9/13/2023

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            When you were in India did you encounter Gandhi’s quote, “The world has enough for everyone's needs, but not everyone's greed?”

            Greed is on my mind this AM as I ponder the possible UAW strike. We can easily interpret the crazy salaries that the CEOs make as greedy. According to MI Bridge, “the average GM employee earned $80,034, while CEO Mary Barra’s compensation was $28,979,570. The ratio of CEO pay to all employees was 362 to 1.” The stockholders could be considered greedy in wanting to maximize profits. We could call Shawn Fain greedy, too, as he lusts after power. We could add the American consumer to the list in wanting the best car at the lowest price.

            Is our capitalist system built on greed? Am I naïve to think we’d all be better off if we gave up on the idea of wealth accumulation?

            My experience with the UAW when our graduate students struck last fall, when as Department Chair I tried to calm the nerves of my rattled colleagues, makes me think we need to buckle our seat belts. This could be a bumpy flight.

            I recommend deep breaths & meditation to get through it all. That’s what many of the folks in Burma do. I heard of a woman who sat in a shed meditating for hours as the junta dropped bombs on her village. I got into that kind of state the other day while my mom was rambling on the phone, but I’m not sure I could be Zen for hours on end while my house burned down. Could you?

            I hope your Cancer Cabinet meeting goes well. The new Biomedical Data Fabric Toolbox sounds intriguing. I look forward to hearing more about it.

            BYBS,