What Do These People Have in Common?

Making the List of Acceptable Risks: What do these People Have in Common? Nobody Remembers one of the reasons for Charles Lindbergh's great success, was that he was, according to his youngest child, Reeve Lindbergh, "an inveterate list maker. We used to make fun of him." He would follow his kids around with lists for them to do. To Charles, they were a point of self- preservation, and he insisted that lists were part of the important mental task of taking and being prepared for calculated, acceptable risk. Gee...I guess Bernanke didn't keep lists, nothing about TARP was acceptable or calculated. (Or was it?) Lindbergh used to make great lists before a flight, and even the fishing hooks (in case of a crash over the Arctic) were counted and weighted several times. Every ounce meant less fuel. Another famous list maker, according to those who know her, is Madonna. It seems she gets in her limo and marks off all she has to do that day. People who have worked for her say she is almost obsessed with list making. Nobody wonders if she gives HER kids lists of things to do? Once, Gene Simmons went practically crazy when he lost his little black appointment book on his show. Seventy percent of the people in the world, it is said, make lists. Some of them even use sticky notes on their computer. I make lists, but then, I almost never finish my daily tasks. Out of a list of fifteen, if I am lucky, I might make it to four. Show me a man or women who finishes their list every single day, and I'll bet you they are 1. famous and 2. probably rich. That kind of drive takes superhuman effort. Not to mention---no kids, no pets, no demanding spouse, no house, no dishes, no laundry, no email, no Supernatural reruns, and no earthquakes, tornadoes, or hurricanes. It also helps if you don't have to cook. The only good piece of advice that I ever got from Bill Clinton, came from his book called, "My Life" which, I must say, is about the most boring book you can ever pick up...but it DID have one redeeming factor which was...Bill told us all to make lists each and every day, and do the most important thing first, then go down the list and finish things off in the matter of their importance. No doubt it's one of the reasons why some little fat boy from Arkansas grew up to be one of the most powerful men in the world: He made lists. And don't you wonder what happened to those "lists?" I bet if we could find some of Bill Clinton old lists, we would not only find thousands of telephone numbers, (and bank accounts) but lists of White House enemies, and who he had audited. Because Bill took a calculated risk even making them, you can bet they have all been shredded. You would think by the horrible failure of the current administration, that nobody is keeping any lists at the White House...but that's not quite true. Obama has a blackberry. So, in the fine Nixononian tradition of keeping lists...I can only speculate what a daily list on Obama's blackberry might look like... 'President' Obama's List of THINGS TO DO TODAY Things with calculated risk: 1. Make sure they put your Presidential Logo on Cardboard Easter Eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt. Make sure the Easter Party inside has the real chocolate ordered from France. 2. Call Louis Farrakhan. Explain that this war will get him reelected, and remind him that that's important for the Muslim Nation. Mention that Kaddafi is okay. 3. Send Michelle to the Bahamas for another vacation. 4. Golf: tee time 10.am tomorrow, and Sunday. Bring the clubs Tiger gave you. Send Air Force One to pick up Jeffery. 5. Photo-op with NBA players at 1pm. Let them all stay overnight for a big party. 6. Lunch with Beyonce. (Keep the NBA players away for at least an hour) 7. Meet with Jeb Bush to go over immigration reform at 3pm. 8. Invite Donald Trump to White House, but then cancel. 9. Fly to Chicago to meet Rahm for dinner. Make sure Daley knows he can fly on Air Force One. Go over strategy for re-election. 10. Get Invites out to all highest campaign contributors to get a ride on Air Force One to Dublin. COST: $500,000 a seat. Make sure Stevie gets to come. 11. Invade Libya, but make sure it doesn't get out 12. Make sure you call George Soros before you retire, you know how he hates it when you don't. So,..as you can see that there are LISTS...and there are lists. They are not all the same. which means, after reading Obama's list mine is starting to make me look a lot more like Lindbergh. I'm going to start weighing my essays from now on, because, I'm sure even Charles would agree....I am taking a calculated risk just writing this.