SUFFERING INCOMPETENCE

It is a lie that honest, competent people are hard to find. What's hard, seems to be putting away pettiness and prejudice and the self-inflicted blindness that won't allow them to be seen.

There are those who have studied and worked hard to be expert at what they do. They're everywhere, and their contributions could be substantial and even life-changing. They've endeavored to actually KNOW, and be well-versed, articulate, and fluent in their areas of expertise. On day ONE, they would be able to demonstrate proficiency and operate in a particular field in excellence and integrity. Unfortunately, they, and their skills are too often being passed over by the choice of, perhaps nice, but woefully incompetent cronies of decision makers, or those with deep pockets. That's not favor. That's corruption. That's a straight path to wasted time and resources. Sometimes you wonder if decision makers want things to fail, or simply don't understand the gravity of their choices. 

Everyone is subject to suffering when incompetence is allowed to reign. It's unfortunate when once respected people and organizations become laughingstocks because of bungling, inept leaders and their equally inept subordinates. 
That's when principled, thinking, caring people, to whom outcomes matter, step up, speak up, and do what they know is right. They might catch hell for it, from those who benefit from corruption, but they do it anyway. 

Today, I'm wondering what congressperson that is going to be. Who's going to stand up like the little lad in Andersen's fable, "The Emperor's New Clothes". Surely, there is murmuring going behind the closed doors of those Senate and House office buildings. Surely there's a spine somewhere. Surely there's someone who remembers he or she was sent to serve not cause harm; to represent the best interests of others--not to unfairly enrich themselves, turn a blind eye to wrongdoing, or to celebrate, defend, excuse, and promote incompetence.

Simon Patrick wrote, "
“No man would willingly be known to be so wicked as to be bribed to do injustice, but there are too many that will suffer themselves to be secretly corrupted by presents, to give counsel or judgment contrary to the course of Law and equity.”