OPINION & EDITORIAL
Bush as CEO, U.S. as CPA
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Also by Josh Orton:
- Minority vote crucial to defeat Bush (February 5, 2004)
- Our 2 problems (January 19, 2004)
- Bush as CEO, U.S. as CPA (August 29, 2003)
- Sacrificing education to efficiency (March 28, 2003)
- Wiley's MEChA decision makes perfect sense (February 7, 2003)
Related Stories:
- Evangelicals hold unprecedented influence over Bush White House (October 3, 2005)
- Waiting for an improved economy (May 8, 2003)
- Shock, awe, as president does right (March 2, 2006)
- President Bush's trip to Latin America disingenuous, selfish (March 8, 2007)
- Bush opposition needs backbone (October 31, 2006)
by Josh Orton
Friday, August 29, 2003
A wise professor once pointed out to me that it seemed George W. Bush wasn’t pro-capitalism or pro-competition, but simply pro-business. Though simple, it is still one of the most nuanced and damning criticisms of Bush and his administration.
One of the things college forces students to do is refine opinions into meaningful positions. When I entered college, Bush seemed like an arrogant, greedy, quasi-evil demagogue who would stop at nothing to line his pockets with oil money at the expense of the needy. Well, fine, part of me still grumbles things like that under my breath. But launching that kind of diatribe only earned me pats on the back from fellow liberals and Bush-zappers, not from anyone outside the choir.
So what does “pro-business” mean?
Well, remember Enron?
An individual business’s main concern is trying to eliminate its competition so that it may profit and flourish indefinitely. Enron was not concerned with fair practices or maintaining competition or honesty; it was concerned with making itself as big and popular as possible, as fast as possible, no matter the cost.
The process goes like this: The company, with a deliberate blind eye to the welfare of its own workers, falsely inflates its value so more people invest in the company, accepting the false reality of profit. As the company expands and stock prices rise, the false bubble grows. Are there legitimate profits? No. People eagerly and ignorantly start buying essentially worthless stock, because there’s no profit to back up the price. The public, naturally, wants to believe what’s too good to be true. People at the top who know the truth sell off early when stock prices are still high, cashing in.
Then, kablammo!
The numbers come out and people realize the profits were a lie, and the price of the stock plummets. Employee pensions and the welfare of the average investor collapse. Why? The stock was worthless from the get-go, but the company intentionally created a superficially positive image to sell itself anyway. When the truth comes out, the bubble bursts.
Like his friends in the private sector, CEO Bush is selling junk stock, but his is political. Invading Afghanistan raised the Bush political capital, or popularity, with a justified action, but just like Enron, modest success was deemed inadequate.
Looking to inflate political value further, Bush claims invading Iraq will make the U.S. safer (read: “Profits are way, way up! Buy now!!”). Is the U.S. safer? Nope. No weapons, no al-Qaeda tie, nothing. Zip.
But the current administration, knowing its policies of local service cuts benefit nearly no one (see AmeriCorps), had to come up with a pitch to keep itself favorable in the public eye. So the schtick, ever since Sept. 11, 2001, has been “protecting America” and “fighting terror” in a new and perpetual war. But a statement made in front of cameras on an aircraft carrier doesn’t make it true. The bubble grows on anyway, as Bush’s squad doesn’t even attempt to substantiate the rhetoric with action.
Like Enron, sharp minds will question the logic of the claims, but in the end, many will buy the pitch, which seems too good to be true. In both cases, the announced value is a lie. There’s nothing beneath the surface.
Actually matching the sound-byte rhetoric and protecting America in a substantive, meaningful way would be too expensive and risky to Bush-folk.
When the Sept. 11 report was released, for example, the Bush administration took the liberty to carefully Sharpie out any mention of “a foreign government” that actively funded and aided the Sept. 11 attackers. I’m told that country rhymes with “Baudi Arabia.” But will Bush, Dick, Colin, Donald and Condoleezza risk status and go after that country if it indeed proves a legitimate threat? Nope. Because Bush’s popularity, and the image of his success, comes first and can’t be risked.
Enron’s auditors ignored cooked books, and White House staffers ignored bunk intelligence. Both belong in jail.
Bush’s hubris, like Enron’s, will expire. And just like Enron, the Bush administration’s worst enemy is transparency, when good people actually get a glimpse of true motivations and strategy, or a lack thereof.
Then patriots will blow whistles from the inside. Or, more frighteningly, we’ll be attacked again by the unfound man actually behind the terrorist attacks … um … the guy with the beard. Either way, W’s glory days look numbered.
So what’s “pro-business?” It’s when a company allows itself to disconnect from the average American’s values, interests and needs. Its own survival and self-interest is paramount to any deference to ethics, laws or common good, and the public suffers. The average American needs to demand accountability, just as Enron’s investors finally did months ago. Ask: Are we really safer?
In England, where the press asks hard questions and the government holds press conferences, Tony Blair’s public asked the safety question and didn’t like the answer. So Blair is suffering badly for supporting the war. Why? Actual accountability.
Early in college, I saw Bush as an indifferent, self-interested man, but I couldn’t explain why I felt this way to his supporters. Now I think I can.
In CEO Bush’s America, we’re all customers. And, in a Bush economy, the customer comes last. Audit the books, ‘cause the figures don’t add up.
Here’s to bursting.
Josh Orton (jorton@badgerherald.com) is a senior majoring in political science and ILS. He is interning in Washington, D.C., for the fall semester.
