Honesty

        Norm Brodsky had an article titled “The Temptation to Lie” in the November 2017 issue of INC.  In the article, Brodsky gave an example of a client who had valued inventory in his business at full retail and listed nonexistent prepaid expenses on his balance sheet.  He did this to show an inflated value for his company in an effort to secure banks loans. 

     Brodsky told the client not to show the balance sheet to the bank because it could be considered fraud.  Fraud, an extreme form of dishonesty, can send an individual to jail.

      We hear about large corporations playing games with financial books for a variety of reasons.  Top management may play with the books to inflate profits and generate bonuses for themselves.  These people should go to jail, but they seldom do.

      In my book, Business Fits, I point out that no one in business should ever lie to a customer.  This should be the first rule of sales, service, and customer relations. 

      Honesty is a moral issue for me.  It is the way I was raised.  My Dad was a tenant farmer and never had a lot of money, but his word was very important to him.  Dad farmed the place I was raised on for sixteen years.  He farmed the land with nothing but a handshake after the first or second year.

       Being honest in both our personal and work lives is very important, so why do we give politicians a pass to lie?  Most people think it is okay for politicians to lie when they are campaigning.  Many politicians say totally different things to different groups or in different states and make no attempt to keep any of those promises once they get elected. 

      Other politicians seem to feel they are above the law and have no obligation to conduct themselves in a moral manner.  I am disgusted to learn that Congress has a slush fund to compensate and silence individuals that have been sexually mistreated by Congressmen.  A gag order for the victims is part of the settlement and the settlement is paid with taxpayer money.  This is wrong on so many levels!

      The worst thing that happens to most Senators or Representatives is that they are subjected to an ethics investigation.  The most extreme penalty following most ethics investigations is a letter of reprimand.  It is shameful how the swamp protects its own.

       This kind of conduct must stop.  We have to clean up the Washington DC swamp.  Thank God we now have a President who attempts to keep his campaign promises and is committed to draining the swamp.   

     God bless President Trump and guide him to make America great again.

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