I know this may sound silly given the political shenanigans of this political election cycle, but I really do appreciate honesty in the people I vote for. I can never vote from Romney for example, his lies are too many to count. This post is not about presidential politics, I’m focused on local issues today. In this case, a Democrat named Cristina Garcia who is running for the California State Assembly in the 58th District in this November’s election. Political party affiliation and politics aside, I cannot vote for her. Here is why.
Garcia promoted herself in election material by claiming she had a PhD in Public Administration from USC.
“In my campaign literature for state assembly, I stated that I have a PhD from USC. While I have finished all of my course work, I technically am only a PhD candidate. I have yet to finish the final process of my PhD, which is defending my dissertation. I will fulfill that final responsibility in the near future.”
“As such, I take full responsibility for using the term PhD instead of PhD candidate in my campaign literature. For that I humbly apologize and ask for the forgiveness and understanding of all the voters of the 58th Assembly District,” Garcia said.
Misrepresenting ones credentials is a dumb thing to do, especially when your opponent runs a private investigation business. More importantly, it cause me to write the candidate off as untrustworthy. She could have said that she was a PhD candidate. Doing so would carry the same weight.
I try not to lie. It’s hard, but I do try to be honest. For example, when asked if I still have my APICS certification, I say no. I kept it for years, but did not renew it after I changed careers. I don’t use the certification (CPIM) in my title any longer because that would be misrepresenting my credentials, but I do list it on my resume as inactive, In other words, I was once certified, but I am not certified any longer. I do the same thing with my MBA. If asked I will tell people I finished near the top of my class. I don’t say top ten, I don’t say, “top of my class.” If you press me I will give my actual placement, which is in the top 20.
Honesty brings a sense of humility that is important in relationships. When I tell the story of why I missed being at the very top of my graduating class, I’m happy to relate that I did not study for a key final exam in a very difficult class because my young niece was near death in a hospital 200 miles away. I kept vigil with my family while knowing full well that I would not ace my test. I did poorly, my grade suffered. I felt pretty good about the decision afterwards and I will not trade the memory of seeing my niece in recovery after heart and lung surgery. Garcia will need to learn how to feel good about her failures. She’s a PhD candidate at USC with her course work and dissertation behind her. I would feel pretty good telling that story.
No comments:
Post a Comment