To say my late Uncle Frank had a drinking problem would be charitable.
Actually, he was a classic Jekyll-and-Hyde alcoholic. As quiet and passive as a church mouse while sober; an out of control lunatic after a few belts.
Sometimes during a bender, he’d drop by our house with a disheveled-looking buddy or two. But after a few minutes they’d be on their way, as Mom had a strict no-alcohol-consumption-in-the-house policy.
Once the revelers were off to their next stop and out of earshot, she would inevitably utter that classic line: “You can tell a man who boozes by the company he chooses.”
I was reminded of her assessment last week while reading about two businessmen from our field. To again use a charitable description, each had a problem following rules.
Jon Michael Harder, the former CEO of Sunwest Management, received a commutation from President Trump. Harder had been earlier convicted of defrauding assisted living community investors of millions of dollars.
But he was a novice compared to Philip Esformes, who was also sprung from the pen. Prosecutors claimed Esformes swindled more than $1 billion from the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Trump’s sentence commutations were certainly good for them. But they might not be so good for the rest of us.
It’s hardly a secret that this field does not enjoy a sterling reputation. In some ways, the negativity is undeserved. There are many thousands of decent, honest, hard working people in this sector meeting incredibly difficult challenges.
But if we are going to be honest, there is a lot of shady stuff going on as well. Especially when it comes to doing the right thing where money is involved. Loading invoices with artificial sweeteners may not be standard practice in your community. But trust me, it does occur.
When two of our own literally receive get-out-of-jail cards, a clear message is delivered: those with special friends are entitled to special treatment.
Sadly, it’s not just those two gentlemen the general public is now judging harshly. By extension, it’s everyone tied to this field.
It turns out Mom only got it partly right when she threw shade on the boozers. In truth, we are all judged by the company we keep.
John O’Connor is Editorial Director for McKnight’s.
