|
|
Voice |
|
|
|
Nobody likes unpleasant news, uncomplimentary
words. It’s much nicer to
have someone say “you’re losing weight” than “boy, are you
getting fat.” No woman wants someone to call her new hairdo ugly.
It is so much nicer to hear pleasing words.
It makes our day. Bad
news ruins it. On a city scale in Chattanooga, officials
decided they wanted to turn McCallie and Bailey into two-way streets.
They didn’t expect dissent and when it came turned a deaf ear.
Councilman Ron Littlefield even had the courage to fuss at First
Presbyterian Church for not wanting the change.
It would have been so much nicer if everyone had gone in lockstep
with the plan. They
didn’t. Unpleasant descriptions of Chattanooga leadership, even
suspicion of special interests. No
doubt some in City Hall would like to silence the complaints. When you want something, it’s easier to assume
everyone wants it, and to turn a deaf ear. On a statewide basis in Tennessee, no one has
ever said former Gov. Don Sundquist isn’t a good man.
Two elections gave him overwhelming support. Along the way budget problems arose and weren’t recognized.
Nashville observers say he never wanted unpleasant news.
It’s much safer for yes men to not report storm clouds and to
predict only sunny weather. This
situation provided disastrous for the state when the gathering budget
crisis might have been brought under control.
One of the most popular governors in state history was literally
booed at ball games. He
didn’t listen to the right messengers. To his credit, of course, the legislators are
the ones who pass the tax bills. No
one seems to have been listening to critical voices. Hopefully, Governor Phil Bredesen will have the
political sense to have some advisers who will tell him what he needs to
hear without fear of offending him. Presidents and prime ministers are no different.
They like flattering words and justification for what hey want to
do. Everyone is supposed to
go along. On a national or
international level this can be disastrous.
If the man in charge won’t listen to criticism, we are in
trouble. During President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s day
there was a columnist who disagreed with almost everything, especially
if it came from FDR. He
even wrote a book called “The Dissenting Opinions of Westbrook Pegler.”
He was a thorn in the New Deal’s side, but he carried a message
loudly that everyone needed to hear—the other side of the situation. When he was Hamilton County Executive, Dalton
Roberts told his staff he wanted them to tell him what he needed to
know, whether he liked it or not. His
standing rule was that it would be unpleasant for a staff member who
didn’t give him the unvarnished truth when he needed to know
something. Most of his staff meeting turned into near shouting matches
of dissension. In ancient times, a messenger with pleasing news
was rewarded handsomely. Someone
bearing bad news was put to death. No matter what the issue, without a doubt
President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Tony Blair and even Saddam
Hussein have staff members who have messages they need to hear.
Bush and Blair might not like the message, but pity the person
foolish enough to disagree with Saddam. The wise man will listen first to the opinion
opposite for his own. The foolish man will kill the messenger.
But the message won’t go away.
|
