J. Davy Crockett III

Have you ever been rousted out of bed by an unexpected, urgent knock at your door? Instantly, your heart races and you hurriedly react. If this has happened to you, I hope it was a minor event that you handled in stride. In this age of rampant crime, including home invasions, the security alarm business prospers as people attempt to protect themselves and their property. Sophisticated systems are now available to let you know who is at your door, even when you are not at home.

The United States' economy has rebounded and is firing on all cylinders. The country is at full employment and labor shortages loom in many industries. Retail sales are strong and interest rates remain quite low. Inflation, always a concern, is modest and does not seem threatening at this juncture. The Federal tax cuts introduced in 2018 are beginning to be felt with increased wages, business expansion, and healthy returns for stockholders.

These facts and figures dominate the daily news as people pursue their various livelihoods or enterprises.

There is a wry old saying that “if it weren't for the last minute, I would never get anything done!” Many people live by this premise. Tension certainly builds as a critical deadline nears or a crisis looms, and the potential for a hazardous or devastating outcome can be exciting. Movies, television, and adventure stories often use this scenario, where events seem out of control as the hero or heroine, in grave danger, is faced with overwhelming odds and impending disaster.

As interested observers and students of the world scene try to absorb and digest all the conflicting information that comes their way, a profound sense of hopelessness grips some, and feelings of hostility and aggression are stirred in others. There is a sense for most people that things are not going to turn out well.

A quirky sense of humor and a cynical streak seem to have been the impetus for an interesting book, published years ago, entitled The Peter Principle by educational scholar Dr. Laurence J. Peter. It is a hilarious look at the pitfalls of a bureaucratic organization. The original premise of the author is that in a hierarchically structured organization, people tend to be promoted up through the ranks until they reach their “level of incompetence.” But what does that mean? One might hope that increased competence would equal higher responsibility.