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THE INTREPID TRAVELS and MUSINGS OF THE ITINERANT CEO
By
Dr. David J. Height
This year's very short summer season is growing to a close as signaled by the Labor Day Weekend. And with this ends the summer travel season for exotic destinations: Paris, Rome, Berlin, Moscow, and Death Valley. Seriously, my wife and I have just returned from a two week stay in Europe where we enjoyed the very unusual 30 degrees Celsius weather, visiting my wife's family and depositing our son back in boarding school. While there I tried to keep myself somewhat ambitious and motivated by reading and watching the news. CNN, BBC et alli are truly wondrous business creations! As happenstance would dictate two interesting situations developed: one generated by the news the other generated by US Passport Control that moved me to write a few words of comment.
Prior to my departure I was aware of the problems surrounding the US Postal System. I knew that the system was operating at a $7Billion deficit and was heading towards increasingly more serious trouble. While in Europe and watching the BBC it was reported (and corroborated in the International Herald Tribune) that more than 57,000 postal employees may lose their jobs and that approximately 7,500 underperforming postal stations were to be closed. As BBC and the International Herald Tribune were quick to point out these massive closures and layoffs are "partially" due to new technology e.g. on-line payment services, email, internet, and the resultant fall off of printed junk mail. All of this I accept as being true. However, I will take this a step further. There is not a single person that I know that cannot regal you with at least two or more horror stories of the US Postal Service. These are horror stories that should never have occurred in the first place. As a frequent traveler I do have to put my mail on "vacation hold" and indicate a start date for the resumption of mail delivery including the mail that was "put on hold." On one occasion, in the not too distant past, I put my mail on hold with a resumption date. When I returned I could not get my mail delivered including new mail. When I called the post office station responsible for the delivery, I was told in rude and no uncertain terms that: "They do not deliver mail!" Stunned I sent a fax to my congressman who just happened to be working for a change. Yes, I had an apology and yes my mail was delivered the same day. This begs the question, why do I even have to ask for my mail?
How many times do you go to the post office so that you can stand in line for an extended period of time to take care of postal matters? I almost never do. I send 95% of my mail via email. My bills are paid on line and via wire transfers. If I truly have to send something via "snail mail," I send it via Federal Express, UPS, or DHL (although I try to avoid the latter). True it is more expensive however I am assured of simple points; it was delivered and it was delivered on time. Notice I wrote on time. My mail across the City of Chicago takes longer that a letter that I send to Germany via the US Postal System. To add further to the miseries of the US mail system invariably every day I receive other people's mail, they receive mine and my mail is lost. I know I do not receive my periodicals. It does no good to complain either in person or in writing. The postal employee rudeness is unbelievable! In sum the prerequisite for being a postal employee is to have graduated from "Nasty School."
Therefore to close +7,500 post offices across the country in a cost cutting measure makes sense, specifically since the postal system "Does not deliver mail." To lay off 57,000 workers breaks my heart for their families. However the postal employees demanded a union and got it. You got pay raises, medical benefits, dental benefits, and retirement benefits from the US Government which by the way is you and I. Then the postal employee for the most part treated their employer, the US Government which is you and I and the customer who is you and I so poorly that no can empathize with you. In short you made your bed now lie in it.
Following up with my US Postal diatribe leads me to US Passport Control and EEU Passport Control. As is always the case when arriving on an international flight generally there are a number of jumbo jets always arriving at about the same time. Recently upon arrival in Germany along with a number of other jumbo jets I arrive at the inevitable passport control line. Length of time to the passport control officer to present my credentials was 3 minutes. The entire length of time for visual inspection and via computer was less than 30 seconds. The conversation by my choice was in German not English although I could have stubbornly used English. The control officer complemented me in English for speaking "such good German for an American" wished me a pleasant stay in Europe and I was on my way.
Now let us fast forward to a few days ago when I arrived back in the United States. The same scenario as I set forth above: numerous jumbo jets, allot of people and big lines divided into: US Citizens, Non US Citizens, and Military/Diplomatic. My wait time with my wife was 1 hour and adding to the upcoming nonsensical theatrics an entry declaration form. Perhaps you know the form? Do you have anything to declare e.g. what did you buy overseas, any plants etc? Clearly stated on the form only one required per returning household. I/We have been filing these forms out for 25+ years. I am a US Citizen and carry a US passport. My better half is not and has her country's passport and a US Green Card. We traveled together, filled out the form and we stood in the US Citizen Line. You guessed it, wife was supposed to stand in the Non US citizen line therefore more than one form should have been filled out (we had nothing to declare so the form was blank but signed). Yet a few months ago when returning the US passport control officer said nothing about lines and forms nor have they in +25 years of international travel.
Adding to this entirely irritating situation was watching these "passport inspectors" at work (or non-work as the case truly exists). Again, keep in mind; they are US Government employees, which means they work for us. The Military/Diplomatic line was empty the inspectors kibitzing among themselves and drinking coffee. Every 2nd passport window was closed although in the center was 5 of our employees drinking coffee (I hope) and kibitzing. Meanwhile the lines were huge and as the number of people increased so did the already close to unbearable temperatures and humidity noticeably increase. And to close this story out our passport inspector did let us through with the form however shouted at us to keep our hands off of our passports and off the counter " these were now his until returned to us. I can only imagine how the overseas tourists that spend hard earned money in this country are treated.
I bring these two separate US Government stories to the forefront for a particular reason. I read a number of books while in Europe one of which was a book spelling out and expanding on a theory as to the demise of the Roman Empire. It has long been held through the theory propounded by Gibbons in his 18th century scholarly master piece, The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire that Rome impacted on itself because of the failings of the Caesars and the Roman aristocracy.
In the book I just finished reading, How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower by Adrian Goldsworthy the author propounds a new theory. Simply put the Roman Empire became so bureaucratic that it imploded on itself. Government autocrats pushed for their pet projects some of which were totally senseless not to mention a waste of taxpayer's money. Individuals bribed, begged, and cajoled to get government jobs because they were well paid, had to do practically nothing and at the same time reaped serious financial rewards.
The parallels are frightening because this is exactly where the United States Government and all subsidiaries are heading. The US Government has become nepotistic. To be a government employee is to be analogous to an inferior, pride less employee who is there simply for what they can get. I will add an important caveat NOT ALL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES fall in this mold. There are many that are truly dedicated civil servants who are dedicated to perfection in their responsibilities; the only question is why are they always hidden?
Ladies and Gentlemen Rome is one of my favorite cities however the empire is no more for a reason. The US will follow in the steps of ancient Rome. I don't want to come back in a time machine to visit LA as I do Rome. Therefore we must do something and do it now.
Dr. David J. Height resides in Chicago with his family. He is the President/CEO of TNI Group International specializing in International Trade Development Consumer Products. www.tnigroup-international.com)
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