"The Florist Thinks I Should Use A 9-Iron..."

This just in…

Obama’s approval numbers “remain high” although they have slipped from their highest point.

And most Americans would like to see him achieve legislative accomplishment in a more “bi-partisan fashion and not just because the Democrats have a majority in Congress.”

Well, there you go.

The American people have weighed in on the success/failure of the Obama presidency.

Which is one month old today.

Happy anniversary, there, Mr. Prez.

One month down, ninety five to go.

Or forty seven if the Republicans have anything to do with it.

And that’s as it should be.

This country is a republic and in a republic we choose people to represent our points of view in the hallowed halls of Congress.

And there shall always be, at a minimum, at least two sides to every point of view.

Admittedly, when the point of view in power is contrary to our own it can be pretty annoying.

But, I’ll take that over the alternative anytime.

The alternative is one point of view dictated to all with an iron fist, boot and/or military.

Think Hitler.
Or Kim Jong Il

Or your wife when she finally gets tired of your lazy ass staying parked on the couch watching ESPN all weekend.

Dissent and spirited discussion about it are the bedrock of the freedoms we enjoy.

And everyone, in this country, is absolutely and, without a moment’s question, entitled to his or her opinion.

So here’s my opinion.

Pollsters need to go away.
And get real jobs.

Let me try to share the madness that inspired the method.

Over the years, I, like you, have had my share of accomplishments.

For the sake of our chat here, let me pick one.

Author.

I have written essays, short stories, film and TV spec scripts, articles for magazines and periodicals and, of course, have blogged my little hoofies to the quick here for a little over a year or so.

(An anthology of said blogs, by the way, is in the works to be published in the coming weeks…tell friends and family and stay tuned….and now, back to our program…)

Here’s the point I know you’re patiently waiting for me to make.

I don’t make it a habit to ask the manager of the very well run Winn Dixie down the street if I should take out the third sentence of the fifth paragraph or if he thinks a strident tone will be effective in a piece than one that strikes a more conciliatory note.

And, quid pro quo, I don’t expect him/her to ask me if I think they should put the dairy section all the way into the four day by wagon train back of the store or not.

Obviously, we are both intelligent people.

And we could probably come up with respective opinions is asked for them.

But the act of asking for them is irrelevant.

As would be our answers.

He can’t know why I am constructing my written piece in the manner I am choosing.

I can’t know why I have to plan a long weekend just to get to the dairy section. (Even if I do, which I do, but only because I worked in the grocery business for a while way back when…but that’s another episode…)

We do what we do because we are involved in the day-to-day operations of our respective activities and we, and only we, have a complete and comprehensive perspective on what is required to get the job done.

I don’t want the pilot telling me how to write.

The pilot doesn’t want me telling him how to fly the plane.

I don’t want the doctor telling me how to keep my readers interested.

The doctor doesn’t want me telling him which gauge suture to use.

And those folks who stick the microphones in our faces and ask us to, essentially, do that would be of a whole lot more use if they would come up with some of more substance to fill the airwaves.

Like more Gilligan’s Island.