message for the interest of all of Hickory's citizenry and the people of the Hickory metro. In the beginning of the Hickory Hound I attempted to get local leaders to participate in this 10 Questions series so that we could get to know them better, but I met resistance, because most people are reticent to go on the record about issues in a constructive and thorough manner. I believe that they deem it risky. These questions are the same for everyone who participates in this series and there is no critique of the answers. I am very grateful to Mr. Moone for participating in this series. I believe that it helps us to get to know local leadership better. Anyone who wants to participate is free to do so. Please feel free to contact me at hickoryhound@gmail.com

1) Can you give us some background and a history of yourself? (Where were you born? What is your educational background? Why did you come to or stay in Hickory? Tell us about your professional accomplishments?   I was born in 1949 and grew up in Durham, NC, attending Charles E. Jordan HS where I was Senior Class President and President of my HS Band. I also ran track in HS was in the National Honor Society, the Student Council and Key Club. After HS, I attended UNC-CH from 1967-1971, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Education. In 1975, I earned a Masters in Education Administration, also from UNC. In 1972 I married Gaye Sawyer of Lenoir, my wife of 40 years. We have 3 grown children, David, Amy, and Sarah. After the birth of our son in 1976, I left teaching for awhile to work as an insurance agent and small businessman. I returned to teaching in 1980 after we moved to Lenoir due to my wife’s father’s failing health. I directed Hibriten High School’s In-School-Suspension Program for 3 years. 

In 1983, I responded to the call to the Christian ministry and entered seminary. I graduated from Southeastern Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1986 with a M.Div. After pastoring for 2 years in Virginia, I accepted a call to Church of the Master UCC in Hickory in 1988. I pastored there for 7 years, then decided to plant a non-denominational church here in 1995. In 2003, we merged that church New Gate Covenant with Shekinah Glory Fellowship, led by Pastor Kathy Johnson. This was, I believe, the first merger between a predominately Caucasian and predominately African-American church in Hickory. I retired from the pastoral ministry in 2005.

Prior to this, from 1996-2001, I served as the first Headmaster at Hickory Christian Academy. From 2001-2007, I also taught as an adjunct instructor in English and religion at CVCC. From 2005-2010, I was employed as the Director of Education for Sylvan Learning Center here in Hickory. After retiring in 2010, I have returned to teach part-time again at CVCC.

Hickory and Catawba County have now been our home for almost 25 years. After retiring, I decided to renew my involvement in politics and civic affairs from before entering the ministry out of a desire to give back to this community which has blessed me and my family in so many ways.


2) Tell us about the accomplishments you are proudest of achieving in your life?   What’s the most exciting thing you saw/did/experienced/were a part of in your personal life? In your professional life?   Of my accomplishments, certainly being blessed to serve as a Christian pastor and lead a sizeable number of people to faith in Christ over the years stands out the most. My marriage and raising our children are also accomplishments that are significant. Additionally, getting to use my school administration credentials and to serve almost 5 years at Hickory Christian Academy during its formative years was especially gratifying. In politics, I am proud to have served as the Chair of two County Young Democrats Clubs in my younger years and particularly to be elected as the 10th Congressional District Democratic Chair in 2011. Running for the NC House has been one of the most exciting and interesting things I have ever done. I have enjoyed every minute of being involved in the campaign, meeting so many fantastic people, and discussing how we can improve the quality of life here in Catawba County for all our citizens.


3) If I were to ask people that know you to describe you what would they say?  That I am an energetic, passionate and sincere person who enjoys collaborating with as well as leading people to solve problems and accomplish mutual goals in the groups and organizations with which I have been involved. I am very loyal, a hard worker, who loves people, learning, and talking. I am a very verbal individual, sometimes too wordy and detail oriented, but I also tend to see the larger picture and am a good listener/learner. My biggest fault in leadership roles is sometimes getting too far out in front of those I am attempting to lead.


4) How much bearing do the opinions of the people around you have on your decisions?  I am old enough(63) and comfortable enough in “my own skin” at this point in my life that I almost always seek the advice of others in making important decisions, but I do not think that I allow those opinions or views influence me unduly, particularly where a principle is at stake. I have always tended to be somewhat too trusting of other people, although I think as I have grown older, I have become more discerning in this regard.


5) Can you tell us of a professional mistake that you have made that may have had an impact on who you are today? In 2001, at HCA, the school board changed personnel and leadership. I believe I misread the style and operating philosophy of the chair of that board. This ultimately led to a series of misunderstandings and to my “clinging” stubbornly to what I then viewed as “principled” positions. While this is not the whole story, my responses to this situation were unproductive and eventually led to my termination at HCA. I actually believe that my responses, in this and several other employer-employee situations over my early career, were conditioned from my elementary school years and a willingness to rarely but definitely” stand up to those in authority” if I believed their actions were either wrong or unjust to others. I believe I have learned over the years to better judge the difference between a principled stand and a stubborn recalcitrance. Today, I know that in most of these situations, I would have been better served by not creating a “win-lose” scenario and by seeking real reconciliation and understanding with those with whom I was in conflict at the time.


6) If you were given enough money to tackle one project (think nearly unlimited) that you felt was important to the Hickory Area, what would that issue be?   Hickory and Catawba County are strategically located between Charlotte, Winston Salem Asheville and Boone. Hickory is the last city of some size on I-40 before Asheville, and with the expansions of Hwy 16 and 321, within less than 45 minutes to Charlotte. We need to find ways to utilize this strategic location to develop even greater cooperative and collaborative business, educational, and cultural relationships in this greater Charlotte metropolitan area. With the right investments in education and emerging technologies, as well as transportation corridors and means of transportation, this area is well situated to link vital industries, educational opportunities, and entrepreneurial enterprises in a way that will encourage managed growth while maintaining a small-city quality of life. This could potentially enable us to quench the “youth drain” from our area while allowing us to continue development as a “non-mountain,” more moderate climate retirement haven.


7) Let’s say there is no money available for the foreseeable future. What one project (priority) would you push as part of your agenda that can be done with little or no money? As a candidate for the legislature, the first thing that comes to mind is my proposal that the Legislature, with input from all State agencies and departments, put true “sunset” provisions in place for all governmental regulations. This would require an ongoing evaluations and necessitate that every regulation be “justified” on a recurring basis. This will hopefully avoid politicizing deregulation, re-regulation, or the establishment of new regulations and put in place standards and time-frames by which regulatory effectiveness can be appropriately assessed. I am aware there is some cost associated with implementing this proposal, but everything else I can think of will probably cost more.


8) What is your overall philosophy of the development of this area? Where would you like to see us in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?  I think I answered this question in number 6. That is probably a 10 year and 20 year vision.


9) If you could define your Personal Legacy what would you like it to be? What would you like to be remembered for? To be remembered as a person who loved God and his neighbor, who lived a life of integrity, with passion and commitment to making the world and the lives of others better because I was here. That I was loyal and trustworthy to both my family and my friends; that I was respected by those who disagreed with me; that I had the courage of my convictions and the wisdom to not have taken myself too seriously.


10) How do you define Leadership? Leadership is that quality of character which comes from the willingness of a person to take personal responsibility: for one’s beliefs, one’s words, and one’s actions. Thus, leadership requires decision and action in concert with others or at times over against them and the prevailing view of the moment. Leaders may lead from in front or from behind, but the defining feature of leadership is that if one is leading, others choose to follow.