Have you filled up your gas tank recently? I did this morning on my way to work, and after the pump clicked off, the tally caused me to remember nostalgically how I used to add, almost instinctively, the $15 car wash to the total. As I drove away, I thanked the stars that my children are grown, and I no longer have to fill an SUV or mini-van more than once a week.
Outside of each year’s sprint to the month-long August recess, in Washington, there’s nothing quite like the dash to the July 4th recess to focus legislators’, policymakers’, and staffers’ minds. It’s a second-to-last- chance to get something done before Labor Day, the end of the fiscal year, and, this year mid-term elections.
This past week, I attended the Conference Board’s Government Relations Executive Council meeting. Much of the discussion revolved around current social issues—abortion, equity, guns, January 6th, ESG—and their potential impact on corporate operations. For instance, Jen Stark, Co-Director of the Center for Business and Social Justice spoke on the need for businesses to prepare themselves for the fall of Roe vs. Wade. And Anna Palmer, the founder and CEO of Punchbowl News, led a discussion about the outlook in Congress heading into the midterms.
I’ve never seen The Crown, and I couldn’t name one character on Downton Abbey. I’ve never been to London, and I can barely remember my mother’s excitement watching Prince Charles’ and Lady Di’s wedding…Still, today, I admire the British people.