Transportation Secretary Peter Buttigieg and his husband adopted two infants. Good for them. I have often said that being a dad is the greatest job in the world – full of challenges, heartbreaks but great joy. One of the reasons I had my office in my home since 1975 was because I wanted to be able to work and still spend time with my kids. But I always had to work.
Apparently Buttigieg does not share my opinion that work is a priority even when you have kids. He took a couple of months off as his own personal “maternity” leave.
I suppose if he had some fungible job in a factory or office, time off would not be a big deal. But he is the Secretary of Transportation, for God’s sake. He is gone as the biggest transportation infrastructure bill is fighting its way through Congress.
As if that is not enough to keep him on the job, America is having a supply-chain crisis that is rooted in transportation issues. There are hundreds of full container ships with billions of dollars of merchandise anchoring outside America’s main ports. As if that were not enough, there is a shortage of container-hauling truck drivers as well as local delivery vans.
The supply-chain disruption is causing both a shortage of goods and, consequently, an inflationary rise in prices.
There were times I had worked emergencies and had to focus my attention away from the kids and toward the work – even at times when I was a single parent – Mr. Mom, as they say.
I find it incredible that Buttigieg could abandon his critical post at a time of such crisis. I also find it incredible that no one seemed to notice that he was not coming into the office. Had he been a Republican Secretary of Transportation methinks that the left-leaning media would have the person pilloried at the top of every newscast.
It is also disturbing to think that his absence was not a problem. If that is the case, his presence has no benefit. What is the guy’s job description?
In these days of multiple transportation crises, Buttigieg is arguably the most critical member of the Cabinet – taking over the top spot from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who reigned supreme during the Afghanistan fiasco. What would we have thought if Austin had taken a couple months off as our military personnel were serving and dying in Kabul?
Buttigieg is now back on the job. Hmmmm. Nothing seems to be changing or improving in terms of the multi-level transportations crisis. No new plans or proposals for dealing with the crisis. Maybe Buttigieg sitting around the house was not as serious a problem as I assumed.
So, there ‘tis.