Weeks ago, I called for an immediate Congressional inquiry into the bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan. I congratulate those responsible for making that happen. What is revealed may have some impact down the road but it certainly did not hold anyone accountable to this point. Nevertheless, it is a good first step.

I would like to thank Shaw Media for this incredible opportunity to write a column and be published with no censorship or excessive editing. I have done my best to be honest and positive and relevant.

I am no Thomas Paine but I would be remiss if I didn’t use this forum to speak from the heart and speak truth to power. With that in mind, don’t you think it’s funny that someone with a column in the Main Stream Media doesn’t trust the MSM? As Groucho Marx reportedly said, “I don’t want to be a member of a club that would have me as a member.” My tongue is as firmly planted in my cheek as was Groucho’s.

I bring this up because I think it is obvious Dr. Anthony Fauci has spoken at cross purposes for a bit too long. Like him or not, it is well-documented. So why is he still being interviewed by the MSM daily? Wait, that is too broad a brush. Some of the MSM is catching on. I haven’t noticed Shaw Media beating the Fauci drum daily.

Let’s move on … I’d like to tell you a little story. At the time the new general manager joined our hotel, we were four and half stars, not quite five but knocking on the door. At the time there were no five star hotels in Chicago. He immodestly said he was here to get that last half star. So what did he do to improve the operation of a 4.5 star hotel?

He began to tear it down. He began by firing one of the 55 hospitality professional managers that worked in the various departments and divisions at the clip of about one per month. They were replaced by good people but not 4.5+. He changed menus of restaurants and banquets. He increased workloads, which lowered the service. He couldn’t beat the unions but he tried and he depressed employee morale in the process. He dramatically raised room rates which lowered occupancy, which reduced revenue, which reduced profits. Not making as much money, ownership tightened the budget so furniture and soft goods had to last longer, which reduced guest satisfaction, which reduced repeat guests, which lowered occupancy, etc., etc.

This was at a time when our competition was getting smarter and they were upgrading their product and service and were building new hotels, sensing we were no longer the big dogs and each peeled away 3-4%. Luxury hotels cannot lose 3-4% to 3-4 hotels. In short, he made every decision possible to lose business and depress the hotel. None of us could figure out why. Ahhhh, but we found out a few years later.

He was diminishing the value of the hotel so it could be sold quickly because ownership and the management company were building a brand new state-of-the-art, upgraded luxury hotel one block away. It worked. Millions were made. However, dozens of professional careers were over or detoured and delayed.

Now, similarly, in the middle of a pandemic, government is firing last year’s heroes, the health care workers. Prosecuting, persecuting and reducing law enforcement as crime soars. Punishing our children by making them wear masks all day, firing teachers and forcing them into vaccinations and making them wear masks. Allowing non-citizens to vote, it’s happening in Vermont. Parents are investigated by the FBI when they question local school boards about masks, about vaccinations or Critical Race Theory (Editor’s note: The U.S. Attorney’s Office issued a notice to investigate a “disturbing trend” of harassment and threats made to local public officials, according to the Associated Press). Exercising their First Amendment rights, could label a parent a domestic terrorist!? Speaking out at your school board meeting is now a federal offense!? Immigration is obviously out of control and the Haitian over-crowding problem was solved by just releasing them into the population without requiring a vaccination while all other travelers are required plus thousands of U.S. companies are being mandated to do just that. Taiwan is concerning. Spending, taxes, inflation, I don’t have enough ink to go through them all.

There are so many things coming at us, day after day. What is the purpose? Who is coordinating these outrages? How did this all begin to happen so quickly?

None of this negates previous columns about living your life with positive values and comporting yourself as a positive example to others. However, sometimes it becomes necessary to enact positive change and accountability. To repeat, take action, get involved, volunteer, attend school board meetings, help seniors and veterans.

Here is the thing, I really don’t believe this is all Joe Biden. He has no idea that his nominee for comptroller of the Currency wants to fundamentally change our banking system. His resume and qualifications would choke a horse but my bank account is none of his or the government’s business. This will affect every person in the country with a savings or checking account, buy I really wouldn’t expect Biden to know this detail. That is why he has a staff. When does a staff become a cadre, a cabal, a conspiracy? Who is his inner circle that selected and organized his Staff? Why is this happening? Are we going to sell the country? Are the people making these decisions true believers or are they totally incompetent?

I’m going to go out on a ledge here and guess Biden’s 81 million voters did not vote for that partial list of catastrophes above. I’m going to guess that everyone reading this knows $3.5 trillion in new spending will not cost zero dollars. How can those in power in Washington D.C. expect us to swallow that bilge? Ahhhhh, maybe we just have to wait a few years to find out the truth.

• William Peterson recently retired to Ottawa after working in the hotel industry for 40-plus years. He can be reached at dbarichello@shawmedia.com.