ARTICLE
As his term comes to an end, President Obama has been an impressive representative of this country — no matter what your politics are. I'm not talking about his position on issues, or his executive orders, or his measure of respect by foreign countries. I'm just saying the guy presents himself well, looks fantastic and rarely puts his foot in his mouth. With today's 24/7 news cycle, it's pretty easy to do or say something that's going to embarrass yourself or your nation. I feel about him as I do his predecessors, never perfect and some better than others, but I'm not expecting any measure of perfection In this uber-information universe we live in, I think most sports heroes, millionaire businesspeople, political leaders and almost any other person you've placed on a high pedestal, are in fact flawed in a very human way. It's virtually impossible to be as highly visible as he's been without stepping into something that makes people shake their heads in disbelief. The very same heroes we revered in the past were most likely equally flawed. Fortunately, they lived in a wonderful era not subject to the relentless scrutiny that today's leaders are exposed to. In short, it's tough to live under today's intense microscope and come out clean on the other side. So, if the president hasn't been an embarrassment, or if he's not been a bull in a china shop, why then is the business community so pleased with his exit and Donald Trump's arrival? Now before you write me and tell me you, as a successful business person or friend of one, aren't as pleased with Trump as I claim, hold on. I'm telling you, I talk with a heck of a lot of business owners and the overwhelmingly majority — and I mean overwhelming majority — are somewhere between happy and down right giddy. They're happy to see an ally in the White House. They're tickled that the culture of excessive regulations will soon be scaled back. They love watching the stock market hit record levels. They agree that businesses leaving this country should be penalized for their transgressions. They're ecstatic that they no longer have to hold their breath worrying that some new executive order might hit hard at their bottom line. That they can finally, confidently invest in expansions. That the culture of Washington will be more pro-business than it's been in quite some time. When I met and spoke briefly with President Obama several years ago, I respectfully suggested to him that he be mindful of businesses influence on this country and its well-being. That a healthy business climate goes a long way towards a happy employed populace as well as much needed money towards funding important social initiatives. I quickly added "I'm sure you might see that as the usual Chamber of Commerce line" and he replied "that IS the Chamber of Commerce line." So, apparently it never really hit home as sound advice and I never would think a man of his stature and success might take advice from little ole me. I'm just saying business health has not been at the top of Barrack Obama's agenda. I'll close by saying thank you President Obama for your eight-year commitment. You did everything you could the best way you knew how. Now stay tuned because this new administration has yet to touch down and things can and will change as with every administration. But I'm pretty sure things are going to continue to be very interesting and at the very least, business will be optimistically investing and driving this economy like never before in this new 21st century. Read the original article here.