Now that September is almost upon us, I thought I'd start things off with a preparatory note for the upcoming Holiday Season. By ``Holiday Season, '' I mean, of course, that time of year (in the US, at least) when the super-duper-classic film ``It's A Wonderful Life'' is put into continuing rotation on cable TV. For the dozen or so residents of the English speaking world not familiar with that film, let me briefly review the plot: George Baily (played by Jimmy Stewart) runs the Baily Building & Loan in Bedford Falls. On Christmas Eve, George's not-too-bright and borderline drunk Uncle Billy misplaces a bag containing a substantial portion of the Building & Loan's cash on hand; the evil Mr. Potter finds and hides the money. Suddenly, the Building & Loan appears to be on the brink of collapse, and George decides to take his life -- believing that the world would be a better place if he had never been born. George's guardian angel intervenes, saves George, and shows him an alternate history of Bedford Falls, without George Baily. In this alternate history, of course, the world is a much worse place. George realizes that, in fact, his life was worth living. George returns to his family, and all of his friends show up with money to save his business. Community, family, and friendship prevail. Everyone cries.
HOWEVER....the real moral of the story is that George should have fired the obviously incompetent Uncle Billy well before he created serious trouble -- or should have placed him in a position without actual responsibility. Family loyalty should never trump sound personnel management.
