Starbucks’ Lysistrata Moment for Politicians
Starbucks Brand Mark
Lysistrata is one of eleven surviving Greek plays written by Aristophanes. Wikipedia says it was originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC as a comic account of one woman’s extraordinary mission to end The Peloponnesian War. Lysistrata persuades the women of Greece to withhold sex from their husbands to force the men to negotiate peace in a battle between the sexes. The play is notable for being an early exposé of sexual politics in a male-dominated society.
Did you see the news report that the members of the new “supercommittee” in Congress designed to figure out what the next move will be after the debt deal landed with a thud on America’s kitchen table are raking in political contributions from lobbyists trying to protect their clients. Here on Main Street that is called by various names like bribery, extortion, and influence peddling and if any of us tried that we’d get the “Go Directly to Jail” card in the monopoly game. But in Washington they do things differently.
Is that all there is? That was the typical reaction of most Americans after learning that all that fuss and fury produced no actual reduction in any government spending but merely promised to bend the shape of the additional spending curve slightly over the next ten years.
What#$%&*! (expletive deleted)
But today came a breath of fresh air as we woke up to smell the Starbucks coffee. CEO Howard Shultz said he was ending all his personal and corporate campaign contributions to ALL politicians in both parties until Congress and the President went back to work and produced a spending reduction plan we can believe in! He called on other CEOs to take the same pledge and put the heat on the politicians where it counts.
Now that is a change we can believe in!
- Lysistrata
Lysistrata
Howard is planning to give our politicians their own Lysistrata moment. Cutting off a politician’s cash is a fate much worse that Lysistrata inflicted on her husband, and it just might be a good way to get their attention since the looming fear of election day defeat has a wonderful way of concentrating the mind of every incumbent.
Imagine what might happen is this Starbucks initiative turns into a supersized Venti experience. We should start by demanding the members of the super committee to pay over every penny they collect in campaign contributions since their appointments were announced to the US Treasury to help pay down the national debt.
Next we ought to extend the Lysistrata treatment to the President and demand that he stop fundraising until a credible deal gets done.
Third we should encourage as many CEOs and other organizations to sign on to Howard’s pledge by holding Lysistrata coffee hours at Starbucks, of course to offer public testimony for the TV cameras about why they too are taking the pledge to hold out.
Way to Go Howard!
Related articles
- Starbucks CEO: No Money For Politicians (inquisitr.com)
- Theatre Review: Lysistrata (arts.nationalpost.com)
Push the Regulatory Reset Button
President Barack Obama tried to seize the agenda from Republicans in Congress saying in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal that he would order a government-wide review of regulations to eliminate those that discourage job creation or weaken America’s economic competitiveness.
“It’s a review that will help bring order to regulations that have become a patchwork of overlapping rules, the result of tinkering by administrations and legislators of both parties and the influence of special interests in Washington over decades,” the President said.
Congress should complement the President’s words backing them up with the following actions:
BALANCE OF INTERESTS TEST. Congress should require that Federal agencies balance the health, safety, environment and the economic best interests of the nation in adopting any rules just as the President suggested only put it in law. This would force agencies to consider all sides of an issue and propose a solution, based upon the preponderance of the evidence that represents a fair and reasonable balancing of the competing interests.
CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL. Congress should reclaim its legislative powers by requiring that every new Federal regulation be submitted to Congress for approval before it goes into effect and require a recorded up or down vote, no amendments or earmarks allow, on the rule within 90 days of submittal to affirm legislative intent or force it to be rewritten.
SUNSET ALL REGULATIONS. Every regulation should be subjected to a continuing needs test by requiring Congressional re-authorization at least once every five years or the rule lapses.
If Congress and the Administration are serious about restoring confidence, easing the uncertainty over future regulations and encourage job creation these actions send a loud and clear message.
