Tuesday, October 07, 2008

'It doesn't matter how big a ranch you own or how many cows you brand, the size of your funeral is still going to depend on the weather. Harry Truman.

When President Truman retired from office in 1952, his income was substantially a U.S. Army pension reported to have been? $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.

When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, 'You don't want me. You want the office of the president, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale.'

Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, 'I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise.'

We now see that other past presidents have found a new level of success in cashing in on the presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale.

I think good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, 'My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell you the truth, there's hardly any difference. I, for one, believe the piano player job to be much more honorable than current politicians.'

Where do we find another Harry? We sure could use one - NOW!

2 comments:

heydave said...

I find conversation with whores (not that I do that extensively) to be much more honest than talking to politicians.

Sherry Pasquarello said...

there's an extremely long story to this but short version:

i spent a lot of my time when i was age 16 to 19 downtown(pgh)

i met many many different people from all walks of life, including the ladies and their pimps. i met business owners and college students and hippies and street people and cops and some completely crazed people along with the everyday workers. i will say, the street walkers were more honest in their fashion than anyone else.

i learned a lot from all of those people and the things that i saw convinced me that we all have value and we all have reasons but that we have to learn to be kind most of all.

not sappy, not push overs, not caricatures of care, but real kind and empathetic human beings.

i haven't always lived up to that goal, but i try in little ways and hope there is a ripple effect.

whores are honest in their labor.
they provide a service to an honest human need.


politicians??? depends.