The Perfection Obsession

Excellent veto, Mr. President! See? When he does things I agree with, I voice my approval. That's how feedback and accountability works.

But serious note, excellent use of the veto pen. This bill was a major change and required more thought than I believe it was given. The ramifications were not fully thought through.
 
You people get all the way to President? I can't even hold citizenship for more than a month before I feel the sting of the public gaze and sign out, and I've tried to sign out of being an ambassador to here already. Is there a limit on the number of times I can do that? o_O
 
McEntire said:
It's like our dissatisfaction with Presidents. If we're content not to expect the best, we will never get the best.
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There's a degree to which this is utter bullshit. It's a cost/reward thing. How many Presidents do we have to destroy in our attempt to get "the best"? It's not quite like real life, in that we don't have a pool of over three hundred million to trawl for the best person in. Every person we've put through the meat grinder of the Presidency in the last term has come out exhausted, frustrated, and with little interest in doing it again (with the sole exception of Earth, who took two terms to get that far). Good and bad Presidents alike; the CSPs and the Sopos.

Is getting "the best" worth this damage to our citizens? If you don't think the job is absolutely brutal, that's because you've never had it. Maybe you should run for President next term, get a taste of what I'm talking about.

I'm rambling somewhat, but I'm trying to suggest that the damage done to people's interest, activity, and enthusiasm for the region by putting them through the Presidency outweighs the positive benefits of getting "the best", instead of "pretty good". When you're working towards growth, there's a quote that comes to mind from one of Orson Scott Card's novels:

"We must do all that we can do without destroying our ability to do it."

The Presidency damages people's ability to serve in the future. It's pretty clear.
 
HEM said:
If people honestly think it has nothing to do with Lexus, they are wrong.

The mentality of a great President is gaining at least one hundred nations, and boatloads of active citizens. (Lexus v3). A decent term is gaining at least some activity and a handful of nations. Anything less, regarding the circumstances, is obscene.
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Sad, but true.
 
Klatonia said:
Sounds like a veto is about to be challenged.
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I wouldn't vote to overturn the veto, I don't know why I should have more say than the President in making his life more days of hell.
 
EDIT: Nevermind, it's turning into a threadjack.
 
Gustavus Adolphus Rex said:
HEM said:
If people honestly think it has nothing to do with Lexus, they are wrong.

The mentality of a great President is gaining at least one hundred nations, and boatloads of active citizens. (Lexus v3). A decent term is gaining at least some activity and a handful of nations. Anything less, regarding the circumstances, is obscene.
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Just a question HEM...who would fit this definition other than Lexus in your opinion?
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Me. :p

In all seriousness, though, our expectations should remain high but should also maintain some sense of being reasonable and relevant. As president you should be able to handle widespread criticism as it's the name of the game you signed up for. Burning out has little to nothing to do with the attitude of the public, at least for me, it has to do with how exhaustive the job actually is. The time and energy involved is mind-boggling to anyone who hasn't served in that capacity and so is the responsibility. I loved being president and perhaps someday I'll get the opportunity to finish what I started. I don't want to see us start babying the President of Europeia because he gets a lot of shit. That's his job and great leaders will use that to their advantage.
 

I used to have this quote hanging in my office:

Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them."
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The people who criticize most are seldom among those working hardest to improve the region. Critics here raise expectations, but don't lift a finger to help meet those expectations. The President, by default, is the person stuck trying to bridge the growing gap between expectations and resources.
 
Skizzy Grey said:
I used to have this quote hanging in my office:

Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them."
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The people who criticize most are seldom among those working hardest to improve the region. Critics here raise expectations, but don't lift a finger to help meet those expectations. The President, by default, is the person stuck trying to bridge the growing gap between expectations and resources.
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And boom goes the dynamite.
 
JGlenn said:
Skizzy Grey said:
I used to have this quote hanging in my office:

Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them."
Click to expand...

The people who criticize most are seldom among those working hardest to improve the region. Critics here raise expectations, but don't lift a finger to help meet those expectations. The President, by default, is the person stuck trying to bridge the growing gap between expectations and resources.
Click to expand...
And boom goes the dynamite.
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Skizzy Grey said:
I used to have this quote hanging in my office:

Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them."
Click to expand...

The people who criticize most are seldom among those working hardest to improve the region. Critics here raise expectations, but don't lift a finger to help meet those expectations. The President, by default, is the person stuck trying to bridge the growing gap between expectations and resources.
Click to expand...
This, times about a million.
 
Skizzy Grey said:
I used to have this quote hanging in my office:

Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them."
Click to expand...

The people who criticize most are seldom among those working hardest to improve the region. Critics here raise expectations, but don't lift a finger to help meet those expectations. The President, by default, is the person stuck trying to bridge the growing gap between expectations and resources.
Click to expand...
Weird, I had the Simpsons quote (Can you imagine a world without lawyers?) and a screenshot of the people holding hands in the form of a demotivational poster in mine. Why do lawyers always laugh hardest at their social value?

Seriously, though, I have only seen three types of criticism, ever: the one you make when you want to do the job better, the one you make because you're paid to criticise, and the one you make when you couldn't be bothered to do anything.

When someone takes the time and effort to reach out to officials, explain his case and offer solutions, it's not criticism anymore.

The problem that I have had since I got here is that any divergent opinion on the State of the Region, or on the work done by officials, is too often categorized as criticism (the derogatory term), and is therefore bad.

I try, and I've seen people try, to maintain a civil disagreement when one arises, and to offer constructive solutions to the problems I raise. People don't always listen to the second part, the first one being proof enough that you just criticize without being willing to do the job yourself.

Well, be careful what you wish for :p
 
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