You already know what your choice is, you need to speak with a real person and for the past several minutes, you have been ushered through a half dozen voice menus. You have pressed one, three, five and pound.  You have entered document numbers, loan numbers, trailing digits of your social security number and still no human voice.  You are about to give in to your frustrations when at last, the words you have been waiting for, “if you need to speak to a representative press 1 now.” 

There is call screening and call screaming.  The first is a way to minimize the requirement to employ a cadre of receptionists to do nothing more than direct your call.  The latter however, is the result of the final gasp of tolerance, from the person desperately trying to acquire specific information relative to their own issue or account.  Yes, you know the point of breaking, when you scream into the mouthpiece of your telephone, “expletive a bunch of numbers, just put a person on the line!”  And the earpiece responds, “please press 1 now.”  

Voice menu telephone systems assume that callers will be able to satisfy their inquiry from the myriad of options and sub-menus.  Callers meanwhile, have to play mental gymnastics to decide just which of the sixty-seven items they heard most closely approximates the issue they called about.  Yes, you guessed it, the option you picked wasn’t the one that addressed your issue and you have been re-directed to the main menu to choose again.  AARRrraaaaagghhhhhh!

For large institutions, there is value added in providing a voice menu to guide callers to their most frequently asked questions.  Those who use computers would recognize this as the acronym “FAQS.”  For courtesy’s sake however, one of the first options in the menu should be to choose to talk to a human.  This is especially true, after you have succumbed to the drudgery of sifting through the labyrinth of nested menus, entered all digits as prompted and are rejected anyway because you weren’t calling from the phone you originally listed. 

Productivity has its point but people are the key to successfully resolving people issues that cannot and never will be a subset of telephone messaging.  Businesses have an obligation to operate as efficiently as possible, to maximize their profitability to their business and their investors.  They have an even greater obligation to their customers however, to ensure their needs are met with dignity and not the indignity of an automated response system.   

Imagine the frantic person who just received an erroneous statement, declaring them in egregious default of until that point, an impeccable account. Consider the range of emotions from frustration and bewilderment to exasperation and anger, as they furiously pound on the number pad of their telephones in response to a digitized voice.  Worse, the distraught caller reaches an East Coast business at 4:00 PM Pacific Coast time.  “We’re sorry, all of our offices are closed.  To leave a voice mail on our automated voice response system, please press 1 now.”  

Nothing will ever surpass the quality of doing business in person, whether over the phone or face to face.  Only people have the ability to understand and respond to the personal circumstances that affect our daily lives. 

If you believe you have received this message in error or you wish to leave a message, please press 1 now. 

It is said of Republicans this year, and especially the conservative base, that there is no enthusiasm, no excitement in the party as the November elections approach.  Nowhere is this condition touted more than by the liberal media.  There is a word to explain this present state of languishing lethargy -- leadership. 

Liberals are willing followers; they enthusiastically embrace the phrase du jour of liberal enlightenment, as long as it allows them to believe that they care.  As long as they can assuage their guilt for their largess, as opposed to the needy, they can feast on the finest and feel no shame, because, they care.  It is why Barack Obama is so perfect for the left; he epitomizes every cliché, every cause, and every banner they wave.  With Obama at the helm, it is set it and forget it.  Obama will do their caring for them to say nothing of demonstrating their racial harmony. 

Republicans, as opposed to their Lemming counterparts, are not looking for someone who will act as a substitute for the personal responsibility in their lives.  They seek someone with the strength of character, high moral standards and conviction to conservative principles to whom they can delegate the management duties of this country. Simply stated, they demand leadership, not stewardship. 

In the run up to the elections in 2000, Republicans were enthusiastic about George W Bush.  He spoke of reducing taxes, the size of government and restoring dignity to the office of the President of the United States.  Most importantly, he said he would lead.  While he has honestly tried not to engage in petty partisan squabbles, by his reluctance, he has appeared weak and the Democratic Party has exploited that weakness.  Republicans expect the leader of both the nation and their party to drive the agenda, not the opposition. 

As we now approach the elections of 2008, Republicans once again are faced with a nominee that not only falls short of conservative ideals; he is allowing his opposition to dictate the rules of engagement.  John McCain has shown the ability to respond immediately and forcefully to those who disparage his positions on the issues.  Unfortunately, it is the members of his loyal staff that incur his wrath for criticizing his opponent.  Such hostility to your base of support and timidity in the face of your opposition hardly instills confidence. 

In truth, there is enormous energy building among Republicans and especially conservative Republicans to return the platform of the Republican Party to its conservative foundation.  This segment no longer looks to the presidency as its focus for change however; it understands that it will take leaders in both houses of congress as their starting point.  They understand that there will always be “Republicans in name only” in congress but they also have every intention of forcing these RINOs to behave as Elephants. 

Those who do not fall for the false liberal promise of having every aspect of their lives administered for them now fully realize that we are a nation of the people no more.  When those we elect to serve as our representative voices in congress use that office to further the whims of government and ignore that which is in the best interest of the people, truly, it is time for a change.  Change however, is not more government, change is not more entitlement spending, change is not holding the budgets of the people hostage to the high cost of energy for partisan benefit. 

The lack of an outward display of enthusiasm and excitement among Republicans is not a function of disinterest or despair.  It is sadness from witnessing so many being manipulated by a political party underwritten by a partisan media.  It will take a true leader to effectively challenge this liberal, socialistic threat, someone driven by principles and conviction, not political power and a personal agenda.  True Republicans and conservatives stand ready to fight but there is no one to lead.