I am sure you have been caught up in the conversations about all things political happening in the US of A, especially since President Trump took office.
What the outcome of his decisions are, only time will tell. Indicators and measurements are of various kinds tangible and intangible, subjective and objective.
Among the more empirical tests are the DOW Jones Index, the National Debt, the cost of living, interest rates, mortgage rates, minimum wage etc. Most of these number affect us in our daily lives.
Different people will assess the success of a President by measuring them against different numbers, for example Kennedy had the highest average GDP per quarter, National Debt was at its lowest when President Clinton was leading us, in fact he had a surplus, Carter had one of the highest average job gains and one of the highest inflation rates, minimum wage its highest when President Obama left office and the Dow its highest with President Trump, who did the best? And we haven’t even looked at subjective tests like happiness and quality of life yet! You see how complex the issue is.
People from varied political beliefs gravitate toward measures that justify their cause and while there is nothing wrong with that, our quest for a universal measure continues.
I was very impressed with Robb Willer who actually addressed the issue of having better political conversations and seeking consensus – he is a brave man. He does have a valid point and a terrific TED talk that you should all watch so you can arm yourself and bravely enter the next political conversation armed with a tool that actually might help you unify the group. To the heart of this discussion is the need to focus on common values like Empathy and Respect. I have added Humanity and Open Mindedness and would like to deputize you all HEROs with the attached badge to prove it!