Just Because You CAN Doesn't Mean You SHOULD

Things were a little "messy" (to say the least) over the holiday weekend here in NJ.  There were some governmental "issues" (that I won't begin to get into or even claim to understand).  There was a budget to be voted on/approved and it didn't happen by July 1.  As a result, the governor had to (as in he had no choice), shut down the government.  It's happened before (and not just on this governor's watch), but the shutdown impacted State Parks and it was, for most people, a long holiday weekend.  Summer, holiday weekend, no parks...recipe for a mess.  Recipe for a REALLY BIG MESS!

But what made it worse, and what captured everyone's attention, is that the governor and his family spent part of the weekend at the governor's summer residence, which just happens to be at Island Beach State Park.  So while the park was closed to everyone, the governor and his family were able to enjoy the sun and surf on Sunday. In this era of social media, everyone saw (thanks to photos taken from the air), everyone knew and I'll bet that just about everyone was pretty angry about it.

Now it IS the governor's summer home.  It just happens to be in the state park.  It is, as he has said, his right to use it.  He's right.  As governor he CAN use the summer residence, even if there is a governmental shut down.  But just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD.  (Especially when it's going to tick off most of the people in the state you govern.)  And while I realize that the governor might have had this vacation planned for a long time (I know I plan my vacations out), it might have been wiser for him to cancel it, or at the very least have his family go without him.  Certainly might have made me feel a little less irked.

After all you can eat a chocolate bar in front of a homeless person who hasn't eaten in who knows how long, but SHOULD you?  Would you?  You can tell your friend unemployed friend about your raise, but SHOULD you? 

Personally, I remember several years back when I worked for company that seemed to have a new CEO every 18 months or so.  The last one that I "worked under" (I'm sure he had no clue who I was) held “town hall" meetings to introduce himself to everyone at various locations. I'm not sure what he said at the meetings I didn't attend, but at the one I did, I very clearly remember him saying how he was being paid a great deal of money to be CEO and that he was worth it.  Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, but to say that to a room full of people who hadn't seen much of a pay raise in YEARS and/or no longer received bonuses seemed pretty cruel.  It certainly didn't make a good impression on me. (Not that it mattered; I was part of a wave of layoffs that happened late that summer, just 6 months after his "speech.”)  What he said WAS true and he had every right to say it, but SHOULD he?

Just because you CAN say or do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD.  It doesn't matter if what you are saying is absolute true fact; if it's going to hurt someone you might want to think twice.  

I know I said it back in February, but it bears repeating again...before you speak, before you act: