No, sorry, this is not about Mayor Bloomberg per se. Nor about his politics. What it is about is his sense of calling, duty, humanity, or whatever else it is that makes him throw millions of his own money into a campaign that - if successful - will yield a job that can only be called a poor return on investment in monetary terms. The same goes for a number of American and international politicians whose intention is predominantely to follow their calling rather than making money.
Come to think of it, in exchange for a few years of immense responsibility these people are subjecting themselves to complete transparency of their personal lives, the lives of their families and relatives, they may also sentence their children to a life under the protection of bodyguards and public scrutiny. Not to mention the task of trying to govern something as resistant to governance as, say, New York City. They do have my admiration even if I don't always like what they are doing.
What would happen, I wonder, if someone found his or her calling in launching a bank that is driven by the same spirit? Not a governmental bank, of course, but a privately owned bank run by a group of people with a sense of responsibility for their country's wellbeing that goes beyond profits. No annual bonus for executives, a modest salary and whatever other perks the mayor of New York City gets. A bank that aims at being self sufficient without the need to satisfy their investors in any other way than in making their customers happy? How would they proceed? Would they work with their customers more to determine their needs, and advise them on sound financial planning rather than maximizing loan amounts? What would their fee structure look like? Would people pay extra for a bank like this? How would they treat their employees?
So what would happen if someone like Mayor Bloomberg, after he has exhausted all means for re-election, eventually retired and started a bank instead? Or any other wealthy enough individual?
Thanks for your time,
Bodo
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