The United States of American currently has a $19,409,656,227,658.00 ($19.4 trillion) deficit, that is $59,897.00 of debt for each citizen, and $162,191.00 of debt for each taxpayer, but you do not hear anyone talking about this debt and how it will affect the future of the country, nor any plans on paying it down. Everyone from the President to Plant Lady to the Mayor and the media just ignores this monster of a number and keeps on squawking like nothing is wrong. Most people understand that of they earn $50,000.00 in a year, but spend $100,000.00, they will not balance their household budget by drawing down their savings account or running up charges on their credit cards. Not only does the nation not seem to understand this, but neither does California and the capitol city of Sacramento. Even if it spends more than it collects in taxes, California government counts the budget as balanced if it can find the cash, from reserves or by borrowing, to make up the difference. That is why leaders so often proclaim that the state has a balanced budget right up to the day California goes broke.

Sacramento is so proud to be supporting billionaires and millionaires by spending $508 million on a new arena for basketball players. An estimated $255 million taxpayer dollars was spent to fund this project, and by the time the arena is paid off, it will have cost about $1 billion. The first, crucial step toward responsible and democratic budgeting is to present the state’s fiscal information to Californians honesty and clearly. Spending is the amount the state pays for goods, services, and interest, and for grants it makes to individuals and other levels of government. Revenue is the proceeds of taxes, fees, interest on investments, and transfers from other levels of government if they do not require repayment. Money borrowed from the public or other levels of government, if it requires repayment and is not to be repaid within the budget year, is debt, not revenue.  Although monetary and fiscal policy can be used to stabilize the economy in theory, there are substantial obstacles to the use of such policies in practice.

The general tendency is for groups to accept as leader the person who provides the optimum blend of task efficiency and sensitivity to considerations. The tendency, of course, does not translate into a tidy formula or precise recipe. Some groups prefer a leader who concentrates more on task accomplishment and less on the social dimension of the group. Other group prefer the opposite. Officially, if you want to become the leader of a group, you should take the following steps: manifest conformity to the group’s norms, values, and goals. Display proper motivation to lead. Deviants, dissenters, and disrupters will be eliminated early as potential leaders. Groups prefer leaders who will assist them in the attainment of their goals, who will defend the groups vigorously against threats, and who will remain loyal to the group. Since most group members think of a leader as the single individual who does most of the work, anyone hoping to be a leader must also demonstrate a willingness to work hard for the group.

The process for retaining the leader role is not the same as the process for emerging as the group leader. An individual could conform to group norms, display a strong motivation to lead the group, and do not show up late of or miss important meetings. Do not be uninformed about a problem commanding the group’s attention. Do not manifest apathy and lack of interest by sluggish participation in group discussions. Do not attempt to dominate conversation during discussion. Do not listen poorly. Do not be rigid and inflexible when expressing viewpoints. Do not use offensive and abusive language. Some of these counterproductive communication patterns are more likely than others to prevent someone from becoming a group leader. The three most relevant, in order of importance, are being uninformed, not participating, and being rigid and inflexible. A leader is sometimes deposed if his or her performance is felt by members to be unsatisfactory.

There are three primary qualifications for retaining leadership: you must demonstrate your competence as a leader. You must accept accountability for your actions. You must satisfy the group members’ expectations. Retaining the role of leader can be a tricky business. Groups can be fickle. What seems to satisfy members one day may enrage them the next. The leader must adapt to ever-changing situations. Group expectations of the leader may shift as circumstances alter. Members’ confidence in and loyalty to their leader may be shaky. A leader must demonstrate competence and satisfy group expectations on a continuing basis or member loyalty may disappears quickly. Last year’s success may not compensate adequately for this year’s failure, as many athletic coaches have learned. And group members should be allowed to mingle, interact, and work on a project before determining a leader. And always honor communication skill and abilities of the people you work with.